Worthing and Highdown

 A 40-minute watch from my garden first thing produced 35 Siskins, three Meadow Pipits and a Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Highdown this morning delivered two Redstarts (male and female), a late Swift among 250 House Martins and 35 Swallows, a Whinchat, six Spotted Flycatchers, six Buzzards moving west, a migrant female Stonechat, four Yellow Wagtails, 60+ Siskins, 241+ Meadow Pipits, a Grey Wagtail and a Mistle Thrush.

Highdown and Widewater Lagoon

I cycled up to Highdown early this morning to find a concerned couple crouching over a very unwell Hedgehog. I made the arrangements over the phone between the RSPCA and the vet for the animal to be taken in and the couple very kindly drove it in to Worthing. I doubt it stood much of a chance - it had either been run over or mauled by a dog - but it was the best we could do.

My first two Tree Pipits of the autumn buzzed high overhead, unseen in the clear skies, while on the ground there were just singles of Willow Warbler, Garden Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat. 45 Swallows were made up by a couple of main groups, one of which was clouding around a Sparrowhawk. The wooded area held a brood of Goldcrests, a couple of Treecreepers and a Nuthatch, while the grassland was charmed by around 60 Goldfinches, with smaller numbers of Linnets and Greenfinches thrown in. A young Buzzard cried in the distance and an adult was noted, while a Kestrel and a Canada Goose were among other birds heard.

I visited Widewater later on, hoping the Mandarins reported yesterday would still be present but I could not find them. A Little Egret, a Lesser Black-backed Gull and the pair of Mute Swans with their one juvenile were present.

Highdown

A short visit today featured two Lesser Whitethroats, two Red Kites, a Yellowhammer, a Sparrowhawk, a Buzzard and a Swift.

Goring Gap, Ferring Rife, Highdown and Brooklands Park

The Mole Valley Bird Race has been a tradition for me over the last few years. It is organised each year by David Stubbs but this year was always bound to be different, as since the last race David has moved to the Norfolk coast. What with Sam Bayley, Matt Phelps and myself among the others to have dispersed from the area in recent times, it almost seemed a redesign of the competition was a natural move, regardless of the social distancing measures.

So, with the travel difficulties and so many of us away from the Mole Valley (not that I ever lived there, but when I was in Surrey, the borough was a hop away and I did most of my ringing at Leith Hill, the area's flagship site), this year was, for the first time, a remote event taking place among birders with a connection to the Mole Valley, across Britain and Ireland.

I formed a virtual team with Ian Jones and Phil Wallace and we initially felt optimistic. I had a decent bit of the Sussex coast in my 5km area limit (a key rule of this year's race) and both Ian and Phil had Beddington, as well as some interesting habitat on the edge of the Surrey countryside. However,  it soon became clear that howling WSW wind was going to scupper the chances of an epic score. I shan't relate what Phil and Ian had but between them they added 20 additional species to my 60 (and Ian scored 60 himself).

Goring Gap was quiet at first, with two Pheasants - a scarce site bird - a Skylark, two Blackcaps and a Whitethroat among the first additions to the list. Evidently this was going to be hard work, so I walked up Ferring Rife with my bike - logging a Lesser Whitethroat, a Reed Bunting, five Reed Warblers, two Little Egrets, two Swallows and a Swift - before cycling on to Highdown. At Highdown I mainly concentrated on woodland species, managing two Marsh Tits, a Treecreeper, Nuthatch and Coal Tit, while a Yellowhammer appeared in the open area. A Lesser Whitethroat, seven Skylarks and a flock of 280 mainly juvenile Starlings were also noted, plus a pair of Canada Geese with six young.

Back at Goring Gap, now the tide had risen, delivered eight Oystercatchers, 12 Sanderlings, a Fulmar, six Gannets, 30 Turnstones and a Great Crested Grebe. Moving on to Brooklands Park, I added a 3cy Yellow-legged Gull (a local yeartick no less), the family of Mute Swans, a Cetti's Warbler and two Lesser Black-backed Gulls. The family of five Coot young was still complete and two Reed Warblers were singing. A Black-headed Gull snuck onto the race list.

3cy Yellow-legged Gull at Brooklands Park

3cy Yellow-legged Gull at Brooklands Park

Mute Swans at Brooklands Park

West Worthing and Highdown

At home a Stock Dove was singing for its third day and a Great Black-backed Gull flew over.

A pleasant morning walk featured my first three Lesser Whitethroats of the year - all singing males and two showing quite nicely. Other highlights included a family of Greylags (five young), a flyover Wheatear, two Grey Partridges, three Yellowhammers, a Reed Bunting, a Bullfinch, two Whitethroats, 10 Blackcaps, six Chiffchaffs, four Swallows, 12 Skylarks, a Sparrowhawk, four Buzzards, a Grey Heron and two Lesser Black-backed Gulls. A Magpie raided a Blackcap nest, stealing an egg.

Goring Gap and Highdown

An early walk at Goring Gap saw a Serin catch my ear as it flew west over the beach, presumably the the bird from three days ago. Yellow Wagtails have been thin on the ground this spring so I was glad to hear then see one heading north. Other birds included a 2cy Mediterranean  Gull, four Swallows, a Little Egret, three Sandwich Terns and 16 Greenfinches.

Highdown offered a Lesser Whitethroat and a Meadow Pipit singing, at least five Red Kites and four Buzzards, two Kestrels, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, three Swifts and a Bullfinch.

Highdown, Goring Gap and The Downs

Highlights at Highdown included my first Hobby of the year, two singing Garden Warblers, with a Lesser Whitethroat and, more unusually, a Reed Warbler, also in voice, as well as a Lapwing touring overhead, a pair of Grey Partridges out on the main section, a Grey Heron, a Reed Bunting, two Mallards, a Kestrel, seven Swifts, a Canada Goose, five Swallows, 14 Whitethroats, seven Blackcaps, a Treecreeper, a Bullfinch and three Yellowhammers.

A short visit to Goring Gap was disappointing, with 18 Common Scoters, three Great Crested Grebes, five Sandwich Terns, three Gannets and a Swallow.

An evening tour of the downs near No-Man's-Land with Gareth produced a male and two female Wheatears, a singing Stonechat, two Tawny Owls, a Moorhen, and a migrating Whimbrel in the dark.

male Linnet at Highdown

West Worthing and Highdown

To my delight a flock of 10 Crossbills flew east over my garden just before 7am this morning. Other highlights from the garden today incuded a Peregrine, a Grey Heron, a Cormorant, three Linnets and a Meadow Pipit.

Crossbills over my garden

I cycled to Highdown, where a flyover Spoonbill was an unexpected and hugely exciting encounter, while I also had my first two Yellow Wagtails and my first Whitethroat of 2020. Other sightings there included three Red Kites, five Buzzards, Greylag and Canada Geese, two Willow Warblers, a singing Marsh Tit, two Bullfinches, a Mistle Thrush, a Treecreeper, 21 Meadow Pipits ,14 Blackcaps, five Chiffchaffs a Kestrel and a Reed Bunting (probably the same as was singing across the roa at North Goring Gap on my way in).

Spoonbill over Highdown

Whitethroat at Highdown

West Worthing and Highdown

Two Meadow Pipits, a Linnet and a Stock Dove flew over the garden. The Blackcap was in song and Jay and Coal Tit each paid a visit.

A walk at Highdown late afternoon was quiet, with three Yellowhammers, two Nuthatches, two Kestrels and a small handful each of Skylark, Blackcap and Chiffchaff. A pair of Green Woodpeckers yaffled loudly.

male Yellowhammer at Highdown

Highdown and West Worthing

A walk on Highdown this fine morning featured a Firecrest, a pair of Marsh Tits, four Red Kites, three Buzzards, a Greylag Goose, a Canada Goose, a singing Treecreeper, two Mistle Thrushes, two Kestrels, two Great Spotted Woodpeckers, four Green Woodpeckers, 16 Meadow Pipits, 11 Linnets, three Yellowhammers, a Bullfinch, three Nuthatches, a Blackcap, four Chiffchaffs, 10 Skylarks, two Lesser Black-backed Gulls and a Red-legged Partridge.

2cy Buzzard at Highdown

At home in West Worthing, a Chiffchaff was in the garden and a Buzzard flew over, the latter a home tick.

Highdown

A Red Kite was the highlight of a short walk at Highdown this gloomy afternoon.

Highdown and Steep Down

A morning walk at Highdown featured a Reed Bunting, six Stonechats, four Yellow Wagtails, 62 Meadow Pipits, two Bullfinches, seven Goldcrests, a Whitethroat, 10 Blackcaps, nine Chiffchaffs, nine House Martins, 24 Swallows, a Sand Martin, two Skylarks, a Buzzard, a Kestrel and two Mallards.

male Stonechat at Highdown - an influx today

Late in the afternoon I took a brief stroll around Steep Down, logging another six Stonechats, six Meadow Pipits, a Corn Bunting, 70 Linnets, 30 Goldfinches, a Whitethroat, two Blackcaps, two Chiffchaffs, two Kestrels and a Buzzard.

West Worthing and Highdown

Along my road today, a Chiffchaff was calling from gardens and a Meadow Pipit flew over.

The morning's highlights at Highdown were three of both Spotted Flycatcher and Redstart, a Lesser Whitethroat, a Sand Martin, two House Martins, 27 Swallows, seven Whitethroats, 13 Chiffchaffs, 20 Blackcaps, 10 Meadow Pipits, five Bullfinches, a Red-legged Partridge, three Skylarks, a Goldcrest, a Sparrowhawk, a Kestrel and two Nuthatches.

female Redstart

female Redstart

1cy male Redstart (right) and Spotted Flycatcher

Spotted Flycatcher

West Worthing, Highdown, Goring Gap, Ferring Rife and Pulborough Brooks RSPB

First thing, a Tree Pipit flew over at home in West Worthing.

Phil was staying nearby this weekend so I teamed up with him for a morning of Worthing area birding. We started at Highdown, encountering a male Redstart, a Spotted Flycatcher, a Whinchat, three Tree Pipits, three Yellow Wagtails, a Grey Wagtail, a Willow Warbler, 12 Whitethroats, eight Blackcaps, 14 Swallows, two Chiffchaffs, a Goldcrest, a Coal Tit, two Great Spotted Woodpeckers, a Green Woodpecker, a Skylark, a Sparrowhawk, a Kestrel, a House Martin and a Song Thrush.

Spotted Flycatcher at Highdown

Goring Gap produced two Yellow Wagtails, 46 Swallows, five Sandwich Terns, a Chiffchaff, a Sparrowhawk, six Little Egrets, six Oystercatchers, 12 Ringed Plovers and four Turnstones.

We only had time to walk a very short distance along one side of Ferring Rife, but we did hear a Firecrest. Three Swallows, a Little Egret and a Blackcap were also noted in our short visit.

Ingrid and I popped in to the shop at Pulborough Brooks RSPB in the afternoon, where we saw a Hobby, a Sparrowhawk and a Swallow fly over. Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers were heard.

West Worthing, Highdown and Adur Estuary

As I stepped out of the door this morning, a Tree Pipit flew over the garden, a harbinger of a quite extraordinary movement shortly thereafter of 33 birds over Highdown in just under three hours - my record count anywhere. This push included a couple of flocks of half-a-dozen, while a small handful of individuals dropped in for a short while.A Spotted Flycatcher, two Yellow Wagtails, a Reed Warbler, a Sand Martin and three Lesser Whitethroats made for a rewarding session. Not to mention back-up including six Willow Warblers, 14 Whitethroats, a Swift, 25 Swallows, six Chiffchaffs, five Skylarks, two Nuthatches, a Kestrel, three Green Woodpeckers, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Common Gull, a Buzzard and two Bullfinches.

Tree Pipit at Highdown

Lesser Whitethroat at Highdown

Spotted Flycatcher at Highdown

Linnet at Highdown

Visiting the Adur Estuary later, I scanned from the toll bridge and strolled to just north of the A27 and back south a little way. A juvenile Yellow-legged Gull on the mud appeared to be the same as one of Sunday's Brooklands birds (bird 2). Ringed Plovers numbered 24 birds and further birds logged included a Willow Warbler, five Grey Herons, a Little Egret, an Oystercatcher, a Dunlin, six Swallows, three Lesser Black-backed Gulls and a Buzzard.

juvenile Yellow-legged Gull on the Adur Estuary [seemingly bird 2 from Sunday at Brooklands]

Grey Herons on the Adur Estuary

Buzzard over the Adur Estuary

Highdown, Cissbury Ring, Brooklands Park and West Worthing

After a busy weekend working at Birdfair, it took a little while for me to get out this morning. My first port of call was Highdown, where I managed to cover a small part of the site before the heavens opened. The highlight was my first - and long overdue - Whinchat of the year! Two Sand Martins, seven Swallows and a Swift flew through. Other birds included singles of Kestrel, Green Woodpecker and Nuthatch, along with four Skylarks, three Whitethroats and six Blackcaps.

Whinchat at Highdown

The visit to Cissbury Ring paid off with a scattering of half-a-dozen vocal Redstarts, mostly females but including one well-marked male, as well as two heard fly-over Tree Pipits, two Stonechats, a Willow Warbler, a Swallow, four Blackcaps, two Whitethroats, a Yellowhammer, two Buzzards and three Kestrels among the other species logged.

female Redstart at Cissbury Ring

A reasonable number of large gulls were gathered at Brooklands Park in the late afternoon, including two showy juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls and two Lesser Black-backed Gulls (an adult and a juvenile). The Mute Swan family and a Grey Heron were the best of the other birds seen.

juvenile Yellow-legged Gull at Brooklands Park (bird 1)

juvenile Yellow-legged Gull at Brooklands Park (bird 2)

At home in West Worthing, a Swift flew over the garden.

Goring Gap, Highdown and Beachy Head

A census of Goring Gap was predictably quiet until a male Blue-headed Wagtail landed on the greensward in front of me as I headed back along the beach to the car. It was, of course, almost immediately flushed by a dog-walker and headed off west. Otherwise, it was terribly quiet for migrants and 'resident' bird activity was low. I noted two Swifts and eight Swallows flying overhead and a Mediterranean Gull called. Song Thrush and Goldcrest were the most locally notable breeders in voice. A Green Woodpecker yaffled and a pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers were in the Plantation. Four Skylarks were in the fields. I'm not sure what the overflying pair of Linnets were doing.

male Blue-headed Wagtail at Goring Gap

I planned on raptor-watching from Highdown from late morning but only managed to get up there from about 2pm, logging a couple of Red Kites and five or so Buzzards, as well as a flypast Grey Heron, a singing Yellowhammer, House Martin and three Swifts.

An evening dash to Beachy Head following what turned out to be a suspicious report of yesterday's Crag Martin back on site produced singing Corn Bunting and Meadow Pipit, five Swallows and a Green Woodpecker but no beefy Mediterranean hirundine...

Goring Gap, Ferring Rife, Highdown and West Worthing

Goring Gap was quiet this morning, though a flock involving two Shovelers and seven Teal flew east, as did a Whimbrel and 16 Mediterranean Gulls. Eleven Linnets flew over and later on a Greenshank - only my second record for the patch and my first seen - was on the beach, making the visit worthwhile. Also noted were three Great Crested Grebes, a Grey Heron, 12 Turnstones, four Sanderlings, a Swallow and two Blackcaps.

House Sparrows at Goring Gap

Ferring Rife added two Reed Warblers, a Reed Bunting, four Whitethroats, a Song Thrush, three Linnets, a Willow Warbler, a Chiffchaff, five Swallows, 12 Moorhens and singles of Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers.

A wander around Highdown produced a House Martin, two Lesser Whitethroats, a Red Kite, six Buzzards, three Mallards, two Green Woodpeckers, a Kestrel, two Yellowhammers and small numbers of Whitethroats, Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs. Four pairs of Long-tailed Tits were going about their business.

Chiffchaff at Ferring Rife

Red Kite over Highdown

Later, a Linnet flew over my West Worthing garden.