Late September

21st September

Another early start at Petworth for a check of the reservoir there as it's been on a bit of a roll recently. This morning proved to be a bit of a quiet one though, with just a single Wigeon of note among the assembled wildfowl on the water and a couple of flyover Yellow Wagtails. A scan of the South Brooks from the tea terrace at Pulborough proved even more quiet, not helped by the thick fog which was slow to clear.

Wigeon

Pulborough fog!

A look at Southlands Farm on my way to Knepp late afternoon produced a Green Sandpiper and eight Shoveler on the pool there. Continuing the Shoveler theme, eleven flew north over the Southern Block during my dusk safari at Knepp this evening. 

22nd September

Not much time for birding today as I had a packed day of morning and afternoon safaris and a staff party at Knepp. A brief look at Waltham Brooks on the way to Knepp produced a light easterly movement of Swallows but little else of note. 

23rd September

WeBs count a day late today, so I headed over to Petworth in the rain. A drake Pochard was on the reservoir among the usual Tufted Ducks, Mallards, Little Grebes and three Shoveler, while the lingering Common Sandpiper was still patrolling the shoreline. A first-winter Common Gull almost dropped in briefly before flying off east. 

A lunchtime walk round the local farmland produced a modest 27 species but did include my first local Willow Warbler for almost two weeks plus at least one Hobby (one flew high east, then a bit later a juvenile was hawking over Lodge Hill which may have been a second bird but hard to be sure). A light south/south-westerly passage of Herring Gulls included two adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls. 

24th September

After dropping B off at nursery I stopped off in Pulborough for a walk down to the North Brooks. Straight away it was clear there were a lot more ducks about than on my last visit, as a female Marsh Harrier flushed some 400 or more from the wet grassland on the north side of the North Brooks. These were mostly Mallard and Teal but with at least 10-15 Wigeon and a single Gadwall among them. Another 250 or more Teal were on the North Brooks proper along with two juvenile Ruff among ~120 Lapwing.

Ruff and Teal

Late afternoon I dropped in at Petworth again. The lingering Common Sandpiper was still about - will it stay into October? A female Pochard was sleeping among the Tufted Ducks and three Shoveler were still present. I haven't seen many hirundines locally for a couple of days, so it was a pleasant surprise to see some 150 or so drifting gently east during my hour here, mostly House Martins. 

25th September

I managed my first proper little vismig watch of the season this morning, albeit only 25 minutes (it was a year ago yesterday that I broke and dislocated my shoulder in a skateboarding accident and am feeling strangely nostalgic about the amount of time it afforded me to get out and enjoy the spectacle of visible migration at this time of year!) The main movers this morning were House Martins, with some 226 south/south-west over the garden in the aforementioned half hour. 

In a repeat performance of yesterday I again headed over to Petworth in the afternoon for a check of the reservoir. A Golden Plover called overhead as I arrived (though I never did manage to see it!). Other highlights were seven Pochard among the usual suspects on the water and a dark-masked first-winter Herring Gull which did have me trying to turn it into a Yellow-legged.

Herring Gull

26th September

An early walk from home out to Waltham Brooks proved relatively quiet aside from a Marsh Harrier flying upriver, two Stonechats and a rather late Whitethroat in the meadow, and a light trickle of House Martins flying east/south-east. 

Late afternoon, with some lively showers moving through, I again headed over to Petworth. A juvenile Great Crested Grebe was back on the reservoir along with 30 Little Grebes, five Pochards, four Shoveler and the usual scattering of Coots and Tufted Ducks. A first-winter Common Gull flew south/south-east, while a few Swallows and a single House Martin flew north-west.

Egyptian Geese

Grey Wagtail

27th September

A little tour of some wetland sites out to the western side of my patch area in the rain first thing today. At Petworth, some 360 Canada Geese and 150 Egyptian Geese left roost at the reservoir, leaving behind the four Shoveler again and a couple of Pochard. Next up, a brief scan of Burton Mill Pond from the roadside, which proved fairly lively, mostly in terms of vismig, with at least 52 Swallows through west/north-west in the 25 minutes or so I was there. Water Rail is pretty much guaranteed here most visits but usually heard only, so I got a bit of a shock when one suddenly appeared from underneath the boat jetty where I was stood and flew into the reeds nearby!

Mute Swans

The scrape at Bignor Park is again holding water for the first time since May. Just eight Mallards on it this morning but it's good to know it's worth checking again in passing. 

Early afternoon I headed out for a stroll round the local fields. By now the cloud cover and breeze had increased quite a bit and it was feeling considerably more autumnal, and this was reflected in the birds. Some 80 or more hirundines (roughly 3/1 House Martin/Swallow) were moving through or lingering to feed among the cattle, sometimes whizzing past just a few metres from me. Continuing the vismig theme, two Marsh Harriers flew south together over Waltham Brooks, a tight flock of large gulls high south seemed to be all Lesser Black-backed Gulls, and a heard-only Siskin heading south-west represented my first record locally for several weeks. A little flurry of passerines in the hedgerow nearest the Waltham Brooks boundary included at least ten Chiffchaffs and a single Goldcrest but sadly nothing rarer.

House Martin

Swallow

Lesser Black-backed Gulls

28th September

Very little birding today as I was leading back-to-back beaver pen safaris at Knepp. A quick glance at the pool at Southlands Farm on the way past produced eight Shoveler and three Teal but little else.

Southlands Farm

It was an absolute beauty of a morning but really quite cold, with proper ice on the windscreen. Clearly it was lively on the vismig front judging by messages in various WhatsApp groups and this was well illustrated by a Skylark over the beaver enclosure at Knepp - not a common bird here. A Redstart was also a nice bonus flying in front of the off road vehicle a couple of times as I was driving the group around. 

29th September

I was up Amberley Mount at first light this morning in the hope of some success from my first proper vismig session of the autumn. Two hours up here proved to be fairly lively, with waves of hirundines coming through, making up the bulk of the birds. There were little nuggets of interest from other species throughout to pique the interest though, including a Hawfinch flying east, two Golden Plover south-west, a juvenile Mute Swan high south-west over Bury Hill and, most frustratingly, what I'm pretty sure were two Commic Terns high north/north-east but which I got on too late to get any salient features. The absolute worst feeling in birding: when you know you've potentially got a good bird in view but it sails away from you before you can clinch the ID!

Dawn up Amberley Mount

30th September

A wet start to the day. After dropping B at nursery I headed over to Pulborough for a look at the North Brooks. The water levels were quite a bit higher than my last visit, with not much in the way of muddy margins for waders. Four Snipe and around ten Lapwing were the best of the bunch on the deck, although I did also flush a Green Sandpiper from a ditch halfway along the public right of way back to the village. I also heard a Golden Plover calling but couldn't see it, presumably just a flyover. Duck numbers continue to rise, with somewhere in the region of 450 Teal this morning, with nine Shoveler and two Wigeon among them.

Mid-January

11th January

No sooner had I arrived at Pulborough Brooks early this morning and just started to scan the flooded and frozen South Brooks than I received a call from Mrs Matt saying she needed me to help her with a flat tyre, so that put paid to that particular effort! 

Fast forward 45 minutes or so and the tyre was all sorted, so I decided to drop in for a quick look at Waltham Brooks on my way home. It proved to be a good decision as, while I was enjoying the sunshine and the loud cracking sounds of the ice giving way above receding water levels, two ducks appeared into view from the north which revealed themselves to be Goosanders as they powered on over the main lake towards the Arun, where they seemed to drop in a little way downstream. A Great White Egret was also heading the same way, albeit at a more leisurely pace. My first record of Goosander anywhere this year and only my third ever record at Waltham Brooks. Funnily enough, Ed and I had literally just been chatting about the species, as he'd just found two at Frensham Great Pond. Amazing how often that happens!

Goosanders powering off downriver... sadly too slow with the camera this time!

12th January

Back to grey today after a few days of crisp winter sunshine. An early loop of Pulborough Brooks proved to be fairly uneventful, not entirely surprising given the extent of flood water. There were still several hundred dabbling ducks around, mostly Wigeon and Teal, although a lone Tufted Duck drake was on the South Brooks. I missed the Redshank and two Ruff seen by Chris and Juliet Moore but did manage to find a couple of Dunlin among ~500 Black-tailed Godwits huddled on the South Brooks. 

A day with no year ticks was salvaged late afternoon by a Peregrine which flew north over Watersfield, just as I happened to take a screen break and look out of the window (amazing how often that happens!), taking my local list to 90, and 69 within the 1km area. 

13th January

Another gloomy, grey start to the day saw me heading over to the private reservoir near Petworth to carry out my WeBS count a day early. It turned into a surprisingly decent session here, with two site ticks. As I got out of my car, I was greeted by the sound of a Blackbird softly singing nearby, always a heart-lifting sound in the depth of winter. A little further down the track to the reservoir I was surprised by a small falcon which suddenly flew up from the field to my right and gained height before flying off east - a Merlin! The first of two site ticks and no sooner had I processed it than I made my way closer to the reservoir only to discover three Goosanders on the water! Unfortunately they were evidently just as surprised to see me so quickly took flight and, in the half light, I only managed some ropey record shots. The Long-tailed Duck was still present too, which got me to thinking whether I had ever seen those two duck species at the same location before, the answer to which, I'm pretty sure, is no!

Goosanders

On the way home I stopped briefly at Hadworth Farm in West Burton to check out the flooded field here. This also proved decent, as it produced three site ticks in the form of Wigeon, Little Egret and Raven. The former were on the water, the two Little Egrets dropped in to feed along the waters edge and the latter (Ravens) were noisily flying to and from Bignor Park, where I suspect they must nest. 

Later in the day I headed down to Arundel with Kate and B for a stroll round, and to feed the ducks at Swanbourne Lake (of course!). A brief stop at the church in Burpham yielded the nine adult Bewick's Swans in the water meadows there plus at least seven Cattle Egrets in the fields beyond. 

Bewick's Swans

Multiple Cattle Egrets were later seen coming into roost from the Black Rabbit pub by the Arun, along with at least eight Marsh Harriers. 

14th January

A Wildstarts tour saw me spending the morning at Pulborough Brooks, leading a mother and her son around the trail. Highlights included a brief Great White Egret on the North Brooks, which also held ~200 skittish Black-tailed Godwits. The South Brooks were livelier, with singles of Ruff (a local year tick) and Marsh Harrier, ten Shelduck at West Mead and one of the adult White-tailed Eagles in a tree near the Arun which briefly flew and showed off its gleaming white tail before returning to a similar perch. On the way back up to the visitors centre we bumped into the flighty Redpoll flock near Fattengates, all Lessers as far as I could see.

Lesser Redpoll

Lapwing

Teal

A brief check of Waltham Brooks on the way home yielded four Tufted Ducks on the main lake and around 55 Lapwings in flight over Amberley. 

15th January

A whistle-stop tour of likely Waxwing sites around Pulborough before work this morning drew a blank again. It was a beautiful, crisp sunny winter's day so I couldn't resist getting out for a walk at lunchtime, to Waltham Brooks via the local farmland. No new species for the local year list, although I did add three species to the 1km from home list. First up a Little Egret circling overhead near the sewage works before heading south, then later two Shelduck flying downriver and finally two Grey Wagtails at the sewage works. On the lake it was usual fare, with a dozen Tufted Ducks the most noteworthy among the standard set of dabbling species.

Shelducks

16th January

No time for birding for work today, perhaps not too bad given it was -7c when I left the house! A lunchtime walk at Woods Mill in glorious sunshine did wonders for the soul, with four species added to my site list here including two Little Egrets which flew west, presumably looking for unfrozen water. Despite the cold, many species were singing and visibly pairing up including Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Collared Dove and Dunnock, and a Great Spotted Woodpecker was heard drumming. A lovely first winter Grey Wagtail was feeding around one of the frozen pools. 

Grey Wagtail

17th January

After dropping B at nursery first thing I headed up the Downs for a quick walk at The Burgh. Both Red-legged and Grey Partridge were added to the year list almost immediately, followed closely by a Hen Harrier ringtail which was quartering around the fields near Canada Barn. A little walk eastwards from the barn produced the usual array of small birds, including 100+ Linnet, 50+ Redwing and Fieldfare, ~200 Starling, and the odd Yellowhammer. Returning to my car I tried again to scope the Bewick's Swans down in the valley and sure enough found eight adults. There were also at least nine Cattle Egrets in the fields up towards Offham. All in all a very successful 45 minutes or so which produced five local year ticks and three eBird hotspot ticks.

Spot the Bewick's Swans!

Hen Harrier

A lunchtime check of the flooded field/scrape at Hadworth Farm/Bignor Park produced 26 species including at least six Snipe feeding in the grass by the water's edge - a new species for me here - plus 8 Wigeon, 4 Gadwall, 6 Coots and a Little Grebe on the flood. The local Ravens were again very active and vocal, flying in and out of Bignor Park. 

18th January

Another bitterly cold but beautiful morning with the deep frost lit up by golden sunshine. I decided on a bit of woodland birding after dropping B off at nursery this morning so headed over to Fittleworth for a brisk (very brisk!) walk there. It was largely uneventful but pleasant with highlights being a few Redpoll (uncooperatively not landing to allow me to check them for Mealy), Siskin, drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker and a tumbling pair of Ravens. Just as I was about to leave though, I caught sight of a male Goshawk drifting overhead, quite high, and only in view for a few seconds. This is a site I have seen the species at before, so it's reassuring to know they're still around. It really is amazing how fast the species seems to spreading in this area now, based on how often I bump into one without really looking for them.

A lunchtime check of Hadworth Farm/Bignor Park revealed the flooded field/scrape to be holding the largest number I've birds I've seen on it to date, including 37 Teal, eight Wigeon, four Gadwall and presumably the same Little Grebe as yesterday. 25 Canada Geese were gathered on the shore along with a single Greylag Goose.

The scrape at Hadworth Farm, West Burton

19th January

I was up near Haslemere for work this morning, so decided to drop in at Benbow Pond near Midhurst on the way home, to have a quick look for the Waxwings found by Penny Green at the weekend. I am starting to get just a little anxious I might miss out on seeing this species in what is proving to be a bumper winter for them - especially since my own attempts at finding some locally have so far proved unsuccessful. Today it wasn't to be either, although the area where they had been - a grove of massive old Lime trees absolutely draped in Mistletoe - was a pretty special spot and busy with Redwings, Mistle Thrushes and various small birds. The Black Swans down at the pond showed nicely anyway, as did a Buzzard low overhead.

Black Swan

Buzzard

A brief check of the private site near Petworth afterwards revealed the Long-tailed Duck to not be present, though there was an impressive 78 Shoveler and 32 Tufted Duck (plus a single Pochard), clearly evidence of birds displaced from frozen ponds and lakes elsewhere. Finally, a very quick look at the Hadworth Farm scrape revealed at least one Green Sandpiper and three Snipe still present, although duck numbers had reduced since yesterday, presumably owing to even greater ice cover. 

20th January

A whistle stop tour of local sites this morning, starting with a scan from the river bank near Greatham Bridge, which proved pretty quiet aside from seven Shoveler flying north. Next up, Hail's View to scan the South Brooks in the hope of locating the Water Pipit found by Alan Baker yesterday. Sadly no joy, but it was nice to catch up with Michael and Daniel Booker here. 20 Dunlin were out on the ice, a pretty remarkable count here for this time of year, and these and 30 or so Lapwing were flushed up by an adult White-tailed Eagle which flew through and landed in one of its favourite trees by the river. Very few ducks, which was unsurprising given the lack of unfrozen water. 

Talking of ducks, my last stop of the morning was the Hadworth Farm scrape, which I have been checking most days lately owing to it having a bit of a purple patch due to some remaining unfrozen water. Today produced undoubtedly the most birds I've seen there yet, including 72 Teal, 70 Canada Geese (and a single Greylag), nine Wigeon, a female Pintail and two Green Sandpipers again, one of which flew up and over my head a couple of times.

Green Sandpiper

Assorted wildfowl on the ice at Hadworth Farm

Later in the day, just as I had finished chopping some firewood in the garden I glanced up to see a Woodcock flying east, low overhead. A garden first and first for the 1k area list this year. 

Magic again?

The photos in this blog post say a lot about the time of year. Yes, as Christmas approaches, it's all getting very grey and very gloomy, and on sometimes it feels as though it's barely got light at all before the evening returns. 

Still, it's not all doom and gloom. We are now fully into meterological winter, and all that that entails, ornithologically-speaking. Wildfowl and thrushes have dominated this ten-day period, with increasing numbers of the former at local wetland sites and a late push of the latter, presumably due to colder weather further north. Surely there will be Waxwings turning up locally any day...

1st December

The first day of meteorological winter and it certainly felt like it, as daylight fell on a frosty landscape and the heavy grey sky again threatened snow (which never came). The main lake at Waltham Brooks held a ~75% covering of thin ice, meaning the 200 or so ducks present were huddled on the unfrozen northern side. Even a Marsh Harrier wasn't enough to spook them from their freezing stasis. There wasn't much else of note going on here really, despite the promise of some cold weather movement. Maybe tomorrow...

Teal and Mallard on the frozen lake at Waltham Brooks

On my way home from Woods Mill I briefly stuck my head in at Pulborough, specifically Wiggonholt Common and the Triangle, in the hope of finding some finches, specifically Redpolls. It might have escaped your notice but there is currently a pretty impressive influx of Mealy Redpoll going on, a species I haven't seen for several years. Today I only managed to find a group of four Lesser Redpoll, although one rather streakier, colder-toned bird did have me going for a short while. 

2nd December

Not loads of birding today, partly owing to other commitments but also not helped by the thick fog which only got worse as the day went on, aside from a brief bit of brightness around lunchtime. A short local walk with B in the morning produced a Raven and a couple of small Redwing flocks.

En route to my mum's late morning we briefly stopped off at one of my old haunts, Cutt Mill Ponds near Farnham, where I found ten Goosanders (one drake) right in the middle of The Tarn. Sadly I only had my little bridge camera with me, so not brilliant photos!

Goosanders

3rd December

A good stomp around Pulborough this morning with Paul Davy and Steve Baines produced 64 species, with highlights including the lingering White-fronted Goose trio (more often found at Amberley recently) showing reasonably well from West Mead, one of the adult White-tailed Eagles in a tree by the river (briefly showing off its gleaming white tail in flight before returning to its perch), a female Merlin on the deck on the South Brooks, 10 Dunlin, ~50 Black-tailed Godwits, and singles of Great White Egret, Peregrine and Marsh Harrier. It was great to run into Pulborough veteran Jon Winder too, who I've not seen for several months. 

White-fronted Geese

A brief half hour stop off at the private reservoir near Petworth early afternoon revealed the female Long-tailed Duck still present for at least its 35th day, along with a female Pintail (only my fifth record of this species here), ten Shoveler, 27 Tufted Duck and just a single female Pochard. Quite a change from 57 of the latter species here just a few weeks back. 

4th December

Not much birding today owing to time constraints and poor weather. It was also another one of those winter days where it felt like it never got properly light before the evening started to rear its head again by around 3pm. 

An early afternoon stroll over to Waltham Brooks from home proved fairly quiet (and murky) with highlights of half a dozen Tufted Duck and 35 Gadwall on the main lake, and a flock of a dozen Siskin flying about. A single male Stonechat was in the scrub near the railway line. 

Tufted Duck

5th December

For fear of repeating myself... it was another gloomy, damp start to the day, so I headed out for a quick sweep of some local water bodies before work. The farm scrape at West Burton - now very flooded - held half a dozen Coots and a pair of Gadwall, while a quick look at Burton Mill Pond revealed the usual Great Crested Grebe pair, two Little Grebes, 40 Cormorants leaving roost, and a Cetti's Warbler calling in the reed. Finally, at the private reservoir near Petworth, the female Long-tailed Duck was still present for at least her 37th day.

Later in the day a Snipe flew south-west over the garden, while a lunchtime walk out to the nearby farmland produced a little flock of Wigeon (~20) and two Mute Swans in flight over Waltham Brooks and flock of around 30 Siskins which flew over towards Lodge Hill. 

6th December

Not loads of birding today but I did manage to squeeze in half an hour at Waltham Brooks before work, and I was glad I did as the forecast fog didn't materialise and it was actually a beautifully crisp and sunny winter's morning. Within minutes of entering the reserve I picked up a high flying falcon powering north-west overhead - a lovely adult male Merlin. Only my third record of the species here. This was followed a little while later by a heard-only Brambling flying over. On and around the lake it was business as usual with at least three Tufted Ducks still bobbing up and down among the dabblers, and at least two each of Water Rail and Cetti's Warbler calling in the marginal vegetation.

Merlin

Song Thrush

7th December

En route to dropping B off at nursery this morning I noticed a lone Cattle Egret in a cow field that I check pretty much every day in passing from the car. Nice when that happens!

A lunchtime walk round Woods Mill before the worst of the rain set in produced singles of Firecrest and Chiffchaff, a good number of Redwings, a few Fieldfares, and a reserve tick Lesser Black-backed Gull flying west. 

8th December

Another beautiful crisp morning which, although a little frosty first thing, soon turned into a pleasantly mild and mostly sunny day. A quick wander over to Waltham Brooks from home before work proved relatively quiet, with half a dozen Tufted Ducks still on the main lake and a flock of 22 Fieldfares plus a few Redwings about. 

Sunrise over Watersfield/Waltham Brooks

Later in the day while tidying up by the shed at home, I inadvertently disturbed a Herald moth from its hibernation spot in a stack of cardboard. After taking a couple of photos I popped it back in a safe spot.

Herald

9th December

Not lots of birding today but I did manage a brief check of a couple of local water bodies late morning. The scrape at Hadworth Farm - now very full! - held a pair of Teal (new for me at this site) plus a Grey Heron and a few Mallards. Rather appallingly, on the distant shore was a group of 38 Pheasants.

Continuing the landfowl theme, the private reservoir and farmland near Petworth held a covey of nine Red-legged Partridges, but sadly the long-staying Long-tailed Duck appeared to have finally departed after around 40 days here. 

Red-legged Partridges

10th December

A break in the rain (forecast again for late morning) allowed for a good stomp around Pulborough Brooks for a couple of hours this morning, which produced 63 species. Wildfowl were well represented, especially Pintail, of which there were at least 190 around, mostly on the North Brooks. Also on the North Brooks were ~290 roosting Black-tailed Godwits, while highlights on the South Brooks were a Kingfisher and a male Marsh Harrier. The most notable bird of the morning though was Redwing, with a surprising late push of birds seemingly vismigging overhead, mostly going west/north-west. At least 520 flew over in the two hours I was on-site, including a single flock of ~150 high north-west.

Redwing

Pintail

A late afternoon visit to Burton Mill Pond with Mrs Matt and B again reminded me how great this site can be, with pretty much the first bird we saw being a/the red-ringed Great White Egret in flight towards the north-east corner - presumably 'ACA' from Somerset again, although I never got a chance to read the ring code. The usual Cormorants, Starlings and Pied Wagtails were gathering to roost, while a few Little Egrets drifted south to roost. At about 15:50 an explosion of Woodpigeons from the trees all around had me looking up, just in time to see a beast of a Goshawk powering west over the mill house before disappearing over the trees towards Burton Park Farm. My second record of the species here (previously on 31st January this year) and in exactly the same circumstances as the last one; a bird heading purposefully west at dusk. Unfortunately, I was a bit slow with the camera which, combined with the poor light, meant I only managed a very ropey record shot. 

Goshawk

The season of letting go

So then, farewell to October. At a pinch one of my absolute favourite months of the year and which this year produced five local year ticks and a pleasing selection of memorable moments, in spite of birding with my arm in a sling for the most part and being unable to drive. 

This last ten-day period of the month always feels somewhat tinged with melancholy. It's hard not to feel as though autumn has peaked somewhat by the last week of October and that we are inescapably careering into the long darkness of winter, especially when the clocks change and any last hopes of evening birding are extinguished for the next three or four months. 

This year, October went out with a bang, as a series of Atlantic weather systems brought torrential rain which, combined with a period of spring tides, saw the Arun overtopping its banks in many places in the Pulborough area. The flooding in turn attracted my first local Little Gull of the year on the 31st - just a couple of days after my second local record of Long-tailed Duck in two years - and I finally joined the Short-eared Owl party in what looks to be the best autumn/winter for the species in several years. 

21st October

Not loads of time for birding today owing to family stuff but the loop from home to Waltham Brooks and back through the farmland produced a few bits of interest. Over 200 ducks were on the main lake at Waltham, mostly Teal and Mallard though with a handful of Shoveler (2), Gadwall (3-4) and Wigeon (8) mixed in. They were very flighty and at one stage had a single Snipe among them as they flew circuits around the place. Oddly, the only raptors noted were two rather distant Red Kites, so I'm not entirely sure what the wildfowl were getting upset about! A few Siskins and Redpolls were about and there were two Stonechats in the scrub near the railway line.

Wigeon

                                            

Teal

22nd October

No real birding today but notable by their movement at both Bignor and Fittleworth during family activities were a steady stream of Red Admirals moving through, mostly south-west.

23rd October

I was at Knepp all day today for an excellent beaver workshop so not much birding time, but of note here were three Fieldfares and a single Siskin over towards the western side of the estate (near the beaver enclosure, in fact). 

Here be beavers!

24th October

A mixed bag this morning started with 80 minutes' vismigging from the high ground above Watersfield. It was generally fairly quiet, certainly in terms of thrushes and finches, though there was a distinct increase in Woodpigeons and Stock Doves moving south-west, though still only modest numbers (150 and 69, respectively). Best of all were 20 Pintail (15 south/5 north) over Lodge Hill which may have been local wintering birds arriving in the area, but it was still quite cool to see them 'migging' over open country.

A stroll over to Waltham Brooks later in the morning produced a Great White Egret dropping in near the main lake, a few Skylarks and Siskins over, and a flock of 40 Wigeon flying towards Widney Brooks. A Woodlark flew north-east over the farmland near home. My seventh record of this species within the 1km area in the past four weeks - pretty remarkable!

An evening vigil at Thorndale Bridge proved to be enjoyable but didn't yield the hoped-for Short-eared Owl, despite one seen upriver near Pulborough this afternoon. At least six Marsh Harriers flew past to roost, while one of the adult White-tailed Eagles was upsetting the geese over at Amberley and a Yellowhammer flew over among the many Reed Buntings heading to roost. 

25th October

Rain early morning was slow to clear but mid-morning I headed up to Alban Head for a couple of hours' vismigging which proved quite lively. Highlights were two more single Woodlarks east, 54 Wigeon north (20, 11 and 23), 31 Fieldfare north/north-west and a few Redpolls about. I also heard Crossbill but didn't see it. Back home for lunch and another Woodlark flew north/north-east past the bedroom window. It really is remarkable how many records of this species I've had locally recently.

Another late afternoon session on the river bank at Thorndale Bridge wasn't quite as exciting as yesterday but produced a single juvenile Marsh Harrier, a White-tailed Eagle in the usual tree over at Amberley, around 100 Teal flying upriver and a pair of Mandarins flying downriver. 

26th October

A late start this morning owing to unwelcome rain which put paid to any planned attempts at another proper vismig session. I decided instead to head to Waltham Brooks via the local farmland. Almost immediately I realised there were actually a few bits moving after the rain with first a couple of Grey Wagtails west followed by a Peregrine circling briefly overhead before flying towards Amberley. Even better, this was followed around ten minutes later by a smart adult Mediterranean Gull cruising south with a couple of Black-headed Gulls - my fifth 1km area record this year and the first since June. 

As I approached the railway line at Waltham Brooks I heard a Golden Plover calling somewhere to the east but never got eyes on it. Still, it was my 133rd species for the reserve. It proved quite lively here this morning, with 57 species recorded in two hours including Kingfisher, Marsh Harrier, Water Rail and two Stonechats. Wigeon numbers have really increased locally now, as evidenced by the flock of ~200 which flew north, in addition to the 11 kicking about on the reserve. A distant second winter Great Black-backed Gull south-west over Lodge Hill was only my second record for the reserve. 

Looking west from the river bank at Waltham Brooks

Greatham Bridge

Late afternoon I again headed over to Thorndale Bridge in the hope of a Short-eared Owl but no such luck. In fact the only real highlight here was a lone juvenile Marsh Harrier which powered south over Amberley, presumably heading to roost.

27th October

Kate kindly dropped me at Pulborough Brooks this morning for a couple of hours, my first visit here for almost three weeks! It's amazing to think that once upon a time I could barely tolerate missing a day here. The water levels had increased a great deal since my last visit and all the action was on the now very wet South Brooks which held two Ruff, five Dunlin and around 80 Black-tailed Godwits among the usual Lapwings and wildfowl. It was nice to see quite a few Pintail among the ducks here (at least ten) including my first proper smart drakes of the season. At least five each of Redpoll and Fieldfare were about around the trail while the North Brooks was curiously quiet save for a couple of hundred Canada Geese and a lone Shelduck. 

Another early evening stakeout on the river at Thorndale Bridge again proved fruitless on the owl front but I was rewarded for wading almost up to welly depth through flood water by a smart adult male Marsh Harrier (plus sub-adult male and juvenile) hunting just the other side of the river, flushing 25 Snipe in the process. 

Marsh Harrier

Snipe

Nocmig has been very quiet so far this autumn, but last night the microphone picked up a nice Barn Owl calling close to the garden. 

28th October

Family stuff today so no real birding but a short local walk early afternoon produced a Marsh Harrier briefly circling over Watersfield before drifting north-west over Lodge Hill. 

29th October

A very wet night gave way to a morning of sunny spells and squally showers. A short break in the downpours allowed for a quick check of the private reservoir near Petworth (thanks to a lift from Mrs Matt) which produced a couple of surprises. Firstly, a late Swallow over the ploughed field to the north of the reservoir which also held 25 Pied Wagtails and a few Meadow Pipits and Linnets. Secondly, a Long-tailed Duck on the reservoir itself. This was particularly unexpected, as it's coming up a year to when I found one here during a WeBS count in November 2022, that bird went on to stay until the end of December. I really struggle with aging and sexing female type Long-tailed Ducks in winter garb, so would welcome any comment, but have included photos below of today's bird and last winter's bird. Could it be the same one? If so, the likelihood is it surely must be a roaming feral bird. If not, perhaps today's is a genuine storm-blown individual which by some extraordinary coincidence has found its way to the same site as its predecessor. Otherwise, it is was usual fare on the reservoir, though a Great Crested Grebe was my first here since July. 

Today's Long-tailed Duck

And the 2022 bird...

Pied Wagtail

30th October

More heavy rain this morning delayed me heading out on foot from home, and scrapping my planned attempt at a vismig session. Instead I did the full loop out to Waltham Brooks, around the main lake and down the river bank. The water levels had increased dramatically since my last visit, with some of the paths entirely impassable (I had to get out onto the road in order to access the river bank from the north-western corner of the reserve. Avian highlights included a late group of eight Swallows feeding over the river and the north-western side of Amberley, a flock of ~40 Fieldfares over Greatham Bridge and good numbers of ducks - perhaps unsurprising given the water! Around 90 Wigeon flew north while at least 140 Teal were flying about plus a few Shoveler and Gadwall. As I was heading bak from the river bank towards the sewage works a Hummingbird Hawkmoth whizzed past heading purposefully south towards Amberley. 

Looking across the swollen River Arun towards Amberley

A very flooded Waltham Brooks

Continuing the theme of summer migrant stragglers, while working on the computer at home mid-afternoon I glanced up and out of the window towards Waltham Brooks and noticed a bird that on initial appearance seemed to be moving like a large hirundine. When I got bins on and realised it was a falcon and that it was clearly feeding on flying insects, the penny dropped that I was looking at my latest ever Hobby in the UK! I watched it for a minute or two before it drifted off south and I lost it behind trees. 

Late afternoon I decided to attempt my first drive for over a month. I didn't go far but had a quick look at the now very flooded scrape at Hadworth Farm in West Burton (my first check of this site since it dried up back in May) which produced a distant Green Sandpiper, a pair of Gadwall and seven Red-legged Partridge - the latter a good bird this close to home. I don't tend to see many of them away from the Downs round here. I then carried on a bit further to Burton Mill Pond, for my first visit here since before my accident (so around six weeks). An hour stakeout from the viewing platform produced the usual Cormorants flying in to roost (51 tonight) plus a few Little Egrets (9), Pied Wagtails (at least 25), Starlings (70) and Jackdaws (230). Two Water Rails were squealing in the reeds and a Kingfisher flew across the pond a couple of times.

Green Sandpiper

Little Egrets

31st October

A mostly fine morning after overnight rain and seemingly the last calm one of the week, with stormy conditions on the way as October gives way to November. I started this morning's local birding session with a relatively short vismig session up at Alban Head to the west of Watersfield. Despite the clement conditions, there really didn't appear to be much moving at all, despite some large counts of Woodpigeon in other locations in the south this morning. Highlights from 90 minutes here were singles of Crossbill and Yellowhammer north-west and a few Skylarks going in various directions, and two Red Admirals. 

I decided to head up to Watersfield Common and Waltham Park for a bit of a change, in the hope of finding some finches and other passerines. Watersfield Common delivered straight away with a single Crossbill and a flock of at least 15 Lesser Redpoll, followed by two showy Firecrests. Crossbill featured again at Waltham Park with one flying south at the same moment two late House Martins flew high south-east - not quite my latest ever in the UK but it's still pretty remarkable I've had Hobby and two hirundine species on the last two days of October! Other bits from here were seven Siskin and 11 Redpoll flying over, presumably all Lesser.             

A great little afternoon session up at Pulborough proved to be a perfect way to finish my October local birding campaign. I'd actually just popped up to the village to get a few bits from the shops when news broke of a Little Gull over the floodwater between the North Brooks and the village hall. I dashed down to near our old house and quickly picked up the gull - an adult - resting on the water, before taking flight again and hawking for a few minutes. It repeated this routine a few times before eventually flying off with a small group of Black-headed Gulls. While this was going on my attention was drawn to a bird sailing right over my head which I quickly realised was a Short-eared Owl! Steve Chalmers reported one from his nearby garden a few days ago and presumably the same bird was seen over the North Brooks at the weekend, so it wasn't a surprise to see, but something about an SEO always gets the blood pumping! It dropped in towards the river bank where it was promptly chased off by a Magpie, then it gained height and flew towards the North Brooks. Here it continued to gained height, with an irate Rook in tow, until it was just a dot, then drifted off south - presumably in search of somewhere less flooded to hunt.

Short-eared Owl

Little Gull