Moving on

11th June

Something always feels like it has turned come the second and third weeks of June. Usually it means the final drying up of any hopes of spring goodies arriving, but evidently spring 2024 still has a few more tricks up its sleeve (more on that shortly).

Today I was out early to carry out my final farmland bird survey visit of the year. The forecast was clear and cold, with a particularly fresh northerly wind. In the end, it actually wasn't too bad, and felt relatively warm in the sunshine once it got going. The destination was the farmland between Byworth, Haslingbourne and Shopham Bridge. An area I have described on this blog before as feeling pretty promising for a host of interesting species (I've had Cuckoo, Nightingale, Lesser Whitethroat and flyover Whimbrel here on previous visits). It's certainly got a bit more of a 'certain something' about it than other areas I've visited for survey purposes over the years. I also recently discovered the area hosted a lingering male Red-backed Shrike for several weeks back in 2008. 

Today, the star bird was somewhat less sensational but still very welcome, as I finally caught up with my first local Little Owls of the year - not just one but two! The first was silhouetted against the early morning sky, perched atop a narrow metal post and looking for all the world like a fixed ornament of some kind, until it turned its head! The second bird was a fair way west of this one, and perched on a telegraph pole, quite a distance from my viewpoint.

Little Owl

As I was finishing up the survey, I received an unexpected text from Joe Hobden at the RSPB informing me that volunteer Toby Stapleton had just reported a possible Savi's Warbler singing at Pulborough, so I of course raced straight down there. Arriving at Nettley's hide, I found Toby still there, but sadly he hadn't heard anything from the bird for around half an hour and there was no further sign in the time I had available to sit and listen. It would have to be an evening visit.

As luck would have it, I had already made plans to catch up with Ed and Abel later in the day and we had left the destination suitably undecided - depending on the weather - so of course we figured it made sense to head back to Pulborough. Half an hour or so at Nettley's hide produced no sight nor sound of the bird but a text from Matt Eade alerted us to the fact it was in fact audible from the Hanger viewpoint. Racing back up there, we found Matt with Gareth James both cupping their hands to their ears and listening intently. Within a couple of minutes we had all heard it - just about! Thankfully, Joe the warden was on hand again to help and guided us to a spot a little closer to where the sound was coming from, and we got definite ears on what was undoubtedly the mechanical whirring song of a Savi's Warbler - a Sussex tick for most of those present! Amazingly, it also represented my 160th species locally this year, what a way to reach that milestone!

12th June

A late start this morning and, with negative news of the Savi's Warbler at Pulborough, I decided instead to check in at Waltham Brooks for the first time in a few days. A Cuckoo was still singing over towards the river while the lake held eight Tufted Ducks. As I started wandering about to check the scrubby areas, a message alerted me to the fact the Savi's had been relocated at Pulborough, a fair bit closer than yesterday evening by the sounds of it. I had to go back! 

Racing down the path towards the river bank I spied Chris and Juliet Moore and others all gathered in a line looking over the mixed reeds and rushes to the south. Sure enough, after 15-20 minutes wait the bird sang again, really much clearer than yesterday. Unfortunately it didn't show for me there but, as I was leaving, I decided to quickly stick my head in at the dipping platform and not only heard the bird even more clearly but also glimpsed it very briefly perched up in full view near the top of the vegetation. Result!

13th June

An early morning walk out from home to Thorndale Bridge and Waltham Brooks today, in memory of the one year anniversary of finding a singing Marsh Warbler near Thorndale Bridge last year. What a difference though in terms of the weather from a year ago today, which as I remember was sunny and really quite warm. This morning was mostly cloudy, breezy and not at all warm! There was also, unsurprisingly, no Marsh Warbler to be found, but still a few bits about including a family group of Sedge Warblers, two singing male Cuckoos, a heard-only Kingfisher along the river and a Great White Egret in full breeding plumage at the main lake at Waltham Brooks. The Egret was also bearing a red colour ring on its left, identifying it as one from the Somerset Levels. 

14th June

Just a brief birding session this morning, and the destination was Amberley Wildbrooks, hoping to catch up with the Quail reported by Daniel Boon a couple of days ago. I walked up the Wey-South Path beyond the Swamp but couldn't hear any sound from it, if indeed it was still present. Mind you, the brisk wind wasn't helping. It was also amazing how much surface water and mud was present again on the path after the overnight rain. Is it really the middle of June? A Cuckoo was still singing near the castle, a Nightingale called briefly at the Swamp and a couple of Sand Martins flew south-west into the wind. 

15th June

Another day without much birding. A brief check of the private reservoir near Petworth in showery conditions mid-morning produced little of note, although an adult Mediterranean Gull flying north as I was leaving was only my third record of the species at this site. Otherwise there were plenty of Swifts feeding over the reservoir and surrounding fields. 

In the evening I was at Knepp to lead a dusk safari. The forecast didn't look great but in the end we dodged any further showers. The clear highlight of the evening was, hands down, my best ever UK encounter with Turtle Dove as purring alerted us to the presence of a nearby male which then flew and revealed two in flight together. No sooner had these two settled together in another nearby tree than they flew again, this time with a third bird in tow! Seemingly an interloping male being chased out of an active territory as soon what was the original pair returned to the tree and engaged in several minutes' of preening, courtship feeding and even mating. Just breathtaking. Only slight downside was that I only had my little bridge camera not my DSLR, otherwise I would have easily taken my best ever Turtle Dove photos instead of rather grainy record shots!

Turtle Doves

16th June

An early start this morning saw me heading first to Amberley for another attempt at the Quail. Sadly there was again no sign of it but a very showy Cattle Egret flew up from the cattle near the Swamp, where a Nightingale was also whistling away and a Lesser Whitethroat was still singing. A light passage of some 25 or so Swifts moved through, heading west/south-west.

Cattle Egret

Next up, I headed over to Pulborough for another go at the linger Savi's Warbler, present for at least its sixth day. As I approached the dipping platform along Adder Alley I could hear the bird reeling but, despite spending an hour down on the viewing platform - where it was great to catch up with Tice's Meadow stalwart John Hunt - the bird never showed itself. The highlight here aside from occasional burst of song from the Savi's, was a Peregrine flying overhead clutching what looked like a juvenile Starling. Photos of the bird revealed it was bearing a green darvic leg ring. I'll investigate where that may have come from. With a dark cloud moving in from the west I decided to make a break for the relative cover of the Hanger, just as the heavens opened. On the North Brooks I found five Avocets and a single Green Sandpiper, the latter the first early indications of return wader passage starting to slip into gear. 

Peregrine

Leaving Pulborough, I headed for a favourite skywatch viewpoint for an attempt at Honey Buzzarding, but the weather had other ideas. Although the sun was warm when it broke through, it just never felt like the morning was going to properly settle down and warm up, and there was still that cool and brisk breeze. There were quite a few Common Buzzards and Red Kites getting up on the meagre thermals, but otherwise it felt very quiet. 

17th June

Just a quick birding session before work today, at Waltham Brooks, the highlight of which was a noisy group of fledgling Cetti's Warblers flicking about in brambles near the lake. On the lake itself were a single Tufted Duck and some 27 Mallards. Otherwise not much else to report here really, although it was lovely to feel warm in the sunshine for a change - it almost felt like summer!

Cetti's Warbler

A lunchbreak skywatch from the garden produced singles of Hobby and White-tailed Eagle drifting about. 

18th June

I was at Arlington Reservoir for much of today, at a South East Water landowner advisor event. Sadly there wasn't much time for birding but I did note Kingfisher, Reed Warbler and Great Black-backed Gull during my lunch break. 

On the way home I stopped off for another brief stroll at Amberley Wildbrooks, again entering from near the castle and walking up past the Swamp. The single Cattle Egret from the other day had increased to three and it was quite entertaining to watch them picking flies off the faces of the cows, like Oxpeckers. Other bits of note here were a singing Lesser Whitethroat, and a few Swifts and House Martins overhead. 

Cattle Egrets

19th June

Today I was at Rye Harbour all day for a work staff meeting. Highlights from a couple of walks round the reserve included terns a plenty - Little, Common and Sandwich, plus very cute Oystercatcher chicks, Avocets and a Hobby. A ringing demonstration in the afternoon produced a couple of Lesser Whitethroats and a juvenile male Kingfisher.

Common Terns

Sandwich Tern

An evening walk from Kithurst Hill towards The Burgh and back produced at least three calling juvenile Tawny Owls and multiple Red-legged Partridge and Grey Partridge.

Looking west from south of Kithurst Hill

 20th June

A check of the private reservoir over near Petworth didn't produce much this morning. Then it was onwards to East Sussex for a work meeting, which saw me stopping for a lunch break walk at Arlington Reservoir where I found the usual selection of geese on the water along with at least eight Great Crested Grebes and three Great Black-backed Gulls. A Nightingale was calling in the scrub near the hide. 

Yellowhammer

Three private woodland sites in the High Weald were the destination for my walking meeting in the afternoon, the highlights of which were a Hawfinch, a fledgling Nightingale and a few Marsh Tits. 

In like a lion

1st March

Here we are then, at last - the first day of meterological spring, and it was another wet and squally start to the day. In fact, most of the day really! In the gaps in the (sometimes very heavy and haily) showers I managed to sneak in quick looks at Waltham Brooks, Bignor Park scrape and Amberley. The latter was still holding lots of Dunlin (30 or more), three Ruff and a Great White Egret but there was still no further sign of the Turnstone from earlier in the week. A burst of sunshine just as I was heading home coaxed quite a few raptors into the air including 4-5 each of Red Kite and Buzzard and one of the White-tailed Eagles. Otherwise, rather meagre highlights from earlier in the day were five Tufted Ducks on the lake at Waltham Brooks and a Little Grebe and ~35-40 Siskins at Bignor Park. 

Amberley Wildbrooks

2nd March

A really unpleasant start to the day with wind and heavy rain saw me enjoying an unusually lazy start to the day before heading down to Havant for a morning of family stuff. By the time we got to where we were going, the weather had actually markedly improved and the sun was even breaking through a bit. A text came through from Steve Chalmers informing me of two Black-necked Grebes on the South Brooks at Pulborough. Oh no! Just four months on from the Slavonian Grebe at the end of last year - my previous Pulborough tick - here was another grebe species new for my Pulborough list, and I was 30-odd miles away. Luckily the birds hung around and I was able to enjoy good views (albeit distant) from Hail's View mid-afternoon, with the pair even displaying to one another a few times. It's been a while since I've seen that! Also of note here were a singing Firecrest and a few Siskins in the alders near the viewpoint. It was great to catch up with Steve himself too, who was rightly very pleased with his find - although I must acknowledge Steve Baines who picked up the birds first off, but wasn't able to clinch the ID in the foul weather. I have been there before and know just how frustrating it can be!

Black-necked Grebes

3rd March

A deep frost this morning, meaning it took several minutes of scraping to clear the car windscreen. First stop was the private reservoir over near Petworth which was pretty much the emptiest I have ever seen it -  hosting just five Little Grebes, and singles of Coot and Canada Goose. I didn't stay long and instead decided to dash back over to Pulborough to see if the grebes were still about. En route I went through some pretty dense fog patches and my hopes were not high that the visibility would be much good when I arrived. Pulborough village was surprisingly clear but, sure enough, scanning from by the visitor centre revealed a blanket of fog hugging low over the South Brooks. It gradually lifted enough to reveal no sign of the BNGs, perhaps not surprisingly, although a pair of Lesser Black-backed Gulls were a sure sign of spring, as was the very welcome sound of a Woodlark singing over the heath - the first one I've heard here this year. It was a relief for RSPB warden James too, as he told me recently he was getting anxious that they might not return this year. 

Fast forward to early afternoon and I found myself with another little window of free time. By the now the day had warmed up considerably, with the spells of sunshine helping drive the temperature up into double figures. I had to drop Kate and B off in Bury so decided on a lunchtime session at Amberley, viewing from the south side. No sooner had I arrived than I picked up a ringtail Hen Harrier circling quite close over the southern edge of the flood water. To my amazement, it circled higher and drifted closer, until it wasn't far off directly overhead, before straightening its course and heading purposefully south towards the Downs. Easily my best ever views of the species locally, and possibly anywhere in fact!

Hen Harrier

On the way home I briefly stopped off for a check of the Bignor Park scrape which revealed a pair of Egyptian Geese with five very fluffy young - my first 'FL' breeding code on eBird of the year, always a special moment!

Egyptian Goose family

4th March

Thick fog enveloped the lower levels locally this morning so, after dropping B off at nursery, I decided on a quick jaunt up at The Burgh, which I found to be bathed in glorious sunshine. In fact, despite only being 8.30 in the morning, I actually felt quite overdressed within a few minutes of leaving my car. A couple of Grey Partridges sounded my arrival, while Chaffinches and Yellowhammers jinked and jangled in the hedgerows. It's always good to be back up here. 

Today I did the short loop from Canada Barn up to the main north-south path to the south of Rackham Hill then back via the little copse. There were hundreds of gulls down in the valley south of the Dew Pond, mostly Common Gull and Black-headed Gull as far as I could see. Red Kites were, as usual, the most abundant raptor, though a Merlin was a nice bonus dashing through over Canada Barn as I got back to my car. 

Merlin

A lunchtime walk round the fields near home proved fairly uneventful on the bird front, aside from a few Buzzards getting up in the warm sunshine. There were quite a few invertebrates on the wing though, including a Peacock butterfly. 

5th March

Not much birding today, but a brief look at Woods Mill lake in my lunch break produced a pair of Little Grebes and a Chiffchaff, the latter singing somewhat hesitantly.

6th March

The shift to easterly winds saw the inevitable lingering morning fog rearing its head, which precluded any early morning birding today. I got out at lunch for a walk over to Waltham Brooks, where I found at least two each of Tufted Duck and Little Grebe on the very flooded main lake and Chiffchaffs dotted about all over the place. Viewing from the window at home later on in the afternoon I noted a Raven flying over towards Amberley (strangely my first this month!) and a couple of Sparrowhawks displaying.

7th March

Another foggy start to the day so I decided to try for a quick scoot around up Chantry Hill on my way to Woods Mill, thinking I would discover the summit to be above the fog. Sadly it wasn't to be, and the 20 minutes I had time for up here was a rather wasted little session, although it was nice to glimpse and hear a few Corn Buntings through the murk.

Yellowhammer in the fog

Come lunchtime it had turned into a lovely early spring afternoon so I made sure to get out of the office for a stroll round the Woods Mill reserve which produced a singing Chiffchaff, three Buzzards getting up on the thermals and a female Stonechat along the stream - a first for me here. 

Stonechat

It was still plenty light enough after work for a brief look at the South Brooks from the tea terrace. The amount of flood water had gone up again since the weekend, and the few Lapwings still about were looking rather bewildered where their prospective nest sites had gone. Three Avocets on an island at West Mead were my first locally this year, as was a Redshank flying from one tiny bit of exposed land to another. 

Sunset over a flooded Pulborough Brooks

8th March

A big walk home from Pulborough this morning proved somewhat frustrating, despite the beautiful weather, not least because my planned route was scuppered by impassable flooding meaning I had to walk along the noisy A29 rather more than I'd hoped. Amazingly, within spitting distance of the road I did pick up a couple of singing Firecrests, Chiffchaffs and even a Cetti's Warbler in brambles by the railway line in Hardham. A Redshank was heard but not seen at Widney Brooks. Several Chiffchaffs were singing here and at Waltham Brooks too, it certainly feels as though this species has properly begun to arrive on its breeding grounds in recent days, rather than just dispersing from wintering grounds.

In the afternoon a brief check of Fittleworth Water Meadows revealed a displaying Lapwing, while Bignor Park scrape still held the Egyptian Goose family but not much else. Finally, a check of the flooded meadow near Swan Bridge in Pulborough late afternoon produced my first local Mediterranean Gull of the year - an adult - feeding among 80 or so Black-headed Gulls.

Mediterranean Gull

9th March

An early stroll round the local fields near home didn't produce too much excitement aside from a couple of singing Chiffchaffs, a Kestrel, and a Lesser Black-backed Gull north-east. 

Later in the day I checked out the private reservoir near Petworth in the hope of a bit of wader action but there was similarly nothing much doing, aside from four Gadwall, a pair of Shoveler and a Great Crested Grebe. Again, a Chiffchaff was singing in the bushes nearby, as this species starts to make its presence known at many of my regular spots. A quick look at the scrape at Bignor Park/Hadworth Farm revealed a Green Sandpiper. 

10th March

Today was looking promising. For several days, the promise of north-easterly wind combined with some fairly steady rain from mid-morning looked a bit tasty and I had Little Gull on my mind up until yesterday afternoon. Unfortunately the forecast didn't quite deliver and had changed by this morning. There was still the easterly wind but no rain. After a very quiet WeBS count in Petworth I decided on a proper session at Burton Mill Pond - this always takes a minimum of 80-90 minutes to take in the three ponds and I just don't often have that kind of time lately, certainly not on weekdays. 44 species was the total here this morning, with highlights including a singing Woodlark, at least eight Mandarins (a good count here) and some 120 or more Siskins. In fact, one Alder tree by Black Pond had a minimum of 60 Siskins in it!

Then I checked out Waltham Brooks briefly which held eleven Tufted Ducks and a few dabbling ducks, singing Chiffchaff etc, as well as a pair of Lesser Black-backed Gulls flying up and down the river. 

Water, water everywhere

 11th February

WeBS day today, so I headed over to Petworth at first light to do my monthly count on the private reservoir there. It was pretty disappointing to be honest, with just ten Coots, 24 Shoveler and a couple of Little Grebes. Two each of Canada Goose and Egyptian Goose which flew over the farmland as I walked to the reservoir didn't even meet the criteria to be added to the count. Otherwise, a few Fieldfares, Redwings and Yellowhammers made up the highlights from a rather paltry total of 30 species.  

A brief check of Burton Mill Pond and Hadworth Farm/Bignor Park scrape on the way home proved a little more rewarding, particularly the latter where a Great White Egret flew in to join two Grey Herons already feeding at the edge of the scrape (spooking the lingering Green Sandpiper in the process!). A new species for me here. A couple of Ravens flew over towards Bignor Park, tumbling and calling.

Great White Egret

Green Sandpiper and Great White Egret

12th February

The first clear and frosty morning for a while turned into the most beautiful, sunny, late winter/early spring day. I even managed to work on my laptop in the garden for an hour or so early afternoon!

Two bites of the cherry at Pulborough Brooks (20 minutes or so from by the visitor centre before work and half an hour by the village hall at lunchtime) failed to turn up any sign of the pair of Goldeneye found by a volunteer Rob King yesterday. A real local rarity these days, these represented the first record of the species at Pulborough since the dubious 'are they/aren't they' quartet in October 2021, and before that, well, it was somewhere in the region of 15 years. A nice consolation came in the form of two Great Crested Grebes on the North Brooks (my first anywhere locally this year, incredibly) and a Barn Owl sleepily perched at the entrance of a nest box along the river.

The flood between Pulborough village and the North Brooks

A brief look at a local raptor watchpoint produced a nice displaying pair of Sparrowhawks, a few Buzzards and a couple of Red Kites, but not the hoped-for Goshawk. 

The clear highlight of the day though, came rather out of the blue, when I was putting the bin out at home just after 8pm and heard what I initially took to be a distant dog barking, before realising it was the call of a Brent Goose! I stopped in my tracks and listened in wonder as what sounded like a small-ish flock clearly flew north-east quite high overhead, calling occasionally until the sounded faded away into the distance towards Pulborough. One of those spectacular 'migration in action' moments where one can only pause and ponder the extraordinary journey those birds have ahead of them, after spending the winter on the south coast. Also a rare 'three list' tick in the form of garden, 10km year and 1km year. What a result!      

13th February

A brief look at a very flooded Waltham Brooks before work proved quite productive, with 45 species noted in just over half an hour. The flood water had risen to such an extent as to make circumnavigation of much of the reserve pretty much impossible. As such, and as I was short on time, I checked by the lake first then drove up to Greatham Bridge for another scan before heading on to Woods Mill for work. A Green Sandpiper flying up from near Greatham Bridge was a 1km year tick, as was the heard-only Little Grebe giving its Whimbrel-like call somewhere out on the flood. Four Tufted Ducks and a single Snipe made up the other highlights, although a flock of waders flying north from Amberley towards Pulborough looked interesting, but were too distant to get much on them, especially as they kept disappearing behind trees.  

Long-tailed Tit

14th February

Not much to love about the weather today (see what I did there?), as yesterday afternoon and evening's rain continued into a murky, drizzly and quite windy morning. I had hoped to get up the Downs but, seeing as they were entirely enshrouded in fog, I decided instead to drop in at Pulborough, specifically the Black Wood/Hail's View end, in order to scan the flooded South Brooks. Visibility was poor - so much so that I struggled even to see the far banks of the Arun from the viewpoint. Among the usual dabbling ducks were three Tufted Duck and at least five Coots (my first here this year) while a drake Mandarin flew east across the reserve towards Hollybush Hill.         

15th February

I had the day off today and fortunately it was a beautiful day - in fact, the warmest of the year so far, with the mercury rising to the mid-teens Celsius by lunchtime, coaxing out the always welcome sight of the first male Brimstone of the year, fluttering around the garden. This was followed later on by a Peacock dashing overhead at speed, as is typical for the species. On the birding front, I decided to indulge in a rather lengthier session than has been possible of late, at Pulborough in the morning. 67 species was the final tally from a little over two hours on the reserve, with just the slightest hints of spring poking its head above the parapet. At least two Lesser Black-backed Gulls were about, a species that really is only a February to late summer feature of birding here. The pair of Stonechats between West Mead and Winpenny were looking particularly dapper in their breeding finery, while a Cetti's Warbler sang nearby. Skylarks were rather forlornly singing and displaying over the flood waters on the both the North and South Brooks, while two Chiffchaffs at the Hanger were 'new in' since my last visit here. Other bits of note included four Raven, at least nine Tufted Duck, half a dozen Shelduck, two Great Crested Grebes, and a heard-only Green Sandpiper below the Hanger. Driving home, I noted a Great White Egret on Widney Brooks through the car window. 

Stonechat

In the afternoon I headed over to the private reservoir near Petworth which proved a little livelier than my last visit at the weekend. Highlights in the brisk and curiously warm southerly wind here were a single Great Crested Grebe, three Gadwall, 24 Shoveler and single drake Tufted Duck, with a couple of Yellowhammers singing in the hedgerows nearby. 

Yellowhammer

16th February

A brief check of the very flooded scrape at Bignor Park/Hadworth Farm first thing produced just a Little Grebe and a pair of Teal of note. As the morning was brightening and warming up, I headed to woodland near Fittleworth after this for a bit of a wander round. The air was ringing with birdsong, including at least two Marsh Tit and a couple of drumming Great Spotted Woodpeckers. A very welcome year tick came in the form of a noisy group of ten Crossbills which flew east high overhead. This wasn't the only sign of movement, as I also noted flocks of Woodpigeons flying purposefully north-east - some 250 or so at least, with the biggest group being ~100. Three Lesser Redpolls briefly dropped into a birch near me before flying off.

Lesser Redpolls

A brief lunchtime walk round the local farmland produced a welcome sign of early spring movement in the form of a smart male Stonechat on a fenceline where I've rarely seen one before. In fact, this represented just my third record of the species in the local farmland eBird hotspot since we moved here 18 months ago!

17th February

Not much birding today, although a walk with B in the morning did produce a singing Firecrest just up the road from home, while a check of the local farmland late morning revealed yesterday's Stonechat to be still present, plus a Lesser Black-backed Gull drifting north; another sure sign of the changing seasons! 

18th February

Rain all night and into this morning didn't inspire much confidence in a productive session, but I headed out at first light regardless to check a few lesser-watched local wetland sites. First up, the Bignor Park scrape which didn't hold any surprises, a croaking Raven being probably the best. Next, a check of the flooded Rother at Fittleworth where I found 14 Little Egrets in the fields near the sewage works, a singing Chiffchaff at the works, and a Coot on the nearby floods. Next up I headed over to Petworth for a look at the private reservoir there, where I was surprised to find the female Long-tailed Duck had returned after over a month's absence. She was very active following a group of Tufted Ducks around the place and even displaying a bit. Also present here were five Gadwall, four Mute Swans, 18 Shoveler and five Little Grebes.

Long-tailed Duck and friends

Burton Mill Pond next where I was pleased to see a Great Crested Grebe back on territory - my first record of the species here this year. Other bits of note were Kingfisher, Water Rail, Grey Wagtail and a single drake Pochard among 15 Tufted Ducks. That was about it for birding effort today although a couple of casual local walks later in the day produced another Lesser Black-backed Gull drifting north over Watersfield plus some good raptor action including a pair of Red Kites displaying over Alban Head. 

Great Crested Grebe

19th February

An early walk from home out to Waltham Brooks produced a few bits. At Waltham Brooks there were at least 27 Tufted Ducks on the main lake, while singles of Great White Egret and Marsh Harrier flew north/upriver. A few Snipe were flushed from marshy areas while a single female Stonechat was in the scrub near the railway crossing. Lots of birdsong around including Chiffchaff, Cetti's Warbler and Blackbird.

Mid-morning I headed down to Worthing to join a Sussex Wildlife Trust beach clean, where I finally encountered my first Great Black-backed Gulls of the year plus a few Turnstones on the beach near the pier. I took my lunch break at Goring Gap just up the road where I found at least half a dozen Mediterranean Gulls (also my first of the year) dotted about among the hundreds of roosting Common Gulls, while wader interest on the beach here came in the form of at least 55 Turnstones, eight Sanderling, at least 30 Oystercatchers and half a dozen or so Dunlin. 

Common and Mediterranean Gulls

20th February

After dropping B at nursery this morning I decided on a quick look at Amberley Wildbrooks from near Rackham Mill. The flood waters had receded a fair bit since my last visit and the landscape was clearly attracting some interest from waders and gulls, with at least 4 Dunlin and 2 Black-tailed Godwits among the displaying Lapwings, and some 200 gulls gathered at the water's edge right over near the castle - mostly Black-headed Gull and Common Gull. Two Red Kites were drifting about, periodically flushing the rather small numbers of ducks, and one of the White-tailed Eagles was in one of the trees right out in the middle.

Very distant White-tailed Eagle

At lunchtime I headed out for a quick look at the private reservoir near Petworth which produced surprisingly little - just nine Shoveler, five Little Grebes and a Grey Wagtail of note, although a Red-legged Partridge flushed from a track nearby was my first here since early December.

The scrape at Bignor Park/Hadworth Farm proved to be similarly lacklustre in terms of water birds, with just a single Little Grebe worthy of mention here. 

Winter begone!

After a few false starts, I think it's fair to say that spring has well and truly arrived now; both in terms of the weather and migrant birds. Since my previous blog post I have seen several sub-Saharan travelers, my first flowering Blackthorn and my first Brimstone butterfly of the year and each birding session or even just a local walk from home is again garnished with anticipation at the thought of what might be seen. It doesn't matter how many springtimes one experiences, it never gets any less exciting or reassuring to see all the pieces of the jigsaw falling into place at this time of year.

9th March

This morning I headed over to Heyshott Down with Paul Stevens to follow up on a recent report of a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker there. Sadly it really wasn't the weather to go looking for this species, with low cloud and intermittent rain and sleet and still a fair bit of snow on the ground as we climbed the hill. Highlights here included two Marsh Tits, at least four Yellowhammers, at least two singing Skylarks and a very territorial pair of Ravens perhaps trying to distract us from a nest nearby.

Mid-afternoon I was heading up to Aldershot so dropped in at one of my old birding haunts, Cutt Mill Ponds, for a quick look. The House Pond was relatively quiet apart from ten Gadwall and four Mandarin, but I was pleased to find three Goosander on the Tarn (two drakes and a redhead). 

10th March

Just a 1k walk this morning through the local farmland towards the river. Unfortunately, the flood water had risen again to such an extent I couldn't get through under the railway bridge and, indeed, struggled to get through at various other points on my walk back home. All in all, a fairly underwhelming session with only 36 Redwing in one of the horse paddocks and 38 Meadow Pipits in another nearby field of note. 32 Common Gulls flew south over River Lane and a Siskin was heard in flight but not seen. Six Gadwall and two Snipe flew up from the marshy ground west of the railway near Thorndale Bridge. 

11th March

Not much in the way of birding today but a short stroll round the local fields in the morning did produce a little flurry of Lesser Black-backed Gull movement, with a dozen north in around 20 minutes (flocks of five, four and three).

Later in the day, I saw my first Blackcap of the year (a male) in my mum's garden in Aldershot. Presumably a wintering bird rather than a freshly arrived migrant but still very nice to see.

Lesser Black-backed Gulls

12th March

It was WeBS day so I headed over to my private reservoir site near Petworth for the monthly count of the birds here. Not much of note on the reservoir itself (I was hoping for an LRP or Sand Martin) but still three each of Shoveler and Gadwall and a few gulls drifting over including a Lesser Black-backed Gull. The local Skylarks and Yellowhammers were in fine voice though and a flock of at least 130 Fieldfare were in the fields near the reservoir.

Yellowhammer

Later in the morning I headed out into the local farmland near home for a short walk, which ended up turning into an impromptu sky watch, as it was clear there were a fair amount of gulls on the move. In 15-20 minutes I noted 176 Black-headed Gulls, 16 Herring Gulls, 10 Common Gulls, 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and a single adult Mediterranean Gull, all moving north. Various other birders in West Sussex and Surrey were also reporting Meds on the move, so clearly a good day for the species inland.

Mediterranean Gull

13th March

A very blustery morning. I headed over to Waltham Brooks for a quick circuit after dropping B at nursery. The water levels were way up since my last visit. The main lake held at least 60 Wigeon, a few Shoveler, Teal and Gadwall plus a single Little Grebe, while two Snipe flew up from the water's edge. More Wigeon (40-50) were on the flood just across the river on the north-west side of Amberley. Best of all was a female/immature type Merlin which came in from the north and made a couple of fast low passes over the main lake before regaining height and heading off back to the north-east.

Merlin

14th March

En route to meet Ed at his near Godalming I dropped in at my WeBS site near Petworth for a quick check of the farm reservoir, in hope of an LRP or Sand Martin. Sadly neither revealed themselves and it was generally fairly quiet, save for a Great Crested Grebe among the Coots and usual ducks on the water.

After a few hours' work, Ed and I headed out for a wander around some of his 1k area, specifically Eashing Farm where we found at least 60 Chaffinch still on the stubble field just above the river, and 30 Linnet and at least 8 Skylarks in the fields up Halfway Lane, where there were also two Little Grebes on the private farm reservoir. 

Towards the end of the day we decided to head over to Lydling Farm at Shackleford to see if the long-staying Corn Bunting trio were still present. Thankfully we found them straight away associating with around 100 Linnets in the field nearest Chalk Lane. A Surrey lifer for me - and they showed beautifully in the late afternoon sunshine. Other bits from our session here included a couple of Stonechats, a Ring-necked Parakeet (my first of the year!) and a tight flock of around 40 Starlings powering north-east at height.

Corn Buntings

15th March

On my way from my mum's in Aldershot back to Ed's I dropped in at one of my old haunts, Crooksbury Common, for a quick wander around. Here I found at least two each of Woodlark and Dartford Warbler singing as well as a heard-only Siskin and two Grey Herons over, heading east. 

Woodlark

After a couple of hours work at Ed's, it was abundantly clear that there was quite an arrival of common migrants going on in Surrey and Sussex and the draw of the birding opportunities outside the window proved too much, so we headed up to Eashing Fields for a quick scan for a Wheatear. There was no sign of any, although a Stonechat was nice here (and Nuthatch was a hotspot tick for me) but really our attention was distracted by events at Beddington Farmlands where a Stone-curlew had just turned up. We quickly made the decision to head up the A3 to scratch this particular itch (a Surrey lifer for both of us) and, thanks to Zach Pannifer, we were allowed access to the southern section of the site where we clapped eyes on the bird - amazingly the first proper migrant either us had seen this spring! Thanks again must go to Zach for persuading the site manager to allow a few birders to gain access, and of course to the finder, Glenn Jones.

Stone-curlew

With that rather extended lunchbreak out of the way we got back to work on the book, although Ed was soon on the road again - off to twitch the first local Wheatear of the year, found by Abel at Shackleford. On my way home I swung by Burton Mill Pond, hoping for a Sand Martin, but sadly no joy. Tomorrow is another day!

16th March

This morning I was at Knepp, leading a safari for a group from Compassion in World Farming. With the shift to southerly airflow, it felt considerably more spring-like, especially when the sunshine really started to break through around noon. This coaxed up a few raptors, mostly Buzzards, although Peregrine and Sparrowhawk also made an appearance. The White Storks were busy pair bonding and spring cleaning their nests too.

On the way home I stopped off for a quick look at Waltham Brooks. Highlights here included at least half a dozen Chiffchaffs, several singing in spots away from the water treatment works which felt like they were probably 'new in' rather than lingering wintering birds. Hard to be sure though, of course. Also of note were 2 Little Grebe and 6 Tufted Duck on the lake, 2 Stonechats in the scrub and a flyover Peregrine.

Greenfinch

Late afternoon I went for a little wander round the local farmland which produced another singing Chiffchaff in an area I've not heard one before, so this must surely have been a newly arrived bird, and also a female Stonechat in the hedgerow down our lane - also a 'new in' migrant from somewhere. Things are picking up!

Stonechat

17th March

A drizzly morning with continuing southerly winds sounded like an ideal combination to produce some migrants, so I headed back over to the private reservoir near Petworth, hoping for some sub-Saharan goodies. It was clear from the get-go there had been a little arrival of Chiffchaffs, with at least four singing around the area. An initial scan of the reservoir didn't produce anything, although I did think I heard a Little Ringed Plover, but dismissed it as part of a nearby Song Thrush's repertoire. A few minutes later though I picked up what was definitely an LRP in flight, circling over the reservoir before heading off to the west. It returned a minute or two later and circled again before disappearing off to the west/north-west, perhaps dissuaded from landing by the high water levels. Nonetheless, a very welcome first for the year! A couple of minutes after this, two Sand Martins dropped out of the cloud before continuing off north-east - also my first of the year. A little while later three were feeding low over the reservoir, so a minimum of three today or possibly five in total.

An early afternoon skywatch from the local farmland produced a Peregrine and two Ravens over as well as an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull high west, but otherwise no real hint of movement, and no sign of yesterday's Stonechat. Always an annual highlight though, was the first Brimstone of the year dropping into our garden as the sun broke through mid-afternoon.

A short visit to Arundel with Kate and B in the afternoon produced 7 Cattle Egrets on Mill Road Watermeadows, a pair of Mandarin on the Mill Stream and at least one (possibly two) Marsh Harrier over Swanbourne Lake where there was also a Firecrest singing.

Marsh Harrier

Mandarins

18th March

One of those days where the amount of effort put in didn't quite produce the desired reward. A rainy start with a shift to south-easterly winds ought to have produced some goodies, and indeed it did, just not where I was unfortunately! I walked from home early morning out to the river and up to Waltham Brooks, then home via the sewage works and a check of some local paddocks and fields. Despite being out for two hours from first light, the sum total of highlights from this session were 16 Tufted Duck on the lake at Waltham (admittedly a high count here for me), 4 Shelduck over and a scattering of Chiffchaffs. Basically a soaking for nothing! Meanwhile, others were basking in the glory of finding White-fronted Goose and Little Gulls, there were Wheatears aplenty on the Downs and a Garganey turned up at Pulborough...

Later in the day I gave the reservoir near Petworth another go but this was equally without fanfare, with not even any sign of yesterday's LRP or Sand Martins.

Having decided to write the day off entirely as a bad job, I put my head down to work on the book for a couple of hours, after which time Kate suggested a little evening walk down the lane from home. I'm glad I said yes as, just minutes from the front door, I picked up three Sand Martins powering north high overhead - a 1k tick and my first proper migrants this close to home this year. Result!

19th March

Quite a contrast to the previous day, with bright sunshine and a light north-westerly wind to start. I got out early and headed to Waltham Brooks first, in the hope of a Garganey. Sadly no joy, though yesterday's Tufted Duck count was smashed by a total of 23 on the main lake.

Next stop was Pulborough Brooks where I was immediately greeted by the sound of distant Redshank calling on the South Brooks - my first locally this year. There were at least four out there, making themselves heard throughout my visit. I dashed straight over to the North Brooks first to try and find yesterday's Garganey. Sadly I wasn't able to but did find a few lingering Pintail among the usual dabblers, and a pair of Avocet. The walk round the main trail was soundtracked all the way by Chiffchaffs - at least ten singing males here now - and, as I approached Winpenny hide, I heard the distinctive call of a Water Pipit, just in time to see the bird flying off west towards the river. Once in the hide it didn't take me too long to find it again, showing rather distantly at the back of one of the pools. It really has been an extraordinary winter for this species here and elsewhere locally, given their traditionally scarce status in the Arun Valley.

Water Pipit

Later in the morning I headed out for a short walk with B and checked a few of the local fields in the hope of some migrants and was rewarded with a smart White Wagtail in a horse paddock just a few hundred metres from home. This is my absolute favourite thing about migration when birds which are only part-way through their epic journey drop in almost on your doorstep. It's amazing to think this bird will be continuing on its way to Iceland or the Faroe Islands in the coming days.

White Wagtail

As it was Mother's Day, Kate and I decided to head to Arundel for a stroll round Swanbourne Lake late morning. The best bits here were singing Firecrest and at least three Chiffchaffs plus an adult Great Black-backed Gull among the Herring Gulls on the water. Elsewhere in Arundel, highlights were two Cattle Egrets on Mill Road Watermeadows and two Oystercatchers low over the Mill Road car park.

Great Black-backed Gull