Friday, 30 January 2015

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;





Sunday, 25 January 2015

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!

Friday, 23 January 2015

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:





Thursday, 22 January 2015

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:










Sunday, 18 January 2015

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.

Saturday, 17 January 2015

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:



Thursday, 15 January 2015

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: