All change

1st April

And so, perhaps the most frenetic month of the birding calendar begins again. I opted for a fairly leisurely start today, mainly as I slept through my alarm (still adjusting to the clock change and shaking off the dregs of a nasty cold). Walking from home out to Waltham Brooks it was clear there were more Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps around than I've heard so far this spring. A check of the sewage works produced an all too brief glimpse of a female type Black Redstart perched on the railings by one of the sewage pans. I decided to walk around to the other side, by the gate, to get a better view. Sadly I wasn't able to relocate the bird, despite a fairly extensive search. Still, my second record of one at this location in the past eighteen months, and a welcome year tick, however fleeting. Other bits of note from the reserve this morning included two Swallows, a male Stonechat, a Blackbird nest building and a Little Egret and three Grey Herons flying over (one of the latter carrying nest material - heading towards Amberley).

Grey Herons

Later in the day, with some fairly lively showers moving through, I checked out some favourite 'wet spots' in the hope of finding some goodies. The long staying Green Sandpiper continued at the scrape at Hadworth Farm/Bignor Park, while the Rother at Fittleworth held a couple of Little Egrets and a flyover Swallow. Hirundine movement had clearly stepped up a gear in the south-westerly today as I also had four Sand Martins through at Hadworth Farm and six Swallows and a dozen Sand Martins at the private reservoir near Petworth. Two vocal Swallows flew around over home in the evening, perhaps local birds returning to territory.

2nd April

I was at Goodwood for a work meeting this morning so stopped off for a walk at The Burgh on the way. Despite spells of bright sunshine it was feeling rather chilly in the brisk south-westerly. I hopefully scanned every paddock and field I passed for Wheatear or Ring Ouzel but it didn't actually feel particularly spring-like for the most part, aside from a singing Blackcap and a couple of Chiffchaffs at the copse just east of Canada Barn. Here I also heard a couple of soft drumming sounds which I am fairly sure was a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, although frustratingly I never managed to find the bird in questions and also accidentally deleted the sound file on my digital recorder which was running at the time. One of those days! Other bits of note up here were a couple of Red Kites, two Lapwings and three Red-legged Partridges.

The Burgh

After a very enjoyable tour of Goodwood which included multiple Buzzards and Red Kites up in the sunshine, a few Red-legged Partridges and a Raven, I stopped for my lunch break at the private reservoir near Petworth which held four Shoveler but little else of any real note. The scrape at Hadworth Farm/Bignor was still hosting the long-staying Green Sandpiper as well as at least three Swallows and a dozen Sand Martins feeding overhead. 

3rd April

A brief look at Pulborough Brooks before work proved a worthwhile choice, as Chris and Juliet Moore had just found a Little Gull on the South Brooks. I headed to Hail's View and Black Wood from where I got a brief view of the adult Little Gull in flight, heading towards the river where I lost sight of it. Also out here in pretty unpleasant conditions were a single Swallow among at least six Sand Martins, a Marsh Harrier and at least ten Tufted Ducks. 44 species in as many minutes. 

I had to go over to Rotherfield in East Sussex for a work meeting later in the morning where I enjoyed hearing a couple of singing Marsh Tits. 

A lunchtime walk at Woods Mill was largely quiet aside from a couple of Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs, the cold and blustery wind evidently keeping most birds heads down. Similarly, a brief walk at Downs Farm in Amberley after work proved to be a quiet affair with little of note and nothing at all in the way of spring migrants. 

4th April

The first day of a two day Norfolk trip with the Knepp crew, starting with a tour of the new site recently acquired by Nattergal - High Fen near King's Lynn.

A couple of hours walking around here being led by some of the team at Nattergal produced 47 species including two Common Crane, a pair of Goosander, single Great White Egret, Redshank and multiple Marsh Harriers (at least five). It will be very interesting to see how the planned re-wetting approach to the land management here turns what is clearly already a pretty wildlife-rich site into something even more spectacular.

Great White Egret

Shelduck

Common Crane

5th April

This morning we left King's Lynn and headed on to Wild Ken Hill near Snettisham, where we received a warm welcome and introductions from some of the team before heading out on a tour of the site. It was fascinating to see this 'three-pronged approach' to landscape recovery, with a chunk of wild grazed wilding land sandwiched between areas of the estate dedicated to regenerative agriculture and more traditional wet grassland conservation with a focus on breeding waders. The bird species diversity spoke volumes about the richness of the habitat mosaic on offer, with highlights including a pair of Woodlark, multiple Red Kites, Shelducks, a singing Willow Warbler, pair of Oystercatcher, some 40 or so Curlew grazing in the field near the entrance, as well as multiple Brown Hares dotted around the place. Another site, like High Fen, that I hope to visit again in a few years' time to see how they are getting on, but I was very impressed on my first visit. 

Shelducks

On our way home we decided to all stop off at Weeting Heath, a Norfolk Wildlife Trust reserve where I saw my first ever Stone-curlews many years ago, but haven't visited for years. We were told at the visitor that seven Stone-curlews had been showing well this morning but had all gone to ground since lunchtime. We decided to give it a go anyway and were very pleased to enjoy fab views of four birds within a relatively short time of entering the hide. It was great to see a bit of display between a pair. A nice bonus as we were leaving was a Holly Blue on the entrance track - a joint first of the year for everyone present!

Stone-curlews

Holly Blue

6th April

An early start this morning and the promised arrival of Storm Kathleen delivered the forecast very mild but very windy conditions from the outset. I headed out on foot in the direction of Waltham Brooks, although with a slight diversion to check out the fields along River Lane near home. I had only got halfway down River Lane before I heard an unmistakable sound coming from beyond the tree line ahead of me, towards Thorndale Bridge. Cuckoo cuckoo cuckoo. Could it really be? As the wind abated momentarily my suspicions were confirmed - my earliest ever Cuckoo in the UK (by three days). It was still singing as I made my way around to the entrance to Waltham Brooks nearest the sewage works, although I never actually laid eyes on it. The Cuckoo aside, Waltham Brooks was actually rather quiet, aside from a very vocal Sedge Warbler in brambles near the main lake. A few Shoveler and a single drake Gadwall were around on the lake, as well as a heard-only Little Grebe. 

7th April

Today began with a Peregrine drifting over the garden at dawn as I was heading out for a check of a few local sites. First up, WeBS count at the private reservoir near Petworth which was very quiet on the waterbird front aside from seven Tufted Ducks and a pair of Little Grebes. The lingering mixed singing 'Willow Chiff' was still present and singing nearby. An intriguing bird this, as presumably the same individual was present through the breeding season last year but I wasn't able to confirm breeding. It will be interesting to see if it lingers again this year. 

A brief stop near Coultershaw Bridge yielded 16 Little Egrets in the flooded field here. Next up was Burton Mill Pond for my first proper session here for a few weeks. 54 species was the total, with highlights including a singing Willow Warbler, four drake Mandarin, 50 Tufted Duck and a mixed hirundine flock over Chingford Pond which included my first two House Martins of the year among some 25 Sand Martin and at least three Swallows. 

On the way home I stopped to scan the scrape at Hadworth Farm/Bignor Park which proved reasonably lively. The long-staying Green Sandpiper was still present, working its way around the edges, and a mixed flock of some 40 or so hirundines (mostly Sand Martin) also included a couple of House Martins. A Whitethroat briefly singing in the roadside hedge here was my first of the year. Continuing the hirundine theme, ten Sand Martins flew west over the garden late morning.

Green Sandpiper

Cormorant

8th April

Birthday birding today and I had booked the day off specially. After dropping B at nursery I headed over to Pulborough Brooks for my first proper session here since the Easter weekend. Highlights from 61 species included my first Nightingales of the year (2), plus good numbers of common migrant warblers including two Whitethroat, three Sedge Warbler, half a dozen Blackcaps and two Cetti's Warblers. Waders were represented by 26 Black-tailed Godwits and a single Green Sandpiper among the usual breeding Lapwings and Redshanks. One of the White-tailed Eagles was on the North Brooks, tucking into what looked like a female Teal. 

Next up, Waltham Brooks which produced 40 species including singing Cuckoo, Sedge Warbler and a couple of Whitethroats as well as small flurries of Sand Martins flying over towards Amberley (16 in total).

A relatively big walk up Amberley Mount early afternoon was largely uneventful aside from a nice pair of Wheatear at the top and a heard-only Yellow Wagtail.

Wheatears

The scrape at Bignor Park still held the Green Sandpiper as well as a couple of flyover Swallows. Two Red-legged Partridges were running down the road nearby. A dash over to Petworth late afternoon revealed the Long-tailed Duck to be still present.

In the evening a Nightingale was singing just down the road from home, my first in the 1k area this year. 

9th April

An early walk out to the river was scuppered by floodwater at Thorndale Bridge, so I instead did a bit of a stakeout here for a while which proved fairly quiet aside from yesterday evening's Nightingale still belting out its song nearby, plus a Cetti's Warbler. Later in the morning I headed out to check a few more local sites. At the Bignor/Hadworth Farm scrape I found the Green Sandpiper still present plus pairs of Teal and Tufted Duck. Some 30 Sand Martins were feeding overhead with at least five Swallows among them. Next I headed to Burton Mill Pond for a brief watch from the viewing platform. The breezy, overcast conditions felt good for raptors and, sure enough, a Peregrine and a Red Kite drifted overhead, but not the hoped-for Osprey. The resident Great Crested Grebe pair briefly displayed and a Cetti's Warbler was singing in the nearby reedbed. Lavington Common was my next stop, my first visit here this year. As I got out of the car I was greeted by the sounds of singing Firecrest and Woodlark, the latter the first of two singing males here today. Dartford Warbler was new for the local year list, with two birds scolding me as I passed. 

The private reservoir near Petworth was relatively quiet, with the Long-tailed Duck having gone AWOL again, leaving behind her eight Tufted Duck friends, in the company of a pair of Shoveler. Ten Swallows and half a dozen House Martins were feeding overhead. A brief look at the flooded Arun in Pulborough produced another couple of House Martins over the river, but little else of note. Finally, a check of Waltham Brooks late afternoon yielded around 30 Sand Martins and a couple of Swallows, plus singles of Whitethroat and Sedge Warbler.

10th April

Another day off today and, after a late start I dropped in at Amberley mid-morning. Amazingly, for the second time in just a few weeks, as I arrived at the viewpoint on the southern side a ringtail Hen Harrier appeared in view over Rackham Mill, circled and gained height then drift south towards the Downs. Sadly it wasn't as close as the last one back in March, so I didn't get any photos. Otherwise it was a relatively quiet hour here with just a couple each of Sand Martin and Swallow through of note plus one of the regular White-tailed Eagles.

Next up, I headed up The Burgh which provided a pretty uneventful 90 minutes, with very little sign of migrants aside from a few Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps. Ring Ouzel was certainly a species in my mind but, despite sifting carefully through an impressive number of Blackbirds (some 30 or so), I wasn't able to pin one down if there was one about. 

Finally for today, I stopped off near Petworth for another check of the private reservoir, which proved to be an altogether more lively birding destination. As I approached the edge of the reservoir I heard the unmistakable call of Oystercatcher and, sure enough, two appeared from in the basin and flew off eastwards, calling the whole time. Perhaps the pair that have been frequenting Pulborough Brooks recently, but still very cool to see and a long overdue site tick here. As if this wasn't enough, a bit later I picked up an immature Goshawk over the treeline to the south, which proceeded to put on one of the most amazing hunting displays I've ever seen from this species. It was in view pretty much continuously for around ten minutes, during which time it flushed seemingly every Woodpigeon within a couple of miles' radius and made several lunges at a few of them. It even connected with one at one point but the Woodpigeon amazingly seemed to fly away unscathed, aside from a little puff of feathers! Absolutely phenomenal experience.

Oystercatcher

Late July/early August

Things are starting to get distinctly autumnal now with my dewy early morning patch walks increasingly punctuated by the odd munched blackberry and occasional half-hearted bursts of song from returning Willow Warblers.

The bulk of the action these past few weeks has been on the North Brooks, as this is the only part of the reserve still holding any real water. A Garganey was a nice find among the Teal and Shoveler on 27th July, while a Great Egret was seen on 19th and 21st July.

The impressive national influx of Wood Sandpipers delivered us one on 28th July with presumably the same bird still present on and off until the time of writing.

There's been a decent selection of commoner waders too and some impressive counts. On the morning of 30th July a tight flock of shanks was huddled in a corner of the North Brooks, which only allowed themselves to be counted and identified when a passing Marsh Harrier spooked everything up into the air - 31 Redshanks and 2 Greenshanks.

Black-tailed Godwits and Green Sandpipers have been recorded in good numbers too, with up to 50 and 13 present on some days, respectively. There have also been smaller numbers of Little Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Common Sandpiper and Snipe as well as singles of Ruff and Ringed Plover on 27th July and 8th August, respectively, and a flyover Whimbrel on 19th July.

Redshanks and Greenshanks

Wood Sandpiper - photo by Paul Davy

Overshadowing even the best of the waders though has to be the juvenile Yellow-legged Gull which dropped in for a quarter of an hour on the morning of 3rd August. I was pretty sure what it was as soon as I saw it fly in but thanks must go to David Campbell, Josh Jones and Ed Stubbs for helping to confirm the ID. For previous records of this species at the Brooks one has to go back to a time prior to it being split from Herring Gull, with records on 13th January 1996 and 8th December 2000. If anyone knows of any other more recent records please let me know!

Yellow-legged Gull

A jaunt down to Selsey/Pagham on Saturday morning just gone didn't produce the hoped for seawatching fireworks in stormy conditions, with just a few dozen Gannets, a couple of Kittiwakes, singles of Fulmar and Knot and a few Terns past but it was good to get flight views of the Squacco Heron at Halsey's Farm having dipped on it during the week.

Gannet

Fulmar

Prior to this summer I'd never seen a juvenile Cuckoo being fed by its foster parents so, after Paul's find of a Dunnock-reared one near the church the other week, it was great to stumble across another along the Arun this morning, being tended to by its Reed Warbler hosts.

Juvenile Cuckoo

May so far...

It's been a busy couple of weeks and, with the days getting longer, computer time has now inevitably taken a backseat to time in the field - hence the rather reduced amount of blog posts recently, particularly when it comes to the patch stuff.

It's fair to say it's been a challenging spring for birders (unless you happen to have been lucky enough to be on Shetland this past week!) and, indeed, birds. Many species have been arriving later than usual, in reduced numbers or in some cases not at all.

At Pulborough the lion's share of migrant species have arrived or passed through now, it seems, although numbers do seem rather low in many cases. There certainly seem to be three Nightingale territories as far as I can ascertain, but seemingly no more. A couple of weeks ago we were all hopeful that they and many other birds were just delayed and on their way but it does now seem as though many birds just aren't coming back this year, which is a little worrying.

Wader passage has been rather slow to get going too. After the excitement of the Black-winged Stilt at the end of April and a little flurry of LRPs, Common Sandpipers and the odd Whimbrel and Wood Sandpiper, there's wasn't much of note during the first half of May aside from the lingering Avocet pair and a couple of Greenshank. Singles of Ringed Plover and Spotted Redshank on Friday provided a little more promise though - hopefully spring has a few more tricks up its sleeve yet. In more positive news it was good this week to see the first Lapwing chicks appearing on the Mid Brooks, hopefully to be followed soon by young Redshanks.

Avocets

Probably the standout bird so far this month was a long overdue drake Garganey found by Alan Baker at Winpenny on the 17th. Perhaps half of a pair that has bred nearby, they're a species I never tire of seeing - particularly the males. Typically, I missed the bird first thing as I'd opted to check out Hail's View and Black Wood before work, where I did at least find my first patch Spotted Flycatcher of the year, but thankfully the Garganey stayed until the evening. Indeed, as of yesterday it was present for its third day but there were no reports of it today.

Spotted Flycatcher

Garganey - distant but unmistakeable!

One of the male Cuckoos (there were definitely two singing for a short while a couple of weeks ago) has now paired up - if one can call the rather half-hearted relationship that Cuckoos engage in 'pairing up'! I saw them both together in Fattengates Field on the 5th and the male has not been singing quite so much this past week. The local Dunnocks must be getting nervous now! After a brief lull it was good to see and hear Lesser Whitethroats along Adder Alley and at The Hanger again this week. Also encouraging via Liam Curson was a singing male Redstart in Black Wood on the 16th. A species still absent from my Pulborough list, hopefully it sticks around and finds a mate, if not I'll probably have to wait until the autumn to catch up with one.

An evening vigil on the heath on the 13th produced my first Pulborough Nightjar, with one briefly churring rather distantly to the south of The Clump around 21:20. It actually sounded like it was probably just south of the Greatham road, but a patch tick is a still a patch tick! My Pulborough year list now stands on 137 with still all to play for, with Yellow Wagtail, Osprey and various waders still among the 'easy' additions to the list in what's left of spring.

Tawny Owl - the popular family near West Mead seem to have moved on now after the RSPB wisely chose to temporarily shut the path for the birds' protection

Kestrel at Winpenny

Away from the patch, and possibly one of my most memorable birding moments to date came on Bank Holiday Monday when, a couple of hours into an otherwise rather unremarkable visible migration watch from Leith Hill Tower, Wes Attridge clocked four 'interesting' birds tracking east along the North Downs. We Leith Hill-ers always joke about Wes's extraordinary abilities to not only pick up birds at distance but also to identify them before most of us have even got eyes on them, so for him to hesitate at the ID on these four immediately hinted at them being something a bit special.

Sure enough, I'd barely got my scope on them before he'd already ruled out Cormorant/gull/wader and exclaimed 'Are these...Skuas?!!'. As they banked around in front of Box Hill and the London skyline and started powering south past Leith Hill towards the coast, we could clearly make out the broad but pointed wings with white flashes towards the tip, the overall dark colouration, the bulky head and barrel chest and short tail of GREAT SKUAS. A Surrey lifer for me, and totally unprecedented. We had them in view for over ten minutes before they eventually disappeared into the mist towards the Shoreham Gap. Totally unforgettable and one of those heartstopping moments every birder dreams of.

The view from Leith Hill Tower on what shall forever be remembered as 'Bonxie Day'

The memory of that day was still fresh in the mind when Wes and I convened with Ed Stubbs and Stuart Cossey pre-dawn on the 12th to attempt to defend our title as Mole Valley Bird Race champions for the third year running. Despite the very worst conditions - heavy rain all afternoon - on top of the aforementioned disappointing spring, we still managed 89 species which I'm pleased to say was enough for us to secure the hat trick. As is always the way though with bird races, there's always some odd omissions - we spectacularly failed to find a Sparrowhawk all day and, rather more worryingly, not one of the teams managed to record Tree Pipit, despite the heath at Leith Hill being a failsafe location for them in all previous years. On a positive note though Cuckoo numbers seem up this year, particularly at Leith Hill where there must have been at least four or five singing males.

Tawny Owl chick, ringed in Capel by Wes and Stu during a brief break in the bird race

Finally for this round-up, I couldn't resist a bit of an excursion to the furthest corner of East Sussex yesterday to see the Terek Sandpiper at Rye Harbour. A new bird for me, it showed beautifully in the sunshine for all present. On the odd occasion I do bother to twitch it's always an added bonus to run into some friendly faces as well as the target bird, and yesterday was no exception as it was a pleasant surprise to see Oliver Simms and Steve Gale down there.

Terek Sandpiper

 

Whether or not May is still to deliver a flood of very late migrants or a nice local overshoot (Little Bittern please!), it's reassuring to remember the days start getting shorter again in just over a month which means the start of return migration is just a few weeks away... You're welcome!