Although I hadn't planned to, dropped in at Coldwaltham sewage works on the way back from Rackham today to find the two Siberian Chiffchaffs showing well with six Chiffchaffs and a party of Long-Tailed Tits. At Rackham, a Marsh Tit and three Firecrests were the highlights whilst a 2015 Sussex Lesser Pecker still shuns me!


Siberian Chiffchaff:

Chiffchaff:

Firecrest;

The Black-Necked Grebe was distantly present at Chichester Marina today with 20 Little Grebes, six Red-Breasted Mergansers and a Great-Crested Grebe. This was the best I could do pic-wise:


Black-Necked Grebe:

At Ham, a sleepy Southern Pochard:

At Chainbridge, two rapidly flying Short-Eared Owls, too fast for pics!

The Kumlien's Gull was hard work today! Originally seen off East pier in Littlehampton at 11:30 it then disappeared until I re-found it on a roof near the Harbour Office at 14:00 after a lot of trudging up & down the quayside!


Kumlien's Gull:

Earlier I had a look at East Head for any Snow Buntings but without success, two Spotted Redshanks and the three Spoonbills along with a Stonechat or two were the best of the rest along with a Dartford Warbler (not pictured sadly!):


Spotted Redshanks:

Stonechat:

Spoonbills:

After missing it on Sunday caught up with the drake Scaup on Pagham Lagoon on Monday, also at least eight Goldeneye, most displaying:


Goldeneye:

Scaup:

Earlier at Rackham (again!), plenty of Canada Geese from the Woodland viewpoint still:

Back to Rackham and although still no LSW, plenty of other distractions: ten Nuthatch, four Marsh Tits, two Coal Tits, six Goldcrests, six Treecreepers, plenty of commoner Tits and two Great Spotted Woodpeckers. Also many Canada Geese, Wigeon and Mute Swans from the woods viewpoint. Later the two Ruff, one Black-Tailed Godwit and two Dunlin were on the wild brooks with the Lapwings.

Yesterday a trip to Rackham didn't yield any Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers (or any Woodpeckers for that matter, though I did have Greater Spotted and Green the previous week) but excellent views of a Firecrest and few Goldcrests brightened things up. On the way back I had a look at Amberley Wild Brooks from the village viewpoint and six Ruff were in with the assorted waders & wildfowl.

Today at Church Norton pretty much zero of interest but at Chichester GPs completely fluked the Dusky Warbler, oranges legs showing brightly, which was sitting on the garden fence as I walked past the right-hand house-I'm not sure who was more surprised! Apart from that, a few Greylag Geese were the best of it:


Greylag Geese:

Wigeon at Amberley:

On Sunday, we all went down to Church Norton prior to a belated birthday meal out, not much showed but I did get the elusive Brambling by sheer fluke and the leucistic Curlew:


Leucistic Curlew:

After lunch, there came news of a possible Greater Yellowlegs at Titchfield so I was allowed to dash off! After a hasty car journey and a bit of a wade through some sticky canalside mud there was I watching this absolutely cracking wader, a video here (it was distant remember!):


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwRgjWQ0Ibw


And a few stills of the Greater Yellowlegs:

A bit of a compendium as I've got a bit far behind with updating the blog, so here we go. On the sixth of January, my partner Debbie and I went to have a look for the Great Grey Shrike at Iping which we found straight away, makes a change.

Great Grey Shrike:

Whilst at New Lake in Chichester. a nice gaggle of Greylag Geese:

Greylag Geese:

& a Kingfisher:

A day or two later at Apuldram, an excellently colourful flock of Yellowhammers and a Stonechat:

Yellowhammer:

Stonechat:

I have by now conceded defeat as regards getting a photo of the Chichester GPs Dusky Warbler! Arrived early today, just a few other birders around and bingo! bird all to myself at the very end of the track by the house, called brilliantly, showed down to two feet... then buggered off before an admittedly fairly dozy yours truly (after the night before my birthday so I may possibly have been slightly worse for wear I should point out here) could get his camera out!!! Spent most of the day half-cocked waiting for the perfect photo opportunity but no cigar I'm afraid...could try again though if it sticks....;-) Great find by AB though.

A phone call had us scrambling to East Trout Lake on the Chichester GPs complex today where a Dusky Warbler had been well found. The super-mobile bird circumnavigated the lake, occasionally stopping and showing well, though not well enough for me not to balls-up the photos alas, cracking bird all the same and as it's roosted there maybe some pics by me manana!

A Firecrest today with a Goldcrest around the feeder at Church Norton was about it in retty dismal conditions. Friday had yielded the Ruddy Shelducks, the Tundra Bean Goose and a mix of waders in the Pagham area, at Arundel, a Trumpeter Swan (escape):


Tundra Bean Goose & Canada Geese:

Waders, various:

Trumpeter Swan (escape):