birding never sleeps

Thursday, 14 July 2022

Pulborough, Knepp and around Shoreham (01-14 July)

Friday 01 July. A Rock Pipit was seen on the eastern arm of Shoreham Harbour.

Saturday 02 July. 2 Swifts, a Buzzard, Cetti's Warbler (heard), 2 Skylarks and a Yellowhammer at Mill Hill with Megan and Cookie.

Song Thrush on Mill Hill

Sunday 03 July. The 3 cygnets with the pair of Mute Swans at the western end of Widewater had grown significantly in the two weeks since our last visit. The pair on the island at the eastern end still appeared barren. Early evening at Pulborough Brooks produced 19 Lapwings, a Little Ringed Plover, 5 Black-tailed Godwits, a Common Snipe (!), 3 Redshank, a Green Sandpiper, 2 adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 2 Barn Owls, 3 House Martins and a Nightingale. On the adjoining heath I saw 7 Nightjars and heard a distant Woodcock once.

Great Black-backed Gull at Widewater, probably a very pale second-summer

too late with the camera for this Barn Owl at Pulborough

too dark for this Nightjar on Wiggonholt Common

Tuesday 05 July. Cookie and I spent nearly 4 hours at Knepp hearing a Turtle Dove (they seem to have nose-dived here) and seeing Red Kite, 2 Green Woodpeckers, Swallow, Lesser Whitethroat, 3 Mistle Thrushes and 3 Bullfinches. In the evening 7 Swifts were seen over our garden.

Purple Emperor at Knepp. I later had a brief view of what I thought looked like a Large Tortoiseshell but assumed I was imagining things. I now find out they are being seen there so perhaps was right

Wednesday 06 July. Skylark, Chiffchaff and Lesser Whitethroat were heard at Mill Hill with Megan and Cookie.

Gatekeeper on Mill Hill

Thursday 07 July. I saw my first Sand Martins of the year (a flock of about 20) at Cuckoos Corner with Megan and Cookie. Also 15 Little Egrets, Peregrine, 5 House Martins, 2 Sedge Warblers and 4 Reed Buntings. Early evening at Pulborough Brooks produced 2 Egyptian Geese, 4 Avocets, 10+ Lapwings, 3 Little Ringed Plovers, 3 Black-tailed Godwits, 3 Green Sandpipers, 3 House Martins, Nightingale (heard) and 3 Bullfinches. On the adjoining heath I saw 3 Nightjars and heard a distant Tawny Owl.

Sedge Warbler at Cuckoos Corner

juvenile Sedge Warbler

Nightjar on Wiggonhalt Common

Friday 08 July. At West Mill with Cookie I saw 3 Stock Doves, 2 Buzzards, 3 Skylarks, a Sedge and 6 Reed Warblers, male Stonechat, 3 Yellowhammers, 2 Reed Buntings and 2 Bullfinches. In the evening 4 Swifts were seen over our garden. This has been a fairly reliable site for Turtle Doves in recent years even if I've not always found them easy to see. Seemingly none there this year. The first part is also very overgrown with stinging nettles making wearing shorts an unwise choice.

male Stonechat at West Mill

Reed Warbler at West Mill

looking a bit worn

Saturday 09 July. A Buzzard, 2 Kestrels, 9 Skylarks, 7 Linnets and 2 Corn Buntings were seen at Lancing Ring/Hill with Cookie.

Corn Bunting near Lancing Ring

Sunday 10 July. In the evening 4 Swifts over our garden.

Cookie on the allotment

Monday 11 July. A Hummingbird Hawk-Moth at Shoreham Fort and 2 Sandwich Terns from the boardwalk with Megan and Cookie.

Tuesday 12 July. Great Spotted and Green Woodpeckers, Chiffchaff, Garden Warbler, Goldcrest and Bullfinch were the best I saw in 3 hours with Cookie at Knepp. Nightingale and a distant Turtle Dove were heard. I've averaged seeing 0.6 Turtle Doves per visit at Knepp this year (3 seen in 5 visits) compared to 1.67 in 2021 and 2.67 in 2020. I wouldn't bet on there being any Turtle Doves at Knepp in 5 years time but hope I'm being unduly pessimistic. Needless to say 11 free-flying storks were little compensation.

Fox at Knepp

with a large cub

Wednesday 13 July. A flyover by the South Korean Black Eagles display team was the most notable sighting at Mill Hill. An early evening visit to the Adur produced a Whimbrel and a Polish Black-headed Gull opposite the airport with 2 Peregrines on the roof of Lancing College chapel and a few Swifts and House Martins overhead.

South Korean KAI T-50 Black Eagle display team on its was to RAF Fairford in
Gloucestershire

Black-headed Gull TUXR on the Adur. A Polish bird I'd seen here 6 times previously since 2019, all between September and March

Thursday 14 July. Brooklands with Megan and Cookie was very quiet with a Reed Warbler seen and another heard, as was a Blackcap, Green Woodpecker and Mediterranean Gull. In the evening 7 Swifts were over our garden.

dead gulls on one of the rafts at Brooklands, likely victims of Avian Flu

Mallard with at least 20 ducklings at Brooklands, presumably acting as mum and foster mum

Friday, 1 July 2022

West Sussex and Yorkshire in June

Monday 13 June. A late start having returned from Brazil the previous evening, Megan and I took Cookie to the boardwalk and Shoreham Fort but only saw 2 Linnets. Two Swifts and a Stock Dove were seen over/in our garden and a colour-ringed adult Great Black-backed Gull on the Adur was probably the Le Havre individual 50H which I'd seen there seven times since October 2017. I couldn't be sure as I was viewing into the light.

Tuesday 14 June. I took Cookie to West Mill and we walked out to the Downslink. We saw 8 Lapwings, 4 Skylarks, 4 Reed Warblers, 9 Whitethroats, a male and a juvenile Stonechat, Nightingale, 3 Yellowhammers and 5 Reed Buntings. No Turtle Doves were seen or heard in what has been a moderately reliable site in recent years. Later I went to Lavington for my second Woodcock Survey but drew another blank. Very concerning as this has been a very reliable site although in recent years sightings have become fewer. Of some consolation were 4 Nightjars, 2 Hobbys and single Dartford Warbler and Stonechat. The only plus is not having to make a third visit, although I'll have to try elsewhere to see Woodcock which I find really brilliant.

Reed Warbler at West Mill

Wednesday 15 June. A Sandwich Tern off Widewater with Megan and Cookie.

Thursday 16 June. My South Downs Farmland survey west of the Burgh (and birding my way there and back) produced a Red-legged Partridge with 4 chicks, 5 Grey Partridges with 3 chicks, 7 Swifts, 3+ Red Kites, Cuckoo (heard) and Cetti's Warbler.

Comma near the Burgh

Linnet near the Burgh

Friday 17 June. I took Cookie to Knepp where we eventually found a Turtle Dove in the NW corner of the South Section. Another species which seems to be declining fast. Also seen were Red Kite, Garden Warbler and 2 Spotted Flycatchers while a Nightingale was heard.

Fallow Deer at Knepp

Tamworths at Knepp

Cookie at Knepp

Turtle Dove at Knepp

but for how much longer?

Saturday 18 June. Nessa was down for the weekend and we went to Rackham seeing a released White-tailed Eagle on the Wildbrooks and Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers and Coal Tit in the woodland.

White-tailed Eagle from the Rackham Viewpoint

Sunday 19 June. Another visit to Widewater where a pair of Mute Swans on the western part had 3 small cygnets while another adult was sat, presumably on a nest, on the eastern island.

Monday 20 June. A male Yellowhammer was singing on Mill Hill.

Dark-green Fritillary on Mill Hill

Tuesday 21 June. I took Cookie to Cuckoos Corner and we walked a short distance up towards Coombes seeing an adult Mediterranean Gull, Red Kite, 4 Reed and 2 Sedge Warblers, a Swallow, 2 House Martins and 9 Reed Buntings. In the evening I went to Pulborough where 8 Lapwings, 4 Little Ringed Plovers and a Green Sandpiper were on the North Brooks with a Barn Owl flying around the South Brooks. On the heath at one stage 6 Nightjars were chasing each other around and I heard and had a very poor views of a Woodcock and a Tawny Owl.

Reed Bunting at Cuckoos Corner

Sedge Warbler at Cuckoos Corner

Barn Owl at Pulborough

Nightjar at Pulborough

Wednesday 22 June. Megan and I took Cookie to Steepdown where we saw 4 Swifts, 19 Skylarks, 2 Swallows, a male and juvenile Stonechat, 3 Meadow Pipits and 7 Corn Buntings.

Skylark at Steepdown

Thursday 23 June. Megan and I took Cookie to Dacre Gardens and walked up to Beeding and back. Two Yellowhammers and 2 Reed Buntings were the highlight.

Friday 24 June. I took Cookie to West Mill and we walked out to the Downslink. We saw 5 Lapwings, Red Kite, 4 Skylarks, a Cetti's and 6 Reed Warblers, 6 Whitethroats, 5 Stonechats, 4 Yellowhammers and 3 Reed Buntings. I heard a Bullfinch but again no Turtle Doves. Later returning from the allotment we saw 7 Swifts over Middle Road, matching my highest count this year.

Stonechat at West Mill

Saturday 25 June. Megan and I took Cookie to the Adur and walked up to Cuckoos Corner and back seeing Sedge Warbler and 2 Reed Buntings in a stiff breeze. Megan had intended going to Chichester Festival Theatre but train but with the rail strike we drove that way, had a walk around the Trundle (being amazed how many seemed to be attending/camping at Goodwood Festival of Speed) ad I dropped her off. Cookie and I continued on to Church Norton where we sat on the more comfortable of the two benches for 90 minutes or so watching the tide very slowly come in. We saw an unseasonal Brent Goose, 2 Grey and 2 Ringed Plover, 13 Curlews, at least 21 Mediterranean Gulls and 80+ Sandwich, 14 Little and 3 Common Terns.

Monday 27 June. A very quiet visit to Mill Hill where 2 Swifts and 2 Kestrels vied for best sighting.

Comma on Mill Hill

Tuesday 28 June. I took Cookie to Knepp where we spent 3.5 hours in the South Section without seeing or hearing any Turtle Doves. We saw Red Kite, 5 Jays, Nightingale and a Nuthatch while a Garden Warbler was heard. The dearth of Turtle Doves is a concern and my experience in the south section of Knepp in recent years is that they are declining, at least in the areas within earshot of footpaths. Sadly mine is a very different experience to that recently tweeted by @Knepp Wilding: Knepp may be the only place in the country where numbers are rising year on year. They must be doing really well in the inaccessible areas of Knepp for this to be true but I'll try again (and at West Mill where I've not seen any in three visits this year). At 9:30pm I picked up Matt Palmer in Hove and we drove up to Bempton Cliffs RSPB.

Wednesday 29 June. We arrived after 3am, had seen the adult male Turkestan Shrike by 6 and the Black-browed Albatross by 09:45 with say 400 Kittiwakes, 2000 Guillemots, 300 Razorbills, 145 Puffins, 750 Gannets, 13 Tree Sparrows and 8 Yellowhammers in between. A magical place. We left at 11 and I was home by 5pm.