Around Shoreham, few birds and poor weather (02-09 August)

Monday 09 August. A wet walk by the Adur with Megan and Cookie as the tide came in produced 11 Mute Swans, Shelduck, 5 Oystercatchers, 4 Ringed Plover, a very distant (unidentifiable) Black-tailed Godwit, 6 Turnstones, Common Sandpiper, 19 Great Black-backed Gulls, 5 Little Egrets.

Fox by the Adur

looking wetter than we were

Black-tailed Godwit on the Adur, we were too wet to walk back for a better view

Sunday 08 August. Megan and I took Cookie to Harbour Way, walked to the Adur Ferry Bridge and back via the Boardwalk and Shoreham Fort. It was very blustery with a couple of sharp showers and precious few birds - just 4 Oystercatchers, 5 Turnstones, 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 2 Sandwich Terns. In the evening a single Swift was seen over the garden.

adult and (left) juvenile Lesser black-backed Gulls

Saturday 07 August. In the morning we dodged showers at Brooklands seeing the Mute Swan family (still with 7 cygnets), Common Sandpiper, Grey Heron and Kestrel. Later along Southwick Canal, more showers, were 2 Sandwich Terns (adult and juvenile) and 3 Greenfinches.

one of four rather late Mallard ducklings at Brooklands

Mute Swan cygnet at Brooklands, resorting to such photos is an indication of how dire it is

Friday 06 August. I took Cookie to Widewater where I seawatched for an hour in a strong SW wind. I was hoping for a shearwater but only managed 20 Sandwich Terns and 19 Gannets. On our way back we stopped to view the Adur Saltings on the rising tide, although it wasn't a big one. Many birds most likely remained in the creeks but we did see 8 Lapwing, 3 Whimbrel, 25 Turnstones, Common Sandpiper, 23 Redshank, 2 Greenshank, 4 Sandwich Terns, Grey Heron and 2 Little Egrets. Later, when the tide had dropped, I returned to the Adur with Cookie and we walked up to Cuckoo's Corner seeing 23 Mute Swans, 3 Oystercatchers, Whimbrel, Common Sandpiper, 38 Great Black-backed, 400 Herring and 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Grey Heron and 3 Little Egrets.

Whimbrel on the Adur Saltings 

tide coming in for another Whimbrel

Greenshank on the Adur Saltings

adult Sandwich Tern on the Adur Saltings

two adult and a juvenile Sandwich Tern

Herring Gull A6XY. My 13th sighting on the Adur in the last 10 years of an injured bird rescued in Southwick in 2010.

Herring Gull X2HT on the Adur. It was ringed as 1CY at Pitsea in October 2013 and has been seen at Dannes, Pas-de-Calais in February 2014, Greater London in July 2015, Hove in January 2018 and August 2019 and on the Adur in March and October 2020

Thursday 05 August. In the morning Megan and I took Cookie to Mill Hill. It was a bit more breezy, but not excessively so. Unlike the previous day few birds were seen - just 8 Swifts, a Peregrine, 7 Whitethroats, a Greenfinch, 10 Linnets and 8 Goldfinches. In the evening a single Swift was seen over the garden.

Roe Deer seen near Mill Hill

Wednesday 04 August. I took Cookie up to Mill Hill and for the first time since spring there seemed to be a few birds around. I saw 11 Swifts, 5 Buzzards, Green Woodpecker, Kestrel, Swallow, 6 Willow Warblers, 4 Chiffchaffs, 3 Blackcaps, 17 Whitethroats, 2 Bullfinches, Greenfinch, 9 Linnets, 11 Goldfinches and the Yellowhammer. In the afternoon Cookie and I visited the Adur and walked up to Cuckoo's Corner seeing 2 Swifts, 2 Oystercatchers, Whimbrel, 40 Turnstones, 2 Dunlin, 2 Common Sandpipers, 38 Great Black-backed, 5 Little Egrets. and 6 House Martins.

prehistoric looking juvenile Green Woodpecker at Mill Hill

Whitethroat on Mill Hill

behaving like a babbler recent taxonomy suggests it is

Tuesday 03 August. Cookie and I called in briefly at the Adur and were pleased to see that yesterday's Black-tailed Godwit was still present, as well as single Ringed Plover and Common Sandpiper. We continued on to the Lancing Ring Car Park and walked a 3.5 hour triangle across to Cowbottom and Coombes, from there via Coombe Head to Steepdown and back to Lancing Ring. The highlight was a Grasshopper Warbler flushed twice from the edge of the path north of Cowbottom. I also saw 3 Buzzards, 2 Kestrel, a single Sky Lark, 2 Swallows, 3 House Martins, 13 Whitethroats, 6 Chaffinches, 3 Greenfinch, 7 Linnets, 39 Goldfinches and 4 Corn Buntings.

presumed islandica Black-tailed Godwit on the Adur

Little Egret on the Adur

east from Steepdown

Lancing Ring and Cookie

Steepdown

poppies

Monday 02 August. Megan and I took Cookie to Harbour Way, walked to the Adur Ferry Bridge and back via the Boardwalk and Shoreham Fort seeing 3 Oystercatchers, 11 Redshank, 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Little Egret and a Goldfinch. A brief stop on the way home added 15 Mute Swans and a Whimbrel on the Adur.

Little Egret at Emerald Quay

Lesser Black-backed Gulls opposite Harbour Way