Seasons collide

As the schools go back and we enter meteorological autumn of course the weather has decided to go all 'high summer' with the first anticyclonic system to reach our shores since June, as I write this in early September. It's been a bit of a shock to the system to dig out the shorts and suncream again after what felt like a protracted bout of autumnal weather in recent weeks. It's also scuppered the first week and a half of September from a birding point of view, in some ways, with many migrants clearly making a quick getaway in the fine weather. Vismig in particular has been pretty poor so far, but I'm still hopeful for better to come in the next few weeks.

It's still been an enjoyable start to autumn proper though, with plenty of bits to talk about in this ten day period. 

1st September

It was our fifth wedding anniversary today, so we headed down to Ferring for breakfast and a walk along the beach followed by a stroll around Parham gardens.

At Ferring, avian highlights came in the form of three Ringed Plover and two Sanderlings among around 75 Turnstones roosting on the beach, and at least ten Sandwich Terns and three Common Terns past at sea. A lone Teal briefly landed offshore before flying off west. Eight Oystercatchers flew west while we were having breakfast.

Sandwich Terns

Sanderlings

The highlight of the morning though came when Kate asked 'what's that flapping about on the beach there?' Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a Convolvulus Hawkmoth, presumably newly arrived from across the Channel. It was struggling to stay clear of the incoming tide so I gently scooped it up and placed it in a patch of vegetation at the top of the beach, safely away from a nearby flock of House Sparrows. A remarkable encounter!

Convolvulus Hawkmoth

Parham was, comparatively, pretty quiet, though raptors were much in evidence in the by now warm afternoon sunshine, with at least half a dozen Buzzards thermalling overhead along with a couple of Red Kites and a Sparrowhawk. At least three Ravens were around too, and I commented to Kate that it's amazing how quickly the species has spread into this part of West Sussex, going from being a relatively infrequently occurrence when we moved down here in 2017 to now being a daily event. 

2nd September

An early morning loop of Pulborough Brooks produced 58 species including a pleasing selection of waders on the North Brooks (seven Black-tailed Godwits, four Ruff, three Green Sandpiper, four Snipe and 120 Lapwing) but sadly not the Spotted Redshank seen by Chris and Juliet et al the previous day. At least a dozen Yellow Wagtails were with the cattle near Winpenny and a Spotted Flycatcher was among a mixed flock at the picnic area on the way down to Nettleys.

Ruff and Lapwings

Later in the morning, while at our allotment, I noted a Swallow flying over carrying food, so presumably still feeding young in a nest. Later still, a Cattle Egret flew low over the A29 as we were driving home. 

3rd September

A morning walk from home with Kate and B produced a couple of Willow Warblers and three Spotted Flycatchers up Sandy Lane. 

A check of the North Brooks at Pulborough en route to Knepp was again lively on the wader front, with Wood Sandpiper the highlight along with eight Black-tailed Godwits, two Ruff, heard-only Green Sandpiper and at least 140 Lapwings. At least five Yellow Wagtails were with the cattle up towards Brookgate Farm, one of the Knepp White Storks was also wading about on the North Brooks but too distant to read the ring number, and a Hobby was hawking overhead.

Yellow Wagtails

Knepp itself was rather quiet on the bird front, but a check of Southlands Farm in West Chiltington on the way home produced singles of Tufted Duck and Shoveler on the little pool there; both new species for me at this site. 

4th September

After dropping B at nursery this morning I headed up to Amberley Mount, hoping I would find it above the fog level. Frustratingly, the fog was sitting just at the height of the Downs here and took a little while to clear. As I reached the top of the western slope, it had thankfully mostly dissipated and the first birds to reveal themselves were three Wheatears on the fence line around the sheep fields. There were several Yellow Wagtails calling and occasionally flying up from among the sheep too - I reckoned at least six by the end of the session here. Other highlights from a lively couple of hours included a minimum of ten Redstarts (mostly on the southern slopes), a few Willow Warblers, singles of Whinchat, Stonechat, Corn Bunting and Spotted Flycatcher, and a Marsh Harrier powering north. Swallows and House Martins were trickling west/south-west throughout the session, and three small groups of Siskin were also heard flying over, seemingly heading in the same direction. 

Willow Warbler

Marsh Harrier

5th September

A rewarding early morning jaunt from home produced a 1km year tick in the form of a Whinchat in the scrub near the railway crossing at Waltham Brooks. Atypically, it didn't hang around for any photos as it flew strongly off towards the river almost as soon as I'd lifted my bins. This followed a flyover Yellow Wagtail - species 104 for the Watersfield Farmland hotspot. At least one Yellow Wag was heard around the cattle at Waltham Brooks too, with other highlights including at least three Lesser Whitethroat, half a dozen Common Whitethroat, three Snipe (my first of the autumn here), two Stonechat, Water Rail, three Tufted Duck and a Little Grebe.

Whitethroat

Lesser Whitethroat and Stonechat

A mid-afternoon skywatch from the fields near home proved rather quiet in the searing heat, though at least 100 Swallows were milling about, some purposefully heading WNW, with a few House Martins in tow. An adult Lesser Black-backed Gull also drifted the same way.

6th September

After a morning garden safari at Knepp (highlights of which were Hummingbird Hawkmoth and a lot of hornets!) I made an impromptu decision to pop down to Mill Hill near Shoreham, even though the Red-backed Shrike hadn't been reported for a couple of days. I hadn't been here for a few years and it was lovely to have a stroll round, even if it was blisteringly hot and the shrike didn't put in an appearance. 

Highlights included two Spotted Flycatchers in the scrub north of the car park, a heard-only Redstart and, best of all, a Honey Buzzard which suddenly appeared to the west of the hill, flying away from me before gaining height, banking and heading north. Annoyingly, a combination of the element of surprise, suncream on my glasses and terrible light meant I wasn't able to get any useable photos of it, so the record shot below is purely for posterity. Mill Hill is always a great site for butterflies and today didn't disappoint, with several Adonis Blues about and my first UK Clouded Yellow of the year. 

Adonis Blues

Spotted Flycatcher

Honey Buzzard (honest!)

On the way home I briefly stopped off at Pulborough for a scan of the South Brooks from Hail's View which produced just a couple of Green Sandpipers. 

7th September

A dawn walk from home was rather too hampered by fog and low light to be anything other than a nice breath of cool air after a sticky night.

Sunrise over Watersfield

After dropping B off at nursery I decided to head over to the farmland and private reservoir near Petworth. The temperature was already climbing fast and it was uncomfortable to be in the sun for any length of time. It proved to be a fairly lively 90 minutes or so here though, with 42 species recorded. Highlights were a hotspot first Redstart briefly in flight along a hedgerow, Wheatear, two Common Sandpipers at the reservoir and at least two Ringed Plover flying over, calling, seemingly heading west but not seen.

Farmland near Petworth

8th September

Not much birding today aside from a trip to Warnham LNR with B. My first visit to this reserve for a while, today it produced 32 species including Kingfisher, Marsh Tit and the usual assortment of wildfowl and gulls. 

Best from the garden moth trap at home in the morning were two Light Emeralds and the first Centre-barred Sallow of the autumn.

Light Emerald

Centre-barred Sallow

While in the garden in the afternoon, singles of Yellow Wagtail and Siskin flew south and south-west, respectively. 

9th September

A morning safari at Knepp was scorching hot and rather quiet on the bird front, though the odonata put on a good show, especially Migrant Hawkers which seemed to be everywhere we looked. 

An evening walk out to the river at Thorndale Bridge was a relief after the heat of the day, and produced a juvenile Marsh Harrier quartering just across the river at Amberley and a Great White Egret which flew across to Amberley from Waltham Brooks, the latter my first record for this eBird hotspot. 

Great White Egret

Marsh Harrier

10th September

The moth trap was out again overnight which produced a new for the garden Marbled Green. Prior to emptying the trap, an early morning loop of Waltham Brooks and Thorndale Bridge produced a/the Great White Egret again, flying in from Amberley before turning and heading up the river towards Pulborough. Also noteworthy were two Whinchats along the river bank, a Green Sandpiper which flew in from the north and dropped in under Greatham Bridge and a heard-only Kingfisher.

Marbled Green

Waltham Brooks sunrise

Whinchat

Great White Egret

Later in the morning, half a dozen Siskins flew high south-west over the garden. There already seem to be more of these around lately, even if just moving through. Fingers crossed for a better winter ahead for them and other winter finches.

With rain forecast around lunchtime I headed over to the private reservoir near Petworth hoping for a wader to drop in. In the event, there was just a Common Sandpiper of note on the deck, although at least two Ringed Plover were again heard flying over, 16 Pochard was a fairly high count here and at least 70 Swallows drifted east ahead of the approaching weather. 

Hlāfmæsse

That's Old English for 'Loaf Mass', also known as Lammas or Lughnasadh in Gaelic. As I said in my last blog post, it was traditionally celebrated on 1st August, being exactly halfway between the summer solstice and the autumn equinox. It marks a turning point in the year, when the growing season gives way to the harvest season, when hay would be cut and grazing animals returned to the meadows, and when fruit begins to ripen on the trees.

Indeed, as I write this I can confirm I have already enjoyed my first wild blackberries of the season, and very nice they were too! To some extent it does feel rather as though we have been in a perpetual state of autumn for much of this short summer, weather-wise at least. The warm spell we have just experienced on 9th and 10th of this month, though far from record breaking, marked the hottest days recorded in the south of England since early July.

Nonetheless, whatever the weather, there can be no denying that autumn is truly approaching now and the ornithological wheels are turning accordingly. As I am writing this I have just seen a lone Swift tagging along with a few Swallows zig-zagging their way south, and my early morning walks from home are now often misty, rather gloomy and strangely quiet aside from the odd huuet, tak and churr from warblers in the bushes.

1st August

A brief look at the South Brooks from the tea terrace at Pulborough this morning didn't produce a huge amount aside from a few Swifts trickling south. 

A skywatch from just north of Pulborough later on proved very productive, however, with highlights including at least one each of Goshawk and Hobby and two juvenile Marsh Harriers which drifted north together at around 09:45.

Knepp in the afternoon was rather quiet aside from two Hobbies together in a dead tree in the Southern Block.

2nd August

Another squally, autumnal day. Waltham Brooks proved rather quiet for the most part, with the highlight being a Cattle Egret flying downriver just as I was about to leave. My first locally since March.

Cattle Egret

Mid-morning I headed back down to Medmerry, where the Stilt Pool yielded a Common Sandpiper and a few Gadwall among the usual wildfowl, gulls and Cormorants. A Sandwich Tern made a couple of low passes over the pool, clearly struggling to make headway west into the wind. A short seawatch before the weather deteriorated (horizontal rain and salt spray coming straight at the beach!) proved worthwhile as a dark phase Arctic Skua flew west before landing on the sea, where I quickly lost sight of it thanks to the wind and swell. Evidently, two had been seen off Selsey earlier in the morning, so it was surely one of the same birds.

Sandwich Tern

3rd August

An early morning stroll round the local fields and a short skywatch proved quite lively. First off, a Curlew flew powerfully south straight down the valley. In fact it was motoring it to such an extent that I barely had time to confirm the ID through bins, let alone attempt to get a record shot! This was closely followed by two Ravens and a Great Black-backed Gull heading the same way, plus a couple of Lesser Black-backed Gulls south and four west. A few Swallows were drifting south-west and a Grey Heron flew east. 

Great Black-backed Gull

Ravens

At Knepp later in the morning, leading an Operation Wallacea safari, highlights included a flyover Hobby, a migrant Willow Warbler and a couple of Lesser Whitethroats in the scrub, a Nightingale in the hand (thanks to the ringing team!) and mating Willow Emeralds.

4th August

Another early walk and skywatch near home again proved fruitful with the highlight being a juvenile Marsh Harrier powering south-east quite high and a tight flock of 11 Black-headed Gulls heading south/south-west together, also at height. Local interest, meanwhile, came from a Hobby again putting the wind up the resident Swallows, plus a Willow Warbler in the scrub.

Marsh Harrier

My final Operation Wallacea safari of the year at Knepp proved a little on the quiet side, although there were again plenty of passerines busy in the scrub, including a Garden Warbler which was a nice bonus to point out to my group.

In the afternoon I headed up to Guildford to catch up with my former work colleague Gareth, and a walk round my old stomping ground of Shalford Water Meadows. It was, perhaps unsurprisingly, a little quiet here given the time of day, but there a few small birds in the bushes including juvenile Reed Buntings, and a couple of young Kestrels practicing their hunting skills over the meadows too.

Reed Bunting

5th August

A very wet start to the day, with the south-westerly wind increasing throughout the morning. A lunchtime break in the rain allowed for a brief circuit of the local fields which proved reasonably lively, with at least 30 Swallows and 10 Swifts feeding overhead, the latter drifting slowly south, plus singles of Hobby and Peregrine over and a couple of Willow Warblers in the bushes.

6th August

An early start to take in a loop of the local farmland, Thorndale Bride, the river and Waltham Brooks. While nothing particularly out of the ordinary was encountered in the two hours or so I was out, it was one of those wonderful early autumn mornings where every tree, bush and hedgerow seemed to be heaving with passerines. Indeed, I think the only warbler species I might have expected at Waltham Brooks but didn't encounter was Grasshopper Warbler (despite my best efforts!). Otherwise, there were multiple Willow Warblers, dozens of Chiffchaffs, at least a couple of Lesser Whitethroats, Sedge Warblers, Reed Warblers and a single Garden Warbler in the scrub near the main lake. A couple of Nightingales were still whistling and croaking away in the bushes along the railway line and a single White-tailed Eagle flew low across the west side of Amberley Wildbrooks.

Lesser Whitethroat

That was basically it for birding for today, although while seeing friends up at Frimley in Surrey in the afternoon I did note a Swift, a few Swallows and a couple of Red Kites over Frimley Lodge Park. 

7th August

The end of the first week of August already! And it's fair to say we are getting into the peak of the passerine passage season now. It was another gorgeous, golden August morning today and, after dropping B off at nursery, I decided to swing past Pulborough for a quick look at the North Brooks. The hedgerows and scrub along the eastern footpath of the reserve were teeming with warblers, mostly Chiffchaffs but also at least 8 Willow Warblers and a couple of Whitethroats. A Nightingale was whistling away in scrub on the eastern side of the North Brooks while on the North Brooks itself were 9 Black-tailed Godwits, 14 Lapwing, ~30 Teal, 2 Shoveler and a single White Stork (GB6S from Knepp again). Another White Stork was also circling around over towards Stopham before later drifting back towards the reserve. A Little Ringed Plover was heard but not seen and 3 Ravens drifted over from east to west.

Willow Warbler

8th August

A grey and drizzly day for the most part. An early walk round the local fields and a skywatch didn't produce a massive amount, aside from a group of 9 House Martins and a few Swallows trickling south/south-west. The bushes and hedgerows held a scattering of Blackcaps and a single Willow Warbler. The highlight was a Peregrine dashing through in pursuit of a Woodpigeon, the end result of which I unfortunately didn't see as both birds disappeared over the trees to the south. 

A rainy afternoon check of the private reservoir over near Petworth revealed a Common Sandpiper, eclipse drake Shoveler and a single Sand Martin but otherwise not much of note. 

9th August

A glorious late summer/early autumn morning with golden sunshine soon burning off the mist. A couple of Willow Warblers were 'hu-weet'ing among the tit flocks around Watersfield as I took an early stroll around the local fields. Not much else of note was found though. After dropping B at nursery I headed up to Lithersgate Common for a walk round which produced two family groups of Spotted Flycatcher.

Early morning in Watersfield

In the evening, both Barn Owl and Tawny Owl were heard from home.

10th August

The wind had switched to north-easterly and dropped overnight which could mean only one thing: mist! Unfortunately, this rather thwarted my attempts at an early morning bush-bashing session in the 1km area between home and Waltham Brooks. Nonetheless, I did manage to prise out Nightingale, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler and Willow Warbler in a mixed flock near the railway line at Waltham. Typically, the mist really started to burn off just as I had to head home. 

A foggy Waltham Brooks

Mid-morning I headed over to Knepp with B to see the latest release of captive-bred White Storks from the Cotswolds. Non-stork highlights here included Lesser Whitethroat and a sub-singing Reed Warbler in the hedgerow near the campsite and a family group of Sparrowhawks up in the air nearby. 

11th August

An overcast start to the day with a light south-westerly wind. A check of the bushes near home and a brief skywatch didn't produce a great deal aside from two Hobbies high east together a little before 07:00. 

A scan of the South Brooks in passing at Pulborough produced one of the White-tailed Eagles on the deck, worrying the Grey Herons and a particularly irate Little Egret which kept mobbing it! Later in the day, two White-tailed Eagles were seen together from home, circling over Amberley. 

An early evening stroll around the local fields turned out to be very productive, with Spotted Flycatcher and Garden Warbler in a mixed passerine flock in the hedgerow on the western edge of Waltham Brooks, plus my first ever Great Green Bush-cricket in brambles near home. This is a species I have been trying to track down since we moved to Watersfield, as I've heard it's a good area for them. Incidentally, Spotted Flycatcher was 119 for my 1km year list and number 99 on the local farmland hotstpot. What will 100 be, I wonder?

Spotted Flycatcher

Great Green Bush-cricket

Pulborough, 1st-6th August

It's all got distinctly autumnal since my last patch round-up post, starting with the evocative sound of a Willow Warbler sub-singing at dawn on the 2nd and culminating in the first returning Wood Sandpiper of the season on Sunday.

Thursday and Friday's visits were fairly uneventful with just the usual scattering of Green and Common Sandpipers on the North Brooks, though two Gadwall among the Mallards on Thursday were of note as they're the first I've seen onsite for a little while. On Friday I walked to the eastern side of the North Brooks from the village, stumbling across a Tawny Owl along the footpath. I met up with the usual Friday birding gang who reported a Whinchat and occasional calls from the lingering Grasshopper Warbler in this area.

Tawny Owl

Saturday morning produced a single Black-tailed Godwit in among the usual suspects on the North Brooks while John Russell reported a Little Ringed Plover and a Whinchat again.

The mornings are getting steadily mistier and dewier at the moment so it was no surprise to find the North Brooks still largely hidden in the murk when I arrived on Sunday morning. A quick scan revealed a fall of Green Sandpipers though, with at least ten scurrying about. As the mist cleared further a Wood Sandpiper revealed itself - feeding separately from its stockier Tringa cousins. Teal numbers had increased to twenty and there were at least five Snipe about. Everything was sent skyward a few times thanks to a couple of half-hearted swoops from a juvenile Peregrine.

Wood Sandpiper - obligatory long distance phonescope shot

It wasn't just the water birds that had increased overnight as there were clearly more warblers in the bushes. I managed to glean at least six juvenile Willow Warblers and two Lesser Whitethroats. Despite scouring every area of suitable habitat several times over the weekend though I sadly wasn't able to join in the Pied Flycatcher fun, but the autumn is still young!

Lesser Whitethroat

Another foggy start today, though it was nice to hear a Little Owl calling on the east side of the North Brooks as well as a Kingfisher which flew across the water unseen. When the mist did eventually start to clear it revealed seven Green Sandpipers, two Common Sandpipers and a single Little Ringed Plover. Things are certainly hotting up, although the approach of some cooler, rainier weather towards the end of the week is particularly overdue and will hopefully deliver some more migration action.

Raven