Frensham Common, Pulborough Brooks and Goring Gap

A rare foray into Surrey and Frensham Common saw really quite special views of the Great Grey Shrike, showing well at close range for some time, and good looks at a Woodlark and three Dartford Warblers. A Water Rail and a couple of Little Grebes were heard, while a Pochard and three Great Crested Grebes were also among the birds at the Little Pond. Two Treecreepers, a Nuthatch, a singing Mistle Thrush, four Stonechats, a singing Reed Bunting, a couple of Siskins and, lordy, my first redpoll for months (heard flying over), were also noted.

Great Grey Shrike at Frensham Common

Woodlark at Frensham Common

Dartford Warbler at Frensham Common

By the time Pulborough Brooks was reached, the rain set in and it was quiet in general, though the floods were still quite full of wildfowl, including Pintail. What was probably my first migrant Chiffchaff of the year was singing, as was a Bullfinch, a Treecreeper and a cluster of 35 Redwings. A Little Egret, a male Kestrel, two Reed Buntings and two Stonechats were also logged.

A very quick stop at Goring Gap on the way back home delivered four Mediterranean Gulls, five Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 132 Common Gulls, c30 Dunlin and 11 Grey Plovers.

13-19th June 2017

A busy last week or so, most birding ending up a little off-piste. It feels as though I've adopted two new patches, as I've been to both Frensham and Pagham twice more since my last post. The first time, on 16th, was another great success with further excellent views of the Elegant Tern and the Red-footed Falcon but a repeat on 19th resulted in a double-dip. Frensham also produced a flock of 13 Crossbills (on 16th) and 'other wildlife' lifers in the form of a Sand Lizard (on 19th) and Silver-studded Blues. Both visits to the Common produced nice views and sounds from Dartford Warblers, Woodlarks and Tree Pipits, while the same male Redstart showed again nicely on 19th. Pagham was great for the tern and gull colony (including good numbers of Meds), as well as a 2cy Little Gull and a Cuckoo on 19th, and the Whimbrel again on 16th.

A fabulous evening at Leith Hill on 13th was rewarded with four Nightjars, a couple of Woodlarks, singing Tree Pipits and several Woodcock passes, as well as a hooting Tawny Owl and a couple of Siskins. That day, a Kestrel was nice to see at home in Belmont. I've made a couple of visits to Sutton as a small contribution to keeping an eye on the Peregrines as they fledge, enjoying lovely views of the two juveniles as they become more mobile - there is clearly a pair of Grey Wagtails in the same area, with occasional fly-overs there. A trip to Oare Marshes for some easy birding made for a nice change on 14th and, though nothing unusual was seen, we enjoyed seeing Bearded Reedlings, a couple of Mediterranean Gulls and the usual gathering of Black-tailed Godwits.

The 2cy male Red-footed Falcon spinning some moves over Frensham Common on Friday

Seconds also for the Elegant Tern on Friday

a lucky encounter with a female Sand Lizard at Frensham on Monday

against migration: the Whimbrel at Pagham on Friday

one of my first Silver-studded Blues at Frensham on Friday

a challenge for the title in Sutton on Friday

Perry and Gwen's progeny in Sutton on Friday

A peaceful scene on the East Flood at Oare Marshes on Wednesday

Sedge Warbler at Pagham on Friday

2cy Little Gull at Pagham (PW)

10-12th June 2017

Time with Ingrid on Saturday included a gorgeous donder along the undercliff at Saltdean, east of Brighton, featuring a few Fulmars and Rock Pipits. This was rudely interrupted by an unmissable event at Pagham Harbour - I left Ingrid to visit her friends in Brighton and rushed over to Church Norton where I spent a wonderful evening watching the adult ELEGANT TERN stealing fish from and cavorting with Sandwich Terns. It sometimes required patience for it to materialise amid the colony of Mediterranean and Black-headed Gulls, Little, Sandwich and Common Terns but when it did, enthralling flight views were available. Other bits included a Whimbrel, Cuckoo and Lesser Whitethroat. After a mess of a trip which amounted to a dip and run yesterday, I returned to Frensham Common today, successfully latching eyes on the 2cy male Red-footed Falcon, a great Surrey rarity, as it hunted by hovering and diving from dead trees; among a nice selection of other birds were Redstart, Dartford Warbler, Woodlark, Stonechat, Siskin, Garden Warbler, Common Tern, Egyptian Goose and a number of Swifts and Sand Martins.

Fulmar along the cliffs at Saltdean

Elegant Tern at Pagham

2cy male Red-footed Falcon at Frensham

♂ Redstart at Frensham

Dartford Warbler at Frensham

♂ Stonechat at Frensham

Canons Farm and Frensham Great Pond, 27th November 2016

Doing the rounds at the farm resulted in a couple of surprises, namely a Chiffchaff on the edge of the horse paddock by Pages Acre and a fly-over Grey Wagtail. A Lesser Redpoll seen in the treetops in Pages Acre also goes in my logbook as a noteworthy sighting as they remain frustratingly thin on the ground locally this autumn. I was disappointed that the Forster's Tern had not reappeared in Kent, but news from Frensham Great Pond had Paul S and I heading over there in the afternoon to track down a Surrey lifer. We teamed up with Paul M and John B to scan the main section of the lake, initially finding nothing more curious than the outdoor swimmers, but we soon locked onto a strange, superficially black-and-white form floating near the far shore. It was no rare duck, but had it been on the sea I would have had no hesitation in calling it a (ex-)Guillemot and after staring at it for 10 minutes or so I could see no reason to doubt this identification, however bizarre it seemed; it did not seem the right size nor shape for a Razorbill and was not quite black enough on the upperparts. An adult drake hybrid Aythya was snoozing among 62 Pochards but once it became clear that our quarry was not in this part of the lake, we moved towards the Frensham Pond Hotel, which the last report referred to, where Paul quickly locked onto the juvenile Long-tailed Duck. A frequent diver and remaining under the surface for perhaps 45 seconds on each dive, it did not allow prolonged viewing or convenient photography but was an entertaining bird. Eventually, it flew off towards the main section of the lake with four Tufted Ducks.
 

juvenile Long-tailed Duck, Frensham Great Pond

Fieldfare, Canons Farm