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

Arrivals and Departures

11th March

I had the day off today and the weather looked exciting so I ended up having a fairly big morning session. Starting off at Amberley, I found the visibility to be less than ideal, with the mist fairly low and precluding decent observation. Highlights from a relatively short stay here were a Great Crested Grebe (actually an Amberley tick for me!), 15 Tufted Duck and a Great White Egret. 

Next up, I headed to Pulborough Brooks. The water levels here were still very high, with much of the reserve still entirely flooded. It was encouraging to see some land exposed on the South Brooks though, and the Lapwings, Redshanks and Skylarks were taking full advantage and singing and displaying enthusiastically. The long-staying Water Pipit was again in the wet grassland between Winpenny and West Mead hides, and a few Dunlin were lurking among the Lapwings (I only actually saw one but up to 12 were reported by others). A lone Great Crested Grebe was still on the North Brooks and at least four Chiffchaffs and three Cetti's Warblers were singing around the trail.

Wren

On the way home I stopped for a brief check of Waltham Brooks which actually proved to be a really good call. Pretty much the first bird I saw as I scanned the lake from the riverbank was a Great White Egret in full breeding plumage. A Skylark singing rather distantly to the east was a 1k area tick for this year, as was the Mediterranean Gull(s) calling as I got back to my car, which I never actually saw. A Lesser Black-backed Gull flew north with Herring Gulls.

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Great White Egret

Later in the day I popped back out for an hour or so to check a couple of other sites. The scrape at Bignor Park/Hadworth Farm held singles of Green Sandpiper and Little Grebe, while my private WeBS site near Petworth revealed a Dunlin feeding along the shore - my first proper migrant wader here this year and an encouraging sign of things to come!

12th March

No birding first thing today owing to the pouring rain. I had put my moth trap out overnight though, so spent a bit of time checking through what was a reasonably decent haul, despite the weather. 20 moths of six species, with the highlights being singles of Early Thorn and Early Grey.

Early Grey

At lunchtime I popped out for a check of a couple of local water bodies. First up, the scrape at Bignor Park which was business as usual really, with only a Little Grebe and a pair of Gadwall of note. Next up, the private reservoir at Petworth which, while still not providing any migrant goodies, was considerably more birdy than it has been in my past few visits, with a single Tufted Duck my first here for a while along with a pair of Great Crested Grebes, six Gadwall and a lone Mute Swan. 

13th March

I had a short window of birding opportunity this morning before heading over to Woods Mill but wasn't 100% sure where I would go. In the end, the decision made itself when Chris and Juliet Moore circulated news of Spotted Redshank and Oystercatcher from West Mead hide at Pulborough - both decent year ticks there, especially the latter which is less than annual. I dashed over and down to the hide and was kindly shown the Spotted Red through Juliet's scope, while the Oystercatcher strutted about within spitting distance of the hide. After a few minutes, the Spotted Redshank flew across from the back of the pool and more or less joined the Oyc in the same bins view for a brief time. A duo of species I've actually never seen together here before! There were also a few showy Snipe lurking in the grassy margins in front of the hide. 

Oystercatcher

Spotted Redshank

Snipe

A lunchtime walk at Woods Mill proved fairly lively with a definite trickle of Meadow Pipits north (at least 15 in 40 minutes or so) and a Peregrine circling high overhead, the latter a new bird for me here, taking the office bird list to 70 species.

14th March

This morning I woke up in Exeter, having driven down yesterday evening for a Natural England Beaver training workshop. As I had a couple of hours to spare before the training started, I decided to head to RSPB Bowling Green Marsh and the Exe Estuary, just down the road from where I was staying. I had never visited this area for birding before but I was immediately taken with it, the main reserve reminding me of a mini Pulborough, but with the added bonus of the estuary and tidal lagoons on the outer edges. A singing Blackcap greeted my arrival, my first of the year. The apparently long-staying two Spoonbills were still on the marsh, mostly sleeping, along with a single Avocet and some 350 Black-tailed Godwits, 250 Redshank, five Dunlin and a heard only Greenshank. The tide was rapidly coming in in the estuary so there were scant waders to be found out there, but two drake Red-breasted Mergansers were a nice bonus here. The Goose Moor tidal lagoons proved rewarding, with my first Common Sandpiper of the year among four Greenshanks and a couple of Curlews. A Raven flew over, as did a trickle of half a dozen Lesser Black-backed Gulls heading north.

Spoonbills

The Beaver training session itself was excellent, and it was just superb to see the effects that England's only officially licenced wild population of the species (on the River Otter) have had in this area in just a decade or so.

Scenes from some of the beaver activities on the River Otter

After the training session was done for the day I decided to drop back in to Bowling Green Marsh again, which proved to be a good decision as, within minutes of arriving, I picked up first two Sand Martins and then a Swallow hawking over the reserve. Needless to say, my first records of either species this year! The Spoonbills were still about too. The tide was out now so the estuary channels on both the eastern and western sides of the reserve were busy with waders including around 25 Grey Plover,  60 Avocets, ten Bar-tailed Godwits and a few Oystercatchers and Curlews among the hundreds of Dunlin and Redshanks.

15th March

My second and final day in Devon and I again headed out to the Exe Estuary and Bowling Green Marsh early doors. The tide was still out but coming in fast as I arrived, and I was able to notch up ten species of wader out on the mud flats, including some 50 or more Bar-tailed Godwits, 30 Knot, 60 Grey Plover, 180 Black-tailed Godwits and 500 or more Dunlin. 

Bar-tailed Godwits

The two Spoonbills were still present on the marsh, rather less expected were two Black Swans swimming about on the water behind them. Not sure I've ever had those two species in the same scope view before! By the time I was leaving the reserve the tide had come in on the estuary and upwards of 300 Black-tailed Godwits and 250 Redshank were gathering to roost on the marsh. 

Wigeon

Spoonbills

Black Swans and Spoonbills

16th March

Not much birding today but a brief session at the private site near Petworth started auspiciously with a Peacock butterfly on the wing. The reservoir was quiet but, just 15 minutes or so after I arrived and with multiple Buzzards and Red Kites getting up on the thermals it was perhaps not entirely surprising to see an immature female Goshawk get up from the trees near Duncton Common. I watched it for the following ten to fifteen minutes as it climbed stratospherically high, briefly sparred with a Buzzard before stooping down at high speed in the rough direction of Burton Mill Pond. As it disappeared behind the tree line there, a cloud of corvids and Woodpigeons exploded into the air. Walking back to my car I saw my first Comma of the year on the wing, while on the drive home I noted at least three male Brimstones from the car. 

Goshawk - very high by this point!

Peacock

17th March

Rain and a southerly wind to start the day so I hit up various local water bodies, sadly without much reward for my drenching. Perhaps the most lively were the scrape at Bignor Park which held a pair of Mandarins (a site tick for me here) and Waltham Brooks where eleven Tufted Ducks were persisting on the main lake. 

Later in the day we met friends in Arundel for a walk and lunch at Swanbourne Lake. This picturesque site is always worth a visit and is included in mine and Ed's book for good reason, as it is pretty consistently busy with gulls and wildfowl, thanks in no small part to the amount of willing visitors buying and emptying bags of bird seed! Duck highlights today were some 50 Tufted Duck, 40 Gadwall and a single Pochard. A singing Blackcap on the north side of the lake was my first locally this year, while a Peregrine was circling high overhead as we left. 

18th March

An hour dash round Pulborough Brooks this morning proved reasonably fruitful, producing 56 species in total. Highlights were a pair of Avocets and an impressive 16 Shelduck squabbling at West Mead. Two pairs of Great Crested Grebe were displaying out on the South/Mid Brooks while a fifth bird was on its own on the North Brooks. Easily my highest count of this usually scarce species here, it just goes to show how high the water levels have been here for a pretty long period of time. A dozen Tufted Ducks would likewise normally be a pretty remarkable count here, but seems fairly routine at the moment. Other bits of note included a Blackcap singing at the top of Green Lane, a male Stonechat on the fence near Redstart Corner and at least eight singing Chiffchaffs around the trail. 

Shelducks

Shelducks, Avocets and Canada Geese

A check of Waltham Brooks at lunchtime didn't reveal any lurking summer migrants (that I could see). In fact, aside from a couple of singing Chiffchaffs it felt rather wintry, with 22 Tufted Ducks on the main lake probably the standout birds. 

19th March

I was in Kent this morning for work, at a woodland site in the High Weald. There were good numbers of finches around, especially Siskins and Redpolls, and I heard what sounded like at least a couple of Crossbills flying over too. 

Heading back into Sussex early afternoon in intermittent light rain and a light south-westerly, I decided I had to check out a couple of local water bodies in my lunchbreak. The private reservoir at Petworth was disappointingly quiet, but I had better luck at the flooded Rother in Fittleworth which held five Little Egrets and a Kingfisher busily feeding. The scrape at Bignor Park, meanwhile, was still hosting a Green Sandpiper and the lingering Egyptian Goose family. Just as I thought it was going to be another blank session in terms of any summer migrants I heard the distinctive chattering call of Sand Martin and looked up to see two flying west overhead. They didn't even drop in to feed over the water, despite the rain. 

An after work look at Waltham Brooks proved relatively quiet aside from at least eight Tufted Duck on the main lake. Two Marsh Harriers flew downriver in close succession, including a very smart looking male. 

Marsh Harrier

20th March

The Spring Equinox. Always a momentous day in the calendar and this morning held promise with a light south-easterly breeze and a touch of haze in the air. In short, the air felt rare. After dropping B off at nursery I popped by Amberley. Garganey was a species I had in mind as I scanned through the many ducks. After a couple of passes with the scope I looked again and was delighted to see a very smart drake dabbling about with a female Wigeon, to which he displayed a few times! Always a highlight of the year seeing the first drake Garganey and it was nice to find one at a different site, having spent many hours trying to find one at Waltham Brooks in recent springs. Funnily enough, I also realised it was exactly six years to the day since I found a pair at my old patch of Shalford Water Meadows near Guildford. Typically for Amberley, it was hundreds of metres away, so I only managed to get some very ropey record shot photos and videos through my scope. 

(Very distant) Garganey

After the early mist cleared it turned into an absolutely beautiful early spring day, with the mercury rising to 16 degrees Celsius; more than enough to coax out multiple butterflies and other inverts, including my first female Brimstone of the year.

Brimstone

After work I headed out for another little evening session, by which time the temperature was still well into the teens! First up I checked the scrape at Bignor Park which held a pair of Little Grebe, half a dozen Teal and the lingering Egyptian Goose family. An hour at Burton Mill Pond produced 37 species including six Sand Martins feeding overhead before heading off south, five Little Egrets flying south to roost, and the usual Great Crested Grebe pair and 23 Tufted Duck on the water.

Sand Martin

Pulborough, late September

Well, what a quiet September that was. The continuing low water levels and an almost total absence of easterlies didn’t help and I spectacularly managed to get through the month without a single patch year tick. It's been good to see some signs of the seasons changing though with a few Wigeon around now and the welcome return of at least two Marsh Harriers, again a regular sight quartering over the Brooks. The bulk of the hirundines and summer passerines cleared out pretty sharpish towards the end of the month, meaning we are now in that rather odd limbo period as we await the arrival of most of the wintering ducks and thrushes.

The month ended with a bang for some though as lucky regular Paul messaged me first on Saturday evening while I was in London informing me of two Great Egrets on the North Brooks and then again Sunday afternoon asking what looks like a Little Egret with a yellow bill that hangs around cows... Cattle Egret of course! Evidently two were briefly on the North Brooks that morning before flying east. Particularly galling that one as they would have been a Pulborough tick and also because I was actually on site that morning! Fingers crossed there'll be more to come, given how many are in the country at the moment.

One of the two Cattle Egrets on the 30th (photo: Paul)

The two Great Egrets on the North Brooks on the 29th (photo: Paul)

Now we’re past the equinox and the nights are growing longer than the days, before and after work birding time is limited so it’s full on nocmig season again! I put the microphone out most nights in the last week of September and was rewarded with my third Common Scoter of the year on the 22nd, the first Redwing of the season (25th) and another Oystercatcher (28th). I'm excited to see what else I manage to pick up in the coming weeks, this being my first full autumn of nocmigging.

Common Scoter

Redwing

Oystercatcher