28th February 2019 - Sompting Brooks, Small Mammal Trapping

This morning I volunteered to help with small mammal trapping on Sompting Brooks in West Sussex for the EPIC project. To find out more about the project see here: https://www.somptingestate.com/EPIC

Sompting Brooks, West Sussex

It was a fantastic morning and we caught 21 small mammals of 5 different species. These included: 1 Harvest Mouse (my first ever!), numerous Wood Mouse and Field Voles and singles of Bank Vole and Common Shrew. A 20% capture rate! All animals were released after capture.

Harvest Mouse, Sompting Brooks, West Sussex

Wood Mouse, Sompting Brooks, West Sussex

Field Vole, Sompting Brooks, West Sussex

Birds seen whilst on my visit here included single of Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Green Woodpecker and Skylark.

26th February 2019 - A walk in West Sussex woodland near Horsham (3) and the Downs

Feeling frustrated with the previous days events I returned to the same patch of woodland. Again it was a glorious day and the temperature was 13 degrees. The wood again was alive with bird activity with 10 Marsh Tits, numerous Treecreepers and other notables included a single Bullfinch and Grey Wagtail. I had spent 2 hours 45 minutes looking for a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and my patience was being tested. I had heard 2 very distant calls of one but both times it sounded like it was a long way off and I couldn't locate it. I decided my luck wasn't in and I headed back to the car. Upon arrival at the car I could hear some light drumming which I was absolutely certain was a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. My heart started thumping and within 2 minutes the bird called, I couldn't believe my luck, is this really happening! I desperately tried to find it and luckily I picked it out at the top of a Silver Birch tree. The bird was a male and performed fantastically for the next 5 minutes before flying off and it wasn't seen again. My first decent view of one in Sussex since 2017! Below is a very poor, phone-binned panicked record shot.

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, West Sussex

Later on again I visited the Downs and again was rewarded with fantastic views of the ringtail Hen Harrier. A healthy count of 16 Yellowhammers pleased the eye. Other sightings of note included 10 Common Buzzards, 2 Red Kites, 2 Kestrels, 2 Tawny Owls (heard only), 2 Reed Buntings, 2 Hares and a single Raven and Barn Owl.

Kestrel, South Downs National Park, West Sussex

25th February 2019 - Walking in West Sussex woodland near Horsham (2) and the Downs

I returned to the same patch of woodland near Horsham I visited last week and the weather was a glorious 12 degrees. Upon arrival it was clear that the birds were active with 5 Treecreepers and 2 Marsh Tits flitting around the wood. About 20 minutes had passed and I was sure I could hear some light drumming which turned out to be a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and it was only 100m away from me! I slowly encroached on where I thought it came from and luckily enough I picked up the bird in my binoculars but only very briefly before it flew deeper into the wood. I heard it call again twice but couldn't relocate it, much to my huge frustration. I probably got around 10 seconds worth of view which was better than nothing! Other birds seen on my visit included a single Great Spotted Woodpecker, Goldcrest and Song Thrush.

Later on that day in the late afternoon, I again visited the downs and had a fantastic view of a ringtail Hen Harrier which flew directly over my head. Also 3 Common Buzzards, a Kestrel, 3 Tawny Owls (heard only) and 3 Hares (my first in Sussex for a while).

24th February 2019 - Knepp Estate

A couple of surprises at Knepp today in the form of an escaped Red-tailed Hawk and fully winged, unringed White Stork in flight near the campsite. Still plenty of Redwings and Fieldfares in the horse paddocks and a pair of Bullfinches in a hedge near the campsite.

The Millpond in the warm spring sunshine produced  60 Teal, Green Sandpiper (heard only), a brief Kingfisher, drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker, Peregrine, a pair of Ravens and a Red Admiral.

Great Spotted Woodpecker, Knepp Estate, West Sussex

23rd February 2019 - Pagham Harbour and Westdean Woods

Glorious early spring weather today though the misty start put pay to seeing vaguely of note anything off Selsey Bill in the half hour or so we were there. At Church Norton, the visibility had improved enabling us to pick up the usual suspects in the harbour including Little Egret, 20 Avocets, Grey & Ringed Plovers, the overwintering Whimbrel, Knot, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits and a Peregrine on its usual island. 

Whimbrel - Pagham Harbour, West Sussex

The walk out along the spit to the harbour mouth added hundreds of Brent Geese, Great Crested Grebe, 10 Skylarks and, after a bit of searching, the long-staying Hooded Crow on the opposite side of the harbour mouth on Pagham beach. A showy Firecrest in the Holm Oaks by the entrance to the churchyard and then in the car park was an added bonus.

Hooded Crow - Pagham Spit, West Sussex

The remainder of the day was spent at West Dean Woods where both Brimstone and Red Admiral were active in the spring sunshine. A slow walk up to Monkton Farm and back scanning the pine trees to the north was quite productive adding Sparrowhawk, 3 Red Kites, innumerable Buzzards, 3 Marsh Tits (one in song), Treecreeper, 2 Bramblings and distant flight views of two single Hawfinches.

Common Buzzard - Westdean Woods, West Sussex

21st February 2019 - A walk on the downs

A walk on the downs late afternoon in lovely conditions was very pleasant with a single Kestrel and Buzzard seen hunting. Also 2 Red-legged Partridge, 2 Song Thrush, a Chiffchaff and most unusual of all a Moorhen. Not a bird I would expect to see on the Downs! Later on, 4 Tawny Owls were heard calling.

20th February 2019 - Walking in West Sussex woodland near Horsham (1)

A walk in West Sussex woodland late morning proved to be quite productive. There was a nice selection of woodland birds on offer with 5 Marsh Tits, 5 Goldcrests, 2 Mistle Thrush, 2 Song Thrush and numerous Nuthatches and Treecreepers all being seen throughout the morning. Other species of note included 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers and 20 Redwings. Later in the day I saw 6 Buzzards, 2 Kestrels and a single Sparrowhawk.

19th February 2019 - Pagham Harbour, Westdean Woods and The Burgh

A day out with Connor and Eleanor from university proved to be very successful. We started the day at the North Wall at Pagham Harbour and despite the water level being very high due to the rising tide there was still plenty of birds to look at including 500+ Brent Geese and lots of Lapwing, Redshank, Dunlin, Curlew, Grey Plover and a few Black-tailed Godwits. Most interesting of the waders was this colour-ringed Black-tailed Godwit which Eleanor has since got the details back for. The bird was ringed on 6th November 2018 at Welwick Saltmarsh which is on the north bank of the Humber estuary. It is the first time this bird has been re-sighted.

Colour-ringed Black-tailed Godwit, Pagham Harbour, West Sussex

After the North Wall, walked walked out to the harbour mouth through the caravan park and found 3 Red-breasted Mergansers in the harbour along with several Pintail and a single Great Crested Grebe and 2 Little Grebes. Near the harbour mouth itself was a pair of Stonechat on the salt marsh along with a lone Little Egret. Upon arrival at the beach we were extremely lucky that the Hooded Crow was on view just c25m away we all enjoyed great views of the bird before it decided to fly inland over the caravan park. Along the tideline was several Mediterranean Gulls and roosting on the beach were several Turnstones and Oystercatchers.

Hooded Crow, Pagham Spit, West Sussex

Next stop was Westdean Woods where we hoped to see Hawfinches. Sadly we failed to find any despite walking the whole way up to Monkton Farm and back. However compensation for missing the Hawfinches was c15 Common Buzzards, c10 Red Kites, 2 Ravens and a single Sparrowhawk, Mistle Thrush and Red-legged Partridge.

We finished the day at The Burgh with expectations being quite high and we certainly weren't disappointed. On route we had a quick stop at Burpham but couldn't see any Bewick's Swans. A good start was had at The Burgh with a male Marsh Harrier being near enough the first bird we saw, which proved to be 1 of 4 we would see. But however, the clear highlight at The Burgh was a Short-eared Owl which showed extremely well for around 10-15mins on the deck near a maize strip until it was flushed by a passing quad bike. Once the owl had been flushed, around 10 minutes had passed and the ringtail Hen Harrier made its first appearance of the evening with a brief flyby over one of the nearby hedges. Shortly after we had a flock of 22 Fieldfare perch up in a hedgerow which made for a nice sight. On our way back to the car, Eleanor picked up the Hen Harrier again in flight over one of the fields and this time it gave more prolonged views quartering up and down a maize strip before disappearing over a hedgerow. Near the cottages we saw 3 Grey Partridge and a Barn Owl to round off an excellent day. 67 species in total for the day!

Short-eared Owl, The Burgh, West Sussex

18th February 2019 - Coalhouse Fort, Essex

The second and last visit to Coalhouse Fort in February for the wintering bird surveys on the River Thames in Essex proved to be excellent. 

I started counting from the abandoned radar tower and received a text from Paul Hawkins to say he had just had a 2w Glaucous Gull over the BATA Factory. This had me on high alert but sadly it never reappeared. I then got another text saying that the 4 Twite found over the weekend were showing well near the bush on the sea wall which marks our survey boundary. 

The mudflats on a rising tide followed the norm and were rife with waders. Totals are as follows: 6 Bar-tailed Godwit, 560+ Black-tailed Godwit, c1500 Dunlin, 127 Grey Plover, 8 Curlew, 16 Redshank, 1314 Avocet and an Oystercatcher. As well as 46 Shelduck and 617 Teal.

Later in the day I managed to find the 4 Twite in the SSSI area. The birds were spending a lot of time on the large area of extensive salt marsh which runs alongside the Thames, whilst they are here they are near impossible to see. Occasionally they will fly into the SSSI area and feed on the new shoots from the bushes. I was rather lucky to see them just picking them up by chance whilst halfway round my survey. The second time I have seen Twite this year with the last being the 3 at Rye Harbour NR in East Sussex.

1 of 4 Twite, Coalhouse Fort, Essex (Courtesy of Paul Hawkins)

Other birds seen whilst visiting here included a healthy flock of 18 Corn Bunting and another 16 more in the SSSI area. 17 Lapwing were seen in flight coming off the rubbish dump. Around the car park was the usual Mistle Thrush and 7 Greenfinch. The moat around the fort was quieter than last visit just holding 7 Coots.

On the way home I quickly called into Mercer's Lake in Surrey to look for the juvenile Black-throated Diver. After some helpful advice on where to park from David, I managed to find the lake and the bird in no time and enjoyed fantastic views. It seemed quite active and dived quite frequently and luckily at one stage the it surfaced no more than 20m from where I was standing! Other birds seen whilst visiting here was a single Ring-necked Parakeet, 4 Great Crested Grebes, several Coots and Tufted Ducks as well as a Nuthatch. 

Juvenile Black-throated Diver, Mercer's Lake, Surrey

17th February 2019 - Beachy Head

Not strictly a birding trip but Sophie and I ventured over to Beachy Head in East Sussex and enjoyed a lovely walk in glorious sunshine from Birling Gap to the pub at Beachy Head. Sightings of note on our walk included several Fulmars and Ravens as well as a Common Buzzard and lots of Skylark in song on the headland.

Sophie enjoying the sunshine at Beachy Head

The clear highlight from our walk was a lovely cheese and onion pasty in the Birling Gap cafe!

14th February 2019 - Goring Gap

A circular walk around Goring Gap mid afternoon at low tide was quiet as I expected. The beach was heavily disturbed and I only managed to muster a pitiful 2 Redshank and a single Sanderling. The roost field held c500 Common, c250 Black-headed and 7 Mediterranean Gulls. Whilst other counts of note on my walk included 11 Greenfinch, 4 Stock Dove, 8 Skylark, 2 Redwing and a Great Spotted Woodpecker. However a nice afternoon to be out!

12th February 2019 - Pagham Harbour

I set off for Pagham from Worthing at 09:30 arriving in good time. I parked up at Church Lane and walked straight out to the harbour mouth on the Pagham Lagoon side and was pleased to find Nick already watching the Hooded Crow. We both enjoyed good views of the bird and had great fun trying to get David onto the bird over the phone who was viewing from the Church Norton side.

Hooded Crow, Pagham Spit, West Sussex

There was plenty of birds in the harbour itself and I managed to find a single Bar-tailed Godwit in the harbour on way back to the car as well as a Spotted Redshank in White's Creek. Other birds seen at the North Wall included lots of Brent Geese and Lapwing along with Curlews, Black-tailed Godwits and Redshanks. 

After the North Wall I decided to call into Church Norton which proved successful with the Whimbrel showing nicely near the benches and I also managed to find a single Knot looking left from the benches with a large flock of Dunlin. Also the Peregrine was on its usual island in the harbour. 

Whimbrel, Church Norton, West Sussex

Last stop of the day was a quick visit to Grandma (Beryl James) in Selsey where it was nice to have a catch up and a cup of tea. 

11th February 2019 - Coalhouse Fort, Essex

Today saw the first of 2 visits for the month of February to Coalhouse Fort for the wintering bird surveys on the River Thames in Essex.

Today's count was at low tide and despite there being a presence of waders all were recorded in low numbers, this is often the case at low tide. Totals are as follows: 4 Bar-tailed Godwit, 150 Black-tailed Godwit and 147 Dunlin, 51 Grey Plover, 17 Curlew, 16 Redshank and 3 Avocet. As well as 41 Shelduck and 649 Teal and 9 Wigeon.

Glorious morning for surveying at Coalhouse Fort, Essex

Other birds seen whilst visiting here included a Barn Owl hunting over the fields out the back of the car park, the second time I have seen this bird here. 2 Egyptian Geese flew in off the river and over the fort which was a new bird for me at this site. Sadly only 4 Corn Bunting the lowest count for a while and around the car park was the usual Mistle Thrush and also 3 Redwing. The moat around the fort was again quiet holding only 16 Coot and 3 Little Grebe.

10th February 2019 - Shoreham, Brighton Marina and Telscombe Cliffs

An early morning walk with Mum up the eastern side of the River Adur was quiet and sadly didn't produce any Common Sandpipers. The only bird of note seen was a Peregrine which was perched on the cement works chimney.

Later in the day I went out again with Dad and we headed to Brighton Marina. There was very little of note, the highlights being  a young Peregrine along the cliffs behind Asda and a sinensis Cormorant in the inner section of the marina from the undercliff path. A handful of Gannets and Red-throated Divers passing out at sea. At Telscombe Cliffs there was a female Black Redstart in the Southern Water compound below the Smugglers Rest but no sign of LC's adult male from yesterday. A pair of Stonechats in scrub to the east of the Smugglers Rest and another Peregrine over the cliffs.

At the Amex last night, a Peregrine had the right idea. It flew into the stadium at 17:35, took one look and then wisely decided to go elsewhere!

7th February 2019 - Dungeness

Another visit to Dungeness but this time with Nick and Garry in very windy conditions proved to be a good day out. On route we had a quick stop at the double bends at Scotney Gravel Pits to try and find the Tundra Bean Goose that was there on the Sunday however we had no joy nor was there any White-fronted Geese either just Greylags and the feral Barnacle Geese. We arrived at the reserve and had a look for the Tree Sparrows at Boulderwell Farm, despite the windy conditions we still managed to see 2. On our way to the visitor centre a Great White Egret was seen near Cook's Pool. Upon arrival, the drake Smew was showing albeit distantly until it flew and moved in front of Dennis's Hide. Here, we obtained good views from here for around 5 minutes before the bird flew again back to where it was originally. Also on Burrowes Pit was a Brent Goose, I think this is the first time I have seen this species on any of the pits at Dungeness before. 

After we moved down to the fishing boats in hope of the Glaucous Gull making a reappearance however no luck despite throwing 2 loafs of bread out. Compensation for this was Red-throated Divers, Gannets, Kittiwakes, Guillemots and Razorbills coming and going offshore. 

On the way back home we quickly called into Cockles Bridge and located the 2 Whooper Swans and on the way there we had 2 Cattle Egrets out the car window. Another quick look at Scotney once again, sadly didn't produce the Tundra Bean Goose. 

3rd February 2019 - Pett Level and Dungeness

A perfect winter’s day, clear and cold with just a gentle NW breeze. First stop was Pett Level where there were several rafts of Great Crested Grebes offshore and Red-throated Divers heading both up and down-Channel plus a Scoter flock 45 strong that held at least 3 Velvets. Out on the marsh were 7 White-fronted Geese (with  Greylags) that later flew on to the largest pool next to the road, 3 distant Great White Egrets side-by-side and a Marsh Harrier, while on the outskirts of Rye there were 2 Black Swans seen from the car with a large herd of Mutes. Other birds noted at Pett included 650+ Lapwing, 60 Curlew, 50 Dunlin and singles of Reed Bunting and Stonechat. 

With it being a mild winter so far, Smew have been in very short supply with none at Dungeness up until yesterday when a drake turned up. Fortunately it was still there today showing nicely on one of the New Excavations pits near the viewing ramp from where we saw a couple of Marsh Harriers (including an adult male) and a brief Cetti’s Warbler and heard Bearded Tit. 

Drake Smew, RSPB Dungeness, Kent

The remainder of the reserve was quiet bar a pair of Goldeneye and innumerable Cormorants packed in on Burrowes Pit and a total of 4 Great White Egrets. News from MC of a Tundra Bean Goose prompted a quick detour to Scotney Pit where the bird was still present with a large flocks of Greylags (and 5 White-fronts) on the greensward but definitely in Kent by about 100m.

Tundra Bean Goose, Scotney GP's, Kent 

At Lydd Camp, the Little Owl was sunning itself in its usual bush at the base of one of the watchtowers while across the road on Brett’s Marina there were 3 Goosanders (2 drakes & a redhead). 

Little Owl, Lydd Camp, Kent

At Cockle’s Bridge the 2 adult Whooper Swans were still present with Mutes, albeit distantly, plus a Buzzard and a Stonechat. 

1 of 2 Whooper Swans, Cockles Bridge, Lydd, Kent

Lunch was had at the fishing boats where there were many Guillemots offshore (some already in breeding plumage), a handful of Gannets, Kittiwakes and Red-throated Divers and two Great Skuas, one of which gave good views as it headed down-Channel. The water levels on the ARC pit were too high, the only birds of note there being 4 Goldeneye, Marsh Harrier, Water Rail (h) and Chiffchaff, so rather than linger we headed out on to Walland Marsh where there were 34 Bewick’s Swans in their usual field at Horse Bones Farm and a few Fieldfares and Redwings. A final stop at Jury’s Gap turned up the smart male Black Redstart reported there earlier in the day. A total of 87 species seen or heard.

Male Black Redstart, Jury's Gap, East Sussex

2nd February 2019 - East Sussex

A day of mixed fortunes with no sign early morning of the Rodmell Pink-footed Geese nor the Newhaven Hume's Warbler though Dad and I didn't give the latter that long. A Kingfisher was seen there however. At Newhaven Harbour there were two Purple Sandpipers roosting with seven Turnstone on the pebble beach at the start of the east arm but none on the arm itself and a Razorbill was in the harbour. At Butchershole car park on the edge of Friston Forest we found a couple of Bramblings with the Chaffinch flock despite the area between heavily disturbed by dog walkers. A circuit of West Rise Marsh turned up probably six different Water Pipits with four seen in flight together. They were typically hard to pin down giving flight views only until we had good views of one on the ground. Also at West Rise Marsh was a Water Rail, 56 Wigeon, 82 Shoveler, 12 Common Snipe and a pair of Stonechat. A quick call in at Sovereign Harbour produced nothing of note and on the way home no unusual gulls on the exposed sand at Newhaven Harbour at low tide.

1 of up to 6 Water Pipits at West Rise Marsh, Eastbourne

1st February 2019 - Local Birding in the snow

I left home at 7am and headed straight for Ferring Rife. On route a Goldcrest was heard calling at the top of Sea Lane whilst a single female Sparrowhawk was seen over Ferring Football Club. When I arrived at the rife the horse paddocks at the Northern end held 15 Moorhens, 22 Black-headed, 2 Common and 2 Herring Gulls and a Pied Wagtail as well as a Kestrel hovering. North of the road bridge 2 Water Rails put on a fine display in the snowy conditions and a little further south 5 Chiffchaffs were actively feeding around the bushes. As I continued down the rife 16 Cormorants flew East overhead and a Common Snipe flew out of the rife and near the sea end a single Teal did the same.

Ferring Rife

Upon arrival at the sea, I decided to call in for breakfast at the Bluebird Cafe and had a delightful sausage sandwich which set me up nicely for further birding throughout the morning. A walk along Patterson's Walk to Goring Gap produced a feeding frenzy of c50 Gannets offshore and also 6 Brent Geese which flew East. When I arrived at Goring Gap, I bumped into David. We had a catch up and decided to go for another walk back up the rife. This was again successful with the first and only signs of any cold weather movement being noted with a flock of 35 Lapwing and 9 Golden Plover seen in flight and looking like they were going to pitch down on the fields to the west of the Rife. Also 2 Reed Buntings and a male Stonechat which were nice additions to the morning totals.

Goring Gap Beach

Back at Goring Gap there were 21 Grey and 20 Ringed Plover and 20 Skylark in the roost field and a single Redshank on the beach as well as a handful of Sanderling and Dunlin. However, despite a quick search we could not find the Snow Bunting. A quick walk through the plantation on my way home only produced a couple of Song Thrushes and 5 Blackbirds. Near the top end of Goring Gap near Goring Hall a Firecrest was heard but unfortunately not seen.