Had the fortune to hear of a Black-Winged Stilt at Medmerry Avocet Pools yesterday afternoon and, after a lot of to-ing and fro-ing finally caught up with the bird. Thanks as ever to all those who helped me out!

Here it is having a little doze:

A seawatch from Coastguards at Selsey didn't yield anything spectacular just a few Common Scoters and a solitary Fulmar in close. Then joined up with a few memebers of the SOS for a seawatch from Selsey Bill itself; again not great but two Arctic Skuas, a Great Skua (which I missed..) and a Little Gull showed:

On the way back, Twenty Common Terns on Westhampnett Pit:

Got home and saw a bird alert for a Red Rumped Swallow at Steyning, pleased to say it was still present when I arrived, thanks to the birders who got me on it!

Back in the 1970s there was a Velevt Scoter on what would become Westhampnett Gravel Pit and Dad did a painting of it:

There was also a flock of twelve Serins on the farmland here back in the day (before they built on it..)! 

Despite the terrible weather, managed to catch up with the relatively local Bearded Tits, two females showing for a few minutes, sadly no pics due to the weather though so back another day for those.

A Common Crane was spotted from a passing train at Lidsey on Tuesday and was still present on Wednesday morning, indeed there initially appeared to be another one present very early on and two were sighted airborne at Pagham & Arundel...could have been wrong though, wouldn't be the first time!  :-)

Common Crane & Grey Heron:

and the regular Glossy Ibises:

A Western Subalpine Warbler was found at Pagham on Monday but unfortunately not refound by those looking in the evening. I went and had a look on Tuesday morning but no luck for me alas. On the bright side did see three Cuckoos:

...and there had been a large fall of Wheatears, nine along the seawall and 58 at Church Norton:

Plenty of Whitethroats too:

A quick sea watch at Climping this afternoon produced highlights of a Black Tern east (which was later picked up at Worthing & Hove), an Arctic Skua and a Great Skua, also east, and a handful of Sandwich and Commic Terns.

A pretty dismal day on the South Coast with persistent rain and a north easterly wind (switching to South Easterly later-time to go seawatching!) but as usual there was still something to see. At Medmerry, a Little Ringed Plover, a few Skylarks, Little Egrets and Linnets, the Warner Lane Ring Ouzel was still present  and at the Ferry Pool were a few Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs, Church Norton held similar with also a Whimbrel or two in the harbour. On Pagham Lagoon a few Swallows were present whilst at Westhampnett Pit, Sand Martins, House Martins, Swallows and a Common Tern all showed:

Ring Ouzel:

Whimbrel:

Swallows at the Lagoon:

Swallows, House Martin,
Sand Martin on the pit:

Getting up at a ridiculously early time for a seawatch at Selsey Bill was to no avail as little showed, the best being the regular Long-Tailed Duck and six Great Northern Divers on the sea. Similarly, the other sites on the Manhood Peninsula were pretty quiet, just a few Whimbrels at Church Norton and the Ring Ouzel at Warner Lane. Highlight was however a nice drake Garganey on the Ferry Pool:

Then it was off on an excursion for the Tree Sparrow at Titchfield Haven which showed well after a bit of a wait:

Also about were a few Black Swans and a motley collection of Turnstones:

Too much business admin today meant a quick look at Westhampnett GP by the windsurf centre was all I could manage. Nothing remarkable but there were four Common Terns reeling over the water, pic of two here:

Objectives of the day were Little Ringed Plovers, a bird it took me forever to see last year (only finally getting one when one wondered across in front of the Long Billed Dowitcher at Pennington!). Medmerry came up trumps:

In the Ring Ouzel field the paler bird was still present, but elusive, and there were two French Partridges:

Lucky I checked the http://selseybirder.blogspot.co.uk/ blog today as there was a report that Sarah Russell had found a Ring Ouzel in the horse paddocks at Warner Lane, Selsey.

As I was in the area (well sort of..!) I popped in for a look to find not just one Ring Ouzel was present but two!

I took them to be a male & female, the male being much more defined in plumage:

..than the female:

In the bushes behind the field was a superb Whinchat:

and also a striking male Common Redstart that flitted up and down the fence line (update tonight, now two):

Credit to Sarah for finding these lovely birds.

I'd heard that there were a couple of Little Ringed Plovers at North Walls but no luck for me although the two Spoonbills were distantly visible in flight. There were, however, a male and female Redstart in the horse paddock by the footpath with a White Wagtail:

A lovely day today, started off with a hungry Mistle Thrush on the farm:

Then went on a bit of a circuit, starting off with Church Norton. Plenty of Blackcaps here in the May, a Yellow Wagtail over the spit and a Whitethroat by the car park and a Green Woodpecker behind the hide:

Moving on to Medmerry by the caravan park, a glorious Common Redstart:

 One of at least four Wheatears:

And a Willow Warbler, exit stage right:

Finally a look around Pulborough Brooks RSPB, the highlight of which were the Adder Alley Nightingales:

Blackcaps back on the farm, shows the value of Ivy berries! :

Just a couple of bits today, a Chiffchaff calling on the farm and I'm pleased to say being called back to, I can hear it now as I type:

And on Westhampnett Pit, a Common Tern in with the Black Headed Gulls and Great Crested Grebes:

A pair of Mandarin Ducks today, location withheld: