Hard going around Shoreham (24 February-01 March)

Wednesday 01 March. I took Cookie to Dacre Gardens and we walked down the Adur as far as Church Farm and back. We saw 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls, 2 Red Kites, 6 Buzzards, 2 Kestrels, Peregrine, 3 Stonechats, Grey Wagtail and Chaffinch. No sign of any Common Sandpipers on the river, again. At dusk both the Lord Derby's and her consort Ring-necked Parakeets were feeding next to their roost tree.

Mediterranean Gull near Dacre Gardens

Tuesday 28 February. I took Cookie to Tottington Woods, the closest reliable-ish Nuthatches and Treecreepers to home that I know of although my previous visit this year had been unsuccessful. We walked around for a couple of hours seeing Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Jay, 2 Treecreepers, 20 Redwing and eventually 2 Nuthatches (not helped by being unable to tell which direction birds are calling from). Just before dusk, while walking Cookie, both Lord Derby's and Ring-necked Parakeets were feeding next to their roost tree.

Treecreeper in Tottington Woods

                             

Nuthatch in Tottington Woods

Monday 27 February. Megan and I took Cookie to Mill Hill where we saw a distant Peregrine, Song Thrush and 8 Linnets.

Sunday 26 February. A walk around the Adur with Megan and Cookie produced 5 Teal, 32 Lapwing, 2 Grey Plover, 60 Great and 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and a Meadow Pipit. The Great Black-backs included a new one with a Norwegian colour-ring easing South Norway ahead of Le Havre 23-22 for the area with most colour-ringed GBbGs I've seen on the Adur.

Norwegian Great Black-backed Gull J02AP on the Adur. It was ringed as a chick in June 2020 at Sandeskjæra, Arendal, Aust-Agder, NORWAY and has subsequently been seen at Outreau "bassin de la liane", Pas-de-Calais, FRANCE in January and February 2021 and at Felixstowe Ferry, Suffolk that November.

Cookie resting after our walk

Saturday 25 February. Megan and I took Cookie to Widewater and walked along the beach to the Perch in Lancing. Four Teal were on Widewater, 20 Turnstone and 70 Dunlin flew along the beach and a single Great Crested Grebe was seen on the sea. 

Friday 24 February. A walk around the Adur with Cookie produced 8 Teal, Little Grebe, 35 Lapwing, 2 Grey Plover, 20 Dunlin, 48 Great Black-backed and 300 Herring Gulls. The latter including a North Thames bird, X6NT.

North Thames Herring Gull X6NT on the Adur. One I'd seen on the Adur before, it was ringed as first-winter at Pitsea landfill in March 2015 and has been seen on the Adur that November, at Beddingham in January 2016 and on the Adur again in May 2018, November 2019 and January 2020