Cuckmere Haven and Newhaven

I chickened out of going to Derbyshire again today and ended up spending the afternoon with Phil in East Sussex. Cuckmere Haven was quiet, with four Rock Pipits, three Common Sandpipers, two Stonechats, 45 Swifts, five Sand Martins, 22 Little Egrets, 15 Grey Herons and a feral Barnacle Goose about the cream of the crop...

Common Sandpipers at Cuckmere Haven

A quick stop at Newhaven on the way home saw a Fulmar, a juvenile Common Gull and a Polish-ringed Black-headed Gull.

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juvenile Common Gull at Newhaven

Goring Gap, West Worthing, Brooklands Park and Newhaven

Goring Gap was quiet early this morning, with 12 Red-breasted Mergansers offshore and a Redshank on the beach just about the only things worth mentioning.

When at home briefly mid-morning, three Mute Swans flew over our West Worthing garden, then from the car we saw the drake Pochard on the lake at Brooklands Park when at the traffic lights.

I dropped Ingrid off in Brighton for an appointment and killed the time before picking her up with a trip to Newhaven West Beach. There I enjoyed spectacular views of some 24 Fulmars on and around the cliffs, and rafting on the sea just offshore. Eight Purple Sandpipers and seven Turnstones were visible at long range on the east arm and a Great Crested Grebe was on the sea. A Rock Pipit was busy around the car park and a Sparrowhawk flew along the clifftop.

Fulmar at Newhaven

Rock Pipit at Newhaven

Goring Gap, West Worthing and Newhaven

This morning's seawatch off Goring Gap wasn't too bad, with a Great Northern Diver making its way west, while two Mute Swans and two Sandwich Terns headed in the opposite direction. Backup came in the form of two Common Scoters, 45 Red-breasted Mergansers (mostly flying west), nine Great Crested Grebes, seven Gannets, two Mediterranean Gulls and nine Common Gulls. Six Meadow Pipits flew west and two Ringed Plovers and an Oystercatcher flew along the beach.

As I got through the door at home another Meadow Pipit called overhead.

I was getting some miscellaneous work done at home later when news came through of a Red-necked Grebe in Newhaven harbour. This is a species I hope I'll get at Goring this year but time's beginning to run a little short for the spring window of opportunity, so I dashed over there once I'd finished lunch. Alas, there was no sign of the bird, only five Great Crested Grebes, two Turnstones and an Oystercatcher.

Arundel, Offham, Church Norton, Medmerry RSPB, Goring Gap, Newhaven and Rodmell Brooks

A day out with Surrey birders Ed and Arjun started at The Black Rabbit, Arundel. Here at dawn we logged two Woodcocks, two Barn Owls, a Tawny Owl, a Kingfisher, a Firecrest, a Mandarin, four Marsh Harriers, a Brambling, a Reed Bunting, a Sparrowhawk, three Little Egrets, two Egyptian Geese, and, least expected, heard a Little Owl calling from behind us.

A flying visit to Offham had us viewing the 10 Bewick's Swans from a different angle to the norm! A flock of 41 Cormorants heading south was interesting.

Church Norton was disappointing for birds offshore, with only a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers and a few distant flocks of Razorbills, though a flock of 60 surely wild Barnacle Geese in-off and an adult male Peregrine feasting on a kill made the stop worthwhile.

Medmerry was gusty but provided two Black Redstarts, as well as the usual Common Scoter raft offshore.

Black Redstart at Medmerry

Goring Gap was quiet other than good numbers of Red-breasted Mergansers and Great Crested Grebes offshore and some of the usual waders on the beach, including around 40 Grey Plovers.

We visited Riverside Park, Newhaven, for the HUME'S WARBLER, which thankfully gave good, though brief, views in the end, and treated us to occasional bouts of incessant calling. Also on site was a Chiffchaff, a Cetti's Warbler, a Sparrowhawk, 20 Lapwings and a Redwing.

The East Pier at Newhaven held three Purple Sandpipers.

Rodmell Brooks held the two Pink-footed Geese amid the Mute Swan herd, while six Little Egrets flew through and a flock of Redwings contained a couple of Fieldfares.

Goring Gap, West Rise Marsh and Newhaven

A very quick look from a quiet Goring Gap yielded 14 Red-breasted Mergansers, 28 Great Crested Grebes, two Redshanks, 16 Oystercatchers, 28 Grey Plovers and a few Sanderlings, Dunlin, Turnstones and two Mediterranean Gulls.

West Rise Marsh was the next port of call, where I was hoping for Water Pipits. I had no success with these at first but scanning a distant slither of West Langney Lake turned up gold in the form a 2CY female Ring-necked Duck! After getting satisfactory views and record shots, I drove round to the car park and viewed from the edge of the lake, where I was joined by Matt Eade and we got much improved views of this 12th record for Sussex (and the first since 2007) as it fed happily near the edge, loosely associating with Tufted Ducks. Two Water Pipits which flew from a nearby flooded area fulfilled the original quest, though this had been somewhat sidelined! Other stuff noted included five Stonechats.

2CY female Ring-necked Duck at West Rise Marsh

Stopping at Newhaven quickly on the way home produced seven Purple Sandpipers and four Turnstones on the East Arm, while a Fulmar flew along the cliffs, a Red-legged Partridge called near the car park and two Guillemots flew west.

Purple Sandpiper on the Newhaven East Arm

Turnstone on the Newhaven East Arm

Recent stuff

Lots and lots to be getting on with so just a quick catch up on what I've been up to this month.

A trip to Scotland on 10th and 11th didn't go as well as planned, with a speeding ticket and no American Herring Gull in the Campbeltown area, although we did find the drake BLACK DUCK at Strontian.Other highlights from the trip included two Snow Geese, three Iceland Gulls and good numbers of Greenland White-fronted Geese.

Drake Black Duck at Strontian with female Mallard

Snow Geese with Greenland White-fronted Geese near Tayinloan

Greenland White-fronted Geese near Campbeltown - the skeins were a breathtaking sight and sound

Last Thursday saw me connect with my 400th British bird, the GREAT SPOTTED CUCKOO which was discovered at Giltar Point near Tenby. I've especially wished to see one of these since I was about ten so I was delighted to catch up with one and it was such a spectacular-looking thing, a great one for 400.

Great Spotted Cuckoo at Giltar Point - number 400!

Just before the Scotland trip, the 9th provided some good birds near to home in Surrey with two summer-plumaged Black-necked Grebe on Mercers Lake, Holmethorpe Sand Pits and a Firecrest found by Paul Goodman in Banstead Woods, the species is surprisingly rare at CFBW and this was my second sighting there. The grebes were a fantastic addition to my local area list.

Black-necked Grebes on Mercers Lake, Holmethorpe Sand Pits

Firecrest in Banstead Woods, a cracking find by Paul Goodman

A drake Pintail was something of a surprise at the Ouse Estuary Project reserve at Newhaven today.

Drake Pintail at Newhaven today

Drake Pintail (second from right) at Newhaven today

Purple Sands

There were thirteen Purple Sandpipers on the East Arm at Newhaven this afternoon including three that were particularly photogenic. Other highlights included good numbers of Dunlin, Curlew, Common Snipe and Lapwing.

Newhaven

Having returned to university, I've been reacquainting myself with the 'away patch'. Yesterday produced the wintering male Bearded Tit and ten Purple Sandpipers along with a single Eider. A walk through a promising-looking field today did not disappoint, with seven Jack Snipes and at least thirteen Common Snipes coming up. Raven and Moorhen were also ticks while two Eiders were offshore.

Newhaven

Paul Goodman and Josh Burch wanted to check out my uni patch so we headed down there for a look today. I managed three 'away patch' ticks: Black Redstart, Little Grebe and Pheasant. There was a pair of Black Redstarts and both the male and the female were rather obliging. There were still four Eiders between the piers.

female Black Redstart

male Black Redstart

Newhaven again

In what will probably be my last visit to the uni patch until I get back from the Christmas holidays in early January, I spent a few hours either side of my only lecture of the day in the Newhaven area. This time I actually saw a Bearded Tit, adding the species to my patch list, while the day's other addition came in the form of a female Common Scoter that flew east.

Turnstone on the East Pier

Also a the juvenile Spoonbill, five Eiders, a distant probable Red-throated Diver, Chiffchaff, Red-legged Partridge (heard), eight or so Common Snipes, Chiffchaff, Sanderling, two Water Rails (heard), two Little Egrets, Skylark, Turnstone, 22 Teal, Meadow Pipit, Reed Bunting, around 250 Lapwings and 26 Curlews.

Spoonbill and Eiders at Newhaven

In a bid to grow my uni patch list at Newhaven, I spent much of the day in the area and added several new species including Red-throated Diver, Teal and Guillemot. Other highlights included the first-year Spoonbill that was back in the main channel and six Eiders offshore, two of which came very close to the East Pier. Heard but not seen were at least two Bearded Tits and a Water Rail while a freshly ploughed field by the car park attracted around 270 Lapwings and two of the day's six Common Snipes.

The Spoonbill showed well near the bridge over the main channel

The Eiders made short work of some of the numerous shore crabs around the East Pier

Nine Red-throated Divers passed distantly east within a few minutes

Nine Teal

The day's tally:

Spoonbill
Common Snipe 6
Lapwing c270
Teal 9
Redshank several
Meadow Pipit
Pied Wagtail
Little Egret
Jackdaw several
Kestrel
Eider 6
Red-throated Diver 9
Rock Pipit
Fulmar 32
Grey Wagtail
Chiffchaff
Long-tailed Tit 3+
Bearded Tit 1+
Reed Bunting c3
Mallard 3
Green Woodpecker
Water Rail
Great Spotted Woodpecker (heard)
Sanderling

Newhaven

Only a twenty minute drive from my Brighton flat and with potential for most things to turn up, I've decided on the Newhaven area as my university patch. With attractive coastal scrub, rough fields and wetlands there are plenty of birding opportunities and I look forward to spending some time there over the next three years. Today I enjoyed good views of some of the wintering Purple Sandpipers as well as six Eiders which have been in the area for a little while now, but I failed once again to find the Iceland Gull that has been seen on and off.

Purple Sandpipers afford good views on the East Pier

One of six Eiders today

Spoonbill

I spent a short while with this juvenile Spoonbill at Newhaven Tide Mills today, a place that I've been having the occasional walk around when I've had the time, being only twenty minutes from my flat. As you can see it wasn't the most attractive bird ever...

catch up

I've been held back from updating my blog lately mainly due to school work and there's a couple of things that have happened in the last week or so worth putting on here so I have produced a brief illustrated synopsis . . .

Black Redstart at Canons Farm last Tuesday

Last Monday I headed up to Wormwood Scrubs to check out the Great Grey Shrike and successfully added this splendid bird to my London list. All week the Solitary Sandpiper was tempting me and I nearly went on Saturday but decided better of it (very glad I did too, that would have been a very painful, very expensive dip).

Great Grey Shrike

The weekend did not go as planned. On Saturday, I went to Canons while waiting on news on the Lesser Yellowlegs in Oxon, considering going there on the train if news was postive. It came through that the bird was still present and I was just packing up to leave for Sutton station when I got a LondonBirds tweet saying there was a Bluethroat at Rainham. Decision time: go for a reliable but distant and expensive lifer, albeit not an urgent one or go on a shorter and slightly £10 less expensive trip for a potentially elusive but very good London tick (a bird much better for London than Legs is for Britain). I plumped for the Bluethroat on the basis that the Legs would be more likely to stay till the next day and was less urgent and less convenient anyway.

Rosy Starling

I should not have done this, I ended up dipping the Bluethroat (missing it by five minutes) with 4 Pink-footed Geese for company while the Legs was still showing in Oxon. On Sunday I was planning to go to Oxon but news came through the Legs had flown north - I knew that waders often do this and come back so put out an RFI, contacted a local birder who hadn't heard anything either way and waited an hour - nothing. With no reported sightings since 8.05am I thought going to Port Meadow on the off chance of the bird returning could end up being incredibly dull so thought I should make something out of the weekend and go to Newhaven to see my first adult Rosy Starling. A smart bird, though elusive and I got a couple of good views. I got back to hear that the Lesser Yellowlegs had returned later in the day . . . bugger.

No British ticks and no London ticks although opportunites were available for both . . . autumn is always a lot less lucky for me than spring.

Little Owl last Tuesday at Canons Farm

patch MEGA, Grey Wagtail last Thursday on the largest body of water at Canons Farm, a 2x2 metre puddle - long-staying though elusive first record