My second Wheatear - a Desert (20 March)

Sunday 20 March. Megan and I took Cookie to Cissbury seeing Green Woodpeckers, 3 Kestrels, Long-tailed Tit, 2 Skylarks, Chiffchaff, 2 Linnets, 2 Goldfinches and 2 Yellowhammers. News of a male Desert Wheatear had me anxiously driving to Goring Gap in Sunday afternoon traffic and I was delighted to join a small group watching it on the beach. A stunning bird.

male Desert Wheatear on the beach at Goring Gap

a species Sussex had done particularly well for, it is my seventh in the county but the first in spring

                          

Yellowhammer at Cissbury

Saturday 19 March. I seawatched at Widewater from 06:50-08:30 seeing 4 Shoveler, 3 Common Scoter, 2 Oystercatchers, 7 Kittiwakes, 2 Fulmars and 40+ Gannets. Megan and I then took Cookie to Steepdown. In a brisk wind we saw 6 Stock Doves, Red Kite, 3 Kestrels, Chiffchaff, 9 Skylarks and 7 Corn Buntings.

Friday 18 March. Cookie and I met David Buckingham at the Beeding Hill car park and walked SE along the Monarch's Way, up to Truleigh Hill and back around Room Bottom. Highlights were 2 Sparrowhawks, 3 Buzzards, Peregrine, 7 Skylarks, Chiffchaff and Goldcrest heard, Fieldfare, 6 Meadow Pipits, 20 Chaffinches and 2 Yellowhammers.

Thursday 17 March.  I seawatched at Widewater from 06:50-08:20 seeing 39 Brent Geese, 14 Common Scoter, 4 very distant Eider (3 were males), Red-breasted Merganser, 3 Great Crested Grebes, an adult Mediterranean Gull, an unidentified Diver, 2 Fulmars and a Gannet. Nothing was seen along the lagoon. I met Megan and Cookie at Mill Hill where we saw 2 Buzzards, Kestrel, Jay, 2 Long-tailed Tits, singing Chiffchaff, 2 Mistle Thrushes and 2 Linnets. A late afternoon  visit to the Adur with Cookie produced an adult and a second-summer Mediterranean Gulls and both Ring-necked and Lord Derby's Parakeets were seen at Park Avenue on the way home.

Wednesday 16 March. I seawatched at Widewater from 07:00-08:30 seeing Red-breasted Merganser, Great Crested Grebe, 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls, my first Sandwich Tern, Guillemot, 2 Red-throated Divers and a Gannet.  A walk along the lagoon added 2 Teal and 2 more Mediterranean Gulls. Another poor local seawatch put in context by John and Dave Cooper, who returned to Birling, seeing 3 flocks of Garganey totalling 20 birds! I met Megan and Cookie and we walked around the Adur seeing Sparrowhawk, Greenfinch, 5 Linnets and 2 Goldfinches. The tide was too high for any gulls or waders. Both Ring-necked and Lord Derby's Parakeets were seen at Park Avenue with Cookie late afternoon. 

Second-summer Mediterranean Gull on Widewater Lagoon

with an adult

and a Black-headed Gull

Linnet by the Old Toll Bridge

Tuesday 15 March. An early message from Dave Cooper, who was down from Unst, to say he and John would be  leaving Burgess Hill shortly to seawatch from Birling had me heading that way. I arrived at 07:10 to join them and RAB. The seawatch was fairly quiet, and took a bit of getting used to the height above the sea having switched my allegiance to Seaford at least 25 years earlier. In almost 3.5 hours I saw 3 Canada Geese, 2 Shelduck, 6 Pintail, 44 Common Scoter, 3 Red-breasted Mergansers, 4 Great Crested Grebes, 4 adult Mediterranean Gulls, 35 Red-throated and 2 unidentified Divers, 15+ Fulmars and a Harbour Porpoise. Rather disappointing but it was well worth the journey to see John in the field again and have a good chat with him and Dave. I quick wander around a few sites produced 2 Peregrines, Raven, Skylark, 2 Stonechats and 8 Meadow Pipits. 

Canada Geese off Birling

Small Tortoiseshell near Beachy Head Hotel

Stonechat neat the Z-Bends

                           

Peregrines at Beachy Head