Shoreham & Arun (16-18 April)

Saturday 18th.  Another cold, clear morning with a strong NE wind.  Still sufficiently off-putting not to go far, I even had a lie in not reaching Shoreham Fort until 07:00.  The only passage noted were 7 Sandwich Terns heading east and the tide was too low for any feeding waders.  Looking inland from Shoreham Fort the only area of ploughed fields visible was Steepdown, one of my favourite not very birdy places in Sussex.  It seemed worth trying, if only to see how many Corn Buntings were singing despite being exposed to the wind.  The Cetti's Warbler was still singing at New Salts Farm and the Reed Bunting by the Adur but I didn't linger and headed for Lancing Ring.  Around Steepdown I counted 26 Sky Larks and 14 Corn Buntings with a flighty flock of about 50 also there.  Migrants were represented by a Wheatear and 4 Swallows flying east. 

Corn Bunting on Steepdown

looking SE from Steepdown

Two of the counties most prominent landmarks, Lancing College and Southwick Power Station, with Beachy Head distantly in the haze 

Steepdown from Lancing Ring.  From this angle Flatdown would be a more appropriate name.

Reed Bunting holding territory by the Adur

Friday 17th.  If anything the weather was colder and the wind a bit stronger so I didn't venture far.  I arrived at Shoreham Fort at 06:35 but as expected little was passing and even less was close.  I saw 6 Fulmars, 10 Gannets, 13 Common Scoter, 10 Whimbrel, 20 Sandwich Terns and a Swallow in an hour of watching.  In the harbour were a Purple Sandpiper, 23 Turnstone and my first Common Sandpiper of the year while a Peregrine was on the power station chimney.  At New Salts Farm a Reed Warbler had joined the singing Cetti's and Chiffchaffs while the best the Adur had to offer was a singing Reed Bunting and 2 Oystercatchers.  I then walked around Mill Hill seeing 3 Long-tailed Tits (one with no tail) and single Buzzard, House Martin, Yellowhammer and, I suspected, Greenshank.  The latter remaining silent (or out of earshot) as it flew east.

Reed Bunting by the Adur

Long-tailed Tit at Mill Hill

I didn't notice the ring at the time 

Short-tailed Tit.  It looked amazing in flight.

Thursday 16th.  The forecast of a cold clear day with a strong NE wind wasn't particularly inspiring for seawatching so I decided to try the Arun Valley for the change.  Rackham at dawn was quiet so I went on to Greatham where in three hours I saw Cuckoo, 3 Nightingales, Stonechat, Cetti's, Grasshopper, Sedge and Willow Warblers and Whitethroats.  I spent the next 3 hours at Pulborough seeing another 3 Nightingales, Whitethroat, lots of Blackcaps, Nuthatch, Treecreeper and Bullfinch.  No Little Ringed Plover was a disappointment as was just a solitary Swallow flying through.  I tried a couple of spots on the Adur on my way home but both were very quiet.

it is usually a good day when I see a Grasshopper Warbler

more so when it is a good view although I don't recall seeing one with such bright pink legs before

it had me reaching for my Brazil field guide, Pink-legged Groveleteiro anyone?  Hopefully this autumn ...

Green Woodpecker - the first I've seen this year!

Cuckoo at Greatham

given the perils cuckoo's face on migration it is a wonder any ever make it back

Nightingale at Pulborough

these two with the Powershot Sx60

how fortunate to have one of the best places in the country to see Nightingales only a short drive away

these two digiscoped with my old Olympus 1040

Wednesday 15th.  A Peregrine was on the power station chimney.

Tuesday 14th.  Two Wheatears were on Southwick Beach, a Peregrine was on the power station chimney and a Rock Pipit on Carats Cafe roof.

Monday 13th.  Local Herring Gull A5HH by Sussex University Sports Centre bus stop.  Not a day to be working with a scattering of migrants seen along the coast including several very smart male Pied Flycatchers.  Maybe next year, or the year after ... 

Seaford seawatch & Mediterranean Gull record (12 April)

Sunday 12th.  Another decent seawatch with John King.  Between 06:35-12:35 we saw the following heading east: 34 divers (1 Black-throated, 32 Red-throated & 1 unidentified), 20 Gannets, 366 Brent Geese, 240 Common Scoter, a male Eider, 4 Red-breasted Mergansers, 2 Curlew, 6 Arctic Skuas (1 pale & 5 dark morph), Great Skua, 85 Mediterranean Gulls (a record passage count for me), 19 (+ 5 probable) Little Gulls, 174 Sandwich Terns, 3 Common Terns, an early (for me) Little Tern and 5 auks.  2 Swallows came in and a Wheatear rested on the jetty for a few minutes.

Two of the 85 Mediterranean Gulls seen flying east at/over Seaford.  I also heard Med Gulls calling twice without seeing them (presumably flying high like these) and as Med Gulls appear to migrate already paired it is likely that at least 4 were involved.  Of the 85 seen 82 were adults flying in pairs or multiples thereof (including a six, 2 eights and a twelve) and three were first-years tagged onto pairs (a two and a single).

Wheatear on the groyne at Seaford

even females are very smart

Rock Pipit on the groyne at Seaford, a definite pertosus

Saturday 11th.  A disappointing day with virtually nothing moving off Shoreham Fort between 06:30-07:30 (7 Sandwich Terns and a Gannet east, 1 Fulmar west) although for the first time this winter I saw 'all' 3 Purple Sandpipers.  A North Thames Herring Gull was on the Adur - red A6MT different from Eastbourne ringed white A6MT seen there in April 2012.  In the afternoon Megan and I walked around Pulborough Brooks seeing 3 Blackcaps, 2 Jays and a Bullfinch but none of the newly arrived Nightingales even called while we were in earshot.

Purple Sandpiper on the West Arm on the falling tide

Turnstone on the west breakwater

another of the nine present

Brighton seafront, not completely clear of yesterday's smog

North Thames Herring Gull A6MT, a greatly brightened image!

Friday 10th.  2 Sandwich Terns east along Southwick Beach.  A bit murky on the way home, presumably the forecast smog.

Thursday 9th.  Peregrine on Southwick Power Station on my way to work, thick fog along the coast on my way home.

Wednesday 8th.  Peregrine on Southwick Power Station on my way to work.

Seaford Seawatch (7 April 2015)

Tuesday 7th.  My first decent seawatch of the year - nothing close to being unusual but enough passing to make it a pleasant morning.  I watched from 06:15-12:15.  During this period I recorded the following heading east:  34 divers (of which 14 were identified as Red- and 2 Black-throated), 147 Brent Geese, 27 Shoveler (including several pairs tagged on to the end of scoter flocks), 476 Common Scoter, 17 Red-breasted Mergansers, 2 Grey Plover, 8 Bar-tailed Godwits, 19 Curlew, a Whimbrel, 4 Mediterranean Gulls, a Little Gull and 124 Sandwich Terns.  Six Swallows came in (my first of the year - always a welcome sight to see them arriving) as did a male Wheatear which briefly landed on the breakwater (but flew as soon as I reached for my camera).  Three auks were on the sea as were two adult Little Gulls, before flying off west, and a porpoise or dolphin was seen briefly several times.

Monday 6th.  A frosty start, 2C, and a very quiet hour from 06:40 at Shoreham Fort was most notable for two Black Swans inside the harbour by Kingston Lane.  At 07:15 they flew out of the harbour and west along the coast.  Less exotic passage consisted of a Mediterranean Gull and two Sandwich Terns east and single Grey Heron and Oystercatcher west.  Hardly inspiring!  There were only about 80 gulls on Adur when I arrived at low tide and they were soon flushed off by bait diggers.  It had warmed up appreciably and Megan and I walked around Cissbury Ring seeing a Red Kite, Buzzard and 5 Yellowhammers and hearing Green Woodpecker, Chiffchaff and Nuthatch.

early morning full moon

Black Swans in Shoreham Harbour

presumably a pair

flying away west along the coast, the white in the wing just visible on the rear bird

photo of a flying bird - after my failures with the Alpine Swift I needed a lot of practice and something slow and big seemed ideal 

it was easier than these gulls

chasing the one with a fish

gulls on the Adur

Peacock at Cissbury, we also saw about a dozen Brimstones

Red Kite over Cissbury

my flight shot technique still needs a bit of work!

it drifted off east

slow and sad (1-5 April)

Sunday 5th.  Unlocking my car at 06:10 to drive down to Shoreham Fort (c1 mile as the goose flies) I heard a Greylag Goose calling.  It flew north overhead and then headed east.  I hadn't been on the end of Shoreham Harbour long when again I heard a Greylag calling.  It flew around the harbour and off east calling continually only to return ten minutes later, still calling.  Geese pair for life and I couldn't help thinking this one had lost its mate.  Driving home at 09:10, a couple of roads short of our house a Greylag flew overhead heading N and calling.  Presumably it had been doing so for at least three hours - sad.  Greylags are scarce enough around Shoreham for me to wonder if it might it have been one of the two birds seen yesterday?  Between Greylag encounters there was very little going past in an hour and a half - 8 very distant Common Scoter and 2 Sandwich Terns.  On the shingle at Beach Green were 3 Wheatears, a metal ringed Lesser Black-backed Gull as on the Adur and later with Megan around Mill Hill we saw 2 Buzzards, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Raven and 4 Yellowhammers.  We might now be in April but any early promise is taking its time to be realised.

calling Greylag, presumably looking for its mate

second pass of the power station, it was flying around the Shoreham area calling continually for at least three hours

it appeared a typical intermedius but still a pity this bird was not colour-ringed as it would have been interesting to know where it had come from.  I'm amazed that anyone catching gulls doesn't use a colour ring.  Doing so must increase the chance of a recovery at least 100 fold. 

looking east to Sussex's premier spring seawatch sites, Splash Point, Seaford (extreme left) and Birling Gap (almost far right).  With such calm clear weather I didn't imagine they were doing any better than I was, and again I hadn't felt the forecast warranted the effort (or cost) of finding out.

photogenic Turnstone, hard to resist on a quiet morning

Yellowhammer

newborn

glad I'm a vegetarian

Saturday 4th.  An hour watching off the end of Shoreham Harbour from 06:40 was very quiet with a Gannet, 2 Fulmars and 5 Sandwich Terns east and a Wheatear landing on the breakwater.  Two Peregrines were on Southwick Power Station and as I walked back down the west arm 2 Greylag Geese flew east along the beach and there were 4 Wheatears around the old fort.   A stop at New Salts Farm on my way home produced 2 Cetti's Warblers (one briefly seen), 2 Chiffchaff and a Goldcrest while nothing of note was on the Adur.

female Wheatear just arrived on Shoreham Harbour west arm

first photographed at 06:59, I wonder what time it left the French coast?  As the nearest point, just north of La Havre, is 80 miles away it must have been before it got light. 

even females are rather special, more so when they have just arrived

a male Wheatear on Shoreham Fort

Friday 3rd.  An hour and a half watching off the end of Shoreham Harbour from 06:40 was quiet with 56 Brent Geese, 10 Common Scoter and 10 Sandwich Terns east and 2 Gannets and a Little Egret west.  Two Wheatears were on the beach.

Thursday 2nd.  Just 50 Herring Gulls on the Adur at low tide. 

Wednesday 1st.  Regular local Herring Gull A4AH was seen at Sussex University while I was unlocking my bike.