birding never sleeps: Mostly Shoreham and a surprise Barred Warbler (20-31 October)

Tuesday, 31 October 2023

Mostly Shoreham and a surprise Barred Warbler (20-31 October)

Back to realty, with a bump, after a very enjoyable time on Unst. Or so I thought ...

Friday 20 October. Adur with Cookie: Lapwing 24, Ringed Plover 25, Dunlin 8, Great Black-backed Gull 65, Yellow-legged Gull 1 near adult.

near adult Yellow-legged Gull on the Adur

Saturday 21 October. Brooklands with Megan and Cookie: Little Grebe 3, Cetti's Warbler heard.

Sunday 22 October. Adur with Megan and Cookie: Goosander 3 roosting on island N of Old Toll Bridge, Lapwing 24, Ringed Plover 54, Dunlin 10, Skylark 3, Cetti's Warbler heard, Long-tailed Tit 5, Chiffchaff 1, Stonechat 1, Meadow Pipit 2. Afternoon visit to Cuckmere Haven: Brent Goose 2, Wigeon 10, Curlew 2, Bar-tailed Godwit 2, Knot 2, Dunlin 6, Long-billed Dowitcher 1 juvenile, Osprey 1, Green Woodpecker 2, Rock Pipit 8.

Industrial Units on the airport going up fast

2 of 3 Goosanders roosting on the Adur

the third was a bit more away

Knot and Bar-tailed Godwit on the Cuckmere

the Long-billed Dowitcher had been with them when they were further away and against the light, a paddle-boarder flushed them and all but the dowitcher returned and landed much closer. Unfortunately I didn't see the dowitcher again.

Osprey in the Cuckmere

it's blue ring enabled it to be traced from a nest in Scotland

Monday 23 October. Mill Hill with Megan and Cookie: Stock Dove 1, Kestrel 1, Skylark 1, Goldfinch 1. Coronation Green: Curlew 1, Redshank 15+, Greenshank 1.

airport developments just about visible from Mill Hill

Tuesday 24 October. Lapwing 27, Grey Plover 1 (returning white-headed individual), Ringed Plover 83, Turnstone 41, Dunlin 14, Redshank 16, Cetti's Warbler heard, Goldfinch 17.

airport developments from the riverbank

Wednesday 25 October. Pulborough Fungi Trail with Megan and Cookie: Jay heard, Coal Tit 1, Great Tit 14, Blue Tit 6, Long-tailed Tit 1, Goldcrest 3, Nuthatch heard, Chaffinch 2.

Amythist Deceiver, perhaps the best fungi seen on the trail

Fly Agaric ran it close

Thursday 26 October. Mill Hill with Cookie: Sparrowhawk 1, Kestrel 2, Skylark 4, Chiffchaff 2, Linnet heard, Goldfinch 2.

Painted Lady on Mill Hill

Friday 27 October. Adur Saltings and Rec (high tide) with Cookie: Teal 15, Lapwing 1, Curlew 1, Common Snipe 36, Redshank 44, Greenshank 1, Sparrowhawk 2, Kestrel 1, Cetti's Warbler heard, Long-tailed Tit 9, Stonechat 2, Meadow Pipit 5, Grey Wagtail 1, Chaffinch 2, Goldfinch 15.

Saturday 28 October. Harbour Way/Adur Saltings/Boardwalk/Fort circuit with Megan and Cookie (high tide/poor weather): Curlew 1, Common Snipe 6, Turnstone 3.

Adur Saltings at a very high tide

Sunday 29 October. Widewater seawatch 07:10-10:10), mod/strong SW, mod viz: Common Scoter 8E:1W, Great Crested Grebe 1 on sea, Kittiwake 10W (single flock), Sandwich Tern 2E, unidentified shearwater 1E, Gannet 6E:89W. Widewater Lagoon: Mute Swan (pair with 9 cygnets + adult with 4 cygnets + pair), Little Grebe 1, Turnstone 6 on beach, Rock Pipit 1 on beach. Buckingham Park with Megan and Cookie: Lord Derby's Parakeet heard, Ring-necked Parakeet heard.

Monday 30 October. Adur with Megan and Cookie: Lapwing 77, Grey Plover 1 (not white-headed individual), Redshank 40+, Greenshank 1, Skylark 4, Meadow Pipit 2, Linnet 5, Goldfinch 4. Late afternoon parakeet search with Cookie: Short-eared Owl 1 flew high west in direction of Eastern Avenue was seen a few minutes later over the Adur dropping down behind the railway line.

flooding at the Panatoni development

Tuesday 31 October. A decent weather forecast so I took Cookie up to Beeding Hill and we set out on our usual circuit: SE along the Monarch's Way, north to Truleigh Hill and back west above Room Bottom. Half way along Monarch's Way as we dropped almost to the valley bottom I glimpsed a large thin pale grey warbler as it flew west behind me and appeared to dive into a Hawthorn. I was pretty certain it was a Barred Warbler, something I'd seen on Unst three weeks earlier, but totally unexpected on the Sussex Downs! I followed it and had an obscured view as it flew out of the back of the bush. Still struggling to think what else it could possibly be I slowly approached and had another equally poor flight view but at least this time I saw where it went. A minute or so later I detected a movement behind some dead vegetation/moth nest at the top of the Hawthorn it had gone into. I could just about make out part of its head and obtained a couple of images after switching to manual focus. They just about confirmed my identification but weren't great. The bird dropped out of the back of the bush and I lost it, flushing it again 5 minutes later and over 50m further back up the track. It dived into another Hawthorn and this time I saw movement as it worked its way up, a minute or so later appearing in the open near the top. I watched/photographed it for 2-3 minutes before it suddenly flew up high SE across the field and was lost from view. We continued on our circuit seeing 2 Buzzards, 4 Ravens, 27 Skylarks, 6 Stonechats, 5 Meadow Pipits, 2 Chaffinches, 23 Linnets, 19 Goldfinches and single Corn and Reed Buntings. I'd hoped for some winter thrushes but came no closer that hearing a Blackbird. Not that I was complaining, well not much.