West Sussex (24-31 July)

Sunday 24 July: Red Kite, Green Woodpecker, Peregrine and Raven from Mill Hill with Josh, Megan and Cookie.

Josh training Cookie on Mill Hill

Mute Swan family from Mill Hill

Monday 25 July: 40 Swifts flying west, 13 Skylarks and 2 Corn Buntings while walking the Beeding Hill triangle route with Cookie.

looking north from Beeding Hill

Meadow Pipit on Beeding Hill

Tuesday 26 July. A Turtle Dove, 6 Sand Martins and 6 Bullfinches (heard) at Knepp with Cookie. Later a summer-plumaged Curlew Sandpiper and 54 Mediterranean Gulls at Medmerry, the White-rumped Sandpiper having disappeared an hour or so earlier. Fortunately the other White-rumped Sandpiper was still showing quite nicely (through a telescope) on Sidlesham Ferry along with the summering Brent Goose, 6+ Little Ringed Plovers, a Green Sandpiper and a Greenshank. In the evening 2 Swifts were over our garden, the last I was to see in July.

Turtle Dove at Knepp, one of the two seen on my first visit.

much harder to find at Knepp this year with 3 individuals seen and 1 heard over 6 visits to the south section (2, 1, 0, h, h & 1). This compares with 6 in 6 visits last year (2, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1) and 7 in 6 visits in 2020 (3, 3, 3, 4, 1, 2). Not good.

Cookie and cat at Knepp. The cat sat tight as Cookie cautiously walked past keeping me between them

Wednesday 27 July. A Stonechat and 3 Corn Buntings at Steepdown with Megan and Cookie. At low tide a Little Ringed Plover was briefly on the east bank of the Adur opposite the airport, my first sighting here and only the second locally. Also 2 Whimbrel and 2 Dunlin.

Corn Bunting at Steepdown

Stonechat at Steepdown

Thursday 28 July. A Great Spotted Woodpecker flew N over our Middle Road allotment while a low tide visit to the Adur produced the 2 Whimbrel, a Peregrine (on Lancing College roof) and 90+ House Sparrows (with another 35-40 regularly feeding on our back garden).

the Mute Swan family from the Old Toll Bridge

Friday 29 July. The 2 Whimbrel on the Adur with Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, 16 House Martins, 2 Sedge and 5 Reed Warblers seen on a walk up river to Applesham and back with Cookie.

Reed Bunting near Cuckoos Corner

probably a different Red Bunting in the same area a bit later

Saturday 30 July. A Sandwich Tern in the entrance to Shoreham Harbour.

Sunday 31 July. Early evening on the Adur a Whimbrel and my first sighting of the yellow-flagged Curlew.

Curlew on the Adur, almost certainly PO, the yellow-flagged individual released near the Burgh in early July and seen on the Adur several times since