Shoreham and the Burgh (04-16 February)

I'm slowly easing back into local birding at one of my least favourite times of year. I always find it difficult after a foreign trip with lots of photos and records to process.

Saturday 04 February. Megan and I took cookie to Harbour Way and walked to the Adur Ferry Bridge (14 Common Snipe shifted along the saltings by the rising tide). Returned by the Boardwalk and Shoreham Fort (Rock Pipit but no Purple Sandpiper).

Sunday 05 February. We walked around the Adur seeing 2 Grey Plover, Curlew, Greenshank and Kingfisher.

discharges into the Adur still seem rather powerful

Monday 06 February. Keen to see the local wintering Purple Sandpiper (in case none return next winter) we visited the east side of Shoreham Harbor on a rising tide hoping one might be feeding on the caissons. If one was we didn't see it and scanning across to the wooden jetty only saw 8 Turnstones. Later we tried Shoreham Fort but had no luck there either (although one had been seen between times). A Stonechat and Rock Pipit were some compensation.

Tuesday 07 February. I took Cookie up to No Man's Land. There was mist in the Adur Valley but we soon climbed out of it although it didn't clear completely and rolled in again as we were on our way back three hours later. The wintering Hen Harrier didn't seem to be around but 3 Red Kites, Buzzard, Raven, 20 Skylarks, Dartford Warbler, 2 Stonechats, 15 Meadow Pipits, 8 Chaffinches, a Brambling, 200 Linnets, 8 Corn and 4 Reed Buntings and 4 Yellowhammers made the visit worthwhile. There were many more small birds than I'm used to on the Downs behind Shoreham, helped by most of the fields being stubble or with game crop strips as opposed to grazing. Late afternoon, while leaving the allotment, both parakeets (female Lord Derby's and male Ring-necked) noisily flew into the roost tree in Middle Road.

mist hanging over No Man's Land

a Brambling briefly appeared by a feeder

Cookie heading into the mist

she wasn't sure about it and soon came back

Wednesday 08 February. Megan and I took Cookie to Mill Hill where we saw 6 Long-tailed Tits, 2 Song Thrushes, a male Stonechat and 2 Greenfinches. Later on a visit to Shoreham Fort the Purple Sandpiper was seen briefly below the wooden jetty before roosting on the end of it as the tide came in.

Stonechat on Mill Hill

Purple Sandpiper at Shoreham Fort

Turnstone at Shoreham Fort

with its shadow

Thursday 09 February. Megan and I took Cookie to Buckingham Park where we saw Great Spotted Woodpecker, Lord Derby's and Ring-necked Parakeets, a singing Coal Tit, Mistle Thrush and 30 Goldfinches. I later visited Mill Hill and saw a Redwing while failing to find a wooly hat I had lost the previous day.

Friday 10 February. A morning visit to Shoreham Fort on the off-chance my hat was there produced 2 Great Crested Grebes on a flat sea and 4 Meadow Pipits but no hat. In the afternoon I drove to Burpham where the 4 adult Bewick's Swans were in the water meadows and 7 Chiffchaffs, 2 Mistle Thrushes and a Grey Wagtail at/by the Water Treatment Works. I walked from Peppering Triangle to the Burgh Dewpond, meeting Nick Bond's Naturetrek group on the way. I saw 5 Grey and 4 Red-legged Partridges, an increasing number of Red Kites and a superb Barn Owl. Starting back at 16:30 I met a lady photographing the Barn Owl who told me she's seen 3 Short-eared Owls in the valley below the Dew Pond earlier in the week. I decided to go back and at 17:00 a Short-eared Owl appeared and sat on a hedge making me very glad I'd met her. While waiting for the owl I realised kite numbers were building up on the far side of the valley and made several counts. Including birds still drifting in from the west as I walked back I got to 52 although that excludes any late arrivals from the east. An excellent finish to a very enjoyable afternoon.

Barn Owl at the Burgh

sun setting over Arundel from the Burgh

sun set from the Burgh

Saturday 11 February. Megan and I took Cookie to Lancing Ring and Steepdown seeing Buzzard, Kestrel, 12 Skylarks, 6 Redwings, male Stonechat, 10 Meadow Pipits, a Goldfinch and 7 Corn Buntings.

Corn Bunting at Steepdown

Sunday 12 February. I took Cookie up to No Man's Land and was disappointed to see that most of the stubble had been cleared. We saw a Red Kite, 2 Ravens, 6 Chaffinches, 13 Goldfinches, 20 Corn and 2 Reed Buntings and 16 Yellowhammers but just 1 Skylark and no Meadow Pipits or Linnets.

Monday 13 February. We walked around the Adur seeing 117 Lapwings, 2 Grey Plover, Curlew, Dunlin, Buzzard and 2 Stonechats.

Stonechat on the airport side of the Adur

Tuesday 14 February. I took Cookie to Dacre Gardens hoping to see a wintering Common Sandpiper. It was misty by the river and didn't clear much in the two hours we walked down to Church Farm and back. Two Stonechats were the best we managed.

Stonechat by the Adur at Dacre Gardens

Wednesday 15 February. We were going for a walk along Worthing seafront but solid traffic on the A259 put us off and we ended up going to Rackham where there was glorious sunshine. We saw 2 Mandarin (on Parham Park Lake, my first there for 6-7 years), 3 Red Kites, 2 Buzzards, 3 Coal Tits and 2 Fieldfare (my first this year). Literally hundreds of Fallow Deer were on Amberley Wildbrooks which were very dry with no wildfowl evident at all.

Thursday 16 February. Megan and I walked to Buckingham Park with Cookie. We saw Great Spotted Woodpecker, 3 Long-tailed Tits, Mistle Thrush and 10 Goldfinches and twice heard the Lord Derby's Parakeet without seeing it.