Geese and Gulls (6 December)

Saturday 6th. A day being chauffeured around by John King who came over to Shoreham.  We headed for Cuckoo's Corner and almost immediately saw the Bean Goose found by Briget James the previous evening.  I wasn't really expecting it to still be there as it didn't seem a very likely place for one to stay, especially as it was often disturbed.  We watched it with Jake Everitt, alternating between the stubble fields north of the A27 (where it was disturbed by two foxes) and the river bank (where people couldn't help doing the same). JK was keen to see the almost certain escapee Cackling Canada Goose in the Cuckmere and a high tide was often good for gulls there so we dragged ourselves.  Nothing could be seen with the relatively small numbers of geese and gulls north of the A259 altough our second Kingfisher of the day put in a brief appearance.  Fortunately things were better south of the road.  We saw the Cackling Canada Goose (thanks to Tony Cook, Gordon Beck and Mike O'Shea) and 5 Barnacles (never an easy call where they might have come from but with a few wild geese and swans on the move I was prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt.  The gull flock nearby didn't appear to hold anything so we tried further south, almost to Harry's Bush,where a much bigger flock was present.  They were mainly Greater Black-backs and not easy to view, being close together, mostly asleep with many sitting down.  After about half an hour I picked out a likely adult Yellow-legged Gull but it promptly sat down leaving just its darker than Herring mantle visible.  After a while it did show itself briefly before disappearing again.  What might have been it, or another Yellow-legged Gull, was later seen poorly after the flock moved around a bit.  Just as we were about to leave a likely adult Caspian Gull stood up showing its long thin very washed out bill and small pure white head.  It too spent most of its time sitting partly hidden before disappearing but I got some images.  I was happy from what I could see that it was a Caspian Gull but fully admit that I didn't see all the features one might wish to (no critical detail of its primaries) and was pleased that it wasn't a new bird.  We returned to Shoreham via Jevington where the Rough-legged Buzzard was still performing while low tide at Shoreham Airport was disappointing with just the regular Shelduck and Curlew seen.

Bean Goose in a stubble field near Cuckoo's Corner

about to be flushed by a fox ...

on the riverbank opposite Cuckoo's Corner

it kept returning to this area, presumably because of the succulent vegetation

yummy

 

Two of the flock of five Barnacle Geese very much against the sun in the lower Cuckmere

poor image of the Cackling Canada Goose, presumably the bird in the Arun earlier in the year and recently refound at Arlington by Jake Everitt

Yellow-legged Gull in the lower Cuckmere, yellow legs just about imaginable as is its clean head, heavy thick bill and darker-than Herring mantle.  Not much else is though.

presumed adult Caspian Gull in the lower Cuckmere. small head, small dark eye, long thin washed out bill, bulging neck and ventral bulge imaginable in the above image

wings appeared long but no critical detail was noted and my images are not helped by the bright sun

legs were always mostly obscured so in that respect it might as well have been on a reservoir

everything we could see on the bird appeared to fit Caspian Gull but there were features that we didn't note (mainly critical detail of its primary pattern)

this image shows its bill to best effect

we were happy with the identification of this bird as an adult Caspian Gull but couldn't hand-on-heart say we could definitely rule out a hybrid or that some of the features not noted might have gone against it had we seen it better.  Given the incidence of almost look-a-like hybrids it is not one I would have counted had it been a new bird,

playing with my new camera - a Canon Powershot SX60

Rough-legged Buzzard still at Jevington

Roger Charlwood having been to see it several times, it decided to return the complement yesterday with a foray to Beachy Head.  totay it flew off high in that direction but did a big circle around before returning.

hovering

Friday 5th.  Local Herring Gull red A4MF was footpaddling on the grass at the University when I was locking up my bike.

Wednesday 3rd.  A lunchtime walk to Falmer Pond but the Goosander appeared to have moved on.  Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Nuthatch and Jay in the village on the way back made it a pleasant break from a busy week at work. 

Sunday 30th.  I took Ruth and Ollie, visiting form New Zealand, to Crowlink and we walked down to the sea, along some of the Seven Sisters to Birling Gap and Belle Tout.  Very atmospheric with low cloud and some mist enhancing the already brilliant scenery.  Few birds though with Goldcrests at Crowlink and in Belle Tout (4), Chiffchaff at Birling and 3 Stonechats.  We called in at the National Trust visitor centre at Birling (I've not been in before) and enjoyed the old photos showing where the cliff edge used to be.  Ollie also noticed thick white lines on the floor showing where it was predicted to be in the next 25 or so years.  An afternoon of overdue bike maintenance, mending a slow puncture and fitting new front brakes.  Hopefully it'll see me through the winter.

Belle Tout from the Seven Sisters

Seaford Head, Hope Gap and Cuckmere cottages from the Seven Sisters 

Seven Sisters from Birling

Beachy Head lighthouse from Belle Tout

Ollie and Ruth

Green Woodpecker at Birling

Medmerry, Pagham & Burgh (29 November 2014)

Saturday 29 November.  A very enjoyable day in West Sussex with John King and the first time I'd been west of Arundel for ages.  From the eastern viewpoint at Medmerry the Great Northern Diver showed well, when it was above the water, and one, possibly two, Black Redstarts were around the boulders.  More distant were at least 10 adult Mediterranean Gulls amongst the distant roosting Black-headeds and a very active colour-ringed juvenile Spoonbill. At Church Norton the two juvenile Spoonbills were obvious from the bottom of the lane roosting on Tern Island, one was differently colour-ringed.  The tide was well out and about as far as one could see up the main creek into the harbour two Avocets were feeding. The pale Curlew was on the mudflats, although it wasn't as obvious as on previous visits - maybe it stands out more on dull days?   Looking into the harbour the two Ruddy Shelduck were seen very distantly, we had hoped they might be on the Ferry as whatever their origin they deserved a decent view.  We then headed for the Burgh which proved to be quite popular.  Here we spent the rest of the day with Ewan Urquhart and friends down from Oxford (no Black Audi though), mainly looking east from the track above Peppering High Barn.  We saw 4 Short-eared Owls, initially very distantly but two came close giving nice scope views.  Even better were Red Kites with one or two on view almost the whole time we were there.  I saw four on getting out of the car at the Burpham Triangle and later in the day a loose group of six and then a single came over from the west leisurely heading to roost. Rarely have raptors reminded me so much of Poms.  Also there 24 Grey and 3 Red-legged Partridges, 2 Buzzards and a Sparrowhawk.

Great Northern Diver at Medmerry

it looked to be finding plenty to eat, but if it wasn't I doubt it would have stayed

an active Spoonbill at Medmerry

complete with colour rings 

Spoonbills at Pagham in their more usual pose

they did stretch occasionally

check out my rings 

going colour blind?

Ruddy Shelduck at Pagham (back, left of centre)

Pomarine Skua like Red Kite over the Burgh

Friday 28 November.  I heard at least one Redwing as I cycled past Hove Lagoon at about 7pm.

Monday 24 November.  A Peregrine was seen roosting quite low down on Southwick Power Station when I was on my way to work.

Sunday 23 November.  Megan and I got wet and cold walking to Goring Gap and back from Worthing.  With just 5 Brent Geese seen it was hardly worth it.  Not that it mattered as we had a very pleasant family afternoon celebrating my dad's 90th birthday.  Lewis Hamilton won too, brilliantly rocketing off the line.

Saturday 22 November.  I cycled around Southwick Canal calling in at the east arm seeing just 3 Little Grebes and 300 feral pigeons and getting rather wet.  It cleared in the afternoon and Megan and I walked around the houseboats and the Adur.  An adult Mediterranean Gull was on the latter with about 800 Black-headed Gulls and the usual Shelduck and Curlew.

Friday 21 November.  A Peregrine was seen on Southwick Power Station when I was on my way to work.

Wednesday 19 November.  2 Redwings and 7 Fieldfares flew east over the house as I was getting my bike out to go to work.

Monday 17 November.  I got wet cycling to work and thought it sensible to put a plastic bag over my saddle to keep it dry.  It was a bread bag which local Herring Gull A4AH noticed and I was told be a colleague that the gull was attacking it.  When I got there it had made a big hole in it.  I'm not sure if the gull was clever (recognising a bread bag, it leaves my usual orange cover alone) or dim in not realising there was no bread in it?  Our local crows are definitely clever as Megan told me that one had managed to get the lid off the plastic box the milkman leaves a box of six eggs in on a Monday, smashed into the egg box and broken into two eggs.  The plastic box had until then been effective in keeping the egg box safe (after several successful crow raids in the past).

Beachy & Jevington (16 November)

Sunday 16th.  I met John King at Birling at 07.30 and we spent over four hours wandering around there and Belle Tout dodging showers.  For the time of year there were more birds than we expected to be honest although still not a great deal to write home about.  I saw Grey Heron, Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, 2 Peregrines, 4 Stock Doves, 3400+ Wood Pigeons (in big flocks heading east), 2 Tawny Owls, Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Swallow (also heading east), 19 Wrens (they seemed to be everywhere), 3 Black Redstart (all at Birling), 7 Stonechats, 3 Song Thrushes, Dartford Warbler, 2 Blackcaps, Chiffchaff, 8+ Goldcrests (2 at Birling and 6+ in Belle Tout), Siskin (the first I've seen this autumn), 470 Golfinches (small flocks flying east) and a Corn Bunting.  At Jevington the Rough-legged Buzzard was still performing but was rather too mobile for easy digiscoping.  The Stock Dove flock was still present too.

Wood Pigeons on the move - about 300 here

threatening skies over Birling

Dartford Warbler at Beachy, the same bird we'd seen the previous weekend

Tawny Owl in Belle Tout Wood, the most in the open I've seen one all autumn

not looking overly concernd by the attentions of 3 Magpies

Rough-legged Buzzard at Jevington, an excellent find for Chris Ball

it hovered a lot, which was the only time I could mange to digiscope it

it always hovered into the wind and directly facing us

hopefully it will remain all winter

Saturday 15th.  A morning around the Adur seeing little other than the usual (for this winter) Shelduck and Curlew, my first sighting of Herring Gull A2FA for two years and a Chiffchaff. A2FA had been ringed as an orphan in Hastings in August 2003.  An afternoon walk on Beeding Brooks with Megan was much more interesting produced Barn Owl, 2 Stonechats, 6 Fieldfare, 2 Redwings and a Cetti's Warbler.

Wednesday 12th.  Martyn Kenefick phoned late morning to ask if I fancied a long lunch hour as he was going to look for the juvenile Rough-legged Buzzard found by Chris Ball near Jevington.  It didn't take me long to decide that what I was doing could wait.  The bird performed very nicely although as I only had 8x20 bins with me the use of Roger Charlwood's telescope was greatly appreciated.  A flock of about 200 Stock Doves was also present.

Monday 10th.  Peregrine and Rock Pipit at Southwick on my way to work.