Thursday 11 January 2018

Goring/Ferring

The clear highlight of the day's patch birding was an energetic male Firecrest feeding on the edge of the holm oaks on Ilex Avenue, a site first for me. Just over an hour of seawatching - joined for a while by Gareth J - produced 53 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, three Common Scoters, 19 Red-breasted Mergansers, six Great Crested Grebes, seven Red-throated Divers, two Razorbills and seven distant auks. 13 adult Mediterranean Gulls were in the fields and towards dusk in excess of 2,500 Common Gulls roosted on the sea. Ringed Plovers, Dunlin, Grey Plovers, Sanderlings, Turnstones and Oystercatchers were all present but not fully counted today. Other birds included two Fieldfares, 11 Redwings, seven Skylarks, a Moorhen, a Green Woodpecker, three Great Spotted Woodpeckers (including two in a drumming contest, giving a slight spring-like feeling!) and 19 Greenfinches. A cursory look at the lower part of Ferring Rife produced just another Green Woodpecker to add of any note.

♂ Firecrest
Fieldfare