It was another long day out in the field. Grounded migrants at Goring Gap included a male
Redstart, two
Lesser Whitethroats, a
Whinchat, four
Wheatears, three
Whitethroats,
three
Blackcaps, five
Chiffchaffs and four
Willow Warblers. Two
Sand Martins fed over the northwest corner and overhead moved a
Swift, seven
Yellow Wagtails, two
Grey Wagtails, two
Pied Wagtails, 10
Meadow Pipits, 17
House Martins and a
Swallow. A
Greenshank heard calling was a new patch bird for me. Waders at high tide included an increase to 52
Sanderlings (just one juvenile - my first of the autumn), as well as 63
Ringed Plovers, 72
Turnstones, a
Redshank and four
Oystercatchers. An adult
Mediterranean Gull and seven
Common Gulls were in the fields. A large female
Sparrowhawk was on the prowl and a
Kestrel was seen, as well as three
Skylarks and a
Jackdaw. A
Coal Tit sang and I counted 14
Greenfinches. 15
Little Egrets were along the beach. Offshore was a
Gannet and nine
Sandwich Terns.
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| Lesser Whitethroat at Goring Gap |
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| Whinchat at Goring Gap |
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| A poor breeding season? Sanderlings increased to 52 birds but just one was a bird-of-the-year... |
Extending my walk to Ferring Rife, I encountered a fly-over
Peregrine, an additional two
Lesser Whitethroats, a
Wheatear on the beach, two
Reed Warblers, a
Blackcap, a
Whitethroat, four
Swallows, a
Pied Wagtail, a
Skylark, a
Sparrowhawk, two
Kestrels, a
Jackdaw, two
Rooks, a
Linnet, three
Mallards and 15
Moorhens. A handful of
Little Egrets were loafing around and feeding in the Rife.
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| Wheatear on the beach by Ferring Rife |
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| Little Egrets at Ferring Rife |
