New Year

And so begins another year. My third year of broader local birding, as opposed to intensive patch watching at Pulborough Brooks. I have to say I've found the past couple of years very rewarding indeed, getting to know my local area more thoroughly, gaining greater understanding of the status and distribution of bird species as well as the lay of the land, literally. It's been fascinating to discover relationships between different sites and the fact that I can see some of the most furthest flung sites within the 10km from the highest points such as Amberley Mount. It really does feel like piecing together a jigsaw, and it's turned up some real surprises. 

After finding the likes of breeding Long-eared Owl and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker on my doorstep in 2022, 2023 saw me pin down two breeding pairs of Honey Buzzard locally, in the species' best ever year in Sussex. Aside from the scarce breeders, I also found some real local rarities and scarcities in the form of Marsh Warbler, Golden Oriole and Black Tern (all West Sussex ticks to boot!) as well as incongruous flyover records of Knot and Sandwich Tern just a few hundred metres from home. 

So, here's to 2024 and all the birding memories yet to be formed!

1st January

A first light walk out to Waltham Brooks from home produced 52 species new for the year list. Highlights included two Marsh Harriers, a single Snipe, four Tufted Duck, at least three Water Rail, and 150 Black-headed Gulls north. My second Great Spotted Woodpecker of the season was drumming hesitantly near the sewage works.

Mid-morning I went on a little drive around some local water bodies. A brief look at Burton Mill Pond produced the now usual Great White Egret in flight across to the reeds at the back. Photos later confirmed it was the red-ringed individual from Somerset. 

Over to Petworth next where the female Long-tailed Duck was still present for at least her 65th day, along with 17 Shoveler, 14 Pochard and nine Tufted Duck. 

Red-ringed Great Egret at Burton Mill Pond

Long-tailed Duck

A tour of berry-rich bushes around Pulborough again proved fruitless for Waxwings. My last stop on a circuitous route home was Cross Gate, for a scan of Amberley Wildbrooks. Here I bumped into Pete Hughes and Alice Parfitt who were about to leave having not seen the Russian White-fronted Geese. Luckily, as we stood chatting, a flock of ~80 Greylag Geese noisily flew in from the north-west and landed out on the marsh. Sure enough, the five White-fronts were in amongst them. Other highlights here included ~80 Black-tailed Godwits, and one of the adult White-tailed Eagles. 

The final surprise and year tick of the day came early afternoon when I happened to glance out of the bedroom window to see a small, fast falcon chasing a flock of Starlings over the fields before veering off and powering west/south-west over the house on rapid whirring wings. A Merlin! Not my first from home/the garden but my first locally in a while, and a very welcome addition to the new year list on day one. 

2nd January

My last day off of my Christmas break and the weather gods really saved the very worst until last, with violent winds and heavy rain for much of this morning, and the wind becoming even stronger when the rain eventually stopped early afternoon.

I managed a couple of hours dashing between the hides at Pulborough Brooks in the morning, although RIP my umbrella which blew inside out one too many times to retain its structural integrity. I also only managed a paltry 38 species during the session, with highlights being a single Golden Plover and four Dunlin among the Lapwings, a trio of Tufted Ducks looking to be enjoying the weather, and Coal Tit and Long-tailed Tit both new for the local year list (up to 75).

An afternoon walk round the local farmland was largely uneventful aside from ~120 Black-headed Gulls and a Great White Egret battling into the wind low over Waltham Brooks, the latter banking over Besley Farm and plodding roughly west towards Fittleworth, whether that was its intended flight path or not, as it was clearly struggling!

3rd January

Back to work today so not so much time for birding. A short stop at Waltham Brooks en route to Woods Mill produced ten Tufted Duck on the lake, five Mute Swans which came in from the north then turned and flew north-west, and a Marsh Harrier and around 80 Black-headed Gulls flying upriver. No new species for the local year list though.

Marsh Harrier

Mute Swans

At Woods Mill I was greeted upon arrival by the laughing call of my first Green Woodpecker of the year, while a lunchtime walk around the reserve yielded 33 species including flyover Greylag Geese (2), singles of Firecrest and Siskin and a heard-only calling Yellowhammer. 

4th January

After dropping B at nursery this morning I had a brief walk up at Amberley Mount, as it was the first dry morning for a while. As was the case last time, I fairly quickly picked up a White-tailed Eagle powering south over the vineyard towards the Burgh. I couldn't see this time though whether it was the juvenile or one of the adult birds. Other bits up here were a male Stonechat at the tumulus and two Firecrests together in the brambles at Downs Farm - surprisingly a first for me here. 

5th January

Another busy day with not loads of birding time, but I did manage a quick lunchbreak walk from home to Coldwaltham sewage works where I found at least 25 Chiffchaffs and a Goldcrest busily flitting about in the sallows. Try as I might, I couldn't glean out a tristis from the Chiffchaffs I was able to scrutinise, although one looked perhaps a little colder toned, but not quite enough for me (and wasn't heard to call or responsive to Siberian call).

Chiffchaff - these photos are all of the same bird, just showing what a difference light can make to apparent colouration

6th January

Not much birding today aside from a dusk vigil at Burton Mill Pond which produced three local year ticks, including the obligatory Kingfisher dashing low over the water as I waited for the Egrets to start coming in to roost, and at least one Grey Wagtail very vocal around the Mill building. As per usual these days, a Great White Egret was skulking around the reeds on the southern side before taking flight and heading off over the treeline towards Chingford Pond. A little while later the first little party of Little Egrets came in from the north and headed south to roost. Three to start with, followed shortly after by two, then a single group of 22, which was quite a sight! A very brief stop at Lord's Piece on the way home also rewarded me with my first Woodcock of 2024, sailing overhead from the direction of Bignor Park.

Little Egrets

7th January

A proper circuit at Burton Mill Pond this morning produced just shy of 60 species including the now expected Great White Egret at Chingford Pond (though not the red-ringed bird) plus two Little Egrets and a year tick Mandarin among the various ducks. Nuthatch and Marsh Tit were both new for the local year list here too, the latter among several species noted in song. Onto the private reservoir near Petworth where I found the female Long-tailed Duck back in situ after her brief trip to Burton Mill Pond during the week (found there by Surrey birder Ian Jones). Otherwise it was really quiet here, although the pleasant sunshine coaxed up a few Buzzards (7+) to soar over the nearby woodlands. Waltham Park near Fittleworth was my final stop where I found a few Lesser Redpoll but otherwise not much, though a flyover Lesser Black-backed Gull here was new for the year. 

A short afternoon walk around the local farmland proved reasonably lively, with singles of Snipe and Raven over and the usual Black-headed Gulls and Herring Gulls heading to roost. 

Rooks

8th January

Not a huge amount of birding today aside from a very brief scan of Amberley from Cross Gate, hoping to find the Brent Goose found by Paul Davy yesterday - a local year tick and not a species I've ever seen at Amberley. Given it's so close to my house now, my Amberley list is actually pretty poor, so I'm keen to connect with a few more species here! In the event, it wasn't to be today, and the biting northerly wind made standing here for more then a few minutes very unpleasant! Typically, the Brent was reported again later in the day by Paul Stevens, viewing from Rackham viewpoint. 

A brief late afternoon stroll at a snowy Woods Mill was pretty quiet, although there was a fair bit of passerine action at the bird feeders.

Robin

Dunnock

9th January

A crisp and cold start to the day, with a biting north-easterly - not something we've had much of so far this winter! I headed out on foot from home to Waltham Brooks. A good trudge around in the wet grassland near the railway bridge yielded just three Snipe (not the hoped-for Jack), while the main lake held 14 Tufted Duck among the usual dabblers. Two Marsh Harriers were circling over Amberley and at least three Water Rails were squealing in the reeds. Two Mute Swans flew downriver while at least 110 Black-headed Gulls were heading the opposite way. 

Mute Swans

Picking up B from nursery in Amberley late afternoon produced my first Tawny Owl of 2024, with a male hooting nearby. 

10th January

A really cold morning with a hard frost. Much of the local water bodies were partially or totally frozen over and the sodden ground was now rock solid. After dropping B at nursery I decided to briefly stop off at Amberley Mount. There wasn't much going on here, although it was a beautiful sunrise. 150+ Common Gulls were around in the fields along with a few Black-headed Gulls, and a couple of Red Kites. 

A lunchtime walk at Woods Mill in the relatively warm sunshine (though still a biting wind!) produced a migging Lapwing flying over towards the Downs, and an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull heading the same way. Small birds were pretty few and far between aside from singing Bullfinch and Coal Tit and a few Redwings and Fieldfares.