Tuesday 3 April 2018

Goring, Lavington Common, Ambersham Common/Heyshot Heath, Westdean Woods and The Burgh

The first few hours of the morning were spent at Goring Gap and produced the regular 2CY Iceland Gull, two Wheatears, three Linnets, five Skylarks, two Meadow Pipits, four Chiffchaffs, a Goldcrest, two eastbound Jackdaws, 170 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, three Common Scoters, a Fulmar, three Gannets, seven Great Crested Grebes, a Sparrowhawk, a Moorhen, six Oystercatchers, nine Turnstones, 13 Sandwich Terns, a Lesser Black-backed Gull and three Mediterranean Gulls.

Nick B turned up and we headed off on a whistlestop tour of a few West Sussex sites, although the weather was that yucky cold and breezy stuff with a bit of rain that seems to quash any birding results. First was Lavington Common/Plantation but we noted little other than Nuthatch and Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers. Ambersham Common came good with a male Dartford Warbler accompanying a pair of Stonechats. We checked out adjacent Heyshot Heath but found little other than a Kestrel, although Nick heard a crossbill briefly.

Westdean Woods was a good one to 'put a face to'. Here we found a singing Marsh Tit upon parking up and had three distant Ravens, along with at least four Buzzards. Three Red-legged Partridges were seen, along with a Red Kite, a Meadow Pipit and a Nuthatch. The Burgh was another site that I've long heard about but not got around to visiting, until now... it was great to see a Grey Partridge and hear another, while other birds logged included a Lapwing, three Skylarks, a Meadow Pipit, three Red Kites and a singing Red-legged Partridge.