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.

Cissbury Ring, Adur Estuary, Mill Hill and Brooklands Park

Cissbury produced two female Redstarts, a Tree Pipit flying west with a Wheatear (plus another of the latter on the deck), a Grey Wagtail, a trickle of House Martins, Swallows and Meadow Pipits overhead and small numbers of Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Whitethroats in the bushes. A single Lesser Whitethroat, three migrant Goldcrests two Ravens, a Yellowhammer and four Kestrels were among the other birds noted.

Great Spotted Woodpecker at Cissbury Ring

Wheatear at Cissbury Ring

At the Adur, Ringed Plovers had increased since my last visit to 38 birds, and other waders were five Dunlin, three Lapwings and two Turnstones. Just one Little Egret was fishing, and lone Yellow Wagtail and Meadow Pipit flew over, plus three Swallows. One Lesser Black-backed Gull was present.

I moved on to Mill Hill, which was very quiet save for flyovers from a Tree Pipit and two Yellow Wagtails, plus five Meadow Pipits and 11 House Martins.

Brooklands Park had a 1cy Yellow-legged Gull on the lake along with two Lesser Black-backed Gulls. By far the highlight of the day was a Pied Flycatcher in the willow at the sewage works end of the stream, where a Cetti's Warbler was also calling. The Mute Swan family was still happily feeding, as was one Grey Heron. A Chiffchaff was the only further passerine migrant.

Pied Flycatcher at Brooklands Park

1cy Yellow-legged Gull at Brooklands Park

Adur Estuary, Mill Hill, Amberley and Brooklands Park

I thought the tide might be at a level warranting a visit to the Adur first thing this morning, but it was too high for any waders. I did note a Willow Warbler, four Little Egrets, eight Mute Swans, a Green Woodpecker and a Pied Wagtail.

Curious after a report of a good mix of migrants the other day, I checked out Mill Hill and earmarked it as another local site to try to check on every now and then. The best migrants were a Redstart, a Whinchat and a Willow Warbler. I heard House Martin overhead, three Swallows flew through and a Lesser Black-backed Gull went over. Several Whitethroats and Blackcaps were in the bushes. While packing my stuff up, 10 Painted Ladies exploded from a buddleia in the car park - an impressive sight!

Ingrid was continuing her section-hike of the South Downs Way today and I met her for lunch in Amberley. A welcome bonus came when I heard Peregrine calls from a quarry by the pub and looked up to see a pair of adults, the female proudly clutching a Green Woodpecker kill... Both times I've clearly seen Peregrine with a kill this year, Green Woodpecker has been the victim!

adult female Peregrine in Amberley, with Green Woodpecker

Later at Brooklands Park, I had two Teal, what looked like one of the regular juvenile (well, now first-winter really) Yellow-legged Gulls, a juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull, two Grey Herons and the family of Mute Swans.