Sunday 21 August. Mill Hill 06:05-08:55: 2 Stock Doves, Peregrine (on cement works chimney), Willow Warbler, 4 Blackcaps, 2 Lesser and 13 Common Whitethroats, 2 Spotted Flycatchers and 16 Goldfinches. Also my first Autumn Lady's Tresses this year. Later a Raven was heard as we walked to our allotment.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo7Sw_8_NLz-0rF7KRsAFVB7ZFto1gfW8VqR_OUZcYu7__IVSaI6tiYqv2_3XvaKln6nM6HpJ9GO990WLwa0nlFrzV2gYs9v7npCUDWqDUCBIhEB_VPyjznXmjhpw9of5hojgJk5qweho7rsbFT0UkJUMa1qx7x4ceSJ9NjXJ2vI8wEhsMmwHXJFED/w400-h300/Autumn%20Lady's%20Tresses%20Mill%20Hill%2021Aug22%20IMG_5758.JPG) |
Autumn Lady's Tresses on Mill Hill |
Saturday 20 August. 2 adult & 8 young Mute Swans, a Lapwing, 32 Ringed Plover and 2 Dunlin on the Adur with Megan and Cookie. The footpath is finally open (again) on the airport side.Friday 19 August. I walked the Beeding Hill triangle with David Buckingham and Cookie seeing 7 Stock Doves, 3 Kestrels, Peregrine, 4 Swallows, Chiffchaff, 5 Whitethroats, male Redstart, 4 Whinchats, 4 Wheatears, Meadow Pipit and at least 16 Corn Buntings. On the way home 18 Ringed Plover, Whimbrel and Dunlin but only a dead stork under the railway bridge (the flock of 19 were there before our visit when one was hit by a train, later the remaining 18 were back on the Adur briefly and the next day they departed south from Dungeness).
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Whinchat on Beeding Hill |
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Purple & Gold on Truleigh Hill
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Thursday 18 August. Mill Hill 06:10-09:00: 2 Greylag and 35 Canada Geese (at Cuckoos Corner), Green Woodpecker, Peregrine (on cement works chimney), 2 Jays, 2 Willow Warblers, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, 2 Garden Warblers, 2 Lesser and 13 Common Whitethroats and 2 Linnets. After a brief return home to collect Megan and Cookie we saw the 2 adult & 8 young Mute Swans, 14 Ringed Plover, Whimbrel, Dunlin and 29 Turnstones on the Adur and 11 Ringed Plover, Whimbrel, 2 Dunlin, 3 Turnstones, 26 Redshank, Greenshank and Sandwich Tern at Town Quay/Coronation Green. Early evening Richard Allen posted news of 19 released White Storks to the Adur Birding WhatsApp group and I hurried down seeing them from the Old Toll Bridge. Part of the Knepp Introduction but quite spectacular despite their plasticity.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaGxCwDVdNpWFkWKxNIv4NrWWr6NCTc24jFPqIL-AwTUVLS4WkzKrbfd2xFH6BGQDpjKzHGbtrYkgXEjdQi6_4Et8Htgs2ZRHrv-Hv1KtUmBIVdk15IGDN0GT54_1Aa8Prqh-8hNtqRnltYJnEOZKDgulL9ZMlJ3awyjTPvSlrhlnrw3XAt4XzGQ4c/w400-h188/Mill%20Hill%2017Aug22%20IMG_5743.JPG) |
looking SW from Mill Hill |
Tuesday 16 August. Mill Hill morning & afternoon visits: 2 Green Woodpeckers, Willow Warbler, 11 Whitethroats and 15 Swallows.
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Orange Swift in our garden |
Monday 15 August. Mill Hill 06:10-08:30: Sparrowhawk, 2 Willow Warblers, Blackcap, Garden Warbler, a Lesser and 4 Common Whitethroats and 2 Goldfinches.
Sunday 14 August. Mill Hill 06:10-08:25: 11 Willow Warblers, 4 Blackcaps, 2 Lesser and 14 Common Whitethroats, 5 Spotted Flycatchers, a Redstart and 2 Yellowhammers. Later Megan and I took Cookie to Lancing Ring where we saw 2 Willow Warblers, a Whitethroat and the Long-tailed Blue but failed again with Brown Hairstreak.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizAqBgfg2Hpfv8Jk1j4rZgeJVqMazU4Cp5ej9dn8WUpJjNU2kHfseY37C5RSXWQOH6_DnywpGRuEdyMcVgWQ2uloidnne5uWjfn1qT4bnGhcZL4EGPLCi0QqfHAYi0XyiZLqbP2TqJxkSIFNYHwL1I5AZ0HAv9VYKjxs8iq9rQXFHepLSLDiBcf1lc/w400-h300/Spotted%20Flycatcher%20Mill%20Hill%2014Aug22%20P1238968.JPG) |
Spotted Flycatcher on Mill Hill |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIluqIqpb_1GXXFpnxJYUeEEHiKX72g5CM-izv9PJ9G30m4RY08FiTE6eFcEokhIO-iVT8aOa3NnvqIsvF-IDlu_0weCpfOtdTYC3u8-xyW8NPZLc4mnsL4ljgWfaHW6pYT-caSZDh8hhu-qkd7IwHRfVYN7TOuUA71PGF0OyZVH6dOtpDiOnHdtfF/w400-h300/Yellowhammer%20Mill%20Hill%2014Aug22%20P1239014a.jpg) |
Yellowhammer on Mill Hill |
Saturday 13 August. I caught up with Long-tailed Blue at Lancing Ring. It took 2 minutes to find in exactly the same spot I'd spent an hour at yesterday. It was much smaller than I was expecting and its erratic flight wasn't easy for me to follow. I also saw 2 Willow Warblers, a Lesser and 3 Common Whitethroats and Spotted and Pied Flycatcher.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCXylgIstgDcf8-qZsxbGlqc402PTsIvWGT9PU8y27gxDmt_3l1osS2Xk5iTrBaErhjuILBDDMROC10RN8hfuZtiY-pl7wMQhTkTA8o0IRI3xipGm10GEtfNdzXLbZlwC-Npcx-RtPymBV0zJz3FWekTJIS0r-nLHqSF9xuwU967-V0hlT03E9ueIm/w400-h300/Long-tailed%20Blue%20Lancing%20Ring%2013Aug22%20P1238849.JPG) |
Long-tailed Blue at Lancing Ring |
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Spotted Flycatcher at Lancing Ring |
Friday 12 August. I took Cookie up to Lancing Ring from Sussex Pad. We saw Red-legged Partridge, Sparrowhawk, 2 Buzzards, a Swallow, 20 House Martins and a female Bullfinch. We couldn't find the Long-tailed Blue despite about an hour in the area it had been seen, no luck with Brown Hairstreak either.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy8xTCFLlZHhS_f9ifPeBuJFAaz-GqXaOVfp-Q4-9rm_i0lqPuiw2YR30luYHhrqpxSisOf1I0609THsXhl-XxjMDg6XRaCRbNKDdaIA3QLzCKLhJcQb2GExYdkqImLGxA_o-JNJgdH4dC0O-HKfj6OPNIA3BdC1TRcGLD2ylbBQVgmSGW0YSwucXP/w400-h300/Lancing%2012Aug22%20IMG_5734.JPG) |
Topiary Cat near Lancing College Equestrian Centre |
Thursday 11 August. Willow Warbler at our allotment.
Wednesday 10 August. Megan and I took Cookie to Pulborough and walked around the woods (nice and shady) and out on the footpath towards the riverbank (very hot in the sun). From there I dived onto the reserve and saw the Wood Sandpiper from Jupp's Viewpoint while Megan took Cookie back to the car. Back home a mid afternoon call from Matt Palmer to say he had a juvenile Caspian Gull on the Adur at Town Quay. I grabbed my bins and camera and arrived on my bike 10-12 minutes later. Fortunately Matt was still watching it (without him I'm sure I would have overlooked it). An interesting looking bird and not an age I was familiar with but fortunately it stayed for half an hour before flying off down river. I took some convincing but it seemed to show the requisite features (see images below).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaJcpJ5lin0jmiorK-GA3wj4lpfH1lBYtIaDMupuKhFXuRpRNRsaDo1Ii88gzkzou-Df01U82oy7C0LjD6RVArBqmca6mWHfKswV-UkbjTosyppxd4REvirIfmGL5Kw5PqrNNSVx1eBACEfGP5jZ0eqK9DOBk6jTyI0Y4HANAv4xDGyg-P8nTLVFK1/w400-h300/Wood%20Sandpiper%20Pulborough%2010Aug22%20P1228611.JPG) |
Wood Sandpiper at Pulborough |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZljFWyzmDCs4T9iceXCfYm7PKTsi_wjS-BjPofPPV_Q7YsAFR6RjJr0NB-yAJoiIh7t8VyaB758mLsoxEtP2Se7ZtaQLCapIT9NYWMkg1aCYVYb54GiTbWSUIqSu0W23ougH29zRVUBcYgI97GCeOfzUeN_FK2MDDNOV126-BKmI-l3cDyilNG2Hs/w400-h300/Caspian%20Gull%20Town%20Quay%2010Aug22%20P1228637%20pale%20head.JPG) |
juvenile Caspian Gull from Town Quay showing typical tertials |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZGNXVrIJLtQdlByR51b17CpjO6iE5n-Mt7cCU2LHXonHaa-Vfpz1ETP6v_EupWxHi_1mLMt932cWMfyqpkB_Ktm6NM9-z4ISDdVqNh7nf3YMp1wD0IVP61Xu2G5tuHUlo0B8_eMkP3QGpPkD4bTHmXHjvJWynNROfYM0B2Xf-tfRJ8bFv38gLIyf/w400-h300/Caspian%20Gull%20Town%20Quay%2010Aug22%20P1228673%20longish%20thinish%20legs.JPG) |
long legs and some venetian blind effect in the stretched wing |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5J_1IOIJkJFp1fDNbp0TdSysLBSvzzdrs6ttrdkq7256KKuJ3SofNSyOi3apPo_YiY0350KkTqxIS502rMfpquqv61cijZxvzkl4ZbZw9zuW74cy-oqrQPVsXfJM4W3mZRGVYz065Z985ocTD5oukxBqnMoNjE0IFQhq2RT5-mC_dsXz5F0y2iukJ/w400-h300/Caspian%20Gull%20Town%20Quay%2010Aug22%20P1228715%20pale%20head.JPG) |
pale head |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbEPxb7kWQuHAVDa9bcgzEyv6_1IIBGH1_MXLayiKiRS97nOb4B2vlbT9pK5eWNB8M554EQu_WYPLJGdadxxvWIrUX4hwsOjXiVNOA6qnNAk7LKznUrBxc9fQHr7Xa3_xBynNo7ANsTD3f6qrKnwj3OsLd7X2qZ1KYuilX8ylUOn8rLRQb5lBvkq2f/w400-h300/Caspian%20Gull%20Town%20Quay%2010Aug22%20P1228759%20structure%20&%20plainer%20inner%20gtr%20coverts.JPG) |
long thin structure and uniform greater coverts |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRs2L_PvJxHi3HokR0CSN-Sw3Lrm_TlIp_PaSSdnyrhmGn-ZcKM5tlINftwh1o-9AwCyo95uQoA5uaCyNAQ5SZHlhc-xpjmJQef5HCLCoQ4uo7k85IobXo4m4qmsbV-l5WWlqFoaoMPPz2mKflJo0sKVmDiKGjOHY-Op8xFPXnkZW-qVzYO5eMBwDl/w400-h300/Caspian%20Gull%20Town%20Quay%2010Aug22%20P1238797%20whitish%20underwing%20&%20pale%20inner%20primaries.JPG) |
whitish underwing and pale inner primaries |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkID0QPln6MRJHr__B4NUZF2LkevTyudzaKSQJCT_TSzATVNbpTg40ATYPZRMu1q0YqoAQhUA-qFhYUqidBz4gzmBz6W0sFaq5xFzEYpYifrZNaknwSCN2dLSiYw8G_B8cY70N622tMwaCQUGOpipgX3SX0Z-tbK4OAJfAn6DdRn-VLTAc4dGlTDj1/w400-h300/Caspian%20Gull%20Town%20Quay%2010Aug22%20P1238803%20small%20head%20&%20longish%20bill.JPG) |
small head and longish bill |
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solid black tail band and paler edges to inner primaries |