Pulborough, Knepp and around Shoreham (01-14 July)

Friday 01 July. A Rock Pipit was seen on the eastern arm of Shoreham Harbour.

Saturday 02 July. 2 Swifts, a Buzzard, Cetti's Warbler (heard), 2 Skylarks and a Yellowhammer at Mill Hill with Megan and Cookie.

Song Thrush on Mill Hill

Sunday 03 July. The 3 cygnets with the pair of Mute Swans at the western end of Widewater had grown significantly in the two weeks since our last visit. The pair on the island at the eastern end still appeared barren. Early evening at Pulborough Brooks produced 19 Lapwings, a Little Ringed Plover, 5 Black-tailed Godwits, a Common Snipe (!), 3 Redshank, a Green Sandpiper, 2 adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 2 Barn Owls, 3 House Martins and a Nightingale. On the adjoining heath I saw 7 Nightjars and heard a distant Woodcock once.

Great Black-backed Gull at Widewater, probably a very pale second-summer

too late with the camera for this Barn Owl at Pulborough

too dark for this Nightjar on Wiggonholt Common

Tuesday 05 July. Cookie and I spent nearly 4 hours at Knepp hearing a Turtle Dove (they seem to have nose-dived here) and seeing Red Kite, 2 Green Woodpeckers, Swallow, Lesser Whitethroat, 3 Mistle Thrushes and 3 Bullfinches. In the evening 7 Swifts were seen over our garden.

Purple Emperor at Knepp. I later had a brief view of what I thought looked like a Large Tortoiseshell but assumed I was imagining things. I now find out they are being seen there so perhaps was right

Wednesday 06 July. Skylark, Chiffchaff and Lesser Whitethroat were heard at Mill Hill with Megan and Cookie. 

Gatekeeper on Mill Hill

Thursday 07 July. I saw my first Sand Martins of the year (a flock of about 20) at Cuckoos Corner with Megan and Cookie. Also 15 Little Egrets, Peregrine, 5 House Martins, 2 Sedge Warblers and 4 Reed Buntings. Early evening at Pulborough Brooks produced 2 Egyptian Geese, 4 Avocets, 10+ Lapwings, 3 Little Ringed Plovers, 3 Black-tailed Godwits, 3 Green Sandpipers, 3 House Martins, Nightingale (heard) and 3 Bullfinches. On the adjoining heath I saw 3 Nightjars and heard a distant Tawny Owl.

Sedge Warbler at Cuckoos Corner

                                 

juvenile Sedge Warbler

 

Nightjar on Wiggonhalt Common

Friday 08 July. At West Mill with Cookie I saw 3 Stock Doves, 2 Buzzards, 3 Skylarks, a Sedge and 6 Reed Warblers, male Stonechat, 3 Yellowhammers, 2 Reed Buntings and 2 Bullfinches. In the evening 4 Swifts were seen over our garden. This has been a fairly reliable site for Turtle Doves in recent years even if I've not always found them easy to see. Seemingly none there this year. The first part is also very overgrown with stinging nettles making wearing shorts an unwise choice.

male Stonechat at West Mill

Reed Warbler at West Mill

looking a bit worn

Saturday 09 July. A Buzzard, 2 Kestrels, 9 Skylarks, 7 Linnets and 2 Corn Buntings were seen at Lancing Ring/Hill with Cookie.

Corn Bunting near Lancing Ring

Sunday 10 July. In the evening 4 Swifts over our garden.

Cookie on the allotment

Monday 11 July. A Hummingbird Hawk-Moth at Shoreham Fort and 2 Sandwich Terns from the boardwalk with Megan and Cookie.

Tuesday 12 July. Great Spotted and Green Woodpeckers, Chiffchaff, Garden Warbler, Goldcrest and Bullfinch were the best I saw in 3 hours with Cookie at Knepp. Nightingale and a distant Turtle Dove were heard. I've averaged seeing 0.6 Turtle Doves per visit at Knepp this year (3 seen in 5 visits) compared to 1.67 in 2021 and 2.67 in 2020. I wouldn't bet on there being any Turtle Doves at Knepp in 5 years time but hope I'm being unduly pessimistic. Needless to say 11 free-flying storks were little compensation.

Fox at Knepp

with a large cub

Wednesday 13 July. A flyover by the South Korean Black Eagles display team was the most notable sighting at Mill Hill. An early evening visit to the Adur produced a Whimbrel and a Polish Black-headed Gull opposite the airport with 2 Peregrines on the roof of Lancing College chapel and a few Swifts and House Martins overhead.

South Korean KAI T-50 Black Eagle display team on its was to RAF Fairford in
Gloucestershire
 

Black-headed Gull TUXR on the Adur. A Polish bird I'd seen here 6 times previously since 2019, all between September and March

Thursday 14 July. Brooklands with Megan and Cookie was very quiet with a Reed Warbler seen and another heard, as was a Blackcap, Green Woodpecker and Mediterranean Gull. In the evening 7 Swifts were over our garden.

dead gulls on one of the rafts at Brooklands, likely victims of Avian Flu

Mallard with at least 20 ducklings at Brooklands, presumably acting as mum and foster mum