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 interesting 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. Then it was onwards to East Sussex for a work meeting, which 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. 

Late March into Spring

21st March

An initially atmospherically misty start to the day quickly turned into a thick peasouper and put paid to my attempt at a dawn check of Waltham Brooks. I could just about make out 22 Tufted Duck on the lake and there were plenty of Chiffchaffs singing around the place, but otherwise not much to report. 

After dropped B off at nursery I quickly headed up Amberley Mount to see if the top was above the fog, which it was. 20 minutes in glorious sunshine up here proved rewarding with Skylarks in fine voice and my first Wheatear of the year - a female - briefly posing well at Downs Farm before disappearing over the rooftops of the farm buildings. It struck me while I was up here that it's been quite some time since I saw a Little Owl up here, as the cow sheds at the farm used to be a reliable spot for them a year or two ago.

Skylark

Wheatear

Late afternoon I headed out again after work for a quick sweep of a couple of local sites. First, the scrape at Bignor Park which held the lingering Green Sandpiper, three Little Grebes and two drake Tufted Ducks, the latter a first for me here. The private reservoir at Petworth didn't hold any surprises, just a handful of Gadwall, a Little Grebe and the usual singing Skylarks and Yellowhammers around and about. 

22nd March

An early walk out from home to the river via Thorndale Bridge proved productive with first a singing Blackcap by the railway bridge, followed by a Redshank calling out towards Amberley West: All three of those species new for the year list! Up at Waltham Brooks there were again 22 Tufted Duck on the main lake but little else of note. The biggest surprise came in the form of a softly singing Willow Warbler in the scrub by the lake, equaling my earliest ever record of the species following on from one at Pulborough Brooks on 22nd March 2020. 

Early afternoon I headed out again for an early afternoon check of a few more local sites. The scrape at Bignor Park held the lingering Green Sandpiper and Egyptian Geese pair with their four young. Amazingly, as I scanned the water, the sound of another singing Willow Warbler drifted into my peripheral hearing. I made my way over to where the sound was coming from and found it flitting about in the hedgerow willows. 

Willow Warbler

23rd March

No birding today as I was up in Chelmsford speaking at the Essex Birdwatching Society Conference on the subject of Avian Reintroductions: Past, Present and Future.

24th March

Out at dawn this morning for a full loop of Pulborough Brooks before a busy day of non-birding stuff. It was another cold day, particularly in the brisk north-westerly, but pleasant enough in the sunshine out of the wind. As was the case yesterday, it felt like a good day for large/soaring birds, so I actually had Spoonbill or Common Crane in the back of my mind as I set off round the trail. West Mead and Winpenny hides proved rather quiet, with just two each of Dunlin and Avocet out on the South Brooks (I missed the mini wader-fest here on Friday which included Grey Plover, Golden Plover and Ringed Plover - a great day for Chris and Juliet Moore et al). Moving round to the Hanger and, amazingly, almost the first bird I picked up (after a Great White Egret) was a second year Spoonbill busily feeding on the back pool. It continued feeding very actively up until I left soon after 7:00, even giving a little flight across the pool at one point. Evidently it was refuelling to continue its journey, as it wasn't seen by a number of other birders who visited later in the morning. Also on the North Brooks were my first Little Ringed Plover of the year and at least five more Avocets.

Spoonbill

Cetti's Warbler

25th March

I had a work trip down to the New Forest today but managed to squeeze in a very quick look at the Bignor Park scrape before I left, where I found the lingering Green Sandpiper still present along with a couple of Snipe, a single Little Grebe and a Willow Warbler softly singing in the roadside hedge; presumably the same early arriving bird I heard here on Friday. Also singing nearby was a Blackcap, my first for this hotspot.

A couple of hours walking around the Eyeworth Wood and Acres Down areas of the New Forest was great and included my first Hawfinches of the year plus several Firecrests and Marsh Tits. It was fascinating to learn more about the Pine Marten camera trapping project down there, from Marcus Ward from Wild New Forest and Kat Saleiko from Forestry England. 

Eyeworth Pond, New Forest

The scarce Red-belted Bracket fungus in Eyeworth Wood

The obligatory New Forest Pony photo

On the way home I checked a couple of local sites, first up the private reservoir near Petworth which seemed very quiet until I picked up a Little Ringed Plover lurking on the far shore - my first here this year. Next up, I stopped for a look at Waltham Brooks. This seemed even more quiet, with not a hirundine or wader in sight. Four Tufted Duck were on the main lake, as was a nest-building Coot.

Little Ringed Plover

26th March

A loop of Waltham Brooks before work produced 34 species including an immature Peregrine circling overhead before drifting towards Lodge Hill - amazingly only my second record locally this year, not including Pulborough. Other bits of note included eight Tufted Duck on the main lake, at least ten singing Chiffchaffs and a Grey Heron which flew high south-east.

Peregrine

What was presumably the same Peregrine was seen again later in the morning, drifting over the garden. After a pleasant start to the day, the forecast rain eventually arrived around lunchtime and the conditions felt good for dropping some migrants, so expectation was high as I headed out to check a few water bodies in my lunch break. In reality though, it was all a bit of a damp squib. The Egyptian Goose family were still at the scrape at Bignor/Hadworth Farm, while the private reservoir near Petworth held a few more ducks than on recent visits (three Shoveler, two Gadwall, four Tufted Duck) but there were no newly arrived migrants to speak of really. The water meadows at Fittleworth held four Lapwing but not a lot else.

Egyptian Geese

27th March

An early walk from home out to Thorndale Bridge and up the riverbank to Waltham Brooks at dawn. There were plenty of Chiffchaffs and the odd Blackcap about in the first section of the walk, and a male Stonechat was singing quietly at Thorndale Bridge. As I neared the lake at Waltham Brooks I picked up a lone Sand Martin flying towards me, later joined by five others, all busily feeding overhead. Despite the brisk wind, I was also able to pick out the unmistakable song of my first Sedge Warbler of the year singing in the reeds by the lake; my earliest ever arrival date for this species. A Willow Warbler was also sub-singing nearby, with a second bird in sallows near the sewage works. It really is extraordinary how many seemed to have arrived so early this year.

Waltham Brooks

Later in the day I headed back out to check the scrape at Hadworth Farm/Bignor which held the long-staying Green Sandpiper but little else of note. At the private reservoir over near Petworth I was surprised to see a male Shelduck on the far bank with an Egyptian Goose. A long overdue first for me at this site. It didn't stay long after I arrived, before it flew off south-west. Another Willow Warbler here takes my March total so far to at least five different birds at three sites.

Shelduck

28th March

As forecast, today was a mixed bag on the weather front. Although it started relatively calm and dry after overnight rain, it didn't take long for more rain to arrive and the wind to strengthen, reaching gale force by the afternoon. I didn't get out birding early this morning, instead opting to start working relatively early and take advantage of my booked afternoon off by heading out after lunch. The scrape at Bignor was relatively quiet aside from the usual bits, although I did note a Coot on a nest here. At the reservoir near Petworth, it was encouraging to see ten Sand Martins feeding over the choppy waters; my highest count of the species anywhere so far this year. A quick check of the Rother at Fittleworth produced six Little Egrets, and two pairs of Lapwing, one angrily berating a Grey Heron. 

Pied Wagtail

Finally I headed over to Waltham Brooks for a quick check of the main lake. By now the wind was very strong and it was hard to hold my bins steady. Four hirdundines came in from a northwesterly direction which I initially took to be Sand Martins before realising they were all Swallows! They didn't hang around and flew straight through towards Amberley. Immediately after this, all of the ducks on-site suddenly exploded into flight (flushed by a Marsh Harrier I realised a bit later, when it flew off over the trees towards Amberley). I had previously only noticed a handful of Shoveler, Teal, Wigeon and Tufted Duck but soon realised there was in excess of 150 in total. Realising there had to be a chance of a Garganey in among them, I quickly fired off as many photos as I could and, sure enough, when I looked on the camera screen, there were in fact two Garganey - a male and a female - in among the flight of Teal. Fantastic! Despite sticking around a while longer, I never actually saw them again, but did hear the male croaking a couple of times.

Spot the Garganey!

29th March

I was at Pulborough Brooks soon after dawn this morning where I caught up with Paul Davy and Steve Baines. The South Brooks had the bulk of the action, certainly wader-wise, with two Avocet and a single Black-tailed Godwit here among the breeding Lapwing and Redshanks. Three Dunlin were seen in flight but we couldn't locate the lingering Water Pipit seen by Harry Ramm. A pair of Peregrines flew through low. Moving round to the North Brooks where, from the Hanger, we saw the usual selection of dabbling ducks still hanging on, in significantly reduced numbers since my last visit. 2-3 Swallows were feeding among a dozen or so Sand Martins. Around 40 Herring Gulls and a few Common Gulls were gathered on the spit between the two main pools (with at least another 30 Common Gulls drifting overhead). 
                                

30th March

A misty start to the day as the wind shifted to south-easterly overnight. I headed out early for a sweep of some water bodies. The reservoir over at Petworth held a lone Great Crested Grebe, and three Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew high north-east. The mixed singing Willow/Chiff was still present, but otherwise it was a quiet affair here. In fact, the bird of the morning was a Barn Owl which flew low over the road near Bury. The Rother at Fittleworth had fully overtopped again, completely flooding the water meadows, which held little of interest aside from my first Mallard ducklings of the year (one female with eleven in tow!). The scrape at Bignor/Hadworth Farm was still hosting the lingering Green Sandpiper as well as Little Grebe, five Tufted Duck, and multiple Coots (including one sitting on a nest). 

Mid morning we headed down to Arundel to feed the ducks at Swanbourne Lake. Two Shelduck which flew off the water and over towards the WWT were my first here, while other bits of note included at least five Mandarin and a pair of Egyptian Geese with two young. As the day was beginning to warm up, so insects began to become more apparent, including Brimstone and Peacock butterflies seen here. 

Later on, back at home, I headed out for a little walk around the local fields and added Speckled Wood to the year list, with two doing their courtship dancing flight through a garden on River Lane. A check of several of the local fields and paddocks failed to produce any migrants, aside from a couple of singing Blackcaps. Back at home, Blue Tits were busy nest-building in our garden nestbox.         

                           

Mandarins

Lesser Black-backed Gull

31st March

A mixed bag today, taking in various local spots. A return family visit to Swanbourne Lake for a go on one of the rowing boats produced an unexpected local year tick in the form of an adult Great Black-backed Gull chilling towards the northern end of the lake. This species often proves to be a bit of a low key tricky one to find locally, with perhaps 2-3 records most years, so it's always a reassuring one to get on the year list relatively early in the year.

Great Black-backed Gull

Later in the day I checked out some of the other local water bodies. First up, the private reservoir over near Petworth which held a lone Dunlin but was otherwise quiet aside from the Willow/Chiff still singing. The scrape at Bignor Park/Hadworth Farm, meanwhile, produced just a pair of Teal of note. 

Fall Breaks and Back to Winter

The dying days of November, in which autumn breathes its last and hands the baton over to winter. This ten-day period has had a little bit of everything, weather-wise, but there can be no doubting the onset of winter, not least due to the somewhat early arrival of the first Bewick's Swans, which unusually made a November appearance at Amberley on the 27th (recent years have seen arrival dates close to Christmas).

21st November

Very little time for birding today, but what I did manage to squeeze proved quite lively. First off, a ten-minute stop at Greatham Bridge on the way to work, which yielded a flock of 11 Crossbills flying west - my second Waltham Brooks tick in two days! 

Half an hour at Woods Mill at lunchtime produced a respectable 37 species, given the murky conditions. Highlights included two Firecrests, a flyover Raven and a Cetti's Warbler. 

Cetti's Warbler

22nd November

A brief check of Amberley before work, and there had clearly been a big increase in wildfowl and Lapwings since my last visit, as the flood waters have started to recede at last. The three White-fronted Geese were still present among dozens of Greylag Geese and hundreds of Canada Geese, while a single Dunlin and three Snipe were the best I could glean from some 500 or so Lapwing scattered around the site, the whole lot periodically flushed into the air by passing Marsh Harrier and Peregrine. 

A lunchtime walk out to Waltham Brooks proved relatively quiet, though the now almost daily Great White Egret was present, in flight over the river then later seen on the Amberley side. At least three Water Rails were calling around the place and a couple of Stonechats were near the railway line. 

23rd November

Just enough time today before work for a quick circuit up at Amberley Mount. It was a gorgeous, sunny morning and there again appeared to be a fair few Woodpigeons moving. I only managed 330 south in 20 minutes or so, but suspect a longer session would've produced quite a few more than that. An Amberley Mount tick was unexpected in the form of two Little Egrets which dropped in to the fields to the west, while a single Reed Bunting flew south over Downs Farm. 

Looking south from Amberley Mount

Upon arrival at Woods Mill I was greeted by Sussex Biodiversity Record Centre legend Bob Foreman who invited me to check out the contents of the moth trap he has just emptied in the garden. It was, unsurprisingly, a rather sparse catch, but did include my first ever December Moth! A species I have long wanted to see but which has always evaded me as my moth trap tends to gather dust between October and April. A lunchtime stroll round the reserve produced two new species for me here: a flyover Sparrowhawk and a heard-only Kingfisher. 

December Moth

Sparrowhawk

24th November

No real birding today owing to work commitments in Kent. 

26th November

The coldest morning of the winter so far and I was out at first light, heading to Pulborough in the hope that yesterday's Whooper Swan (found by Chris and Juliet Moore) had stuck around. Of course, after a clear night there was no sign of it or, indeed, the ringtail Hen Harrier and three White-fronted Geese also seen on Friday. The best from an hour scanning the South Brooks were a Dunlin in flight, some 80 or so Pintail, and a Peregrine in the oak at the bottom of Uppertons Field. I decided to head over to the private reservoir near Petworth for a quick look there, with scarce diving ducks and grebes on my mind. The female Long-tailed Duck was still there, for at least her 28th day, and showing well (though always too distant for decent photos). Otherwise it was relatively quiet here, with Pochard numbers in particular notably down since my last visit. Three Cattle Egrets flew west distantly towards Selham; my first record of the species here. 

Fieldfares

An early afternoon stroll at Swanbourne Lake produced the usual array of gulls and wildfowl, including at least 20 Common Gull and 30 Gadwall. 

Black-headed Gull

Late afternoon I walked out to Thorndale Bridge from home, in the hope of some owl action. It wasn't to be, but was still fairly lively, with highlights here including 3-4 squealing Water Rail, a calling Green Sandpiper (not seen), 250 Black-headed Gulls and a single Marsh Harrier south. At least three Snipe were flying about and another five flew east over River Lane on my walk home. 

26th November

No proper birding today owing to family stuff, but a quick look at one of my old haunts - Postford Pond in Chilworth - produced two Little Egrets and a roost gathering of 53 Mandarins, only just over half my record count of the species here (or anywhere!) but still quite impressive. 

27th November

A short stop at Amberley after dropping B at nursery proved rather more exciting than I'd anticipated. With the water levels even lower than my last visit, wildfowl numbers seemed to have increased again, with comfortably over a thousand ducks present, plus the lingering trio of White-fronted Geese with Greylags in the south-east corner. Another species which was present in conspicuously high numbers was Mute Swan, which got me thinking again about the Whooper I missed on Friday and the imminent arrival of the dwindling wintering Bewick's herd. 

With my thoughts along these lines, I decided to have one final scan of the swans present before I left. Two adults very distant on the northern side (about 1500m away from my viewpoint!) caught my eye, despite their heads being in the water. Something about the size, shape and jizz seemed off for Mute. Sure enough, as they lifted their heads alternately for a second or two, I caught sight of the bill of a wild swan species, not Mute. I was already late leaving for work at this point and the visibility was dreadful - not to mention the distance involved. My overall impression was of a near Mute-sized bird, with longish neck and wedge-shaped head with a generous amount of yellow in the bill. I left satisfied I had seen Whooper Swans. How wrong I was! And the niggling doubts I had as I drove to Woods Mill were validated when Paul Davy text a while later to say he'd got better views (and photos) from the Wey-South Path which clearly showed they were Bewick's Swans. An early arrival date in the Arun Valley, in a modern context. Just shows the importance of never jumping to conclusions!

Bewick's Swans - record shot from 1500m!

Aside from that excitement, not much else to report from today, though a lunchtime walk around Woods Mill did produce rather more winter thrushes than last week. 

28th November

Another beautiful sunny but cold morning with a brisk wind. I headed out quite early to Burton Mill Pond for a full walk there (including checking Chingford and Black Ponds). Compared to my last visit ten days ago or so it was relatively quiet. Although I do have to remind myself that 49 species is still a very respectable total in just under 90 minutes. Chingford Pond as usual held the bulk of the wildfowl interest, with 27 Pochard and 65 Tufted Duck the standout counts, plus a few Gadwall, Mallard and a couple of Shoveler. Black-headed Gull, Common Gull and Herring Gull were dropping in in modest numbers while others continued flying over, heading west. Heading back to my car, a Woodlark and two Ravens flew over New Piece. Incidentally, Woodlark was my 118th species recorded on eBird in November - by far and away my most species-rich November to date!

Grey Heron

A short lunchtime stroll round the local farmland produced a reasonable selection of species, with the clear highlight being a Peregrine which came in high over Lodge Hill to the north before drifting right over my head and plunging into a stoop down behind the trees near Besley Farm. I never saw the outcome of the dive, sadly!

Peregrine

Buzzard

29th November

A brief circuit up at Amberley Mount this morning in beautiful but chilly conditions produced a respectable 37 species in just over half an hour, including at least 160 Common Gulls, two Raven, heard-only Grey Partridge and Red-legged Partridge, and a Peregrine which flew through south at high speed towards The Burgh. I haven't done much birding up here away from the passage months, so am quite enjoying these quick in and out sessions before work at this time of year.

Common Gulls

Arriving at Woods Mill I was greeted again by the Song Thrush which has been belting out its song here for a week now. A lunchtime walk produced two new species for my site list here - Grey Heron and Pheasant, plus a Raven flying south, a modest flock of Fieldfare (25+) two Firecrests, and a Cetti's Warbler alarm calling near the main pond. 

30th November

An icy cold morning with leaden skies which produced the first flakes of snow of the winter. When it eventually decided to start getting light(ish) at around 8, I dashed over to Petworth for a check of the private reservoir and surrounding farmland. Wildfowl numbers had reduced on the reservoir with just ten Pochard and 35 Tufted Duck, plus five Shoveler, but the female Long-tailed Duck was still present and showed unusually well, swimming right around to the near side of the basin at one point (she's tended to always be at the furthest possible point up until today). A loop of the some of the farmland produced a few bits too including only my second ever Firecrest at this site, among a scattering of Goldcrests, quite a few Fieldfares, and a lone Lapwing in the middle of one of the fields, bizarrely picked up on call - perhaps the first hint of birds forced south by colder weather up north?

Long-tailed Duck

A quick check of Burton Mill Pond and Hadworth Farm on the way home yielded little, though two Little Grebes and five Coots at the latter show just how much water the scrape is now holding in the roadside field there, when just a few weeks ago it was bone dry. 

A brisk lunchtime walk over to Waltham Brooks from home was fairly uneventful and it somehow seemed to have got even colder, with a biting wind and still some wet snow in the air. The now usual Great White Egret was seen in flight over the river before heading over to Amberley, followed a little while later by a Little Egret. A Marsh Harrier angrily chased another one off in the same direction. The main lake held around 150 ducks, over half of which were Teal, with smaller numbers of Wigeon, Gadwall and Shoveler.