The unexpected reappearance of a recent friend (Pulborough 08 April)

Thursday 08 April. I started off seawatching at Widewater. Two hour produced 17 Brent Geese, 79 Common Scoter, a Great Crested Grebe, an Oystercatcher, 18 Sandwich Terns, 9 Red-throated and a Black-throated Diver, 3 Fulmars, 90 Gannets and 3 Linnets flying east, all but the last quite distant. Two Canada Geese and 2 Whimbrel flew west. I then met Megan and Cookie at Harbour Way and we walked to the Adur Ferry Bridge, along the Boardwalk to the Fort and back seeing 11 Oystercatchers, 35 Turnstones, 2 Sandwich Terns and a Peregrine. Back home news that the Northern Mockingbird that I had seen in Devon had relocated to the edge of Pulborough was quite a shock and I was soon heading that way. Being uncertain of parking restrictions in the town I walked from the RSPB Visitor Car Park which took about 25 minutes. The Northern Mockingbird showed well in wood piles by the riverbank, habitat which seemed much more natural than Exmouth gardens. I watched it for ninety minutes or so (no stool required) and caught up with many local birders I'd not seen during lockdown. Returning to Pulborough RSPB I saw the long staying and highly mobile Pied Flycatcher in trees by the Hanger, from where 6 Avocets and a Green Sandpiper were seen. Also at Pulborough were 2 Mandarin and a Red Kite.

Northern Mockingbird near Pulborough

amazingly it is almost certainly the bird I saw in Exmouth at the end of March

Pied Flycatcher at Pulborough Books

another bird I was happy to see again

Wednesday 07 April. I took Cookie to Lancing Ring car park and we walked a three-hour triangle to Coombes, Steepdown and back. I saw 36 species, the highlights being a Red-legged Partridge, 24 Sky Larks, 2 Mistle Thrushes, 3 Stonechats, a male Wheatear, 16 Linnets and 70 Corn Buntings.

Kestrel near Coombes

Wheatear near Combe Head

Corn Bunting on Steepdown

tree replanting on Lancing Ring

Tuesday 06 April. Megan and I took Cookie to Mill Hill where we saw Sparrowhawk, Red Kite, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, 5 Linnets and 2 Goldfinches.

Sparrowhawk at Mill Hill