Arrivals and Departures

11th March

I had the day off today and the weather looked exciting so I ended up having a fairly big morning session. Starting off at Amberley, I found the visibility to be less than ideal, with the mist fairly low and precluding decent observation. Highlights from a relatively short stay here were a Great Crested Grebe (actually an Amberley tick for me!), 15 Tufted Duck and a Great White Egret. 

Next up, I headed to Pulborough Brooks. The water levels here were still very high, with much of the reserve still entirely flooded. It was encouraging to see some land exposed on the South Brooks though, and the Lapwings, Redshanks and Skylarks were taking full advantage and singing and displaying enthusiastically. The long-staying Water Pipit was again in the wet grassland between Winpenny and West Mead hides, and a few Dunlin were lurking among the Lapwings (I only actually saw one but up to 12 were reported by others). A lone Great Crested Grebe was still on the North Brooks and at least four Chiffchaffs and three Cetti's Warblers were singing around the trail.

Wren

On the way home I stopped for a brief check of Waltham Brooks which actually proved to be a really good call. Pretty much the first bird I saw as I scanned the lake from the riverbank was a Great White Egret in full breeding plumage. A Skylark singing rather distantly to the east was a 1k area tick for this year, as was the Mediterranean Gull(s) calling as I got back to my car, which I never actually saw. A Lesser Black-backed Gull flew north with Herring Gulls.

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Great White Egret

Later in the day I popped back out for an hour or so to check a couple of other sites. The scrape at Bignor Park/Hadworth Farm held singles of Green Sandpiper and Little Grebe, while my private WeBS site near Petworth revealed a Dunlin feeding along the shore - my first proper migrant wader here this year and an encouraging sign of things to come!

12th March

No birding first thing today owing to the pouring rain. I had put my moth trap out overnight though, so spent a bit of time checking through what was a reasonably decent haul, despite the weather. 20 moths of six species, with the highlights being singles of Early Thorn and Early Grey.

Early Grey

At lunchtime I popped out for a check of a couple of local water bodies. First up, the scrape at Bignor Park which was business as usual really, with only a Little Grebe and a pair of Gadwall of note. Next up, the private reservoir at Petworth which, while still not providing any migrant goodies, was considerably more birdy than it has been in my past few visits, with a single Tufted Duck my first here for a while along with a pair of Great Crested Grebes, six Gadwall and a lone Mute Swan. 

13th March

I had a short window of birding opportunity this morning before heading over to Woods Mill but wasn't 100% sure where I would go. In the end, the decision made itself when Chris and Juliet Moore circulated news of Spotted Redshank and Oystercatcher from West Mead hide at Pulborough - both decent year ticks there, especially the latter which is less than annual. I dashed over and down to the hide and was kindly shown the Spotted Red through Juliet's scope, while the Oystercatcher strutted about within spitting distance of the hide. After a few minutes, the Spotted Redshank flew across from the back of the pool and more or less joined the Oyc in the same bins view for a brief time. A duo of species I've actually never seen together here before! There were also a few showy Snipe lurking in the grassy margins in front of the hide. 

Oystercatcher

Spotted Redshank

Snipe

A lunchtime walk at Woods Mill proved fairly lively with a definite trickle of Meadow Pipits north (at least 15 in 40 minutes or so) and a Peregrine circling high overhead, the latter a new bird for me here, taking the office bird list to 70 species.

14th March

This morning I woke up in Exeter, having driven down yesterday evening for a Natural England Beaver training workshop. As I had a couple of hours to spare before the training started, I decided to head to RSPB Bowling Green Marsh and the Exe Estuary, just down the road from where I was staying. I had never visited this area for birding before but I was immediately taken with it, the main reserve reminding me of a mini Pulborough, but with the added bonus of the estuary and tidal lagoons on the outer edges. A singing Blackcap greeted my arrival, my first of the year. The apparently long-staying two Spoonbills were still on the marsh, mostly sleeping, along with a single Avocet and some 350 Black-tailed Godwits, 250 Redshank, five Dunlin and a heard only Greenshank. The tide was rapidly coming in in the estuary so there were scant waders to be found out there, but two drake Red-breasted Mergansers were a nice bonus here. The Goose Moor tidal lagoons proved rewarding, with my first Common Sandpiper of the year among four Greenshanks and a couple of Curlews. A Raven flew over, as did a trickle of half a dozen Lesser Black-backed Gulls heading north.

Spoonbills

The Beaver training session itself was excellent, and it was just superb to see the effects that England's only officially licenced wild population of the species (on the River Otter) have had in this area in just a decade or so.

Scenes from some of the beaver activities on the River Otter

After the training session was done for the day I decided to drop back in to Bowling Green Marsh again, which proved to be a good decision as, within minutes of arriving, I picked up first two Sand Martins and then a Swallow hawking over the reserve. Needless to say, my first records of either species this year! The Spoonbills were still about too. The tide was out now so the estuary channels on both the eastern and western sides of the reserve were busy with waders including around 25 Grey Plover,  60 Avocets, ten Bar-tailed Godwits and a few Oystercatchers and Curlews among the hundreds of Dunlin and Redshanks.

15th March

My second and final day in Devon and I again headed out to the Exe Estuary and Bowling Green Marsh early doors. The tide was still out but coming in fast as I arrived, and I was able to notch up ten species of wader out on the mud flats, including some 50 or more Bar-tailed Godwits, 30 Knot, 60 Grey Plover, 180 Black-tailed Godwits and 500 or more Dunlin. 

Bar-tailed Godwits

The two Spoonbills were still present on the marsh, rather less expected were two Black Swans swimming about on the water behind them. Not sure I've ever had those two species in the same scope view before! By the time I was leaving the reserve the tide had come in on the estuary and upwards of 300 Black-tailed Godwits and 250 Redshank were gathering to roost on the marsh. 

Wigeon

Spoonbills

Black Swans and Spoonbills

16th March

Not much birding today but a brief session at the private site near Petworth started auspiciously with a Peacock butterfly on the wing. The reservoir was quiet but, just 15 minutes or so after I arrived and with multiple Buzzards and Red Kites getting up on the thermals it was perhaps not entirely surprising to see an immature female Goshawk get up from the trees near Duncton Common. I watched it for the following ten to fifteen minutes as it climbed stratospherically high, briefly sparred with a Buzzard before stooping down at high speed in the rough direction of Burton Mill Pond. As it disappeared behind the tree line there, a cloud of corvids and Woodpigeons exploded into the air. Walking back to my car I saw my first Comma of the year on the wing, while on the drive home I noted at least three male Brimstones from the car. 

Goshawk - very high by this point!

Peacock

17th March

Rain and a southerly wind to start the day so I hit up various local water bodies, sadly without much reward for my drenching. Perhaps the most lively were the scrape at Bignor Park which held a pair of Mandarins (a site tick for me here) and Waltham Brooks where eleven Tufted Ducks were persisting on the main lake. 

Later in the day we met friends in Arundel for a walk and lunch at Swanbourne Lake. This picturesque site is always worth a visit and is included in mine and Ed's book for good reason, as it is pretty consistently busy with gulls and wildfowl, thanks in no small part to the amount of willing visitors buying and emptying bags of bird seed! Duck highlights today were some 50 Tufted Duck, 40 Gadwall and a single Pochard. A singing Blackcap on the north side of the lake was my first locally this year, while a Peregrine was circling high overhead as we left. 

18th March

An hour dash round Pulborough Brooks this morning proved reasonably fruitful, producing 56 species in total. Highlights were a pair of Avocets and an impressive 16 Shelduck squabbling at West Mead. Two pairs of Great Crested Grebe were displaying out on the South/Mid Brooks while a fifth bird was on its own on the North Brooks. Easily my highest count of this usually scarce species here, it just goes to show how high the water levels have been here for a pretty long period of time. A dozen Tufted Ducks would likewise normally be a pretty remarkable count here, but seems fairly routine at the moment. Other bits of note included a Blackcap singing at the top of Green Lane, a male Stonechat on the fence near Redstart Corner and at least eight singing Chiffchaffs around the trail. 

Shelducks

Shelducks, Avocets and Canada Geese

A check of Waltham Brooks at lunchtime didn't reveal any lurking summer migrants (that I could see). In fact, aside from a couple of singing Chiffchaffs it felt rather wintry, with 22 Tufted Ducks on the main lake probably the standout birds. 

19th March

I was in Kent this morning for work, at a woodland site in the High Weald. There were good numbers of finches around, especially Siskins and Redpolls, and I heard what sounded like at least a couple of Crossbills flying over too. 

Heading back into Sussex early afternoon in intermittent light rain and a light south-westerly, I decided I had to check out a couple of local water bodies in my lunchbreak. The private reservoir at Petworth was disappointingly quiet, but I had better luck at the flooded Rother in Fittleworth which held five Little Egrets and a Kingfisher busily feeding. The scrape at Bignor Park, meanwhile, was still hosting a Green Sandpiper and the lingering Egyptian Goose family. Just as I thought it was going to be another blank session in terms of any summer migrants I heard the distinctive chattering call of Sand Martin and looked up to see two flying west overhead. They didn't even drop in to feed over the water, despite the rain. 

An after work look at Waltham Brooks proved relatively quiet aside from at least eight Tufted Duck on the main lake. Two Marsh Harriers flew downriver in close succession, including a very smart looking male. 

Marsh Harrier

20th March

The Spring Equinox. Always a momentous day in the calendar and this morning held promise with a light south-easterly breeze and a touch of haze in the air. In short, the air felt rare. After dropping B off at nursery I popped by Amberley. Garganey was a species I had in mind as I scanned through the many ducks. After a couple of passes with the scope I looked again and was delighted to see a very smart drake dabbling about with a female Wigeon, to which he displayed a few times! Always a highlight of the year seeing the first drake Garganey and it was nice to find one at a different site, having spent many hours trying to find one at Waltham Brooks in recent springs. Funnily enough, I also realised it was exactly six years to the day since I found a pair at my old patch of Shalford Water Meadows near Guildford. Typically for Amberley, it was hundreds of metres away, so I only managed to get some very ropey record shot photos and videos through my scope. 

(Very distant) Garganey

After the early mist cleared it turned into an absolutely beautiful early spring day, with the mercury rising to 16 degrees Celsius; more than enough to coax out multiple butterflies and other inverts, including my first female Brimstone of the year.

Brimstone

After work I headed out for another little evening session, by which time the temperature was still well into the teens! First up I checked the scrape at Bignor Park which held a pair of Little Grebe, half a dozen Teal and the lingering Egyptian Goose family. An hour at Burton Mill Pond produced 37 species including six Sand Martins feeding overhead before heading off south, five Little Egrets flying south to roost, and the usual Great Crested Grebe pair and 23 Tufted Duck on the water.

Sand Martin

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. 

Early February

1st February

A beautifully sunny day for the most part, it felt almost spring-like by lunchtime at Woods Mill with Buzzards getting high on the thermals and a Sparrowhawk displaying. Before work I briefly stopped off for a scan of Amberley Wildbrooks from the southern side which produced a nice little selection of waders: a single Ruff, at least six Dunlin, ~220 Black-tailed Godwits (at least - they were unusually very spread out rather than in a single tight flock) plus the usual hundreds of Lapwing (800 at the very least but probably more than a thousand). There were also three Shelduck on the north side and one of the White-tailed Eagles about too. 

True happiness at this time of year comes from those first bright days when it's still just about light as I finish work, and today was certainly the best one yet. A Firecrest was calling as I left Woods Mill and there was still enough light left when I neared home to stop for a dusk vigil by the lake at Waltham Brooks which produced four Tufted Ducks and at least three squealing Water Rails. 

Sunset at Waltham Brooks

2nd February

Continuing the theme of the slightly longer days, this morning I manage to squeeze in an hour or so of birding before work. Heading out on foot from home I pitched up on the river bank for a bit of a scan from Thorndale Bridge out towards Amberley. I quickly picked up the pair of White-tailed Eagles perched together at some serious distance on the north side of Amberley. My neighbour happened to walk past a few minutes later and he was delighted when I showed him the eagles through my scope, and we talked a little about hopeful conservation success stories. A nice way to start the day! There were plenty of swans flying about over Amberley, mostly Mute Swans from what I could see, including a group of seven which flew upriver. One group of three adult swans flew south off the wildbrooks which I only had in view for a matter of seconds but I suspect they may have been Bewick's. Other bits of note this morning included my first singing Reed Bunting of the year. 

Around lunchtime I headed out again for a bit, first to check the Hadworth Farm scrape which held absolutely no waterbirds at all for the first time in weeks, partly owing to reduced water levels but also as a tractor had evidently been through not long before and flailed all the hedges. I did wonder if a Green Sandpiper wasn't skulking about out there somewhere and, sure enough, Mark McManus reported one there an hour or so later. As I didn't stay here long I popped up towards Fittleworth to scan a likely area of woodland in the hope of some raptor action in the surprisingly pleasant sunshine. Just two Red Kites in half an hour today but I will be back again; it's wonderful to think we are into the season of displaying Goshawks. 

Skywatching, dreaming of Goshawks...

3rd February

A family walk at Burton Mill Pond this morning produced a few goodies including my first Woodlark of the year, singing over the vineyard. There were good numbers of thrushes and finches around, including at least 200 each of Fieldfare and Siskin, the latter making an incredible sound in the Alders near the road. Every tree seemed to be dripping with them! Duck numbers were way down since my last proper circuit here, with unusually no Pochard at all and only around 25 Tufted Duck in total. On the other hand, a lone drake Wigeon on Chingford Pond was my first record of the species here (on either pond) since December 2022! Egrets were represented by four Little Egret and two Great White Egret at Chingford Pond. Other bits of note were my first singing Firecrest of the year, and a group of seven Snipe which flew west over Newpiece Moor.

Great White Egret

Siskins

4th February

An early start this morning for a couple of hours' session at Pulborough Brooks. Lucky I arrived when I did and not a couple of minutes later as, if I had, I would have missed the eight Bewick's Swans which were on the Mid Brooks but flew south just after I scanned from behind the visitor centre. Luckily I managed to get just enough on them to confirm the ID as they flew (they were later seen back down at Burpham Water Meadows). There were eight at Henfield Levels a couple of days ago, so they have clearly decided to return to the Arun Valley for a bit. They're proving to be very mobile this winter! Other highlights from Pulborough this morning included 14 Shelduck, 12 Black-tailed Godwit, 16 Dunlin and five Ruff, plus the usual Peregrine in its favourite willow at the Hanger. 

Peregrine and Jackdaws

Shelducks

Bewick's Swans (a long way away by this point!)

A check of the private reservoir near Petworth yielded a pair of Pintail among 87 Shoveler, while the surrounding farmland was ringing with the sound of Skylarks singing (as was the case at Pulborough, actually - clearly today was the day for them!)

Finally, the scrape at Hadworth Farm/Bignor Park held a single Green Sandpiper. 

5th February

I dropped in at The Burgh this morning as I was passing. It was a windy start to the day with a blanket of murk and drizzle in the air, but I still enjoyed a peaceful hour walking the loop from Canada Barn. The highlight was a ringtail Hen Harrier quartering the fields north of the Dew Pond, with other raptors seen including 35 Red Kites, a couple of Buzzards and a pair of Sparrowhawks. There was lots of Skylark song around, despite the wind, and little groups of Grey Partridge around seemingly every corner.

Looking south from The Burgh

A lunchtime walk around the local farmland near home passed without much event, aside from a few Wigeon in flight over Waltham Brooks and two Coal Tits having a bit of a sing-off on our road. We've had a run of grey, windy days recently; it definitely feels like the next bright, sunny day we have will feel that bit more spring-like and we can start thinking about Goshawks and Lesser Spots again...

6th February

Another blustery and at times wet morning saw me heading out on foot towards the river and up to Waltham Brooks. A Kingfisher briefly perched by the outflow on the near bank at Thorndale Bridge was my first in the 1km from home recording area this year while a Great White Egret was glimpsed in flight distantly over Amberley Wildbrooks. Up at Waltham Brooks the highlights were five Tufted Duck and the usual selection of dabblers on the main lake, at least seven Snipe flushed from the marshy grassland bits and plenty of Chiffchaffs in full song at the sewage works. 

A brief lunchtime check of the scrape at Hadworth Farm produced a lonely Grey Heron but nothing else. Sadly this site doesn't seem to hold much water for very long and this combined with the thawing out of other more high quality wetland sites has led to this being largely shunned by local wildfowl and waders for the time being. Roll on spring wader passage!

The clear highlight of the day came later afternoon when, glancing up from my desk upstairs at home, I caught sight of a Merlin dashing quite low over the rooftops, jinking to and fro like a large hirundine before dropping down at speed towards Amberley. My second sighting of the species from home already this year and my best 'from the bedroom window' views yet. Just too quick for a photo unfortunately, especially as I was halfway through voice noting Ed at the time!

7th February

Birding time was rather limited today but I did at least manage to get out for a lunchtime walk at Woods Mill where highlights included a vocal Marsh Tit, and seven Canada Geese (5 and 2) which flew over, remarkably my first here! As I was leaving late afternoon a Firecrest was calling by the car park.

Marsh Tit

8th February

Next to no birding today aside from a quick look at Waltham Brooks in passing, in the pouring rain, where I found three Tufted Duck on the main lake and half a dozen Redwings in the scrub by the road.

9th February

 Another day with only limited birding time saw me do a quick check of a couple of local water bodies in my lunch break. The scrape at Hadworth Farm/Bignor Park held the lingering Green Sandpiper plus eight Gadwall, while Burton Mill Pond produced three drake Pochard, 14 Tufted Duck, a flyover Raven and at least two Red Kites and seven Buzzards circling about. I'm still waiting for the return of the regular breeding Great Crested Grebes here, with the species still implausibly absent from my 2024 local year list as we approach the seventh week of the year!

Green Sandpiper

10th February

I had a great time at the Sussex Recorders Seminar in Haywards Heath during the day, it was really nice to see so many familiar faces and some really excellent talks! There was enough daylight when I got home for a pootle over to Waltham Brooks, and the cloud even broke to give a beautiful sunset. Highlights of the 40 species in an hour here included some 150 Linnets in to roost, 15 Tufted Duck on the lake (including a female with a particular strong white blaze which made me double take), at least 15 Snipe, three Water Rail, a pair of Stonechat, and a pair of Pintail which flew high north - the latter two species perhaps indicators of some early movement. I've not seen Stonechat here for a while and the Pintail didn't look like they were just moving upriver, they seemed to be setting off on quite a journey... Perhaps just wishful thinking, but the seasons are turning!

Pintails high over Waltham Brooks

Tufted Ducks (rather Scaup-y female back left)

Linnets

Linnets