Lyminster and Knepp Wildlands

I just managed to fit in my late BBS visit to the Lyminster square. Being so gusty, the conditions were far from ideal; birds included two Reed Buntings, 15 Swifts overhead, two House Martins, a Sparrowhawk and a Grey Heron.

As a birthday treat, in the afternoon I went to Knepp Wildlands with Ingrid, where we heard a Turtle Dove purring and caught a glimpse of another in flight. A Great Crested Grebe was accompanied by two young. Among the other birds noted were three Bullfinches, four Treecreepers, a Reed Bunting, a Lesser Whitethroat, a House Martin, two Reed Warblers, two Buzzards, a Grey Heron and a Lesser Black-backed Gull. A newly fledged Blackcap was begging by the side of one of the paths.

Great Crested Grebes at Knepp Wildlands

fledgling Blackcap at Knepp Wildlands

Worthing

A short seawatch late afternoon produced a Curlew and six Gannets.

Patching and Angmering Park Estate

As I approached Patching Hill, at least six Swifts were busy flying to the eaves of The Old Rectory. When I reached the top of the hill, three Crossbills flew low over me, followed shortly afterwards by a singleton. A Firecrest sang and at least three Yellowhammers were noted.

I spent a couple of hours wandering the Angmering Park Estate - this is where I had come to search for Crossbills, but none were to be found. A couple of Siskins flew over, though, and I had three singing Firecrests. A couple of Bullfinches appeared by the path and 10 Treecreepers were scattered along the route. Other birds included a Mistle Thrush, 10 Goldcrests, six Jays and a Nuthatch.

Coming back through Patching, three Swallows (including a juvenile) and two House Martins were over Patching Pond, while another Yellowhammer sang nearby. Three Moorhens and nine Mallards (including a brood of six) were on the pond.

Pulborough Brooks RSPB

A sultry summer's day. Phil and I met up at Pulborough Brooks, where we were greeted by two Woodlarks - one singing - over the field by the visitor centre. Most of the action was on the North Brooks from the Hanger Viewpoint, where we had two Green Sandpipers, a Little Ringed Plover, a female Mandarin with four juveniles, two Stonechats, three House Martins, three Redshanks, six Avocets, nine Lapwings, two Wigeon and three Egyptian Geese. Along the trails we encountered a handful of Nuthatches, Bullfinches and Treecreepers, and a Grey Wagtail flew over.

Woodlark

female Mandarin with two juveniles

Brooklands Park

A walk around Brooklands Park late afternoon was typical for such a calm summer's day. The Mute Swan brood was down to six, three Swifts hawked over the lake, where a Little Egret jumped between islands and four Reed Warblers and a Cetti's Warbler sang around the edges.

Buckland Sand Pits

A very pleasant morning with Ian Magness at Park Pit saw a Crossbill and a Siskin fly over. A Kingfisher was another highlight, while there seemed to be three pairs of Great Crested Grebes, as well as a couple of Little Grebes. 17 Egyptian Geese included a couple of family groups. Dozens of Sand Martins were visiting their nest holes, these being joined by just one Swallow over the lake, and a pair of Grey Wagtails attended to a fledgling. A singing Garden Warbler revealed itself and we had two Reed Warblers and three Reed Buntings around the edges of the pit. Singles of Kestrel and Sparrowhawk passed over and loafing wildfowl included a drake Tufted Duck, 81 Canada Geese, seven Mute Swans and six Greylags.

adult male Grey Wagtail (left) with juvenile

Egyptian Geese

Garden Warbler

Goring Gap, West Worthing and The Downs

A walk around Goring Gap mid-morning was totally uneventful, though the site was busy with people. A particularly loud yaffle from a Green Woodpecker was about peak. At home, a Coal Tit was around the garden again and we noticed the Herring Gull family on our roof for the first time, with two fluffy youngsters appearing.

Herring Gulls on our roof

Ingrid and I went to check on the Shelduck brood on the downs near Lychpole Farm in the afternoon and walked a loop through No-Man's-Land and back down Titch Hill. Eight young Shelducks were still present and growing well, sharing the pool with a couple of juvenile Pied Wagtails and the occasional Linnet. Seven Corn Buntings, a Yellowhammer, a Meadow Pipit, a Raven, a couple of Moorhens on the other dewpond (including calls from a juvenile), five Buzzards, two Kestrels and four Swifts were among the other birds noted. It was a busy walk for butterflies though, with multiple Dark Green Fritillaries, Large Skippers, Red Admirals, Peacocks, Large Whites, Small Tortoiseshells, Meadow Browns and Small Heath.

Dark Green Fritillary on the downs

young Shelducks on the pool near Lychpole Farm

Pannel Valley NR

When I mentioned the Shoveler brood I'd seen at Pannel Valley the other day to Ingrid, she was really eager for us to pay a visit so that she could see babies of her joint-favourite bird. So in the late afternoon and early evening we dropped in to this wonderful little reserve. We quickly found not one Shoveler brood but three: females with 10, five and four young. The drake Garganey was showing a little better this time and I was pleased to pick out a female at the back of the scrape. Little Ringed Plovers, Avocets and Mediterranean Gulls were also busy on the scrape and there were several broods of Gadwall, a group of six Teal and a couple of Pochards. One Cuckoo flew close past us and another sang from one perch for some time. Cetti's, Sedge and Reed Warblers made themselves known and a pair of Marsh Harriers appeared overhead.

male Cuckoo

female Garganey

drake Garganey

Shoveler brood

Holy Island

Having left on positive news, I got to Holy Island for the second safe crossing period of the day then tracked across the dunes to reach the small crowd well-spaced around some small pines. It didn't take long to secure views of the ASIAN DESERT WARBLER but good views required more patience. Towards the end of my two-hour stay, it flew right into the tiny pine I stood next to, then moved to another stand where it was really rather obliging, allowing nice scope views of this characterful - and extremely rare - bird. With so many good SLRs pointed at the bird, I didn't fuss too much about my own photography. The ghost of my desperate chicken-pox dip in Kent a few years ago was truly laid to rest.

Pett Level, Pannel Valley NR and The Downs

For Christian's birthday we met up at Pett Level, where a male Cuckoo, a couple of Bearded Tits and a pair of Marsh Harriers immediately performed as we got out of our cars. Broods of Pochard and Tufted Duck were on the pool, a couple of Egyptian Geese were around the edges, and both Common and Sandwich Terns gave vocal fly-bys. As we walked along the canal, two Hobbies gave spectacular views as they hawked for dragonflies and Cetti's, Sedge and Reed Warblers were prominent voices, as were the comical cries of the occasional Mediterranean Gull overhead.

The Pannel Valley scrape was alive with birds, mainly Avocets, Black-headed Gulls with chicks, one or two Oystercatcher families and at least three Little Ringed Plovers (including a mating pair). A male Marsh Harrier flew through here, too, as did additional Mediterranean Gulls, and more Cetti's Warblers were vocal. Eventually, a drake Garganey came out of hiding on the far side, and other duck interest included Shoveler and Gadwall broods. An Egyptian Goose was present alongside a few Shelducks. Another Cuckoo was heard singing before a Green Sandpiper announced itself flying over the path, the first sign of autumn.

drake Garganey at Pannel Valley

Common Tern at Pannel Valley

Shovelers at Pannel Valley

We finished with lunch back on the edge of Pett Level, adding Lesser Whitethroat to the day's list. It was a pleasure to spend the day with Christian, venturing into East Sussex for the first time in some while and on such a fine morning.

The evening was spent walking the downs above Sompting, where the Shelduck brood still seemed to be complete on the dew pond, a Corn Bunting sang and a gang of five Brown Hares stood in a bare field.

Brooklands Park

Two Cetti's Warblers, two Reed Warblers, a Reed Bunting, the complete Mute Swan family, two Buzzards, a male Kestrel, a Lesser Black-backed Gull, three Pied Wagtails (including a juvenile) and two Swifts were this morning's highlights at Brooklands.

Beeding Hill and Adur Estuary

I set off on my bike at about 4.30am and enjoyed a slow and steady cycle along the seafront then up the River Adur to Beeding Hill. About half way, my handlebar started coming loose and required constant readjustment. Thankfully I made it to the foot of Beeding Hill so I decided to worry about seeing the Red-foot, not about the eight miles I'd be walking my bike back home. Walking up the hill, I was greeted by the sight of Matt Eade and Mark Leitch at the car park. Mark had apparently driven past me earlier and on hearing my cycling woes donated to me his allen key set and this turned out to save my day, so thanks Mark!

To my relief the 2cy male Red-footed Falcon was immediately on view when we reached the right spot and hunted continuously, hovering alongside a Kestrel and a couple of Buzzards, throughout the hour or so I stayed. A couple of times it briefly alighted on the fence line. What a bird for the local area! Aside from a few Corn Buntings, a Stonechat, a Swallow and a Yellowhammer there was little else.

2cy male Red-footed Falcon at Beeding Hill

2cy male Red-footed Falcon at Beeding Hill

Cycling back along the Adur produced five Little Egrets, a Cetti's Warbler, an Oystercatcher, a Grey Heron, four Swifts and seven Mute Swans.

Widewater Lagoon and Adur Estuary

A Little Egret and two Mute Swans were at Widewater as I cycled through. The Adur Estuary offered a 2cy Mediterranean Gull, an Oystercatcher (carrying a worm to the Ricardo buildings), two Lesser Black-backed Gulls, four Mute Swans, two Little Egrets, a Grey Heron, a Cetti's Warbler, two Reed Warblers (including a typically out-of-place June migrant), a Meadow Pipit and four Skylarks. Just beyond the A27 bridge I added 11 House Martins, a Sedge Warbler, four Swallows, another Reed Warbler, two Reed Buntings, another Grey Heron and another Little Egret.

Somehow I managed to totally balls up the logistics of the day - which involved an emergency trip to IKEA in Croydon - such that I couldn't make it to Beeding Hill for the local Red-footed Falcon.

Ferring Rife

It was overcast and fairly cool this morning and I picked Ferring Rife for the day's outing. Swifts were drifting back and forth and it was difficult to determine how many moved through, but it was certainly over 70. Two Great Spotted Woodpeckers included a juvenile and a Green Woodpecker yaffled from by the path. A Red Kite did its best to look rare as it circled high right overhead on wings fixed level and forward, not beating them once in the several minutes I watched it. A Sparrowhawk and two Buzzards made up the other raptors of the morning. 12 Moorhens included a brood of six young. Three Reed Warblers, the usual Reed Bunting, a Goldcrest and a Song Thrush sang, and there were a couple of Whitethroat broods out of the nest. Swallows were zipping around near the Bluebird cafe and near the country centre; I suspect they're nesting somewhere near both. A Grey Heron was feeding in the rife and another flew over. Two Sandwich Terns were offshore. Mallards included a party of four and a domestic female with seven ducklings.

Pagham Harbour

Today I ventured beyond the Worthing "Uber Patch" for the first time since mid-March. I met up - at a safe distance - with Ed Stubbs at Church Norton where we spent a little while catching up at the benches before walking to the Ferry Pool and back. The tern and gull colony was bustling with its usual denizens, including Little, Common and Sandwich Terns, and noisy Mediterranean Gulls. Waders initially seemed all but absent but, while it obviously wasn't peak passage, by the time I got back to the car, a Little Ringed Plover, 22 Avocets, a Knot, two Sanderlings, a Grey Plover, 30-ish Dunlin, three Turnstones, four Ringed Plovers, 15 Lapwings, around 20 Black-tailed Godwits, five Redshanks and a good few Oystercatchers were logged. Warblers included Lesser Whitethroats, Reed and Sedge Warblers, a pair of Mute Swans had six cygnets and singles of Sparrowhawk and Buzzard made brief appearances. A troop of around 10 Swifts moved overhead while a couple of Swallows skimmed lower down. A Little Grebe trilled and a few seemingly idle Great Crested Grebes loafed around the harbour.

Goring Gap and Brooklands Park

The wind hindered play today and Goring Gap was quiet, with a Swift, five Blackcaps and a Whitethroat among the very few birds noted mid-morning. Ingrid and I walked to Brooklands Park and back late afternoon, where we had the Mute Swan family, a Cetti's Warbler, a Grey Wagtail, two Reed Warblers and two Lesser Black-backed Gulls, while young Mallards were mostly full-grown and hanging around in gangs and drakes were entering alternate plumage. One of the cygnets stood out as it was left behind when the rest of the family ventured off the main island to feed; as it caught up it swan slightly unsteadily and looked subtly smaller but soon began feeding well so will hopefully be okay. The only Coot brood - of five - was still going strong. As we left, a procession of at least 48 Swifts arrived off the sea.

Mute Swans at Brooklands Park

Goring Gap, Ferring Rife and Kingston Gorse

I headed out quite early this morning and was soon very glad that I did. Not long into my walk around Goring Gap, a Spoonbill flew quite low just overhead before disappearing behind the Plantation - I could probably have gone for the camera but I opted to enjoy the few seconds I had with the bird through the bins instead. Continuing a little further, a Cuckoo flew to the patch of vegetation around the hidden pond in the middle of the Gap before burying itself in the cover there. 10 Swifts moved north - perhaps they'd just crossed the Channel, a Mediterranean Gull flew west, a Sandwich Tern was offshore, a Lesser Black-backed Gull was on the greensward and although the Great Spotted Woodpecker nest site was quiet, one adult was seen in flight.

The next highlight, and what I'll really remember today for, came as I walked along the beach towards Ferring Rife and clocked something splashing in the water behind a pair of boats with a drag-net. It was a pod of Bottlenose Dolphins! I've really wanted to see some kind of cetacean off Worthing shores ever since I moved down and last year missed the only sighting during my time living here... So I was really chuffed with this. Up to six were on view in the tight pod at any one time and they spent a lot of time at the surface, surprisingly visible considering they were a fair way out and I managed to point the animals out to a couple of passers by, who were also delighted. At least five Gannets were involved in the mini-feeding frenzy. Two Canada Geese flew over for good measure and further highlights at Ferring Rife included a Swift, a Grey Heron, two Swallows, two Reed Warblers (including one of those odd June migrants in a seafront garden) and a singing Reed Bunting. I completed my route via Kingston Gorse, which didn't add much besides a Buzzard.

Bottlenose Dolphins off Ferring

Beeding Hill and Mill Hill

An evening visit to Beeding Hill produced a singing Stonechat and a Grey Heron.

Going home through Mill Hill, Little Owl, Tawny Owl and a distant Sedge Warbler were heard.