13/08/2020 Wood Sandpipers at RSPB Pagham

Thursday 13th August 2020

RSPB Pagham

There was a glut of wood sandpiper sightings in my area today and I was spoiled for choice as to where to go to see them.  With heavy showers forecast after the really hot weather of late, I opted to make the long journey down to Pagham Harbour near Chichester where 2 were reported on the Ferry Pool.  I could get closer views of the birds there and if the weather did turn nasty I was only 2 minutes away from the car. As it turned out all the wet weather came during my journey down and it had gone through by the time I arrived at the Ferry Hide just before 4pm. 

• Exactly as reported, there were 2 wood sandpipers showing well at the far end of the pool.  I watched them for a good length of time, including a lovely period where they were having fun chasing each other around before they flew across the pool from right to left and settled again.

courtesy of Andy Wilkes and Twitter

• I also got a bonus bird - a kingfisher - as I scanned down the channel from the pumping station.  The bird was flying in towards me and landed on a pole just a few metres away.  It didn't stay long as it was disturbed by a couple of approaching walkers on their way west towards Church Norton.

A most enjoyable experience.

12/08/2020 With Paul James and Group near Birling Gap, Sussex

Wednesday 12 August 2020

Birling Gap, Sussex

My first outing with Paul and the group, for over a year, turned out to be most enjoyable and very rewarding, with plenty of the migrants around. 7 of us made the trip to the Sussex coast near Beachy Head -  it was so good to meet up with everyone again.

 An early, 07.30 start was called for to maximise our chances of encountering the birds.  It also meant we could start with temperatures of 19C and get most of our birding done before things got too hot - around the 30C range by midday.    

We parked at Birling Gap before heading east, up the hill past the Belle Tout Lighthouse and on to Shooters Bottom before crossing the road, ascending the hill before turning and returning to the car via Hodcombe Farm and Horseshoe Plantation. 

• The tone for the morning was set right at the start when I found Paul, Ian and Brenda watching a lively cluster of corn buntings, whitethroats and goldfinches, as I arrived at the car parking area.  
• Pick of the sea birds was the fulmars which we saw as we neared the top of the hill.
• Many swallows were present but not in the vast numbers that will be here in a couple of weeks time when migration is in full swing. 
• We saw a peregrine early on and then another on the return leg of our journey.  A kestrel and a buzzard were also seen.
• At Shooters Bottom we saw several lesser whitethroats in with the many common whitethroats.

Julie and Malcolm had to leave us at this point to attend to matters at home.

• What was a very good morning got even better when we crossed the road at the half way point.  Just over the hill, in the valley, we saw 10 wheatears on the fence and they were joined by a stunning whinchat, my first this year!
• Paul also saw a raven and a redstart.

Paul got a call from his son Gareth telling us about a couple of sightings of pied flycatchers just up the road from where we were parked.  Thankfully the car park by the Old Trapping Area was empty and we were able to go looking for this migrant.

• Paul soon located the bird but it disappeared before most of us could get on to it.  However Alan and Paul found it again and we enjoyed really good views.

• A great day out with the group - I have to admit that without the invite I would have remained at home to avoid the sweltering heat. 
• Some smashing sightings; I was particularly pleased to see the pied flycatcher, a bird I normally see in Cumbria in May but not possible this year of course.

07/09/2020 Arundel WWT and Pagham Harbour

 Friday 7 August 2020

Arundel WWT

Sara and I braved the sweltering heat to go round the WWT centre at Arundel. We were very impressed with the way they were operating in this Covid 19 era; the one-way system worked well, the limits on numbers in the hides were adhered to generally and the eating/toilet facilities were excellent.

We were quite lucky with the birding too:-

• There was a distant cattle egret on one of the islands on the main lake as well as the more common little egrets.
• As always, this is a good place to see sand martins.  We saw dozens flying overhead.
• It was nice to see some reed warblers from the hides.  Several sedge warblers flitted about in the reeds as we moved along the paths.
• Bird of the day for me however was a captive bird.  Several black-necked grebes, in wonderful summer plumage, swam within 1 metre of us, enabling us to enjoy superb views.

courtesy of Richard Steel

 

courtesy of Stephen Govan and Flicker

• We had a couple of sightings of kingfisher, the last one being a close view of one perched on the bare branches of a tree in the water.

A very pleasant couple of hours, rounded off with a superb vegan pasty from the canteen.

 Church Norton and Pagham Harbour

As we had some time to spare, we decided to visit Pagham Harbour, just before high tide.  Alas, there were no car parking spaces at all at Church Norton so we parked at the RSPB Visitor Centre and walked to the Ferry Hide - my first chance to see this new facility.  

The hide was closed but we did some birding from the balcony and the adjacent banking area:-

• The usual suspects were showing well, including black-tailed godwits, black-headed gulls, lapwings, and a greenshank. 

Can't beat birding in the company of your daughter - thanks Sara!

23/07/2020 Birds of Prey

Thursday 23 July 2020

Shaun invited out me late morning to go looking for raptors in the area around his home.  Conditions were ideal with a light breeze with a bright, sunny outlook. We had immediate success, which was great, but it did mean the later stages were inevitably an anti-climax.

• The first birds we saw were not raptors at all but a superb, small family of mistle thrush, comprising parents and a juvenile.
• Just after this, a sparrowhawk flew overhead and not long after another 2 joined it.
• Several buzzards were seen.
• A hobby also graced us with its presence.
• Pride of place went to a honey buzzard that showed well high in the sky quite close to us.

We visited several other viewing points close by but we were unable to replicate anything like this.

• The best we got late on were 3 yellowhammers which we heard then saw high in the trees close to where we were standing.

Thanks for a great couple of hours birding Shaun.

16/07/2020 Dipped on Roseate Tern and still had a fabulous trip!

Thursday 16 July 2020
Church Norton, near Chichester, Sussex

I can't believe, at my age, that I was stood up by a bird in Church Norton yet still enjoyed my evening!  Let me explain.

The bird in question was a roseate tern which, after a reported mid afternoon sighting, spurred me on to make the journey down to Chichester to see it.  In the 75 minutes or so it took me to get there however, the bird flew out to sea again.  The advice from he local birders was to simply sit on the bench and wait for it's return on the high tide.


That was an easy thing to do.  It was such a gorgeous evening - sunny and very calm.

• There were at least 2 close whimbrels showing on the mud in front of me.
• A greenshank was patrolling along the edges of the nearest channel.
• A common sandpiper joined us later on just before the high tide.
• It was nice to see a pair of ringed plovers close by - and a chick.
• I lost count of the number of med gulls on show - most in lovely summer plumage still.
• The undoubted stars of the show however were the terns with lots of little terns, even more sandwich terns and the odd common tern on display.

As the tide came in I and 2 other local birders grew more and more confident about seeing the roseate tern but it was not to be and around 9 pm I decided to call it a day and head home.

It was one of the most enjoyable experiences I have had at Church Norton and one that kept me there even though BHAFC were on telly, playing a crucial Premier League match at Southampton.  Even an Albion goal could not stir me from my cracking birding position.  

Two days on and the roseate tern(s) have still not returned - only a small consolation!

12/07/2020 Oare Marshes for Lesser Yellowlegs and Bonaparte's Gull

Sunday 12 July 2020
Oare Marshes

I spent a very rewarding, late afternoon session, at Oare Marshes in the gorgeous July sunshine.  The target species was the ever-returning Bonaparte's gull.  High tide was due around 5 - 6 pm so I arrived around 4 pm hoping to see the bird on the strategically better viewing area of the east flood rather then on the mud by the River Swale. To add spice to the visit, a lesser yellowlegs had turned up on the reserve and I was hoping to see it too.

Neither bird was showing when I got there, although both had been seen earlier in the day.

• I did manage to see a couple of whimbrel with the godwits, about 50 metres from my viewing point on the road.
• A water rail was also showing well.

With nothing special happening I decided to walk anticlockwise around the reserve.

• From the opposite bank I could see a greenshank, my first of 2020.

When I got back to my starting position, both birds had reappeared.

• The lesser yellowlegs was closest, barely 30 metres away and showing really well as it foraged on the edge of the water.

courtesy of Rich Bonser and Twitter

• About 20 metres further away, the Bonaparte's gull was resting with the main godwit flock, beside a couple of shelduck. It was nice to see it still in summer plumage - my last couple of sightings here in previous years were much later, after the bird had gone into winter plumage.

courtesy of Mike Hook and Facebook

• On the way home I called in at Bough Beech where I found one of the green sandpipers Alan C had told me about at our Weir Wood working party group last Tuesday. 

Good to be out and about again after going back into lockdown. The recent spate of Covid 19 easing measures had unnerved Sue and I.

20/06/2020 East Guldeford Yellow Wagtails

Saturday 20 June 2020
East Guldeford near Rye, Sussex

Enjoyed a splendid day out on Romney Marshes with David, a fellow local birder.  Thanks to the farmer who gave us permission to park our cars on his land at Moneypenny Farm. We followed the anticlockwise loop down towards Camber before turning for the return leg.  The weather was almost ideal - warm and sunny with only a light breeze.

• Highlight of the trip were the 6+ yellow wagtails we saw on the eastern edges of the farm.  They were by the field bean crop and not associating with any of the cows close by.

courtesy of David Williams

• We also got a cracking view of a corn bunting at the start.
• Reed buntings, skylarks and reed warblers were ubiquitous as you would expect.
• Larger birds included kestrel, sparrowhawk and buzzard.
• No sign of any tree sparrows today I'm afraid!

Great to be out and about in this lovely area.  

Got back to the car to catch the end of the Albion game against the Arsenal - well done boys!