Bramber Brooks, Shoreham and Goring Gap

A later start today took me to the River Adur alongside Bramber Brooks, where I caught up with the juvenile Goosander which has been in the area, though it was very skittish and I only saw it in flight. There was also a Kingfisher, two Fieldfares, a Cetti's Warbler and a Reed Bunting.

The next stop was Shoreham Fort, where an adult Purple Sandpiper was on the jetty with 12 Turnstones. What was presumably the same female-type Black Redstart which was reported yesterday put in a brief appearance along the fenceline and a Rock Pipit was feeding.

Stopping at Goring Gap produced nine Mediterranean Gulls and two Lesser Black-backed Gulls in the roost field, though there were only three Turnstones.

West Worthing, Widewater Lagoon, Adur Estuary, Upper Adur and Upper Beeding

The male Peregrine was vocal and showy in West Worthing early this morning.

Cycling alongside Widewater Lagoon, I saw a 2cy Mediterranean Gull and four Sandwich Terns offshore.

The Adur Estuary had a Shelduck, a Yellow Wagtail, a Whimbrel, two Oystercatchers, a Grey Heron, two Little Egrets, a Swift, a Red Kite, a Buzzard, a Kestrel, a Cetti's Warbler, a Swallow, a Meadow Pipit, a Skylark and a Mistle Thrush.

drake Shelduck on the Adur Estuary

Between the A27 and Upper Beeding, I walked along the Adur and noted another Cetti's Warbler, two Red Kites, two Greylags, four Sedge Warblers, three Reed Warblers, two Lesser Whitethroats three Little Egrets, three Swifts, four Mute Swans, 15 Mallards, six Swallows, six Skylarks, a Bullfinch and a Reed Bunting.

Sedge Warbler at Coombes

A Cuckoo, presumably the same as my last visit, was belting out its song at Upper Beeding, where there was also a male Stonechat, a Reed Bunting, four Mute Swan, a Canada Goose, six House Martins, a Little Egret, a Red Kite, a Buzzard, a Kestrel and four Swifts.

On the way back past the RSPB reserve in the lower estuary, I was delighted with a flock of four Common Sandpipers eventually settling on a spot to roost during the very high tide.

Common Sandpipers on the RSPB reserve at the Adur Estuary

Two Little Egrets were on the Widewater on my return home.

Brooklands Park, Widewater Lagoon, Adur Estuary, Upper Adur, Upper Beeding and West Worthing

In a quick look offshore at Brooklands I saw only a Gannet and two Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Around the park itself it was pleasing to see the family of Mute Swans first reported the other day, with all seven 'ugly ducklings' present and correct and looking adorable. There was also a family of Coots with five young. One of these was picked on a few times by the male but was later seen being fed. Hopefully they'll cope! Singles of Sand Martin, House Martin and Swallow were hawking the duck-feeding area and I found a female Blackbird in the final stages of nest-building. Other sightings included two Mallard broods (five and 10), a Grey Heron, two Cetti's Warblers, two Willow Warblers and three Reed Warblers.

Mute Swan family at Brooklands Park

Coot family at Brooklands Park

At Widewater Lagoon the long-staying Whimbrel was still showing well and I heard a Dunlin. Two Little Egrets and two Mute Swans - including a 2cy - were also seen.

Whimbrel at Widewater Lagoon

The lower Adur Estuary offered five Whimbrel, 12 Turnstones, six Oystercatchers, two Lesser Black-backed Gulls, a Skylark and a Whitethroat.

Whimbrel on the Adur Estuary

Along the stretch of the Adur between the A27 bridge and Botolphs I logged five Swifts, nnother Whimbrel, two Lesser Whitethroats, three Sedge Warblers, a Reed Warbler, three House Martins, 11 Whitethroats, a Reed Bunting, two Grey Herons, 11 Mallards, a Canada Goose, two Little Egrets, two Buzzards, six Swallows, three House Martins and six Skylarks.

Whimbrel on the upper Adur

At Upper Beeding I heard a Cuckoo by the flood relief pool, where there were nine Greylags (four of which were young goslings), two Canada Geese, two Moorhens, a Mute Swan and three Mallards. A House Martin and a Kestrel were over the meadow on the south side of the village, where there was a singing Reed Bunting.

Long Furlong, Upper Beeding and Adur Estuary

Long Furlong is another area I've been meaning to explore for a fair while. The hum of the busy single carriageway road is hard to escape but it's an interesting and neglected section of the downs in ornithological terms. Seven Red Kites included birds feeding on the ground alongside a flock of 600 or so Starlings. One or two of the five Corn Buntings were in song and a Chiffchaff was calling from the garden of one of the cottages. A Raven cronked softly as it flew overhead and other birds included four Yellowhammers, five Buzzards, six Meadow Pipits, a flyover Cormorant, two Kestrels, two Green Woodpeckers and a scattering of lively Skylarks.

Red Kite at Long Furlong

Still feeling the exploratory spirit, I followed up some interesting and apparently fairly new habitat on the northeast side of Upper Beeding. A small wetland was created only three years ago as flood relief by a landowner with an interest in birds and wildlife, as explained to me by a cheery local called Rod. You'd believe it's a new and purposefully constructed nature reserve and it will be interesting to see how it develops. Birds included a Kingfisher, a Grey Wagtail, two Egyptian Geese, four Greylag Geese, seven Canada Geese, four Cormorants, a Sparrowhawk, two Mallards and two Moorhens.

I was going to check the gulls at Goring Gap around midday but the number of larids on the Adur as I drove over the A27 flyover tempted me to stop there instead. Aside from the four locally common species, an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull was the only reward, however... 35 Lapwings, three Redshanks, a Meadow Pipit and a Reed Bunting were also noted during my brief visit.