Saturday 7 April 2018

Goring and Ferring

With southeasterly winds blowing, Nick B and I teamed up for a seawatch from the George V Avenue shelter. Overall it was slightly underwhelming considering the conditions but a flock of eight Velvet Scoters was sufficient reward in itself, along with my first two patch Whimbrels and six Greylags also being new. Other results included 113 Common Scoters, 22 Red-breasted Mergansers, a Fulmar, five Great Crested Grebes, a Guillemot, four Common Terns, 40 Sandwich Terns, 56 Common Gulls and a Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Following a report from the Gap of a flock of six westbound Garganey, I headed to Ferring Rife in the vain hope that they might have dropped in there. The site was generally quiet, with notables limited to four Mallards, a Pheasant, nine Moorhens, two Green Woodpeckers, three Skylarks, three Chiffchaffs, seven Meadow Pipits and two Linnets.

Back at the Gap, a quick walk produced my third patch tick of the day, a 2CY female-type Black Redstart in the same spot it was found my local birder Dave S yesterday. Other bits included five of both Meadow Pipit and Linnet, plus two Jackdaws heading east, a Chiffchaff, a Blackcap, seven Skylarks and a Green Woodpecker.

Black Redstart at Goring Gap