Local birding (01-10 August 2025)

Friday 01 August 2025. Beeding Hill triangle (Warren Bottom-Monarch's Way-Truleigh Hill-Room Bottom) with Otis, 08:45-13:10: 3 Stock Doves, Red Kite, 3 Buzzards, Green Woodpecker heard, 2 Kestrels, 2 Ravens, Skylark, 20 Swallows, Long-tailed Tit, 7 Chiffchaffs, Blackcap heard, 9 Whitethroats, female Black Redstart,  5 Wheatears, 4 Meadow Pipits, Chaffinch, 20 Linnets and 7 Goldfinches.

rather worn looking female Black Redstart on Truleigh Hill

Whitethroat at Truleigh Hill

Wheatear on Truleigh Hill

Saturday 02 August 2025. Cissbury with Megan and Otis: 3 Swifts, 2 Buzzards, Green Woodpecker, Kestrel, Chiffchaff, Whitethroat, Greenfinch, 4 Linnets and 6 Goldfinches.

Sunday 03 August 2025. Mill Hill, last part with Megan and Otis, 06:25-10:55: 3 Stock Doves, Little Egret (flew over to SW), Red Kite, Buzzard, 2 Green Woodpeckers, Kestrel, Peregrine (on quarry chimney), Cetti's Warbler (heard), 3 Willow Warblers, Chiffchaff, Sedge Warbler, 2 Blackcaps, 11 Whitethroat, Mistle Thrush, 2 Greenfinches, 2 Linnets and 6 Goldfinches.

Green Woodpecker on Mill Hill

Monday 04 August 2025. Widewater, 07:35-08:40, moderate/strong SW, clear: Oystercatcher 2E, Turnstone 16E, Kittiwake 2W, Gannet 8E:12W, Sand Martin 1W. Brooklands, with Megan and Otis: 4 adult and 2 juvenile Little Grebes, Grey Heron, Chiffchaff and Reed Warbler.

Little Grebes at Brooklands

Tuesday 05 August 2025. Beeding Hill triangle, 08:30-12:45, breezy: 6 Stock Doves, Red Kite, Buzzard, 3 Kestrels, 3 Ravens, Skylark, 8 Swallows, 3 Chiffchaffs, a Lesser and 13 Common Whitethroats, 8 Wheatears, 15 Meadow Pipits, Bullfinch (heard), 19 Linnets and 3 Goldfinches.

Wheatears along the Monarch's Way

Wednesday 06 August 2025. Mill Hill, 06:30-08:45: 2 Green Woodpeckers, Peregrine (on distant chimney), Swallow, 2 Willow Warblers, 2 Chiffchaff, Blackcap (heard), 2 Garden Warblers, 9 Whitethroats, 4 Wrens, Treecreeper (my first at this site), 2 Meadow Pipits and 2 Goldfinches.

strange crop shapes

Treecreeper in the wood at Mill Hill

                    

Thursday 07 August 2025. Mill Hill, 06:40-10:55, with Megan & Otis from 09:30: Sparrowhawk, Green Woodpecker heard, Peregrine (overhead), Sand Martin, Swallow, 2 Chiffchaffs, 9 Whitethroats and 2 Goldfinches.

juvenile Robin at Mill Hill

Peregrine over Mill Hill

Friday 08 August 2025. No Man's Land triangle, 08:00-12:40, first half with RP: Sparrowhawk, 5 Red Kites, 5 Buzzards, 3 Green Woodpeckers (2 heard), Kestrel,  Raven, Skylark, 3 Chiffchaffs, Sedge Warbler, 2 Blackcaps, 18 Whitethroats, Spotted Flycatcher, Redstart, Stonechat, Wheatear, 2 Meadow Pipits, Chaffinch, 50 Linnets, 2 Goldfinches, 2 Corn Buntings and 4 Yellowhammers.

Sedge Warbler west of No Man's Land

Saturday 09 August 2025. Mill Hill 07:00-10:45, with Megan & Otis from 09:30: Swift, 3 Buzzards, Green Woodpecker (heard), Jay, 30 Swallows, 2 Chiffchaffs, 3 Blackcaps, 2 Garden Warblers, 23 Whitethroats, Spotted Flycatcher, Whinchat and 9 Goldfinches.

Whinchat on Mill Hill

Sunday 10 August 2025.  Mill Hill 06:45-09:45: 8 Stock Doves, adult Mediterranean Gull, Buzzard, Green Woodpecker, 2 Sand Martins, 3 Swallows, 2 Chiffchaffs, 3 Willow and 4 Reed Warblers, 5 Blackcaps, 2 Garden Warblers, 3 Lesser and 35 Common Whitethroats, 2 Spotted Flycatchers and 6 Goldfinches.

Spotted Flycatcher on Mill Hill, started by the reservoir

last seen in the NW corner

out of focus Garden Warbler on Mill Hill

Reed Warbler on Mill Hill

Shoreham (27-31 July)

Sunday 27 July 2025. Mill Hill 06:05-09:05: 4 Stock Doves, 2 Grey Herons (together flying E), Buzzard, 2 Green Woodpeckers, Peregrine, 3 Jays, 2 Swallows, 4 Willow Warblers, Chiffchaff, Reed Warbler, 11 Whitethroats, Wheatear, 8 Crossbills (low NE) and 22 Goldfinches. Adur (Old Toll Bridge-Ferry Bridge) with Otis: 20 adult and 3 juvenile Mute and the Black Swan, 4 Oystercatchers, 3 Lapwings, Whimbrel, Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Dunlin, 9 Turnstones and a German colour-ringed Mediterranean Gull.

colour-ringed Mediterranean Gull A3AP from the Old Toll Bridge

ringed as a chick at Rehbach Gravel Pit, Leipzig, Sachsen, GERMANY in June 2022 it has subsequently been seen at Copt Point, Folkestone, Kent in October 2022, Terneuzen, Zeeland, NETHERLANDS in May 2023, Zeebrugge and Knokke-Heist, West-Vlaandren, BELGIUM in June 2023, Titchfield Haven, Hampshire in September 2023, Pleneuf-Val Andre, Cotes-d'Armor, FRANCE in December 2023 and Omonville-La-Peite, Manche, FRANCE in November 2024

Black-tailed Godwit on the Adur, not many waders are smarter than this

Monday 28 July 2025. Adur with Megan and Otis: 15 adult Mute and the Black Swan, 3 Oystercatchers, 2 Lapwings, 4 Whimbrel (one singing!), Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and 2 Goldfinches 

Tuesday 29 July 2025. Adur (Cuckoos Corner to the sea) with Otis, 08:45-11:45:  24 adult and 8 juvenile Mute and the Black Swan, 10 adult and a juvenile Oystercatcher, 4 Lapwings, 5 Ringed Plover, 4 Whimbrel, 5 Dunlin, 3 Common Sandpipers, 8 Turnstones, 2 Greenshank, 25 Redshank, 2 Grey Herons, 9 Little Egrets, Green Woodpecker (heard), 4 House Martins, 2 Reed Warblers, 4 Linnets, 4 Goldfinches and 4 Reed Buntings.

Whimbrel hiding in the saltmarsh

Greenshanks in the Houseboat Channel

nice to see the juvenile Oystercatcher is still about

Whimbrel with crab, attracting the attention of a nearby Herring Gull

it flew off with its prize although I did wonder how it would manage to eat it

Wednesday 30 July 2025. Southwick Hill-Mile Oak-Perching Hill-Truleigh Hill-Thundersbarrow with Otis, 09:10-13:10: 4 Swifts, 2 Stock Doves, 3 Red Kites, 3 Buzzards, Little Owl, 2 Green Woodpeckers, 3 Kestrels, 2 Ravens, 4 Swallows, 3 Willow Warblers, Chiffchaff, Sedge and Reed Warblers, a Lesser and 23 Common Whitethroats, 10 Linnets, 8 Goldfinches and 5 Corn Buntings. No Cirl Bunting but I didn't linger.

Hare on the Downs

Chiffchaff at Truleigh Hill

Buzzard at Truleigh Hill

Corn Bunting on Thundersbarrow

Thursday 31 July 2025. Mill Hill, joined by Megan and Otis: Buzzard, Great Spotted and 2 Green Woodpeckers, Peregrine (distantly on cement works chimney), 2 Chiffchaffs and 6 Whitethroats.