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