Tuesday 20 August 2019

West Worthing, Highdown and Adur Estuary

As I stepped out of the door this morning, a Tree Pipit flew over the garden, a harbinger of a quite extraordinary movement shortly thereafter of 33 birds over Highdown in just under three hours - my record count anywhere. This push included a couple of flocks of half-a-dozen, while a small handful of individuals dropped in for a short while.A Spotted Flycatcher, two Yellow Wagtails, a Reed Warbler, a Sand Martin and three Lesser Whitethroats made for a rewarding session. Not to mention back-up including six Willow Warblers, 14 Whitethroats, a Swift, 25 Swallows, six Chiffchaffs, five Skylarks, two Nuthatches, a Kestrel, three Green Woodpeckers, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Common Gull, a Buzzard and two Bullfinches.

Tree Pipit at Highdown

Lesser Whitethroat at Highdown

Spotted Flycatcher at Highdown

Linnet at Highdown

Visiting the Adur Estuary later, I scanned from the toll bridge and strolled to just north of the A27 and back south a little way. A juvenile Yellow-legged Gull on the mud appeared to be the same as one of Sunday's Brooklands birds (bird 2). Ringed Plovers numbered 24 birds and further birds logged included a Willow Warbler, five Grey Herons, a Little Egret, an Oystercatcher, a Dunlin, six Swallows, three Lesser Black-backed Gulls and a Buzzard.

juvenile Yellow-legged Gull on the Adur Estuary [seemingly bird 2 from Sunday at Brooklands]

Grey Herons on the Adur Estuary

Buzzard over the Adur Estuary