Took Dad up to the Ferry Pool at Sidlesham this morning for the Tundra Bean Goose which obliged, albeit fairly distantly at the back by the 12-bar gate. It was a lifer for him though I reckon he might just have forgotten that he saw a few around Rye in the 50s! (Incidentally, whilst we were there news broke of a Little Bustard at East Guldeford who Dad used to play football for back in the day). At Chainbridge, a few Stonechats and Reed Buntings and a bright yellow Chiffchaff, plenty of Brent Geese at Ham and the ubiquitous Southern Pochard.

I had a quick look at Church Norton beach not expecting much but pleasingly there were three Goosanders, two drakes and a duck feeding in close to the shoreline.

Chiffchaff:

Goosander:

At Drayton Pit from the level crossing side there was a great deal of wildfowl, nothing unusual, probably because most of the lake was frozen, short video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1510HDjZbI

At least 15 and probably 20 plus Brambling today at Blackdown. They associated with a large mixed flock of Greenfinches and Chaffinches and fed in the Beech litter just off the top path. Rant time: every time I go to a NT property it seems to be full of idiot dog walkers and their charges, badly behaved children (and I'm a dad BTW) and/or both. Do the NT not care about any other users of their managed space? Birders, walkers, mountain-bikers etc.? It would appear not for as long as you can shout/dog whistle/talk endlessly at the top of your voice at your barking/screaming/shouting/throwing charges you will be most welcome! East Head & Blackdown are both sad examples of this I'm afraid. Could the NT not run an education campaign to enlighten the noisy masses that there are other people also using the area who wouldn't mind just a smidgeon of decorum! I also wonder if any of these knobs ever actually see anything in the countryside apart from wildlife scarpering pronto?

At Petworth Park, two Treecreepers, two Nuthatches, half a dozen Coal Tits and a few Goldcrests.



Brambling & Greenfinch:

No Goosanders at Petworth Park today for me, but four Egyptian Geese were present. Whilst at Burpham, Dad & I enjoyed the thirty-odd Bewick's Swans:

Egyptian Goose:

Pochard female:

Bewick's Swans:

Finally got time to have a look for the Great Grey Shrike at Iping Common and the bird duly obliged after a while just off the main path at SU844217, only other birds of note there were two Buzzards over low and a Stonechat.

 At West Dean, plenty to see. Three Treecreepers, singles of Marsh Tit, Goldcrest, Firecrest, Nuthatch, Red Kite and a few Redwings, Fieldfares, Greenfinches & Chaffinches, no Bramblings or Hawfinches today though and the tree next to the Little Owl tree is no more after last night's storm, Highlight were two very red Lesser Redpolls near the cottage.

At Burton Mill not much at all but plenty of Redwings on the Ivy berries and some lovely Coal Tits:



Great Grey Shrike:

Redwing:

On Christmas Day I ventured out all too briefly to Ivy & Copse Lakes on the Chichester Gravel Pits complex. Not much at all on Ivy, but on Copse the Little Egrets were starting to roost, there were two Kingfishers and Ms Elusive the Red-Crested Pochard was showing well:



Little Egrets:

Red-Crested Pochard:

Kingfisher:

On Christmas Eve at Chainbridge, the White-Fronted Goose was again solo in the turnip field, whilst at East Head the three Spoonbills were on Snowhill marsh:



White-Fronted Goose:

Spoonbills:

The Short-Eared Owls were at Barnham Brooks again quartering the usual field and putting up good numbers of Snipe in the process.

At West Beach, Selsey, a single Stonechat, two Meadow Pipits and a few of the usual waders but not a lot else, similarly at Chainbridge just a few Brent Geese (two SEOs and a Barn Owl in the evening though). At Church Norton, two of the Spoonbills on Tern Island and a Chiffchaff behind the hide. At Ham, the Southern Pochard was still present on the Long Pool:


Chiffchaff:

Southern Pochard:

So get ready with your rotten tomatoes & cabbages for here is Southern Pochard the movie:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_qcfag6AMU

A Firecrest in the waterwoods at Arundel today, along with a couple of Marsh Tits and several Goldcrests. At Barnham near Barnham Court Farm, four Whooper Swans, an adult & three juveniles, with the Mute Swan horde:



Whooper Swans:

No sign of  a Firecrest at Arudel WWT but the Water Rail and a Nuthatch were showing well!
At Climping the juvenile White-Fronted Goose finally surrendered to me after a chase round Pagham, Ham and Selsey in the last few days:


White-Fronted Goose:

An inconsiderate and rude dog walker (there is another type?) and her dogs also flushed a Jack Snipe out of the rife by Bread Lane.

Another trip to West Dean. Two Red Kites showed well on the Little Owl tree but the owls did not! (A Barn Owl has also been in the area incidentally, according to a resident). Two Marsh Tits, numerous Chaffinches,a few Goldcrests, Fieldfares and Redwings also about. Icing on the cake was a Hawfinch in the usual tall trees on the bend up from Staple Ash Farm:



Red Kite:

Marsh Tit:

Hawfinch:

I'd had a look for the White-Fronted Goose at Climping with no luck (nice Kingfisher at the pools though) so though I'd try Medmerry. No sign there either although the Barnacle Goose was with the Brent Goose flock. The escaped Southern Pochard was also still on the long pool at Ham:



Southern Pochard:

A trip back to Shoreham today after somehow dipping the Tundra Bean Goose on Sunday. Today the goose showed very well both on the river and in the vegetation at the side of the bank:

Tundra Bean Goose:

A short and NOT shaky video here!: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_P9qY4zWwxU&feature=youtu.be

A single fly-over Hawfinch, a Marsh Tit (looking remarkably Willowish) and two Little Owls were the reward for some hard graft birding at a quiet West Dean:


Little Owls:

At Great Ham Farm, roughly 2500 Brent Geese, including a Black Brant and a Pale-Bellied Brent but no sign of the reported "grey goose" whatever it may be! Picture below gives an idea of the problem of sorting through all the geese.


Brent Geese:

The Bewick's Swans are back in Burpham area and were viewable, though fairly distant, in the water meadow south of Burpham Church on Thursday, with nine claimed by Friday:



Bewick's Swans:

Two plus Short Eared Owls at Barnham this evening. Previously, a Black Redstart at East Head, Wittering.

A trip to West Dean and it was the busiest I've ever seen it..not with birders unfortunately..there were, deep breath... at least three shooting parties including at least twelve 4x4s and three tractors and trailers with more dogs than I cared to count and a smattering of beaters, a mini tractor mowing a lawn, a log splitting machine, two boy racers, hordes of cyclists and Portsmouth Water digging up the track to Monkton Farm!! No wonder the Little Owl didn't show! Consolation was a flighty Hawfinch (or two?) in the trees on the sharp bend near Yew Tree Cottage but apart from that fairly quiet if you see what I mean...

The Franklin's Gull showed really well today from Tern, Goosander and Lapwing hides at Blashford HWT. Well picked up on from Tern hide in the far side of Gossander bay it gradually drifted shore-wards giving great scope and bins views depending on where you were (or whether you legged it round the hides as I did!!). Record shot below not great but I'm a happy birder tonight as it was a great improvement on views in dismal light!

Franklin's Gull:

Sunday didn't look too promising but turned out OK. At Medmerry (West Sands), the Great Northern Diver was still present on the far side with a few Pintail and in the rubble a pair of Stonechats, two Black Redstarts, a few Meadow Pipits and a Grey Wagtail. At Coastguards, a cracking male Black Redstart led me a merry dance but pinned it down eventually on the roof of the new houses. Not much on the east side of Pagham harbour but one of the Spoonbills was roosting on the back of Tern Island.



Grey Wagtail:

Stonechat:

Black Redstart:

Spoonbill:

A day at Blashford on Friday didn't get me the Franklin's Gull but I did find the Ferruginous Duck again, on Kingfisher Lake the same as last year. I couldn't get any pics of the duck but here's one of the fence you have to look through (!)  and a BNG on Ibsley Water where the Long-Tailed Duck was also present.


A fence on Friday!:

Black-Necked Grebe:

A visit to West Dean with the family and a few good birds, three Red Kites, a Grey Wagtail, six Bullfinches, plenty of Redwings and the Little Owl in his tree:


Little Owl:

At Barnham Brooks, the Short-Eared Owls were in full flow with at least three present (I was told there were four the previous night). The supporting cast was Stonechats a plenty, a few Reed Buntings and six Snipe:


Short-Eared Owl:

Chats & Buntings:

Reed Bunting:

A link to a video of the Short-Eared Owls here: https://t.co/zi733GcYma