An early morning text saw me down at Sidlesham Ferry Pool where a Red-Necked Phalarope was showing well and where the Black-Winged Stilt from yesterday was still present:



Red-Necked Phalarope:

Video of the Red-Necked Phalarope here:  RNP Sidlesham Ferry


Black-Winged Stilt:

Good numbers of roding Woodcock tonight at Lavington, Tree Pipit also out and about. The Nightjars spent more time churring than flying although Mr Reliable on the back path was again out early in twilight. Unfortunately a few idiots letting their dogs run through the Common too, alas.

Only bird alert today was for three Great Northern Divers at Selsey which tells its own story of the mediocrity of Sussex birding at the moment..apart from Nightjars and Woodcocks which were spectacular at Lavington Common last night. What a great sight a roding Woodcock is, love them!! Nightjars just a few feet away isn't bad either.


Earlier on Friday with nothing to see yet again birdwise again I went butterflying and not surprisingly bumped into a few Sussex birders doing the same. A good day at Kithurst Meadow with Small Blue, Common Blue, Duke of Burgundy Fritillary, Dingy Skipper, Grizzled Skipper and a particularly pale Painted Lady. Over in Shoreham at Mill Hill, plenty of Adonis Blues out and about and a Cinnabar Moth on show.



Small Blue:

Common Blue:

Duke of Burgundy:

Adonis Blue:

Cinnabar Moth:

With a general dearth of anything interesting bird-wise locally (butterflies 1, birds 0 at the moment), the family headed off to East Anglia. From Friday afternoon to Sunday lunchtime we totalled: Serin, Red-Backed Shrike, Bitterns, Red-Spotted Bluethroat, Temminck's Stint, Black Kite (the Wrentham escape but what a bird!), Turtle Doves, Small Heath, Small Copper & Green-Veined Whites as just the highlights...slightly better than Sussex then at the moment!

Bluethroat:

Temminck's Stint (honest, it was distant!):

Black Kite:

With not a lot going on in Sussex I skipped over the border again to try for the Bonaparte's Gull in Hampshire. No sign in the morning but the afternoon was a success with the bird returning to its favourite haunt in Riverside Park, Southampton and showing well down to 30 feet or so. Thanks are due to the birders (particularly Mark Painter) who helped me track it down.


Bonaparte's Gull:

Got called a "Blog Trawler" on Sussex Birders this evening :-))

Minor Threat

Pointless rubbish day at Selsey 13:30- 16:30 with hardly a thing moving, sea-watching is just a waste of time at the moment it seems...(interestingly comments on Twitter agree with this; I wonder if the stats do show it's getting worse year on year?) but good luck to those who persevere they deserve every success. When a Skua goes past Portland and there's hope it might possibly, just, just, could do, might fly by Selsey then you know it's uber-dire.

A possible Roseate Tern was called going East with Common Terns but there were two certainties later on which I missed roosting on the shingle bar. "Highlights" were two Arctic Skuas and a Great Skua. The Little Gull was still at Ivy Lake.

Not a bad afternoon, a lovely Black Tern and a 1st Summer Little Gull on Ivy Lake at Chichester and a Great Skua and nice close Guillemot past Selsey Bill (and two more Black Terns that I missed when I was packing up!). Also at Ivy Lake, two Black Swans and several Orange Tip butterflies.


Black Tern:

Orange Tip:

Black Tern, flight shot:

Black Swan:

Well I've decided rightly or wrongly to do butterflies today. Of course, this almost guarantees that there will be Pomarine Skuas through at Selsey Bill! And equally guarantees no Pearl-Bordered Fritillaries either, we shall see...a few hours later and I can be smug, I was right, nothing at Selsey but wrong at Rewell Wood where four Pearl-Bordered Fritillaries were on display! A right result I believe the expression to be! Many thanks to Butterfly Conservation Sussex and Neil Hulme for guiding.


Pearl-Bordered Fritillary:

Yet again not much at Selsey Bill this morning, an Arctic Skua not miles out (not close either but I'll take it) and a Great Skua ditto, two Hobby and quite a few Little Terns being the best of it.


Herring Gull, Great Black Backed Gull & Lumpsucker:

Little Tern:

Arctic Skua, somewhat distant!:

Up-country whilst butterfly searching was a different matter thankfully: Four Red Kites, a handful of Buzzards, a Tawny Owl, at least four Ravens and a male Goshawk were gratefully received. Exact location withheld but it was on the South Downs near Midhurst.


Red Kite: