At Medmerry today, plenty of Sand Martins, House Martins, at least a dozen Wheatears and still the odd Clouded Yellow and a young Avocet was tucking into a Lugworm in the Earnley channel. I think the dragonfly is a Common Darter.

Wheatear:

Wheatears:

Avocet & Lugworm:

Common Darter:

At Marsh Farm, Sidlesham the Cattle Egret was still showing well:

A video of the Cattle Egret here: http://youtu.be/QR6R_mGEYHE

Finally got a better look at the Long-Tailed Skua today after a back-and-forth along Church Norton shingle!

Little video here: http://youtu.be/ynqxYMqQuEE

Got completely out of sync here, but did manage to see the Long-Tailed Skua that's been around the Selsey area a few times over the last week, no photos good enough as yet..if I had bothered to hang around yesterday would have got some good ones as it was on the shingle at Church Norton, I must have nearly trodden on it without seeing it...doh!

So here's one taken by Sarah Russell from Selsey of the early morning (and successful) Skua watch form Church Norton, I'm far right, looking the wrong way as usual:

A Pectoral Sandpiper at Pulborough Brooks was a good excuse for a wander on Saturday. The bird showed well through a scope from Jupp's although it was abit distant for photos. Also had a look for a Purple Hairstreak to no avail but did manage a Brown Hairstreak and a cracking "helice" Clouded Yellow. A Raven cronked over and a Small Copper fluttered by:


Clouded Yellow "helice":

Pectoral Sandpiper:

Dunlin & Pectoral Sandpiper:

Small Copper:

Raven:

A bit butterfly-tastic today I'm afraid! Pictures from Mill Hill, Ridge Road at Falmer and Cissbury Ring.
Here we go...


Common Blue:

Small Heath:

Brown Argus:

Brimstone:

Red Admiral:

Speckled Wood:

Chalkhill Blue:

Painted Lady:

Also at Cissbury Ring an Adonis Blue but no battery left in camera :-(

And at Cissbury Ring some birds! Cronking group of six Ravens:

The Black-Winged Stilts were at Pulborough RSPB today along with a Common Sandpiper, several Green Sandpipers and a Greenshank, but here are a few insects instead:

Gatekeeper:

Small Tortoiseshell:

Banded Demoiselle Damselfly:

Common Blue:

Brimstone:

Not everyday you get to write your blog and it's about UK breeding European Bee-Eaters and Black-Winged Stilts!

We arrived at the site near Niton after an easy ferry crossing and saw the birds more or less straightaway thanks to a few pointers from the excellent NT and RSPB staff, please donate a few quid to them if you go!
We saw two birds but I believe there are four adults and two young in total; they are distant hence the picture quality but this is so they are not overly disturbed.

Whilst we were on the cliffs near Compton Bay a butterfly fluttered by (as they do!) landed for a while giving us a really good view before flying off again-only now I'm back and have ID'd it do I realise it was a Glanville Fritillary...guess who didn't bother to take a picture....

The five Medmerry Black-Winged Stilts have recently been on the Ferry pool at Sidlesham which pleased my old dad as he would never have got to see them otherwise!

one of the juveniles:

And a short video here: http://youtu.be/h8YB1vLcE80