My second Wheatear - a Desert (20 March)

Sunday 20 March. Megan and I took Cookie to Cissbury seeing Green Woodpeckers, 3 Kestrels, Long-tailed Tit, 2 Skylarks, Chiffchaff, 2 Linnets, 2 Goldfinches and 2 Yellowhammers. News of a male Desert Wheatear had me anxiously driving to Goring Gap in Sunday afternoon traffic and I was delighted to join a small group watching it on the beach. A stunning bird.

male Desert Wheatear on the beach at Goring Gap

a species Sussex had done particularly well for, it is my seventh in the county but the first in spring

                          

Yellowhammer at Cissbury

Saturday 19 March. I seawatched at Widewater from 06:50-08:30 seeing 4 Shoveler, 3 Common Scoter, 2 Oystercatchers, 7 Kittiwakes, 2 Fulmars and 40+ Gannets. Megan and I then took Cookie to Steepdown. In a brisk wind we saw 6 Stock Doves, Red Kite, 3 Kestrels, Chiffchaff, 9 Skylarks and 7 Corn Buntings.

Friday 18 March. Cookie and I met David Buckingham at the Beeding Hill car park and walked SE along the Monarch's Way, up to Truleigh Hill and back around Room Bottom. Highlights were 2 Sparrowhawks, 3 Buzzards, Peregrine, 7 Skylarks, Chiffchaff and Goldcrest heard, Fieldfare, 6 Meadow Pipits, 20 Chaffinches and 2 Yellowhammers.

Thursday 17 March.  I seawatched at Widewater from 06:50-08:20 seeing 39 Brent Geese, 14 Common Scoter, 4 very distant Eider (3 were males), Red-breasted Merganser, 3 Great Crested Grebes, an adult Mediterranean Gull, an unidentified Diver, 2 Fulmars and a Gannet. Nothing was seen along the lagoon. I met Megan and Cookie at Mill Hill where we saw 2 Buzzards, Kestrel, Jay, 2 Long-tailed Tits, singing Chiffchaff, 2 Mistle Thrushes and 2 Linnets. A late afternoon  visit to the Adur with Cookie produced an adult and a second-summer Mediterranean Gulls and both Ring-necked and Lord Derby's Parakeets were seen at Park Avenue on the way home.

Wednesday 16 March. I seawatched at Widewater from 07:00-08:30 seeing Red-breasted Merganser, Great Crested Grebe, 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls, my first Sandwich Tern, Guillemot, 2 Red-throated Divers and a Gannet.  A walk along the lagoon added 2 Teal and 2 more Mediterranean Gulls. Another poor local seawatch put in context by John and Dave Cooper, who returned to Birling, seeing 3 flocks of Garganey totalling 20 birds! I met Megan and Cookie and we walked around the Adur seeing Sparrowhawk, Greenfinch, 5 Linnets and 2 Goldfinches. The tide was too high for any gulls or waders. Both Ring-necked and Lord Derby's Parakeets were seen at Park Avenue with Cookie late afternoon. 

Second-summer Mediterranean Gull on Widewater Lagoon

with an adult

and a Black-headed Gull

Linnet by the Old Toll Bridge

Tuesday 15 March. An early message from Dave Cooper, who was down from Unst, to say he and John would be  leaving Burgess Hill shortly to seawatch from Birling had me heading that way. I arrived at 07:10 to join them and RAB. The seawatch was fairly quiet, and took a bit of getting used to the height above the sea having switched my allegiance to Seaford at least 25 years earlier. In almost 3.5 hours I saw 3 Canada Geese, 2 Shelduck, 6 Pintail, 44 Common Scoter, 3 Red-breasted Mergansers, 4 Great Crested Grebes, 4 adult Mediterranean Gulls, 35 Red-throated and 2 unidentified Divers, 15+ Fulmars and a Harbour Porpoise. Rather disappointing but it was well worth the journey to see John in the field again and have a good chat with him and Dave. I quick wander around a few sites produced 2 Peregrines, Raven, Skylark, 2 Stonechats and 8 Meadow Pipits. 

Canada Geese off Birling

Small Tortoiseshell near Beachy Head Hotel

Stonechat neat the Z-Bends

                           

Peregrines at Beachy Head

My first Wheatear (14 March 2022)

The first male Wheatear of the year is perhaps my most eagerly anticipated regular birding event. My earliest to date have been:

09 March 1977: My earliest ever Wheatear was a male along the coast west of Ventnor on the Isle of Wight. It remained for several days (I also saw it on 11/12th) and was easily the highlight of a four-week residential Accountancy course (a career path I quickly gave up on).

10 March 1983. A male Wheatear seen at Farlington, Hampshire.

12 March 1994. A male Wheatear on the beach at Hove (my earliest in Sussex).

12 March 1995. A male Wheatear at Shoreham Fort.

14 March 1981. Two males Wheatears at Birling Gap.

14 March 2009. Three males Wheatears at Widewater.

14 March 2017. A male Wheatear on Southwick Beach.

and now:

male Wheatear at Shoreham Fort on 14 March 2022

Monday 14 March. I seawatched at Widewater from 07:15-08:15 seeing a distant unidentified duck (Pintail?), 2 single Common Scoter, 4 Kittiwakes, 20 Common Gulls, 3 Red-throated Divers and 9 Gannets. All were flying east. A Little Grebe was on the lagoon and 14 Turnstones and the elusive wintering Black Redstart on the groynes west of the beach huts. I met Megan and Cookie at Harbour Way and we walked along the river to the Adur Ferry Bridge and back along the boardwalk to the Fort. Halfway there I received a message that a Wheatear had been seen at the Fort making me wish we'd done our walk in reverse! There were 12 Turnstones below the wooden jetty and, still there although not immediately obvious, a male Wheatear on the Fort itself. We also saw 6 Wall Lizards at the base of the southern fortifications.

Black Redstart at Widewater

                              

Little Egret at Widewater

male Wheatear on Shoreham Fort

female Lord Derby's Parakeet in Shoreham

male Ring-necked Parakeet in Shoreham

garden Fox

Sunday 13 March. Back home Megan and I took Cookie to Park Avenue where both the male Ring-necked and female Lord Derby's Parakeet were present.

Lord Derby's and Ring-necked Parakeets over Park Avenue, the former growing its tail. 

Monday 07 March-Sunday 13 March. Megan and I took Cookie to Deal for a week where we rented a cottage by the sea. It was nice to get away but birding, what little I did, was disappointing. It was ideally placed for seawatching, could scope it quite well from the front room, except clear sunny weather made the light looking east awful. Very little was passing when I did look compared to passage off Sussex at that time. I wondered if birds continued east into the English Channel after passing Dungeness or if they continued up the Kent coast whether they passed beyond the Godwin Sands (3 miles off Deal). While at Deal we drove to Sandwich to visit Richborough Roman Fort but it was closed for major renovation. Perhaps our most enjoyable outing was catching a bus to St Margarets at Cliffe and walking back along Saxon Shore coastal path. Otherwise we stayed local to Deal. While away I saw 35 Brent Geese, Red-breasted Merganser, 28 Great Crested Grebes, a few Kittiwakes, 12 Mediterranean Gulls, 11 Red-throated and 5 unidentified Divers, 8 Fulmars, 18 Gannets, a Sparrowhawk, 6 Buzzards, Chiffchaff and 43 Chaffinches.

Rochester was a convenient stop on the way although we'd not realised the castle keep was closed on Mondays

Rochester Castle

Rochester Cathedral

the French coast was visible from Deal on a clear day

                         

Cookie getting excited when she realised we were almost home

Staying local, seeing little around Shoreham (27February-06 March)

Sunday 06 March. Megan and I took Nessa, Chris and Cookie to Mill Hill. It was exceptionally quiet with just a Kestrel and 2 Goldfinches seen. Late afternoon Megan and I took Cookie to Park Avenue where we saw both Ring-necked and Lord Derby's Parakeet in their usual tree.

Saturday 05 March. Nessa was down with Chris and Megan and I took them (and Cookie) to Worthing. I bought a warm beanie hat to replace one I'd recently lost, very timely as it was  cold on the pier. 

Friday 04 March. Megan and I took Cookie to Mill Hill where we saw Buzzard, Kestrel and 2 Skylarks. Three Stock Doves were in the garden during the day and late afternoon I took Cookie to Park Avenue where we saw both Ring-necked and Lord Derby's Parakeet in their usual tree.

Thursday 03 March. I seawatched at Widewater from 07:25-09:10 seeing 105 Brent Geese, 2 Ringed Plovers, 2 Kittiwakes, 13 Black-headed and an adult Mediterranean Gull, 3 Red-throated and 2 unidentified Divers and a Fulmar. Most were flying east, the Brents in 3 flocks of 30-40. I met Megan and Cookie near the Red Lion and we walked down to the Norfolk Bridge, across the Rec and back along the airport side. I saw 29 Teal, 2 Little Grebes, the Greenshank (in the houseboat channel), very few gulls, 2 Skylarks and 5 Linnets. Late afternoon I took Cookie to Park Avenue where we saw both the Ring-necked and Lord Derby's Parakeets.

Wednesday 02 March. Megan and I took Cookie to Brooklands where we saw an adult and 4 juvenile Mute Swans, 5 Teal, 2 Stock Doves, Little Grebe, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Coal Tit, Goldcrest and 9 Goldfinches. Late afternoon I took Cookie to Park Avenue where we saw both Ring-necked and Lord Derby's Parakeet in their usual tree.

Coal Tit at Brooklands

                             

Tuesday 01 March. Megan was back at the Library and I took Cookie to Widewater. Visibility was poor but the tide was quite high so we walked along to Lancing Sailing Club to check the wader roost. It wasn't there, just 11 Turnstones on the beach. On our return we did see the female-plumaged Black Redstart fly out from between beach huts and briefly onto a groyne by the eastern lagoon. My first this year although I'd seen one twice at Widewater in November. Seven Teal and a Dunlin were on the western lagoon. Late afternoon I took Cookie to Park Avenue where we saw both Ring-necked and Lord Derby's Parakeet in their usual tree.

poor visibility at Widewater

Teal at Widewater

Monday 28 February. Megan and I took Cookie to Mill Hill where we heard a Skylark and saw 1-2 Red Kites, 2 Buzzards and 13 Goldfinches. Later a Stock Dove was in our garden.

Red Kite over Mill Hill

                             

Sunday 27 February. Megan and I took Cookie to Harbour Way, walking to the Fort and back via the boardwalk. I saw a Dunlin and 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls at Harbour Way and a Purple Sandpiper at the Fort, my first since mid-January.