Moving on

11th June

Something always feels like it has turned come the second and third weeks of June. Usually it means the final drying up of any hopes of spring goodies arriving, but evidently spring 2024 still has a few more tricks up its sleeve (more on that shortly).

Today I was out early to carry out my final farmland bird survey visit of the year. The forecast was clear and cold, with a particularly fresh northerly wind. In the end, it actually wasn't too bad, and felt relatively warm in the sunshine once it got going. The destination was the farmland between Byworth, Haslingbourne and Shopham Bridge. An area I have described on this blog before as feeling pretty promising for a host of interest species (I've had Cuckoo, Nightingale, Lesser Whitethroat and flyover Whimbrel here on previous visits). It's certainly got a bit more of a 'certain something' about it than other areas I've visited for survey purposes over the years. I also recently discovered the area hosted a lingering male Red-backed Shrike for several weeks back in 2008. 

Today, the star bird was somewhat less sensational but still very welcome, as I finally caught up with my first local Little Owls of the year - not just one but two! The first was silhouetted against the early morning sky, perched atop a narrow metal post and looking for all the world like a fixed ornament of some kind, until it turned its head! The second bird was a fair way west of this one, and perched on a telegraph pole, quite a distance from my viewpoint.

Little Owl

As I was finishing up the survey, I received an unexpected text from Joe Hobden at the RSPB informing me that volunteer Toby Stapleton had just reported a possible Savi's Warbler singing at Pulborough, so I of course raced straight down there. Arriving at Nettley's hide, I found Toby still there, but sadly he hadn't heard anything from the bird for around half an hour and there was no further sign in the time I had available to sit and listen. It would have to be an evening visit.

As luck would have it, I had already made plans to catch up with Ed and Abel later in the day and we had left the destination suitably undecided - depending on the weather - so of course we figured it made sense to head back to Pulborough. Half an hour or so at Nettley's hide produced no sight nor sound of the bird but a text from Matt Eade alerted us to the fact it was in fact audible from the Hanger viewpoint. Racing back up there, we found Matt with Gareth James both cupping their hands to their ears and listening intently. Within a couple of minutes we had all heard it - just about! Thankfully, Joe the warden was on hand again to help and guided us to a spot a little closer to where the sound was coming from, and we got definite ears on what was undoubtedly the mechanical whirring song of a Savi's Warbler - a Sussex tick for most of those present! Amazingly, it also represented my 160th species locally this year, what a way to reach that milestone!

12th June

A late start this morning and, with negative news of the Savi's Warbler at Pulborough, I decided instead to check in at Waltham Brooks for the first time in a few days. A Cuckoo was still singing over towards the river while the lake held eight Tufted Ducks. As I started wandering about to check the scrubby areas, a message alerted me to the fact the Savi's had been relocated at Pulborough, a fair bit closer than yesterday evening by the sounds of it. I had to go back! 

Racing down the path towards the river bank I spied Chris and Juliet Moore and others all gathered in a line looking over the mixed reeds and rushes to the south. Sure enough, after 15-20 minutes wait the bird sang again, really much clearer than yesterday. Unfortunately it didn't show for me there but, as I was leaving, I decided to quickly stick my head in at the dipping platform and not only heard the bird even more clearly but also glimpsed it very briefly perched up in full view near the top of the vegetation. Result!

13th June

An early morning walk out from home to Thorndale Bridge and Waltham Brooks today, in memory of the one year anniversary of finding a singing Marsh Warbler near Thorndale Bridge last year. What a difference though in terms of the weather from a year ago today, which as I remember was sunny and really quite warm. This morning was mostly cloudy, breezy and not at all warm! There was also, unsurprisingly, no Marsh Warbler to be found, but still a few bits about including a family group of Sedge Warblers, two singing male Cuckoos, a heard-only Kingfisher along the river and a Great White Egret in full breeding plumage at the main lake at Waltham Brooks. The Egret was also bearing a red colour ring on its left, identifying it as one from the Somerset Levels. 

14th June

Just a brief birding session this morning, and the destination was Amberley Wildbrooks, hoping to catch up with the Quail reported by Daniel Boon a couple of days ago. I walked up the Wey-South Path beyond the Swamp but couldn't hear any sound from it, if indeed it was still present. Mind you, the brisk wind wasn't helping. It was also amazing how much surface water and mud was present again on the path after the overnight rain. Is it really the middle of June? A Cuckoo was still singing near the castle, a Nightingale called briefly at the Swamp and a couple of Sand Martins flew south-west into the wind. 

15th June

Another day without much birding. A brief check of the private reservoir near Petworth in showery conditions mid-morning produced little of note, although an adult Mediterranean Gull flying north as I was leaving was only my third record of the species at this site. Otherwise there were plenty of Swifts feeding over the reservoir and surrounding fields. 

In the evening I was at Knepp to lead a dusk safari. The forecast didn't look great but in the end we dodged any further showers. The clear highlight of the evening was, hands down, my best ever UK encounter with Turtle Dove as purring alerted us to the presence of a nearby male which then flew and revealed two in flight together. No sooner had these two settled together in another nearby tree than they flew again, this time with a third bird in tow! Seemingly an interloping male being chased out of an active territory as soon what was the original pair returned to the tree and engaged in several minutes' of preening, courtship feeding and even mating. Just breathtaking. Only slight downside was that I only had my little bridge camera not my DSLR, otherwise I would have easily taken my best ever Turtle Dove photos instead of rather grainy record shots!

Turtle Doves

16th June

An early start this morning saw me heading first to Amberley for another attempt at the Quail. Sadly there was again no sign of it but a very showy Cattle Egret flew up from the cattle near the Swamp, where a Nightingale was also whistling away and a Lesser Whitethroat was still singing. A light passage of some 25 or so Swifts moved through, heading west/south-west.

Cattle Egret

Next up, I headed over to Pulborough for another go at the linger Savi's Warbler, present for at least its sixth day. As I approached the dipping platform along Adder Alley I could hear the bird reeling but, despite spending an hour down on the viewing platform - where it was great to catch up with Tice's Meadow stalwart John Hunt - the bird never showed itself. The highlight here aside from occasional burst of song from the Savi's, was a Peregrine flying overhead clutching what looked like a juvenile Starling. Photos of the bird revealed it was bearing a green darvic leg ring. I'll investigate where that may have come from. With a dark cloud moving in from the west I decided to make a break for the relative cover of the Hanger, just as the heavens opened. On the North Brooks I found five Avocets and a single Green Sandpiper, the latter the first early indications of return wader passage starting to slip into gear. 

Peregrine

Leaving Pulborough, I headed for a favourite skywatch viewpoint for an attempt at Honey Buzzarding, but the weather had other ideas. Although the sun was warm when it broke through, it just never felt like the morning was going to properly settle down and warm up, and there was still that cool and brisk breeze. There were quite a few Common Buzzards and Red Kites getting up on the meagre thermals, but otherwise it felt very quiet. 

17th June

Just a quick birding session before work today, at Waltham Brooks, the highlight of which was a noisy group of fledgling Cetti's Warblers flicking about in brambles near the lake. On the lake itself were a single Tufted Duck and some 27 Mallards. Otherwise not much else to report here really, although it was lovely to feel warm in the sunshine for a change - it almost felt like summer!

Cetti's Warbler

A lunchbreak skywatch from the garden produced singles of Hobby and White-tailed Eagle drifting about. 

18th June

I was at Arlington Reservoir for much of today, at a South East Water landowner advisor event. Sadly there wasn't much time for birding but I did note Kingfisher, Reed Warbler and Great Black-backed Gull during my lunch break. 

On the way home I stopped off for another brief stroll at Amberley Wildbrooks, again entering from near the castle and walking up past the Swamp. The single Cattle Egret from the other day had increased to three and it was quite entertaining to watch them picking flies off the faces of the cows, like Oxpeckers. Other bits of note here were a singing Lesser Whitethroat, and a few Swifts and House Martins overhead. 

Cattle Egrets

19th June

Today I was at Rye Harbour all day for a work staff meeting. Highlights from a couple of walks round the reserve included terns a plenty - Little, Common and Sandwich, plus very cute Oystercatcher chicks, Avocets and a Hobby. A ringing demonstration in the afternoon produced a couple of Lesser Whitethroats and a juvenile male Kingfisher.

Common Terns

Sandwich Tern

An evening walk from Kithurst Hill towards The Burgh and back produced at least three calling juvenile Tawny Owls and multiple Red-legged Partridge and Grey Partridge.

Looking west from south of Kithurst Hill

 20th June

A check of the private reservoir over near Petworth didn't produce much this morning. Onwards to East Sussex for a work meeting saw me stopping for a lunch break walk at Arlington Reservoir where I found the usual selection of geese on the water along with at least eight Great Crested Grebes and three Great Black-backed Gulls. A Nightingale was calling in the scrub near the hide. 

Yellowhammer

Three private woodland sites in the High Weald were the destination for my walking meeting in the afternoon, the highlights of which were a Hawfinch, a fledgling Nightingale and a few Marsh Tits.