With Paul J and Group

 Saturday 11th February 2023

A cracking bird trip with Paul and Gareth James today.  We spent the morning at Fishbourne Creek, clocking up an impressive 50+ species, before relocating to West Dean Woods in the afternoon, where we ran up an equally impressive 30+ species.

 Fishbourne Creek

• We got off to a flyer with great views of a greenshank and a spotted redshank in the same scope view. 
• Not long after we saw a couple of red-breasted mergansers.
• A long way out were a female and a drake goldeneye.
• The wallpaper was supplied by the Brent geese which were everywhere and making a racket as they flew - akin to a moving train!  
• A grey wagtail was a welcome addition to my 2023 list.
• The place was alive with birds as shown in Gareth's eBird printout.

West Dean Woods

The afternoon session was just as impressive with some notable sightings.

• Pride of place went to the 6+ hawfinches we saw on the way up to Monkton Farm
• I saw my first mistle thrushes of 2023 - in the canopy of distant trees.
• There were several red kites and ravens around in the skies above the hilltops.
• There was also an impressive showing of fieldfare and redwing.

This was our first outing for well over a year - let's hope the next one is much sooner as this is a really good birding group.

eBird checklist summary for: 11 Feb 2023

Number of Checklists: 2

Number of Taxa: 70

Checklists included in this summary:

(1): Fishbourne Creek

Date: 11 Feb 2023 at 08:32

(2): Westdean Woods

Date: 11 Feb 2023 at 11:56

600 Brent Goose (Dark-bellied) -- (1)

3 Mute Swan -- (1)

14 Common Shelduck -- (1)

200 Eurasian Wigeon -- (1)

3 Mallard -- (1)

4 Northern Pintail -- (1)

50 Eurasian Teal -- (1)

4 Common Goldeneye -- (1)

5 Red-breasted Merganser -- (1)

2 Common Pheasant -- (2)

5 Great Crested Grebe -- (1)

3 Feral Pigeon -- (1)

2 Stock Dove -- (1)

160 Common Woodpigeon -- (1),(2)

6 Collared Dove -- (1),(2)

33 Eurasian Coot -- (1)

60 Eurasian Oystercatcher -- (1)

15 Grey Plover -- (1)

150 Northern Lapwing -- (1)

1 Common Ringed Plover -- (1)

65 Eurasian Curlew -- (1)

150 Black-tailed Godwit -- (1)

1 Ruddy Turnstone -- (1)

110 Dunlin -- (1)

2 Spotted Redshank -- (1)

3 Common Greenshank -- (1)

30 Common Redshank -- (1)

150 Black-headed Gull -- (1)

282 Common Gull -- (1)

20 Herring Gull -- (1)

2 Lesser Black-backed Gull -- (1)

5 Great Black-backed Gull -- (1)

1 Great Cormorant -- (1)

1 Grey Heron -- (1)

5 Little Egret -- (1)

3 Red Kite -- (2)

3 Common Buzzard -- (2)

2 Great Spotted Woodpecker -- (2)

1 Eurasian Green Woodpecker -- (1)

2 Eurasian Jay -- (2)

6 Common Magpie -- (1),(2)

2 Eurasian Jackdaw -- (1)

43 Carrion Crow -- (1),(2)

4 Common Raven -- (2)

1 Coal Tit -- (2)

1 Marsh Tit -- (2)

6 Eurasian Blue Tit -- (1),(2)

6 Great Tit -- (1),(2)

1 Eurasian Skylark -- (2)

1 Cetti's Warbler -- (1)

1 Long-tailed Tit -- (1)

1 Goldcrest -- (2)

2 Eurasian Treecreeper -- (2)

3 Eurasian Wren -- (1),(2)

60 Common Starling -- (1),(2)

2 Mistle Thrush -- (2)

2 Song Thrush -- (1),(2)

150 Redwing -- (2)

9 Eurasian Blackbird -- (1),(2)

20 Fieldfare -- (2)

7 European Robin -- (1),(2)

6 Dunnock -- (1),(2)

10 House Sparrow -- (2)

1 Grey Wagtail -- (1)

1 Rock Pipit -- (1)

7 Common Chaffinch -- (1),(2)

7 Hawfinch -- (2)

6 European Greenfinch -- (1),(2)

7 European Goldfinch -- (1),(2)

1 Eurasian Siskin -- (2)

2023 species count = 124