Honeys & Hawkers

Fifty-five species at Woolbeding today, checklist HERE with Honey Buzzard x 4 and Goshawk omitted (i think this is a bit odd really, surely technology exists to let through "sensitive sp." from known and publicised watchpoints?).

Other highlights were being there on my own very early for 2.5 hrs and soaking it all in before anyone else turned up (joy) and singing Woodlark, Garden Warbler, a low flyover Crossbill and a perched Honey-buzzard well spotted by MB. Two distant Honeys too and another giving lovely scope views found by NM.

In the afternoon the wife and I went to Nunnery Lake and had c.six Norfolk Hawkers, really hard to photograph in the heat but decent naked-eye/bins views. Also Kingfisher, Cetti's Warbler, Reed Warbler, Egyptian Goose and a surprise Firecrest.

Going back a day, five Eider and a party of Arctic Terns at the Bill were nice and I jammed into a Spotted Flycatcher at the sheep field at Church Norton so have had worse days. 

Birds of Interest...

 A look at Woolbeding for Honey-buzzard turned one up at 7am on Friday and it was the intermediate-type that was present last year-unfortunately I got called away annoyingly so I missed the two birds over the car park later on so will go back. The road is closed at Woolbeding so best way in is Holist Lane. Loads of other stuff up there too, Garden Warbler, Siskin, other raptors etc.

A Roseate Tern (which I still need for the year: update: see below!) was called by AW at Church Norton later in the day...but was it? MRe was on site and suggested it was a Common Tern...so I asked "with a black bill"? he mentioned eastern as an outside possibilty and to me this bird fits that bill-dark bill, dark legs, white cheeks and general Common Tern plumage. Eastern Common Tern? why not?

ECT info on Birding Frontiers

This is interesting too, possible Roseate X Common Tern hybrid?:

RBA Round-up

I don't care much for proper twitching (hypocrite caveat: Peninsula birds are ok!), too much "have you seen it?" NO; "did you say you saw it?" NO; "but you've seen it??" ad nauseum for me nowadays (grumpy old(er) man syndrome) but I did venture to no-man's land, East Sussex, for the Eastern Subalpine Warbler which did show quite well-darker than I expected compared to Western-not too bad a journey either at 4am and home by 9am so all good.

Eastern Common Tern?: my pic top (rubbish), AW's lower (excellent)

Woolbeding:

Eastern Subalpine Warbler:

So Sunday became even more interesting with two Roseate Terns at Church (later three!) and a Temminck's Stint (& a sleeping Sanderling) at the Ferry, thanks to RHa for the latter. Both were welcome Peninsula year ticks. 

Temminck's Stint, at the the far back of the Ferry Pool, you might need a magnifing glass...

Roseate Tern, landing:

Roseate Terns, far left, with Sandwich & Common Terns: 

Sprng has sprung...clang...

Well that's a wrap for spring at the Bill...the poorest I can remember. The seabirds are out there, look at Dungeness' totals, but we don't seem to get them anymore. Kudos to Paul Bowley for sitting through the absolute dross this year and becoming the Pom King-elect. My highlights offshore a mere 17 Pomarine Skuas and  five Black Terns, a good flock (yes one good flock!) of Arctic Terns and a few Common Terns but nothing else. And. yes. I know two Bee-eaters came in-off and that was amazing but what else did? One Serin, one Short-eared Owl...hopeless! 

As ever the camaraderie was good among the regulars though, albeit through gritted teeth on occasion when it was another slow day. and I suppose that is the saving the grace at the Bill. 

And so will we be back again? well of course we will, tomorrow probably, but just maybe with the thought that for some of us it's only two hours drive to Dunge...🤣🤣

It's that Pom time of year! Sandpipers too!

Expertly picked up by CRJ today at the Bill, seven Pomarine Skuas east past the mile basket, much enjoyed! Also a fairly decent wader (Whimbrel/Bar-tailed Godwit/Sanderling) movement and a quite a few tern sp. early on. 

There were a few more Poms later in the week taking my total up to 14 with a few better views had (and some worse to be fair lol). 

A Wood Sandpiper was found on the Ferry by AH and later a Curlew Sandpiper, found by AS, was also there... so along with a Cuckoo at Mill Lane and JA's three Black Terns it hasn't been a bad few days for Peninsula year ticks.

Not a year tick but a frankly tremedous drake Garganey was also on the Ferry, ducks do not get any better than this, a great spot by MRB.

So now the question is this: second Pom wave yes or no? well your guess is as good as mine but I'm sure there are some more to come..and will we get that late Common Tern movement? No doubt the Selsey seawatchers will be out just in case...

Garganey, easily my bird of the year so far!:

Wood Sandpiper & Curlew Sandpiper:

Curlew Sandpiper:

Whinchat at Halsey's Farm from the previous week:

Nightingale

 A Nightingale was singing at Church Norton last afternoon, also a couple of Swifts and a Hobby in at the Bill. It was a tough day as I am missing my old dad a lot at the moment but this was a nice bit of solace.

Red-crested Pochards! Woodchat Shrike!

An unpromising day with a NW wind surpringly turned up five Peninsula year ticks: Yellow Wagtail at the Bill, Common Sandpiper on the Ferry Pool, two drake Red-crested Pochards on the south pit at Drayton House, the latter well found by OM on his WEBS survey.and, best of all, a Woodchat Shrike (Peninsula tick full stop!) found by JW at Pagham Rife!! Directions to the shrike were uncertain but a call from AH to JDW had me heading in the right direction,,,a quick zip round (and, ahem, overland) on the E-bike and I refound it in the southerly hedge. All have seen it now so a good result all round-such a cracking bird, chapeau JDW! Later on I dipped the Hoopoe heard at Halsey's Farm but did get the spring male Whinchat at Owl Point.

Red-crested Pochards:

Woodchat Shrike:

Ric Flair - Woo!!: 

Lesser Whitethroat

The dead fish list leaps on with Common Smoothhound now added (the other 'hound was a Starry), thanks to the Great Black-backed Gulls at the Bill for the heads up on this one!

In other news it was actually half-decent at the Bill for the first hour or so, ten Little Terns offshore and two east, a few Common Terns and a female-type Garganey with a male Common Scoter also heading off left. Pleased with the Garganey as it can be a tricky bird on the Manhood Peninsula. Also a Great Skua and an Arctic Skua (I missed the latter) and a lively political debate...sometimes it's quite handy to be somewhat taciturn...🤣🤣

Managed to dip the Spoonbill at Medmerry and the Ferry and there was also no sign of a Common Sandpiper on the Stilt Pool but blushes were spared by HR's lovely singing Lesser Whitethroat at Yeoman's Field. I've always though that Yeoman's could turn up a Ring Ouzel or a rarer thrush; I've never seen one in situ there myself although I believe the odd RO has graced its hedgerows...

Lesser Whitethroat at Yeoman's Field:

Marsh Harrier and Hares

After mentioning to my son that I hadn't seen a Brown Hare this year lucked into one at Honer while out delivering, also the cracking male Marsh Harrier low over the fields by Honer Farm. Not much else going on but I see there has been a somewhat liberal application of glyphosate in the fields...😞

Will try a few days of seawatching this weekend I expect (update tomorrow.) and we're taking a family trip to Ebernoe for the Nightingales at Furnace Meadow on Sunday.

Dead Fish and live ones...!

Well the fledgling "dead fish list" scored a cracker the other day at Mill Farm with a dead Ghost Carp in the margins (already had dead Common Carp at West Trout Lake...) But in happier news the son and I pulled out a few tiddler Roach and silver Bream on the poles so it was a nice day out. More fishing news to follow as we hit the beaches shortly!

Bird wise I added a few newly arrived warblers, Sedge, Reed & Whitethroat to the year list on the Peninsula, it remains dead offshore atm though, time is ticking which is a bit worrying...maybe as last year the big Tern movement will be late May-early June. Was nice to see a few Little & Common Terns trickling through so hope lingers I guess.

A look at the Bluebells at Slindon on Sunday found a nice flock of Yellowhammers and c.3 Red Kites overhead; I'm look forward to the Honey Buzzards at Woolbeding again this year and seeing a few raptors up did whet the appetite somewhat for this.

In farm news we have just finished a mammoth plant-up bar a few beet and cabbage outside and a few celery inside and it even rained on time to water all the transplants in. Cutting spring greens this week and should be on to chard and parsley soon so good to see some new produce to complement all the in-store roots.

ex-Ghost Carp:

Yellow Archangel: much better than the Bluebells!

Bluebells: presumably these are machine planted? all look a bit neat to me!

Little Gull

SH found the first Common Tern of the year on West Trout Lake today so I cycled over for a look-unfortunately there was no sign by the time I arrived but I did find an adult and a 1st winter-type Little Gull in situ there. Apart from that a few Chiffchaffs in the trees along the path and a couple of Eygptian Geese was the sum. The less said about the morning's seawatch the better!

A meeting up with the rest of the SOS records committee on Saturday proposed a few changes to species descriptions required, a work in progress naturally but some productive alterations in the offing, more to follow on this in due course when the changes are finalised.

Little Gull at the gravel pits:

Migrants...

It has been pretty hard going at Selsey Bill over the past few weeks with little passage movement apparent. The Brent Geese seemed to have all moved off and the expected Sandwich Tern and duck species haven't materialised-sadly the dreaded phrase "it's still not happening" is ringing true a bit at the moment! That said I did luck into a few bits on the 27th March: a close Manx Shearwater, a Great Skua, a Fulmar and a Swallow all making an appearance, plus a distant duck that could well have been a Garganey but just a bit too far out to be 100% on that. A Short-eared Owl picked up by PB heading in-off was probably the best bird of the spring so far here, along with a couple of Red Kites and a pair of Ravens that paid short visits to the Bill tip.

Of "landbirds", I have struggled to add Little Ringed Plover to the Peninsula year list but was fortunate enough to eventually catch up with a displaying pair at Medmerry Stilt Pool; also mananged Blackcap and a Willow Warbler near the Ferry Pool and no less than two Wheatears at the Bill! At home we have three singing Blackcaps currently (I can hear one as I type this) and singing Chiffchaffs so hopefully they will all breed successfully here again this year.

The Red-crested Pochards were reported back on the Whyke fishing lakes on Friday but annoyingly the footpath here is still gated. I appreciate the reasoning behind this (fish theft) but it is actually illegal to block paths in this manner and with parking restrictions now being implemented at the Ivy Lake complex it's not looking good access-wise to the lakes for the casual birder. Parking is still available, for the time being anyway, opposite the Free School but as a parent here I say good luck with that in term-time! I suppose parking at Whyke and taking the footbridge over might be the best option going forward. The only thing of note here for me recently though were the pair of Egyptian Geese on the house lawn replete with ducklings.

A Lesser Black-backed Gull was on the roof of Covers builders merchants opposite the Whyke Lakes on Saturday and the gentle Mediterranean Gull passage continued over Oving all week.

Short-eared Owl in at the Bill:

Little Ringed Plover:

Lesser Black-backed Gull:

Egyptian Geese:

Wheatear at the Bill:

Toe End

The best at Selsey Bill this morning, despite hopeful conditions, were seven Great Northern Divers offshore and a few Common Scoter-obviously the best is still to come here!

A bike ride down from coastguards to Toe End didn't turn much up either, the best being eight Sanderling near the sea defences, a few Meadow Pipits and an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull with a few Great Black-backed Gulls on the mud.

Whooper Swans, Great Skua & Grey Partridges

Six excellent Whooper Swans were in White's Creek on Tuesday, well found by LP in White's Creek at Pagham North Wall, two years running for these now after a long barren period on the Selsey peninsula.

On Friday a distant Great Skua (Bonxie) was the highlight, picked up by SH heading west. More intriguing, however, was a distant bird moving across the horizon in large arcs...we were sure it wasn't a juvenile Gannet and skuas were ruled out which only really left a shearwater of some kind (or Giant Petrel of course lol) but we shall, sadly, never know...these are the ones that really bug me!

Declining a first-of-the-year Wheatear twitch at Church Norton on Saturday I headed over to Itchenor for yet another go for the partridges, this time successfully: two Grey Partridges in the Horse Pond field & two Red-legged Partridges in Rookwood Lane. The best on the water in the harbour were a few lingering Brent Geese and two Great Crested Grebes.

Over the farm today (Saturday) were at least 40 Mediterranean Gulls. We do get good numbers of these passing through in the spring so I suspect this is just the first wave.

Whooper Swans:

Grey Partridges: (they did actually show better than these pics suggest, they were spooked by a couple of runners and their pets and hunkered down).

Selsey Bill & Ruddy Shelduck

There wasn't much at the Bill this morning other than 26 Curlew and four Whimbrel. Later in the day a Ruddy Shelduck was at Honer 1 (found by Mike James) and I managed a five second view of it flying away over the trees, very unsatisfactory but hopefully it will be refound for a better look! Update: AW had it in off the sea at the windmill on Friday so hopefully it'll stick in the area.

At look around Honer Reservoir & Marsh Farm didn't turn the above up but there were 78 Cattle Egrets at Bramber Farm and two Egyptian Geese were with half a dozen Shelduck near Summer Lane.

The Bill & Itchenor

It was nice to see the regulars at Selsey Bill this morning in my first proper visit for over a month due to circumstances...unfortunately it was rather quiet but a Red Kite over north (or east if you're AH lol) was a good bird, as was a Raven that I missed. A Blackcap in the bushes (missed that too) and a few Chiffs and Mipits were the best of any migration whilst on the sea a Black-throated Diver and a few Great Northerns were the highlights.

Afterwards I went to Itchenor where I had partridges...only problem was that they were Red-legged Partridges not Grey ones! Did have a cream-capped Marsh Harrier (a migrant maybe? bit of an odd place for one?) and a few Brent Geese and small birds but nothing else really of note. The camera struggled today in the gloom but a couple of pastiches (cough) are below!

Red Kite at the Bill:

Marsh Harrier:

Itchenor

The Black-throated Diver was still offshore from Itchenor this morning along with two Great Northern Divers and plenty of displaying Red-breasted Mergansers but I couldn't find the Grey Partridges in the rainy conditions. An interesting pipit sp. towards Ella Nore sounded very like a Water Pipit to me and Merlin concurred FWIW but inconclusive on chirpity sadly.

Black-throated Diver:

Great Northern Diver:

Brent Geese:

Red-breasted Mergansers:

Long Down & Sand Martins

We had to drop a van into the garage this morning so went up to Long Down hill afterwards, this is sort of above Eartham to give you an idea. Last time it was fog-bound but today there were excellent views across to the downs, Chichester & villages and even the offshore windfarms. Some of the habitat looks spot on for Honey-Buzzard later in the year but today we had plenty of Common Buzzards, a few Red Kites, Yellowhammers and Skylarks. Very much an underwatched area this with also plenty of wet woodland and numerous hilltop copses which today held numerous Tit flocks-looks good for Woodcock here too.

Later in the day we went to the Chichester Gravel Pits where Colin Jupp had found at least four Sand Martins, nice to see the first "proper" migrants of the year!

Skylark, note rarity: blue sky!:

Yellowhammers:

The view from Long Down:

Sand Martin:

North Wall

We had a bit of stroll at the North Wall this morning, nothing really of note, a couple of Egyptian Geese at Church Barton and a Chiffchaff here, too, two Marsh Harriers, a cronking Raven (later seen over the Mill Pond) some nice Pintail from the east side and a nice mixed flock of warders. 

I suppose it was nice to be out after the funeral but still not really feeling much like it atm, but tomorrow's another day so hey ho...

Later, an odd report from the data-scrapers (have you noticed how the national bird services never credit their sources...?) of a Red-breasted Goose with c.3000 Brent Geese and two Pale-bellied Brent Geese in the area, I believe they were looked for but without success...I do know if they were there this morning we missed them! UPDATE: well they weren't there but they were in 1986 apparently! A data entry error to blame for today's report, the culprit? well that would be telling lol and no it wasn't me!

Marsh Harrier:

Pintail:

Common Gull and what appears to be a Ruff second left:

West Dean & the Canal

The wife and I went up to Stapleash Farm at West Dean estate on Friday morning while the son was at band rehearsal (just the 26 songs to learn!!) and had a few bits, four displaying Ravens, six Buzzards, two Red Kites, a Hawfinch (possibly more but not certain) and a big flock of mixed finches on the maize crop.

At the Canal on Saturday there were at least a dozen Siskins, probably more as they were well heard before they were seen at the Birdham end. Not a lot else here and at dead low water off the marina all that could be found of note in a brief look were a few Red-breasted Mergansers.

The two White-fronted Geese & the two Egyptian Geese were also still at Oving early on.

Raven:

Siskin: