Floodgates?

11th April

Just brief bits of birding today as I was back at my desk after a week off. An early walk out from home proved very rewarding though, with two 'new in' singing male Nightingales setting the tone for what turned into a great hour or so session. There had clearly been an arrival of Sedge Warblers overnight, with at least six singing males around the reserve at Waltham Brooks. Other bits of note here included singing Cuckoo, Willow Warbler and two male Tufted Ducks on the main lake. Best of all though, as I left the reserve and headed back out across the fields towards home I heard the unmistakable sound of a reeling Grasshopper Warbler in a bramble clump a short distance west of Coldwaltham sewage works. A 10km and 1km area year tick and a first for the local hotspot, it was also the first singing male I have found for a few years. Clearly there has been a pretty huge arrival of this species in recent days, with birds turning up all over the place (five already in Surrey this month, which is remarkable really).

Later in the morning I checked the scrape over at Hadworth/Bignor Park which held another new Willow Warbler, four Tufted Duck, and a couple of House Martins feeding in among at least eight Sand Martins. 

12th April

Another early start this morning and it was already pleasantly mild as I headed out just before 06:00. There was sadly no sign of yesterday's Gropper, unsurprisingly, but there was still plenty of song again from Cuckoo, Nightingale, Whitethroat and multiple Sedge Warblers. New for the year in the reeds at Waltham Brooks was a rather hesitant Reed Warbler.

Sunrise at Waltham Brooks

As it turned into a beautiful spring day, I couldn't resist getting out again in my lunch break. First up I checked the scrape at Bignor/Hadworth which is rapidly drying up now it's finally stopped raining. The long-staying Green Sandpiper seems to have finally departed as do the deep water birds such as Tufted Duck. A pair of Teal were still present along with a single drake Gadwall. 

A stroll round the woodland at nearby Waltham Park was very pleasant but relatively unremarkable on the bird side of things, aside from eight Redpolls and a Raven flying over. In the now warm sunshine, however, invertebrates were much in evidence including Tawny Mining Bee, various bumblebee species and lots of butterflies including Peacock, Red Admiral, Brimstone and Orange-tip (including my first female of the year). A Holly Blue was also enjoying the Ceanothus in our garden when I got home.

Holly Blue

Late afternoon I received a message from Chris and Juliet Moore alerting me to a beautiful male Pied Flycatcher they had just found at Black Wood at Pulborough Brooks. Once I had finished work I dashed over and was very pleased to catch up with the bird still flitting about in the pines there, at times elusive but typically posing well from time to time. After spending an enjoyable half hour with the bird I made my way down to Hail's View to check out some of the waders on offer on the South Brooks including my first local Grey Plover of the year, two Ruff, at least 20 Black-tailed Godwits - many looking resplendent in their breeding plumage - and a heard-only Little Ringed Plover. 

Pied Flycatcher

13th April

A tour of a few water bodies this morning. First up, the reservoir near Petworth which was quiet aside from a couple of Swallows. Burton Mill Pond proved rather more lively with highlights of Kingfisher, Woodlark, 50 Tufted Duck, Gadwall, two Red-legged Partridge and a 'singing' Water Rail). Finally, the scrape at Bignor Park which continued hosting the Green Sandpiper but also two each of Gadwall, Tufted Duck, Teal and Little Egret, and five each of Swallow and Sand Martin. 

The best of the bunch from a late morning session at Pulborough (tea terrace/visitor centre area only), meanwhile, were six Avocet, a single Ruff and a singing Nightingale.

14th April

An early session at Pulborough Brooks this morning with Steve Baines produced 63 species including my first local Ringed Plover (4) and Common Sandpiper (2) of the year among the usual breeding waders - three pairs of Avocet again on the South Brooks, multiple Lapwings and Redshanks and a heard-only Oystercatcher. There were still three Snipe kicking about too, including one flying low over the Hanger viewpoint. A flock of 24 Mediterranean Gulls north over the South Brooks was quite an impressive sight, sadly a bit too far away for us to hear them! Nightingales were much in evidence and making themselves heard as were multiple Sedge Warblers and a couple each of Whitethroat and Willow Warbler.

Nightingales

Mid-afternoon I again met up with Steve B and Paul D for a walk up at The Burgh. All the usual species were much in evidence including at least half a dozen pairs of Lapwing, 15 Red Kite, 20+ Skylarks and a few Yellowhammers. Bird of the afternoon though was a ringtail Hen Harrier quartering the fields near the dew pond. 

15th April

A classic April day of spells of very pleasant sunshine interspersed with some very squally showers, sometimes with added hail! A check of Bignor Park scrape before work produced the lingering Green Sandpiper again, while at the River Rother in Fittleworth I found a Swallow, singing Whitethroat and a flyover Little Egret. There was also a pair of Mallard with ducklings, with a Grey Heron in tow...

A brief check of Amberley en route to Woods Mill yielded another single Swallow and a pair of Egyptian Geese with eight young. Duck numbers are still fairly high here with minima of 90 Shoveler and 80 Teal, plus smaller numbers of Wigeon and a pair of Pintail. 

A lunchtime walk in the sunshine at Woods Mill produced only my second Reed Warbler of the year and my first Lesser Whitethroat of the year plus a pair of Common Whitethroat. 

After work I stopped off at Pulborough briefly which was unbirdable in high winds and heavy rain. Just a few minutes down the road though, I found Waltham Brooks bathed in pleasant sunshine, the rain and wind having already moved through here. A 25-minute whizz round near the lake and roadside scrub produced a Nightingale singing near the railway, two each of Swallow and Sand Martin, three Sedge Warbler, and three Tufted Duck on the lake. 

16th April

A leisurely check of Hadworth Farm and Burton Mill Pond before work took a wholly unexpected turn when news broke of a drake Green-winged Teal on the North Brooks at Pulborough, found by young RSPB volunteer Toby Stapleton. A bird I had always dreamed of finding there (or elsewhere locally), the first in the Arun Valley for 19 years, and in fact a UK tick for me. There was no way I was going to miss this! Luckily I had a bit of a window of opportunity so dashed straight over and soon joined Toby himself and Marc Read at Jupp's View where we enjoyed good views of the bird swimming about in the open with a few Eurasian Teal and Shoveler. 

Green-winged Teal

Other bits of note from my hour on the reserve this morning included four Avocet, two Black-tailed Godwit and singles of Ruff, Little Ringed Plover and Common Sandpiper. 

A brief lunchtime walk round the local farm fields proved fairly quiet aside from four Swallows whizzing around near the stables - the first proper little flock I've seen back in the 1k area this year. 

17th April

I was down in Brighton for a work event for most of today but did manage a quick hour out in the 1k before I left. Waltham Brooks was relatively quiet aside from a couple of Nightingales and at least six singing Sedge Warblers. A pair of Shoveler were still around on the lake along with four Gadwall and three Tufted Duck. I wonder if one or more of these species will attempt to breed here again this year after last year's successful Shoveler breeding. The bird of the session here though was a Barn Owl which cruised through the main grassland area of the site and off towards Greatham Bridge. Always nice to get a surprise dawn Barn Owl!

Barn Owl

Bird of the morning though, was reserved for the very smart male Redstart in one of the paddocks on River Lane - in fact the very same paddock I saw a male in on 12th April last year. Redstart can be a tricky bird to encounter round here in the spring so I made sure to relish the moment. Having grown up close to some major heathland sites, it's all too easy to take them for granted, but they really are one of the best looking spring migrants, for my money. 

Redstart

18th April

Another check of the fields near home this morning failed to turn up any more migrant surprises, though it was nice to see several Swallows about, including one back on its favourite perched on a telegraph wire a stone's throw from home.

Swallow

A brief look at Amberley Mount on the way to Woods Mill proved similarly quiet, two Common Gull flying north indicative of the fact that we are not quite free from more wintry species just yet, and the keen north wind a good reminder of the same! Other bits up here included an immature Peregrine which flew north-west and a Kestrel checking out a nest box at Downs Farm.

Despite the cold wind on the Downs, by lunchtime it had turned into a glorious spring day and a lunch break stroll at Woods Mill was almost more notable for the butterflies than birds. A Siskin flying north-east as a Lesser Whitethroat rattled in a nearby hedgerow was an interesting clash of seasonal sounds. Brimstone, Holly Blue, Orange-tip, Peacock, Comma and a White (probably Green-veined White) were all noted on the wing. 

Holly Blue

Chiffchaff

A check of the scrape at Bignor on the way home revealed the water level to have dropped considerably since I last checked in here earlier in the week. I couldn't find the Green Sandpiper (or any other waders for that matter) but it was great to see some 25 Swallows flying about and generally being very vocal, with a couple of Sand Martins and House Martins mixed in with them. 

19th April

An early check of a few local sites proved reasonably fruitful. At the private reservoir near Petworth I found two Common Sandpipers and a single Little Ringed Plover - my first proper little 'fall' of waders here this year. The intriguing mixed singing Willow Warbler was still present and singing away, still seemingly yet to attract a mate. A scan of Burton Mill Pond from the northern shore yielded usual bits, although new in was my first Reed Warbler of the year at this site and only my second anywhere in my local recording area. Finally, the scrape at Bignor which is now rapidly drying up to just a muddy puddle but which today produced the birds of the morning: a group of three Tree Pipits flying north-west overhead, qiuite high but calling. 

Willow Warbler

En route to a work event in East Sussex I stopped for a short while at Waltham Brooks which I found to be teeming with hirundines, the bulk of which were Sand Martins (some 150 or so) and a few House Martins and the odd Swallow. 

20th April

A very early start this morning for the first Knepp dawn safari of the year. Nightingales were in fine voice as were multiple Lesser Whitethroats and my first Garden Warbler of the year. 

Mid-October

My shoulder injury recovery continues so it was pretty much exclusively 1km from home birding on foot again for this ten day period. It certainly feels as though we have turned a corner, seasonally speaking, as we move into the second half of October. There were still a few summery stragglers making an appearance but I also finally recorded my first Brambling of the autumn (of the entire year in fact, so dire a finch winter as we had last year!). The unusually warm weather has also all but gone now, as I write this, and we have had the first couple of frosts of the year plus the expected October wind and rain. Indeed, parts of the 1km area are getting decidedly soggy now, though not entirely impassable yet.

11th October

A grey and drizzly start to the day saw me checking the moth trap which held a respectable 39 individuals of 21 species, including new for the garden Red-line Quaker, Black Rustic (x 4), Large Wainscot, Barred Sallow, the spectacular Merveille du Jour (x 2) and the migrant Rusty-dot Pearl. Talking of migrants, it seemed relatively quiet on the vismig front overhead while I was emptying the trap, but I did note a couple of Redwings over and eight Swallows powering south.

Merveille du Jour

Rusty-dot Pearl

Black Rustic

Once the trap was emptied I headed out for a loop of Thorndale Bridge, the local farmland and Waltham Brooks. Aside from another group of Swallows heading south-east and a couple of Skylarks south, the low cloud and mizzle seemed to be hampering any migratory activity, so I didn't linger too long at Thorndale Bridge. Highlights here were four Snipe flying about (presumably the same group seen yesterday), a Stonechat, and a female Marsh Harrier which flew upriver. Up at Waltham Brooks the best were two Pintail, three Little Grebes and a single Tufted Duck among the usual wildfowl on the lake plus heard-only Kingfisher, a couple of Swallows and Redwings over. It was also noticeable that Chiffchaff numbers are on the up, with a conservative count of 15 recorded, especially congregating in the sallows on the western side. There was again a curiously calling individual here giving the plaintive 'hew' call, as heard at Thorndale Bridge recently. 

12th October

A similar morning to yesterday. A check of Waltham Brooks again produced two Pintail on the lake along with 10 Shoveler, 13 Gadwall and 15 Teal. Presumably the same quartet of Snipe were again flying about overhead, around 50 Lapwings were up in the air over Widney Brooks and two Green Sandpipers flew over my head near the railway line and dropped down towards the main lake. 

It had been decidedly quiet overhead early morning but on the way home I noticed a bit of a movement of hirundines, so decided to stop off for a skywatch, which proved to be fairly lively. Aside from over 100 House Martins and 20-odd Swallows moving south, the clear highlights were a heard only Golden Plover and a beautiful adult male Merlin which flew fast and quite low over the field where I was watching from, before turning, gaining height and powering off south towards the Downs. Actually my first record for this particular eBird hotspot, although my third record of the autumn locally. 

13th October

A proper October day of wind and rain. Late morning a break in the rain saw me heading out to the local farmland for a bit of a skywatch, perhaps rather over-optimistic given the brisk south-westerly (F5, gusting 6-7). Surprisingly, it was actually a decent 90 minutes, with highlights including three Woodlarks east together (it really is turning into a good autumn for them locally) and a light trickle of hirundines pushing straight into the wind. Particularly impressive was a group of ~20 Swallows which after making one failed attempt to get through fairly high up then dropped down to just a few metres above the ground and powered on into the headwind. 

14th October

The cold morning after the squally night before. Today felt like the first proper crisp morning of the autumn, and I headed out on foot just before 7am wondering if I had under-dressed given the brisk westerly. An hour's skywatching from the local farmland proved fairly lively with a steady stream of Siskins and a few Redpolls, Meadow Pipits, Chaffinches, etc, mostly heading south-west. One species I certainly didn't have on my radar for the third weekend of October was Common Redstart so it took me a moment or two to process what I was looking at when I noticed a passerine flicking about in a nearby hedgerow. Indeed, the way it was lit in the morning sunlight initially brought to mind Red-flanked Bluetail, and it was a heartstopping couple of seconds before I realised I was looking at something rather more mundane, albeit very late. My first record of the species locally since 7th September and undoubtedly my last one of the year. Strangely enough, Ed Stubbs also had one this morning up in Surrey, so perhaps a little late push of Scandinavian ones moving through?

Redstart

The rest of the day didn't include much birding, although a trip down to Worthing with Kate and B (primarily to deliver a Knepp talk) did also include stopping at Marine Gardens for lunch, which featured flyover Siskins (5) and Redpolls (3). 

15th October

WeBS count day today so Kate kindly drove me over to the private reservoir near Petworth to carry out the survey; my first visit here for four weeks (I normally tend to visit at least once a week). It was usual fare on offer really, though 55 Tufted Ducks represented my highest count here, while 20 Pochards was one short of equaling the record count. Otherwise, highlights were 54 Egyptian Geese on the shore of the reservoir and at least 15 Swallows and a couple of House Martins feeding over the nearby farmland.

Later in the day I went for a stroll from home, highlights of which included at least five Lesser Redpolls at Thorndale Bridge plus the three White-tailed Eagles thermalling together distantly towards the Downs. Despite the chilly air temperature the warm sun was clearly coaxing plenty of raptors into the sky, as I also had a Goshawk sparring with a Buzzard to the south of Watersfield. Single Stonechats were at Thorndale Bridge and Waltham Brooks while a few Swallows, Siskins and a couple of Skylarks were noted flying over, heading south/south-west.

16th October

A lively morning of local vismig, first from the farmland near home and then up on the high ground to the west, began with two vocal Merlins briefly dogfighting overhead a couple of hundred metres from home before separating and flying off west and south-east. Another Woodlark flew high-northeast, while there was just the slightest hint of some early Woodpigeon movement. Finches were clearly moving in good numbers but seemed to be for the most part too high, hence the change in watchpoint an hour or so into my watch. From here, almost immediately I was seeing and hearing Chaffinches, while after 15 minutes the distinctive call of Crossbills signalled the approach of a flock flying from north to south which I somehow never managed to get eyes on, but it sounded like quite a few. Just a few minutes later another flock of 14 flew south. Finch totals from the morning included 87 Chaffinches (mostly west), 50 Siskins (mostly west) plus a few Redpolls, Linnets, Goldfinches, etc. Curiously notable by their absence again were thrushes with just five Redwings leaving roost along River Lane the only ones noted. 

Looking south-east from the high ground above Watersfield

17th October

With this welcome spell of easterlies continuing, this morning saw me back up at the high ground to the west of Watersfield for another vismig session. Initially the wind was calm and it was a surprisingly brighter morning than had been forecast, which didn't necessarily suggest much in the way of movement. I was wrong though as, twenty minutes into the watch, I noticed a line of geese approaching high from the north/north-east which I quickly realised had to be Brent Geese, owing to their dark colouration, short necks and generally compact shape, plus the distinctive wavy line flock formation. They weren't calling or, if they were, I couldn't hear it over the strengthening breeze, and because they were really pretty high I also spectacularly failed to achieve anything in the way of a useable record shot with my one-handed bridge camera attempts. Still, one of those memorable vismig moments that put it all into context, as these Arctic travellers near the end of the journey, likely bound for the south coast via Watersfield! Other highlights this morning included the first clearly moving Grey Herons I've seen locally this autumn (two lots of three west), a few Redwings and Fieldfares west (60 and 54), three Swallows south, four Crossbills west and a steady trickle of Skylarks. 

A check of Thorndale Bridge late afternoon produced three Marsh Harriers over Amberley, including a beautiful adult male hunting low over the marsh just the other side of the river from where I was stood, plus a White-tailed Eagle briefly in flight and a female Mandarin flying downriver. 

18th October

A remarkable 58 species in just over an hour at Waltham Brooks this morning including my first Brambling anywhere this year (!) heard flying over, a first winter Goosander on the lake and two Great White Egrets which came in from the west and dropped down near the main lake. There has been clearly been quite an arrival of this species in Sussex as there were also records of seven at Arundel WWT this morning and five at Pulborough Brooks later in the day (perhaps all relating to the same birds) following on from a count of 11 flying past Climping yesterday. 

A rather late flock of House Martins flew over towards Amberley with a Swallow in tow and, on a more wintry note, the easterlies had clearly delivered more ducks to the reserve, especially Wigeon, of which at least 25 flew to the main lake. A flock of 11 Fieldfares were flying about in the scrub while around 30 Siskins were near the sewage works. A few gulls were flying over too, including two Common Gulls.

Goosander (another ropey record shot with my little bridge camera)

19th October

I was giving a Knepp talk in Staines last night, after which I stayed with friends in Surrey before making my way home mid-morning. The walk home from Pulborough station took me past Widney Brooks and through Waltham Brooks and the local farmland. It was all distinctly less lively than yesterday, with barely 30 species recorded at Waltham Brooks this time around. Teal numbers had increased to at least 130 but otherwise waterbird diversity was rather poor with just 80 Mallard, 3 Gadwall, a few Coots and a single Little Grebe. Away from the lake, there were two Stonechats in the scrub and a Mandarin flew downriver. 

20th October

A loop of Thorndale Bridge and Waltham Brooks this morning produced a few bits, especially at the former looking over towards Amberley where there were clearly lots of Black-headed Gulls on the flood water, evidently having just been flushed by a White-tailed Eagle. A Kingfisher flew upriver and several Skylarks flew west. Waltham Brooks was relatively quiet aside from the two Great White Egrets again which circled over the main lake briefly before flying off towards Widney Brooks. Again, several Skylarks flew over and a flock of 17 Redpolls flew over the sewage works. There has been a real absence of winter thrushes the past couple of days, aside from five today over the local farmland.

River Arun near Thorndale Bridge, water level getting high now!

An evening stroll out to Thorndale Bridge revealed another Great White Egret feeding in a ditch just across the river and a smaller egret species in flight over Amberley Wildbrooks which was probably a Cattle Egret. Two fast flying raptors caught my eye and quickly revealed themselves to be an adult male Merlin being chased by a female. They dashed off low through the trees past Quell Farm at high speed and off towards Parham. 

Late August

And just like that, one of the longest and most bird-filled months of the year comes to a close.

I recorded 129 species in August this year, mostly in Sussex, including three UK year ticks and multiple local year ticks, including Tree Pipit, Whinchat and Honey Buzzard.

Weather-wise, August has ended much in the same vein as the rest of the month: intermittent warm sunny spells, punctuated by some torrential downpours or sometimes just grey and murky days. 

I'm still missing a lot of really gettable species for the year round here, and am excited for what local birding might bring in the coming weeks and months. Bring on the autumn proper!

22nd August

After dropping B at nursery this morning I stopped off at Pulborough for a scan of the South Brooks from behind the visitor centre, followed by a brief check of the wooded edge of the heath. The best on the South Brooks were two each of Greenshank and Green Sandpiper and singles of Hobby and White Stork, while a Spotted Flycatcher was on the edge of the heath. 

Later in the day, two Yellow Wagtails south/south-west over Codmore Hill north of Pulborough represented my first passage birds of the autumn.

Kestrel

23rd August

An eclectic day, starting with a short walk around the local farmland, which produced a lively passerine flock as the rising sun caught the willows and oaks. In among the more common species were at least 4-5 Willow Warblers and singles of Redstart and Spotted Flycatcher.

Spotted Flycatcher

En route to Knepp I very briefly stopped off at Amberley Mount for a scan from Downs Farm which produced a few Whitethroats but little else.

Knepp itself was good (I was co-leading a garden safari) with flyover Yellow Wagtail and Raven over the walled garden and a Spotted Flycatcher flying from the garden area to the trees to the west. 

On the way home I stopped in at Waltham Brooks which again yielded a Redstart in the scrub near the main lake and a White-tailed Eagle in flight over Widney Brooks. 

Another brief look at Amberley Mount late afternoon didn't reveal any new birds of note, but I did see my first Hornet Robberfly on one of the paths - what amazing insects they are!

Hornet Robberfly

24th August

An early loop of Pulborough Brooks proved fairly quiet for waders with just four Ruff and two Green Sandpipers on the North Brooks, while the South Brooks held a third Green Sandpiper and a heard-only Greenshank. Passerine activity was relatively limited due to the time of day and cloudy conditions but at least three Spotted Flycatchers and a couple of Garden Warblers were noted around the trail. From Winpenny, a White Stork (GB0S from Knepp) and the usual very pale Buzzard were the most obvious species.

Buzzard

White Stork

Mid-morning I headed down to Littlehampton with B for a stroll along the West Beach. This was somewhat curtailed by the rain, but nonetheless we managed at least 25 Ringed Plover, three Sanderling and 15 Sandwich Terns on the beach, with others of the latter feeding offshore. A Wheatear very briefly alighted on the fence near the cafe and a couple of Yellow Wagtails were heard flying over. 

25th August

A great little session up on Amberley Mount this morning produced a pleasing selection of species, with migrant passerines again the stars of the show in the form of two Spotted Flycatchers and singles of Whinchat and Redstart. At least one Yellow Wagtail was heard flying over. Four Grey Partridges flew up from near the farm buildings at Downs Farm as I passed. 

Spotted Flycatcher

Whinchat

Redstart

26th August

I started this morning at Waltham Brooks at first light, which proved a worthwhile choice, as one of the first birds I encountered was a Tree Pipit flushed up from the long grass between the railway line and the main lake; amazingly my first record of the species anywhere in 2023, and a particularly welcome 1k and Waltham Brooks tick (123 and 131, respectively). Other highlights here this morning were two Lesser Whitethroats and a Garden Warbler with a couple of tit flocks, a heard-only Kingfisher, and at least 45 Greenfinches leaving roost near the lake. 

A second 1km walk around lunchtime was cut short due to torrential rain, but a late afternoon excursion on foot west home from home proved very good. Having picked up a Spotted Flycatcher on call behind the sports pavilion at Watersfield playing fields, further exploration of Watersfield Common produced rather little until I got to Sandy Lane on the eastern side and found at least two more Spot Flys in an oak here. I figured I needed to get up to the fenceline right by the tree to get the best views - and to check what else might be lurking in the mixed flock (I had already picked up a couple of Willow Warblers kicking about). As I did so, it became clear there were many more Spotted Flycatchers all the way along the hedgerow between where I was stood and the playing fields. Indeed, a proper scan all the way along produced an absolute minimum of ten Spotted Flycatchers (including two fluffy young ones) plus a bonus Redstart. Amazing scenes!

Redstart

Spotted Flycatcher

27th August

No birding today.

28th August

A couple of local outings on foot today, either side of social stuff in Midhurst. The first walk around the local fields this morning proved fairly quiet, though early afternoon two of the White-tailed Eagles drifted high over Watersfield, heading roughly west, chasing each other and tumbling like Ravens as they went. 

Another walk out to the local fields late afternoon was made worthwhile by first a Hobby drifting high south-west overhead, followed by at least two heard-only Crossbills seemingly heading roughly the same way; my first in the 1km this year (124 for that particular list) and my 102nd species in the Watersfield Farmland hotspot. 

Migrant Hawker

29th August

As I had a free morning I decided to put in a couple of hours up at Amberley Mount in the hope of some good passerine action. Redstarts were the stars of the show, with an absolute minimum of nine around, probably more. Other highlights included eight Grey Partridges, three Wheatear and a lone Spotted Flycatcher. 

Grey Partridges

Wheatear

Redstart

The spectacular finale to my walk came in the form of a White-tailed Eagle powering up the valley from the direction of Arundel and straight over the Downs a relatively short distance to the west of me. It was clearly carrying some kind of prey, though it was hard to make out exactly what. 

White-tailed Eagle

With still another hour or so to spare before I needed to head up to Knepp, I decided to pop down to Goring for a quick seawatch in the hope of connecting with a Balearic Shearwater or two (over 200 had been seen off Selsey earlier in the morning). In the end there was to be no such excitement, just a few Sandwich Terns and Gannets offshore and a Turnstone on the beach. 

Turnstone

30th August

A funny, mixed day. A look at the reservoir near Petworth again held three Common Sandpipers and a high count of 43 Tufted Ducks. A walk up to the north-west of Petworth produced a single Swift flying among dozens of Swallows and House Martins.

A late afternoon stroll around the local fields near home was enlivened by an immature Goshawk powering through low and fast into the trees on Lodge Hill, scattering dozens of Rooks and Jackdaws in the process. Not a 10km or 1km tick for this year but my first for the Watersfield Farmland hotspot (species number 103) and still an exciting bird to encounter, despite their rapid increase in this part of the world. 

31st August

An early walk from home out to Thorndale Bridge wasn't particularly productive, though there was a nice scattering of common warblers in the willow scrub just west of the railway bridge, including Reed Warbler, Willow Warbler and Whitethroat.

That was about it for birding today, although a rather late Swift flying over Farnham early afternoon was noteworthy. I don't tend to see many after the end of August. 

Blink and you'll miss it...

Well, somehow it's almost the end of April already. Not quite sure how that happened! Still, we're well and truly in the thick of the freneticism of peak spring now, which is partly why it's taken me a bit longer than usual to finish this latest update on my local birding.

I haven't been able to get in the field quite as much as usual this spring, for various reasons, but it's clearly already been a good one, with a decent arrival of migrants in the past fortnight. One thing that is encouraging about this spring is that, after several atypically dry and cold Aprils on the trot, it all feels a little more 'normal' this year, with the ideal mix of warm sunshine, showers, and winds from all directions. Indeed, it really feels as if no hour is the same, let alone each day.

I'm heading towards May with my local year list standing on 131 and my 1km list on 109. So it's certainly not looking like a record-breaking year but, as was the case in 2022, I am just trying to embrace the mantra of enjoying birding as and when I can get out and relishing the special moments that make it all worthwhile.

 12th April

Another one of those days where I went out briefly, not expecting much. After a very unusual lie-in I decided to just dash out to check the local fields before starting work, and almost immediately stumbled across a spanking male Redstart in the horse paddock halfway down our road. I fired off a few record shots (it was quite flighty) before the ominous black cloud towards the south-west arrived and it started to pour down, so I sprinted home.

Redstart

Thereafter it was a typical April day, with sunshine and showers and a strengthening chilly wind. After finishing work I headed over to the farmland and reservoir near Petworth, just as the most biblical rain and hail arrived. Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained as they say... so I put both my coats on, grabbed my umbrella and headed out of the car. In the end, it wasn't particularly worth the soaking, although I enjoyed 45 minutes or so under the umbrella watching the 120-130 hirundines feeding low over the reservoir, the 15 or so Swallows in particular almost hovering and skimming the surface of the water like Storm-petrels. There were at least five House Martins too, otherwise the rest were all Sand Martins. 

13th April

Not much birding today but I was leading a dawn safari at Knepp first thing which produced at least three singing Nightingales, including two together in the same tree.

Up at my mum's house later in the day, I saw my first Speckled Wood of the year in the garden. 

14th April

Some light drizzle and a light south/south-westerly wind this morning felt good. I headed out on foot to check some of the local fields. The best bits for my efforts were my first Cuckoo of the year, singing distantly to the east, the nearby singing Nightingale again and a singing Skylark. Also noted were a Raven carrying food, a Greenfinch with nest material and a flyover Little Egret heading south-west - surprisingly my first one in this hotspot since we moved to the area back in September!

After dropping B off at nursery I briefly stuck my head in at Waltham Brooks which yielded presumably the same Cuckoo I'd heard earlier, seemingly singing just across the river towards Amberley. Other bits of note were singing Willow Warbler, two each of Sedge Warbler and Whitethroat and around 25-30 hirundines, mostly Sand Martins but with a few Swallows and a single House Martin mixed in.

In the evening I was heading over to Petworth for Roger Morgan-Grenville's book launch, so decided to pop into the farmland and private reservoir there for a little look. The low cloud and easterly element to the wind felt absolutely ideal for producing something good, especially Little Gull, but in the event there wasn't a great deal doing aside from the largest congregation of hirundines I've seen so far this year (around 200, mostly Sand Martins but a good 20 House Martins and 10-15 Swallows) and a singing Willow Warbler.  

15th April

This morning I headed over to Pulborough Brooks for a walk around, and a catch-up with Joe Bassett, the former warden. Aside from an attempted rescue on a sadly nearly dead female Mallard hung up in a barbed wire fence, it was an enjoyable couple of hours with at least five each of singing Nightingale and Whitethroat, two pairs of Avocet, two Mandarin, four Tufted Duck, decent numbers of Swallows and Sand Martins and a singing Woodlark as we were leaving. 

An evening walk around the local fields was relatively quiet aside from a single House Martin and four Swallows, and flyovers of Raven and Grey Heron. A pair of Sparrowhawks were also up together near Besley Farm. 

Later in the evening, a text from Mark McManus alerted me to two Garganey showing well on the main lake at Waltham Brooks (Pete H and Alice P had had three birds there earlier in the day) so I made an impromptu decision to dash over to see them. Typically, as I arrived Mark said they had just vanished! Still, it was nice to catch up with Mark and we enjoyed several singing Sedge Warblers, a heard-only Barn Owl and also at least two Snipe calling in the darkness.

16th April

An early start this morning for a dawn safari at Knepp, the highlights of which were my first visuals on a Cuckoo this year and my first Lesser Whitethroat of the year, along with multiple singing Nightingales.

On the way home from Knepp I decided to stick my head in at Waltham Brooks for yet another bite of the Garganey cherry. I'm pleased to say I connected at last! A single drake deigned to show itself on the main lake for a few minutes, even giving a few croaky calls at times. There were also at least two Nightingales singing - one near the main lake and another up by the railway bridge.

Garganey - at last!

Much of the rest of the day I was up in Surrey doing non-birding stuff, but an evening walk round the local fields produced various spring goodies including at least seven Swallows zipping about over a field of cattle, and a Mistle Thrush with its bill stuffed full of worms and caterpillars.

Mistle Thrush

17th April

I spent the majority of today leading a Wildstarts tour for a couple from West Sussex. Their target species were Kingfisher and Dartford Warbler at Burton Mill Pond and a nearby heathland. Three hours at Burton Mill Pond produced almost 50 species but sadly (and unusually!) no Kingfisher. Highlights here were at least two singing Reed Warbler, three singing Firecrest, two Mandarins, two House Martins and seven Egyptian Geese. Weirdest of all was the strange grunting call we heard three times in reeds towards the south-east corner of the main pond. It was reminiscent of the flight call of a Bittern but clearly coming from dense vegetation near the water's edge. We couldn't see anything, but I did wonder afterwards whether it might have been a Night Heron... Sadly, further visits later in the afternoon and in the evening didn't yield any more clues as to what it might have been, so unfortunately one that got away!

On to the heathland site, where I'm pleased to say we connected with a Dartford Warbler, much to the couple's delight! Other highlights here were at least six Woodlark, a singing Whitethroat, two Ravens, a single Swallow and lots of Brimstone butterflies, including my first females of the year. Also noted on the wing towards the end of the (by now quite warm) walk here were Speckled Wood and Peacock.

Woodlark

18th April

A switch to north-easterly wind again and a rather brisk morning, which didn't feel particularly 'rare'. Nonetheless, I headed out early to check the local fields near home which yielded a 'new in' singing Whitethroat, the now regular singing Nightingale (that's already been present two weeks!), and a Barn Owl in flight over a field literally just a couple of houses behind ours. A brief check of the river, Wharf Field and the north-west side of Amberley Wildbrooks, meanwhile, produced two more singing Nightingales, a pair of Grey Wagtails and the singing Cuckoo again.

The weather felt conducive to grounding some waders (and, sure enough, later in the day there were plenty of inland records of Bar-tailed Godwit popping up on BirdGuides and the first Greenshank of the year at Pulborough) so I made two visits to the private reservoir near Petworth. Sadly, no unusual waders were to be found here, although it was nice to see the pair of LRPs displaying. A Willow Warbler was still singing nearby and there were at least 70-80 hirundines feeding low over the water, mostly Sand Martins. 

It was also nice to confirm the first egg in our garden Robin nest this afternoon (thanks to Paul Stevens, who is tall enough to see in!).

Robin egg

19th April

No real birding today, but it was great to see the local Swallows back on territory on our street, whizzing around over our garden and in and out of our neighbours' car ports.

20th April

Not a great deal of birding today, though a lunchtime walk around the local fields produced a very welcome Swift, flying west. Not quite my earliest ever, but very close! Also of note was a newly arrived Whitethroat singing in a hedgerow near home, though it still feels like numbers of these are quite low at the moment.

21st April

An early start this morning for a walk from home to Waltham Brooks and back via the local farmland. Highlights in the latter were the continuing Nightingale singing well near Besley Farm and two singing Willow Warblers in close proximity just west of the western entrance to Waltham Brooks. Highlights actually on the reserve itself were a good selection of warblers including at least two each of Sedge Warbler, Cetti's Warbler and Whitethroat. There were at least two Nightingales singing there again too, near the main lake and another near the railway line, and the Cuckoo was in fine voice again over beyond the river. 

After dropping B off at nursery I swung by Pulborough for an hour on the southern side of the reserve, viewing the South Brooks from Hail's View. Best from 51 species here were a local year tick Greenshank, single Avocet, at least four Redshank, a distant singing Nightingale and a singing Firecrest in Black Wood. 

Back at home late morning, and my working efforts were temporarily distracted by two Shelduck flying around over the garden - the first garden record.

Finally, a late afternoon visit to the private reservoir near Petworth produced (amazingly/shamefully) my first Green Sandpiper of the year, plus a single Little Ringed Plover and a displaying pair of Great Crested Grebes. At least 220 Herring Gulls were drifting about, heading roughly east, with at least one Lesser Black-backed Gull among them.

22nd April

Again, not loads of birding today. A short walk around the local farmland was largely uneventful save for the usual couple of Swallows, the singing Nightingale again and Starlings with nest material.

In the evening I was at Knepp, leading a dusk safari, which produced several singing Lesser Whitethroats, Nightingales and a Cuckoo.

23rd April

Another rather grey and drizzly start to the day, so I headed out to check out a few local water bodies and wetland sites. First up, a brief look at Fittleworth Water Meadows in passing, which produced a displaying Lapwing and four Little Egrets. Next, the private reservoir near Petworth for my monthly WeBS count, which didn't hold a huge amount aside from two Great Crested Grebes, four Gadwall and a Little Ringed Plover, as well as a few Swallows and Sand Martins. On the way home I stopped off at Burton Mill Pond for a quick look, which yielded my first Common Sandpiper of the year as well as the rather incongruous sight of the resident pair of Great Crested Grebes doing a few flying circuits before settling back down on the water. I actually can't recall the last time I saw this species properly in flight in an inland setting. Last of all, I stopped to check the flooded field near West Burton which yielded a single drake Gadwall along with a few Mallards, including a brood of ducklings. No waders here today but it really is looking very good at the moment so it's a spot I plan to check semi-regularly in the coming days and weeks. 

Common Sandpiper

Great Crested Grebe

Great Crested Grebes

24th April

A rather cold and sunny start to the day, so I decided to head over to West Burton for my first South Downs Farmland Bird Monitoring survey visit of the season. In all honesty, this square was pretty underwhelming last year, and so it proved again this morning, with not a single Skylark, Yellowhammer or Linnet to be seen. In fact, the only bits of note were singles of Willow Warbler and Whitethroat and a couple of pairs of Swallow.

After this, I decided to pop back and have a look at the flooded field/scrape just north of here, as mentioned earlier. Encouragingly, as soon as I pulled up in the car and started scanning, a Green Sandpiper flew up and across to the far side. After a while, I lost it altogether, but still not a bad start to my first proper check of what I suspect will become a regular haunt in the coming weeks.

Hadworth Farm scrape, near West Burton

  

25th April

After dropping B off at nursery this morning I decided to head up the Downs - specifically Amberley Mount again - in the hope that the chilly north/north-easterly wind might have dropped in some passerines. Sadly, it wasn't to be, as the only migrants noted were a couple of Swallows, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and a single Whitethroat. Other highlights from an hour and a half up there were two Yellowhammers, a pair of Grey Partridge and a Peregrine. 

Grey Partridges

A lunch break walk around the local fields proved to be fairly lively, with the local Cuckoo and Nightingale both in fine voice, at least 30 Linnets busily flitting and chatting away in the hedgerows and Dandelion-covered fields, and both Orange-tip and Comma on the wing. Over a hundred hirundines were swirling around high over Waltham Brooks, with two each of Swallow and Sand Martin flying fast and low over the rooftops on the edge of the hamlet.

Early afternoon, I lifted my head from my laptop and a glance out of the window produced a couple of very high Buzzards followed by my first Hobby of the year - two in fact! - hawking high over the garden. 

26th April

Another cold and blustery start, with spots of rain blown in on the stiff east/south-easterly wind. After dropping B at nursery I decided to stick my head in at Amberley Wildbrooks for the first time in a little while. Here I found a good gathering of Swallows (35 or more) feeding over the east side, where I also found a Greenshank lurking among the Lapwings and Redshanks. A flyover Shelduck was, surprisingly, an Amberley tick (well, according to eBird anyway!). One of my small-scale ambitions from my birding in 2023 is to get my Amberley list past 100, to join the likes of Knepp, Burton Mill Pond and Pulborough Brooks in my top-scoring local sites. Greenshank was 99...

On the way home I stopped to check out the fields and reservoir near Hardham for a few minutes. Here I noted a Linnet with nest material and a singing Whitethroat, but my attention was suddenly grabbed by the close call of a Little Ringed Plover. I crossed the road to check the field to the south and, sure enough, found a pair in the stubble field there. Quite an unusual sight to see them scurrying about among the Jackdaws!

Little Ringed Plovers (you might need to look closely...)

Working from home later in the day, my gaze was distracted by a Hobby and at least three Swifts dashing past the window, so after lunch Kate and I headed out for a walk round the local farmland. This proved to be quite a lively session with first a Peregrine dashing low west with prey then three Hobbies up together, hawking over towards Waltham Brooks. A bit later on I noticed three over towards the south and quickly realised these were different birds, as the other three were still in sight. This really put the wind up the local Swallows which were whizzing about, alarm calling over the stables and cow fields! A Nightingale was singing well over towards the back of Coldwaltham Sewage Works. 

Finally, I dropped in at Pulborough late afternoon, as it sounded from messages from Chris and Juliet Moore as though a mini wader fest was underway there. Pleasingly, I quickly managed to locate the Wood Sandpiper and two Greenshanks from Winpenny hide, later joined by a summer plumaged Dunlin, while at least one Ringed Plover was heard but not seen. Seven species of wader in just over an hour wasn't a bad haul at all, and served to remind me just how good this site can be at its best. Indeed, I have been guilty of neglecting it a little this year, what with one thing and another, but given the condition of the habitat at present and the selection of species on offer today, I think I will make more of an effort to visit less infrequently in the coming weeks!

Greenshanks

Wood Sandpiper