Short-eared Owls

Just a couple of things today: a Snow Bunting was reported to me as being on Medmerry west beach on Saturday morning and then flying towards the breach...and the Short-eared Owls are back at Barnham brooks in the rough field near the small bridge, SU955024, as they have been for the last few years, I saw two tonight (Sunday).

Shore Lark

A1 views of a Shore Lark today on the beach at the end of Nutbourne Road, Hayling Island this afternoon! The bird showed down to six feet and wasn't phased by dog-walkers & half-termers, lovely!

Shore Lark:

Video here: Shore Lark

Spotted Crake

A very distant Spotted Crake at Winchester SF was a nice surprise and easy mini-twitch today.

Spotted Crake:

Somewhat pixellated and distant video here: Spotted Crake

Black Redstarts

The Black Redstarts eventually did turn up at Toe End thankfully with three present today found by OM & SR. Initially all were around the caravans but by the time I arrived two had sought sanctuary from the half-termers (aka: kids enjoying themselves, nothing wrong with that) on the rocks nearby.

Black Redstart:

Sparrowhawk on the west side, a Merlin here too but was impossible for me to photo-nice aerial display though.

Distant Common Sandpiper on the stilt pool, but a wader at Medmerry at last!

Bar-headed Geese

Bar-headed Geese down the front for a change on the Stilt pool:

Something proper, a Red Admiral at Toe End:

Black-necked Grebe

A Black-necked Grebe was on Pagham Lagoon today showing nicely, thanks AH for the shout.

Little or nothing

Not much going on in West Sussex at the moment, seems as if all the good birds have passed us by.

A few YBW aren't much of an autumn, just a Radde's would be nice. Wouldn't mind but not due to lack of effort, just not much to find really!

Perhaps it's time to spruce the farm up...

...later and still fed up I took a break from sprucing and went to Lidsey-hordes of Chiffchaffs but nothing more interesting among them of course & no sign of any of them being tristis or even abientinus (of which surely some will turn up in this Easterly airflow) as far as I could see.

Forgot to put this picture up of a Yellow-browed Warbler at Selsey the other day:

Couple of Wheatears from the Selsey area too:

...might be a Greenland type below might not (pot bellied, appearing short tailed due to longer wings, 6-7 primary tips visible, peachy wash to front & brownish on upperparts...) but there's a lot more than you'd think  anyway according to recent DNA analysis...

Swallows ready for the off, room for a small one....

Rock Pipit & Ring Ouzel

A few from the last few days. 

Ring Ouzel, Church Norton:

Ring Ouzel, Cissbury. Saw Yellow-browed Warbler as well, no picture though :-((

Parasol Mushroom, Cissbury:

Rock Pipit, River Lavant sluice:

Rain...

Pagham Spit in the pouring rain this morning produced a surprising number of Chiffchaff and a few Stonechats but not a lot else, you can but try!