Westdean Woods

At Westdean Woods, a Pied Flycatcher was in one particular sunny corner with a female Redstart and three of the four Spotted Flycatchers seen during the visit. An Osprey low overhead was a magnificent surprise and five or so Hawfinches made brief fly-pasts. Other highlights included two Red Kites, a Swift, three Marsh Tits, two Ravens, a Wheatear and a couple of Yellowhammers.

Goring Gap, Westdean Woods and Chichester GPs

An hour at Goring Gap first thing produced an eastbound Dark-bellied Brent Goose, 26 Red-throated Divers, 150 Great Crested Grebes, 29 Red-breasted Mergansers, two Gannets and 18 Grey Plovers. A Treecreeper was heard calling at the seaward end of The Plantation. A Green Woodpecker was heard too, a species which has been fairly irregular in recent weeks.

Westdean Woods offered a Raven, three Red Kites, a Sparrowhawk, a Mistle Thrush, 10 Fieldfares, four Yellowhammers, two Marsh Tits and two Reed Buntings.

Buzzard (left) and Red Kite (right)

Drayton North Pit at Chichester GPs had the Great White Egret, a Cetti's Warbler, a Kingfisher, an adult Mediterranean Gull, 136 Shovelers, two Wigeon and 17 Pochards among its occupants. A look around the main complex produced a Bar-headed Goose with 101 Greylag Geese, 143 Shovelers, 90 Pochards, a Little Egret, a Chiffchaff and a Grey Wagtail of note.

Great White Egret at Drayton Pits

Bar-headed Goose with Greylags at Chichester GPs

Westdean Woods and Burpham

Parking up at Goring Gap this morning, the tide was far out, there was barely any wind and I just couldn't face putting in an hour or two just for the sake of it, so got back in the car and headed to Westdean Woods. I spent a tranquil hour-and-a-half walking along the Monkton Farm track, enjoying nice views of good numbers of common birds. There were around 200 Chaffinches scattered about, with a female Brambling and a female Reed Bunting in their midst. Three Marsh Tits and three Mistle Thrushes were also encountered, while a couple of Yellowhammers were in an adjacent field. Three Red Kites, a Buzzard and a Kestrel were logged. A couple of Siskins, two Ravens, a Treecreeper and a Nuthatch were also noted. Greenfinch, Linnet and Song Thrush were in song. A Stoat dashed across the path.

Robin at Westdean Woods

 Stopping at Burpham, bad views of four Bewick's Swans (three juveniles) were had from the church before another Chiffchaff-watching session at the sewage works. Half a dozen birds were noted. They're fascinating birds to watch in winter, both for their behaviour and plumage variation. I could not see the 'fulvescens' type bird but there were one or two which felt like reasonable abietinus candidates. A Pied Wagtail defended the filter bed against a Grey Wagtail, and occasionally had a pop at the Chiffchaffs, while a Water Rail called and three Redwings, a Reed Bunting and a Fieldfare were logged.

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.