Around Shoreham and a visit to Pagham (13-16 July)

Friday 16 July. I took Cookie to Mill Hill seeing 2 Stock and 2 Turtle Doves, 3 Buzzards, Jay, 6 Sky Larks, Reed Warbler, 4 Whitethroats, 2 Nightingales, Greenfinch, 8 Linnets, 4 Yellowhammers and 2 Reed Buntings.

Turtle Dove at West Mill

the second Turtle Dove was nearby

Beautiful Demoiselle at West Mill

same again but more golden?

tail-less Robin at West Mill

juvenile Cormorants near the Downslink

Reed Warbler at West Mill

Yellowhammer at West Mill

Thursday 15 July. Megan and I took Cookie to a quiet Mill Hill. I saw a Swift, Kestrel, Sky Lark, 9 distant House Martins, 2 Whitethroats, Linnet, 8 Goldfinch and male Yellowhammer. Seven Swifts were seen over the garden in the evening.

Yellowhammer at Mill Hill

Wednesday 14 July. Cookie and I spent almost three hours on the Beeding Hill triangle seeing 4 Swifts, 7 Buzzards, 15 Sky Larks, 2 Swallows, 6 Whitethroats, 4 Meadow Pipits, 4 Linnets, 3 Goldfinches, 2 Corn Buntings and 2 Yellowhammers. It was generally quiet with little bird song and as a result my species total at 25 was 5 fewer than previously. Three Swifts were seen over the garden in the evening.

Bagot goats at  Beeding Hill

Marbled White at Beeding Hill

Tuesday 13 July. Frank was back in Brighton and we went to Pagham, arriving at Sidlesham Ferry just before 07:00. It was low tide and the water level on the Ferry was high with hardly any exposed mud. Feeding/roosting were 12 Avocets, 64 Lapwings and about 60 Black-tailed Godwits with 3 summer-plumaged Spotted Redshanks and a Common Sandpiper along the channel leading into the harbour, although mostly against the light. We walked to and along the North Wall seeing 2 Whimbrel, 20 Curlew, 38 Redshank, 4 Greenshank, 50+ Mediterranean and a colour-ringed Black-headed Gull, an adult Yellow-legged Gull (and nearby the heads of what were probably another 2 sat down in the saltmarsh), 14 Cattle Egrets, Great Spotted and 2 Green Woodpeckers, 2 Sand Martins and Reed and Sedge Warblers. Bernie, Dave and Dorian were there and had seen the Glossy Ibis flying out into the harbour and over the trees towards Pagham Lagoon. Back on the Ferry Frank picked out a probable Knot hiding behind the godwits although I couldn't get past Redshank on my views. We drove to Church Norton and spent 2.5 hours on the bench watching terns as the tide came in. On/around Tern Island I estimated there were over 500 adult and juvenile Black-headed Gulls, 170 Mediterranean Gulls (just 6 juveniles) and 250 Sandwich and 25 Common Terns. The day's highlight was a gathering of 68 Little Terns on the mud near the harbour entrance although waders were disappointing with just a single Ringed Plover, 2 Dunlin and 2 more Whimbrel. Bernie had seen the wader on the ferry better than we had and confirmed it was a Knot. We called in at the Ferry again on our return seeing the Knot better, 91 Black-tailed Godwits and 2 of the Spotted Redshank and 2 Cattle Egrets in a field behind. We left at 15:00, an enjoyable day in good company. Six Swifts and 2 House Martins were seen over the garden in the evening.

Cormorant v Eel

the Cormorant wins, seemingly after extra time

Cattle Egret on the North Wall

Black-headed Gull WE41 on the North Wall. Having seen yellow colour-ringed Mediterranean Gulls from Hayling Island I was expecting it to have been ringed 'locally' to so was very pleasantly surprised that it was a Czech bird. It was ringed as an adult at Česká Skalice (110km E of Prague) in May 2016 and was seen near Wokingham in February 2019

gulls (and terns) at Tern Island