Sidlesham

I took Beni the Samoyed for her first proper birding trip, to Sidlesham on the edge of Pagham Harbour, where I've been dying to twitch the Richard's Pipit there for days. Said bird was eventually found when Ed turned up, and offered good scope views, while a short walk further along the lane bagged us the Glossy Ibis in flight with at least 30 Cattle Egrets. 10 or so Yellowhammers, 20 Meadow Pipits and a Reed Bunting were around. Also three Stonechats, a Chiffchaff and some distant Curlew heard.

Rye Harbour

It took nearly three hours of careful scanning in the wind but eventually the Shorelark revealed itself in the southeast corner of the Flat Beach, a Sussex tick for me, loosely among a scattering of about 25 Skylarks. I didn't have much time to look for much else but did note four Dark-bellied Brent Geese, two Grey Plovers, 600 or so Golden Plovers, a Knot, a Cetti's Warbler, five Mistle Thrushes and four Rock Pipits.

Bewbush

After work I headed to Bewbush in Crawley where the Dusky Warbler, my first in Sussex, was showing without too much difficulty and calling often. 

 

Spurn etc 19-24th October 2020

Mag and I started our trip off with a visit to Kilnsea Wetlands where relatively few waders were taking refuge at high tide, though there was a Spotted Redshank, two Ruff and a few hundred Knot. A Merlin and a Peregrine flew through, six Pintail were present and the Listening Dish Hedge held a female Brambling, 20 Reed Buntings and a good number of Tree Sparrows, which of course went on to be ubiquitous throughout our stay. 

 

Our next move was to clear out of the Spurn area and head to Johnny Brown's Common in West Yorkshire where the adult male BROWN SHRIKE showed well in the narrow strip by an arable field. Two Crossbills, a Siskin and 27 Fieldfares flew over.

 

We finished the day just outside the Spurn recording area at Skeffling, where it was too close to dusk for the Great Grey Shrike but a Short-eared Owl did show nicely, a Merlin flew through, four Kestrels hunted and 11 Fieldfares appeared.

The next day (Tuesday) started with a walk around Kilnsea, with a Firecrest near Sykes's Field and a Yellow-browed Warbler in the observatory garden being the highlights, along with nice views of a juvenile female Sparrowhawk in a hedgerow. We returned to Skeffling in the afternoon and enjoyed fantastic views of the Great Grey Shrike which hunted actively but payed no attention to us watching from the bank. It performed a couple of very long hovers and was quite a successful hunter. A juvenile Hen Harrier put on a good show, 300 Pink-footed Geese dropped in briefly, a Merlin passed through and two redpolls flew over.

Wednesday at Spurn produced seven Goosanders, a Pale-bellied Brent Goose, a Short-eared Owl, 23 Twite, 12 Common Scoters, two Red-throated Divers, 25 redpolls, a House Martin, 13 Swallows and a Cetti's Warbler.

Thursday was the first good day for vismig, with a Lapland Bunting, a Great White Egret and a Twite headlining. As for commoner species, my very rough and conservative personal totals were 140 Siskins, 450 Goldfinches, 180 Skylarks, 90 redpolls, 80 Linnets, 20 Chaffinches, six Rock Pipits, 30 Meadow Pipits, three House Martins and six Swallows. 35 Dark-bellied Brent Geese and 11 Pintail were also seen, along with the usual suite of Humber waders.

Kilnsea Wetlands had 10 Whooper Swans, six Black-tailed Godwits, a Pintail and three Mediterranean Gulls. Later, Skeffling again offered views of the Great Grey Shrike, a Merlin and two Marsh Harriers. We returned to the Canal Scrape in the evening to witness a murmuration of several thousand Starlings as they came in to roost, and we heard a Water Rail.

More vismig on Friday involved 44 Whooper Swans, 350 Pink-footed Geese, four Lapland Buntings, five Twite, five Yellowhammers, a Brambling, 230 Siskins, 20 Tree Sparrows, 140 Meadow Pipits, 10 Pied/White Wagtails, 60 Linnets, seven Rock Pipits, three Grey Wagtails, 19 Skylarks and nine Swallows. A Greenshank was on the Humber and a Red-throated Diver flew past offshore. Eight Black-tailed Godwits flew over Long Bank Marsh and Sammy's Point had a Short-eared Owl, 12 Grey Partridges (coveys of seven and five), two Bullfinches, three Yellowhammers, 11 Whooper Swans, 16 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, three Black-tailed Godwits, a Mediterranean Gull, a Peregrine, 35 Fieldfares, 

Saturday at The Warren signed our Spurn trip off with three Eiders, a Goldeneye, three Common Scoters, 40 Whooper Swans, six Dark-bellied Brent Geese, a Merlin and a Peregrine. 

We stopped at North Cave Wetlands on the way home and located the adult drake Green-winged Teal among 600 Teal. There were also 70 Wigeon, 60 Gadwall, six Pochards and 20 Shovelers. A Green Sandpiper, nine Curlew, a Ruff, four Snipe and 47 Lapwings made up the waders. A redpoll, a Siskin, a Fieldfare, eight Little Grebes and a Little Egret were among the other birds noted. 48 Common Gulls was the highest number I've logged at any one site so far this autumn.

Stiffkey, Holme and Thornham Harbour

 Mag and I were heading to Spurn for a week and took the chance to divert to north Norfolk to mop up on a few birds. Most pressing was the RUFOUS BUSH CHAT which showed nicely out on the saltmarsh at Stiffkey. For various reasons I've barely been able to go for any of the major rarities this autumn but this is the bird I cared most about, so I'm very glad I managed to sneak over there... Seven Red Kites over the saltmarsh was the highest number I've seen in Norfolk and a Kingfisher flew along a channel. We then popped in to Holme where we enjoyed good views of a Red-flanked Bluetail near the village car park (five Lesser Redpolls and 30 Redwings there too) and finally to Thornham Harbour, where the Pallas's Warbler fed in the low bushes without a care for the small crowd surrounding it.

Isles of Scilly 7th-14th October 2020

After a couple of roadside Barn Owls in Wiltshire on the drive through the country, Phil, Ian, Mag, Paul and I reached Penzance harbour for a week on Scilly. This being my earliest Scilly trip so far, I hoped for a slightly different experience, with a subtly different suite of staple species and perhaps a few more rarities compared to my recent holidays there. The state of play as the Scillonian III chugged gently towards the archipelago, a Manx Shearwater the 'best' bird to pass us, was that an American Golden Plover was currently holding centre stage... but we remained hopeful!

As things turned out, we had timed it just right, for once! The first day was slow as we settled in (a Cetti's Warbler, a Water Rail and a couple of Bar-tailed Godwits the best) but on day two we twitched said American Golden Plover successfully on Tresco (though dipped an Arctic Warbler which had been found the previous afternoon). As we made our way back to the quay for the return to St.Mary's, we had that rare thrill of a mega alert sounding about a bird just around the corner!!! It was news of a BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER by the Great Pool! Haring it over there, we were almost first on the scene and enjoyed brief views in the pines before it melted away. The tension grew as every minute passed and every birder joined the crowd but before too long the very mobile bird was relocated and went on to give fantastic views, with patience. Being so jammy with this dream of a bird made up for the one I very narrowly missed back in 2011. 

Other highlights from Tresco that day included a Lapland Bunting, four Pink-footed Geese, four Golden Plovers and a Yellow-browed Warbler. Back on St.Mary's, we tried for the Swainson's Thrush - another new arrival (things were kicking off!) - but dipped, though we did have a Merlin, seven Pink-footed Geese, a Greylag (a Scilly rarity), a Common Sandpiper, a Greenshank and a Water Rail.

The Friday started with a walk around Peninnis Head, where two Crossbills and seven Pink-footed Geese flew over, as well as a Raven. Two Sandwich Terns were in Porthcressa Bay. On St.Martin's, with a fair bit of work we eventually managed good views of the RED-EYED VIREO in the pines at Middle Town, my second in Britain. A Yellow-browed Warbler showed well at Little Arthur Farm and waders included a Bar-tailed Godwit, 13 Sanderlings, seven Ringed Plovers and a Greenshank. A Peregrine was stationed on a rock offshore.

A long walk around St.Mary's on the Saturday delivered brief views of the Barred Warbler at Watermill, plus a Wheatear, two Bar-tailed Godwits, two Sanderlings and five Siskins. We caught a late boat to Bryher, where we dipped the/a Swainson's Thrush but had seven Pale-bellied Brent Geese en route. Another long walk back on Mary's produced views of the Pectoral Sandpiper and a Great White Egret at Porth Hellick, along with a Cetti's Warbler, four Greenshanks and a Water Rail there. At dusk we tracked down the Wryneck at Deep Point.

Sunday was another St.Mary's day and it felt like there were more common migrants on offer. My personal Yellow-browed Warbler total for the day was 11. We successfully twitched the Nightingale at the dump and other highlights included Pectoral Sandpipers at Porth Hellick and on the airfield, a Jack Snipe at Lower Moors, a Whimbrel heard at Deep Point, three Whinchats, six Redwings, six Snipe, two Cetti's Warblers, three Sandwich Terns, nine Greenshanks, 10 Swallows, a Kingfisher, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, two Ravens, five Wheatears, 20 Siskins, five Water Rails and the seven Pink-footed Geese with the Greylag.

Highlights on day six included both Lapland Bunting and Snow Bunting showing well on St.Mary's, with six Yellow-browed Warblers, three Crossbills, 30 Siskins, a Wheatear, three Whinchats, a Peregrine, a Sandwich Tern, a Common Sandpiper, a Greenshank and the geese forming the supporting cast.

On the last full day, we vowed to settle the score with the Swainson's Thrush and get the earliest boat to Bryher. Before heading down the quay, we connected with the new-in Mandarin as it flew over Porthloo, and had the Red-breasted Flycatcher along the Lower Broome Platform. Other bits included a couple of Yellow-browed Warblers, plus a flyover Crossbill, two Bar-tailed Godwits, 11 Sanderlings and a Water Rail.

On Bryher, thankfully the SWAINSON'S THRUSH (another British second for me) showed without too much difficulty as it gorged on Pittosporum berries. We took a chance on a vague report of an AMERICAN BUFF-BELLIED PIPIT on Shipman Head Down, which was more straightforward to find than we thought. A couple of Snipe and a redpoll flew over.

In the evening, back on St.Mary's, we enjoyed a very showy Little Bunting at Porth Hellick as it fed on a track just yards away, where the goose flock flew over and waders included five Greenshanks and 14 Ringed Plovers. 

The final day, we remained on St.Mary's and finally managed good views of the first-winter Red-backed Shrike behind Longstone cafe as we had cream tea! My first four Fieldfares of the autumn flew over and a Whinchat moved through Porthloo. An exciting minute at Salakee saw a Merlin fly through, to be immediately followed by first Scilly Hobby. Other highlights included a Bar-tailed Godwit, two Greenshanks, three Yellow-browed Warblers, five Swallows, a Wheatear and four Siskins.

The crossing back to Penzance, as we reflected on an exciting week, again had a Manx Shearwater as just about the only bird of real note, aside from a Common Gull - the first of the trip, a flock of four Grey Herons well out to sea, and the usual Guillemots and Razorbills

Burton Mill Pond

I didn't quite get to Burton Mill Pond for dawn as I had initially planned but  I ended up spending a very satisfying few hours there till shortly after noon, by which point I'd recorded 67 species. After staking out the heron for good while, I walked the loop round the pond, passing Chingford Pond and walking back through the heath and along the road. 

There were three clear highlights of the visit. The first was a Woodlark flying over one of the viewpoints over the pond. Next was a Yellow-browed Warbler which gave three calls by 'Woodlands' just as I completed by circuit - it went unseen but was sound-recorded thanks to my constantly running recorder. Finally, just as I was closing the boot of my car to head off, the shout came from across the road that the juvenile Purple Heron was showing again! It spent several minutes preening low in a waterside tree before heading back into the reedbed. A new county bird for me.

There were several other highlights. Several encounters with Crossbills were mainly flyovers but included a sighting of four in the conifers on the other side of the pond. One or two Hobbies hawked over the margins and at least one Kingfisher was very busy around the edges. At least four Firecrests and five Marsh Tits were seen or heard along my circuit. 14 redpolls and 70 Siskins - at least - flew over, along with minima of 120 House Martins, 15 Swallows, 22 Meadow Pipits and 13 Pied/White Wagtails, plus nine Mistle Thrushes and two Grey Wagtails. 

A couple of Reed Warblers and a Cetti's Warbler were in the reeds, while four Mandarins and at least 40 Cormorants passed by. Three Red Kites, four Buzzards and a Sparrowhawk completed the raptors. Other birds included a Bullfinch, three Nuthatches, five Treecreepers, a Gadwall, nine Little Grebes, five Pochards, 38 Tufted Ducks, five Great Crested Grebes, four Great Spotted Woodpeckers and a Green Woodpecker.

Ferring Rife, Kingston Gorse and Elmer Rocks

This morning I completed a route along Ferring Rife and through Kingston Gorse, noting 54 species. I heard Siskins and Yellow Wagtail over Ferring as I cycled in, which was a good start, then at the beach adjacent to the Rife a Redshank flew along the shore but the only other waders were three Turnstones and a Ringed Plover, alongside 28 Little Egrets and a Grey Heron. Along the Rife itself, there was a Wheatear, a Reed Bunting, 11 Chiffchaffs, five Whitethroats and five Blackcaps, plus six Moorhens and another Grey Heron. Two adult Mute Swans, presumably two of the trio seen from Goring Gap the other day, flew towards the beach and flyovers included at least 82 Siskins, 10 Yellow Wagtails, three Grey Wagtails, a House Martin, 32 Swallows and three Meadow Pipits. Two Whinchats were by the country centre, along with a little flock of Linnets, making a total of 31.

Kingston Gorse had two further Whinchats, while overhead there were an additional two Siskins, three Yellow Wagtails, 10 House Martins, two Meadow Pipits and eight Swallows. A Whitethroat, two Blackcaps and three Chiffchaffs were logged. The young Buzzard was very vocal. Five Little Egrets and three Sandwich Terns were along the beach and at least three individuals from the Moorhen family were still on the now dry pond.

Stopping at the Bluebird Cafe on the way back, a Bar-tailed Godwit flew west just off the beach with 20 Oystercatchers.

I cycled back home then switched to the car to head to Elmer Rocks, where I was very lucky with good views of the elusive Wryneck at close quarters, as it fed on the path for several minutes. A new Sussex bird for me and a species I can never get enough of. The rocks themselves had a Common Sandpiper roosting alongside 50 Ringed Plovers, five Sanderlings, nine Dunlin, five Turnstones and a couple of Oystercatchers. A Kingfisher flew out from the rife to the beach before doubling back and a Sparrowhawk patrolled the fields.

Gallions Reach, Banstead Downs and Ditchling Beacon

I caught up with Kevin at Gallions Reach in the morning, where I found him a patch tick in the form of a juvenile Caspian Gull, along with eight Common Sandpipers and a Little Egret. Two Sparrowhawks, two Kestrels and a Buzzard over the far side were the only raptors on offer. The lake had two Little Grebes, 11 Teal and six Gadwall, and a Willow Warbler was in the bushes.







Banstead Downs later with Panos and Francis produced a surprise afternoon flyover Tree Pipit and several Chiffchaffs in with the tit flocks encountered.

Happily, I made it to Ditchling Beacon before dark to successfully twitch my first Sussex Dotterel - three juveniles. A Whinchat and three Wheatears were seen on the walk in.

Durleigh Reservoir, Devoran and Stithians Reservoir

On the way down to Cornwall, I couldn't resist adjusting the route to include a stop at Durleigh Reservoir, where the juvenile Purple Heron was easily seen, enjoying the sun in the trees near the manor house, along with two Great White Egrets. 43 Great Crested Grebes were almost entirely at the same end of the reservoir, including several young; I'm not sure I've ever seen such a breeding season congregation. Four House Martins, two Sand Martins, two Little Egrets and a family of six Mute Swans were also seen.





I met up with Liam in Penryn and we headed over to Devoran, finding three juvenile Curlew Sandpipers, along with five Knot, a Whimbrel, three Ringed Plovers, 81 Curlew, 23 Icelandic Black-tailed Godwits, 16 Dunlin, 16 Oystercatchers, a Teal and a Little Egret.



Stithians Reservoir in the evening offered a Greenshank, a Common Sandpiper, 13 Little Grebes, two Shovelers, two Wheatears, a Willow Warbler and two Little Egrets.

Pendeen Watch and Dawlish Warren NNR

I wasn't initially planning on spending a second night but Liam, Matt and I thought we'd give Pendeen a casual go in the morning. Unfortunately, we played it a little too casual, getting there at 8.20am: just after the main action had finished. Still, we had three Balearic Shearwaters, two Sooty Shearwaters, 20 Storm-petrels, roughly 20,000 Manx Shearwaters, two Chough, an Arctic Skua, a Bonxie, a Knot, a Sanderling, two Ringed Plovers, a Redshank, 25 Dunlin, 12 Sandwich Terns and a Wheatear.





On the way home I called in at Dawlish Warren, where, fortunately, after a few hours gone to ground, the Melodious Warbler with a damaged eye afforded a couple of fairly brief views. A Willow Warbler and a couple of Stonechats were in the same area.

Porthgwarra, Drift Reservoir and Stithians Reservoir

Anticipation was high and the car park at Porthgwarra was rammed with optimistic seawatchers - up to 80 of them - almost all of whom went up to Hella Point. Liam, myself, Matt Doyle and a few others went for the thinking-man's option of the cove, where the level view and proximity to the cafe suit me fine. While it was monumentally quieter than we had hoped, highlights for me included a fairly close Cory's Shearwater, four Balearic Shearwaters, a Sooty Shearwater, a Storm-petrel, a couple of thousand Manx Shearwaters, four Whimbrel, two Curlew, 70 Fulmars and a Common Scoter.

We moved on to Drift Reservoir, where the adult SPOTTED SANDPIPER was picking along the opposite bank. Then we caught up with a juvenile Wood Sandpiper at Stithians Reservoir...

The Lizard

A mini-break in Cornwall, visiting Liam and seawatching, kicked off with an evening seawatch from Bumble Rock, where a cracking juvenile Long-tailed Skua, a Great Shearwater, six Balearic Shearwaters, a Sooty Shearwater and a trickle of Manx Shearwaters kicked things off.

Cutthroat Bridge and Welbeck Raptor Watchpoint

Just under an hour after arriving at Cutthroat Bridge, on Derwent Moors east of Ladybower Reservoir in Derbyshire, the now famous juvenile Lammergeier made a sudden and imposing appearance. It went on to perform on-and-off for the next hour, including a couple of really quite close flybys and a good minute under siege by a Buzzard. A flock of 10 Ravens flew through, while two Red Grouse, a Curlew and two Mistle Thrushes were on the slopes across the road. A Willow Warbler was in full voice, while three Siskins, two Sand Martins and two Grey Wagtails flew over.


A stop at the Welbeck Raptor Watchpoint in Nottinghamshire on the way home delivered fine views of a male Honey-buzzard, along with two Goshawks, two Hobbies, a Red Kite, five Buzzards, a Wheatear, 40 House Martins, 20 Sand Martins, a Little Egret, six Great Crested Grebes, a pair of Shelducks with five young, and a singing Reed Bunting.

Beeding Hill and Adur Estuary

I set off on my bike at about 4.30am and enjoyed a slow and steady cycle along the seafront then up the River Adur to Beeding Hill. About half way, my handlebar started coming loose and required constant readjustment. Thankfully I made it to the foot of Beeding Hill so I decided to worry about seeing the Red-foot, not about the eight miles I'd be walking my bike back home. Walking up the hill, I was greeted by the sight of Matt Eade and Mark Leitch at the car park. Mark had apparently driven past me earlier and on hearing my cycling woes donated to me his allen key set and this turned out to save my day, so thanks Mark!

To my relief the 2cy male Red-footed Falcon was immediately on view when we reached the right spot and hunted continuously, hovering alongside a Kestrel and a couple of Buzzards, throughout the hour or so I stayed. A couple of times it briefly alighted on the fence line. What a bird for the local area! Aside from a few Corn Buntings, a Stonechat, a Swallow and a Yellowhammer there was little else.

2cy male Red-footed Falcon at Beeding Hill

2cy male Red-footed Falcon at Beeding Hill

Cycling back along the Adur produced five Little Egrets, a Cetti's Warbler, an Oystercatcher, a Grey Heron, four Swifts and seven Mute Swans.

Goring Gap and West Worthing

As I parked the bike up at Goring Gap this morning I heard a Serin call. I expected it to turn out to be a flyover but I thought it was worth a quick scan through the Goldfinches and Greenfinches feeding on the greensward. Voila - there it was! A female Serin. It showed very nicely for the next 20 minutes before vanishing. A female Whinchat in the northwest corner was nice too and a yeartick (which the Serin wasn't!). A summer plumaged Dunlin came right up to me on the beach, which was another memorable encounter. Other highlights included a Fulmar, a Wheatear, two Swifts, 17 Turnstones, a Willow Warbler, a busy pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers gathering food, a Great Crested Grebe, seven Sandwich Terns, two Gannets, four Oystercatchers, a Little Egret, seven Swallows, a House Martin, five Whitethroats and two Mallards.

female Serin at Goring Gap

female Whinchat at Goring Gap

Dunlin at Goring Gap

At home later there were three Swifts overhead and a Goldcrest singing next door was a new arrival.

Fisherrow

Now at Ingrids' parents in Edinburgh, I took advantage of the relatively calm morning and headed to Fisherrow to scan the Firth of Forth for seaducks and such. I quickly picked out the drake Surf Scoter, among a scattering of 30 or so Velvet Scoters, but for the life of me couldn't find the White-winged Scoter in my 4.5hrs of scanning; it was reported later on but I'm confident it wasn't in my line of sight unless it was truly ridiculously distant. An adult Little Gull flew up the River Esk and other highlights included four Slavonian Grebes, 375 Eiders, 22 Goldeneyes, nine Long-tailed Ducks, a Common Scoter, a Goosander, three Red-breasted Mergansers, a Red-throated Diver, two Kittiwakes, a Razorbill, two Guillemots, a Fulmar and four Siskins overhead, along with 200 Bar-tailed Godwits, 750 Oystercatchers and a scattering of Curlew, Turnstones, Redshanks, Dunlin and Grey Plover. Also of interest was an apparent 2cy Glaucous x Herring Gull hybrid.

drake Surf Scoter

2cy Glaucous x Herring Gull hybrid

Sedgeford, Wells, Holkham, Thornham and Burnham Norton

Sedgeford first thing this morning produced fine views of the male EASTERN YELLOW WAGTAIL on the dung heap by the road. 60 Fieldfares, a Redwing, a Red Kite, a Marsh Harrier and a Yellowhammer were also logged.

male Eastern Yellow Wagtail at Sedgeford

Wells was the next stop, where the faithful juvenile Rough-legged Buzzard was successfully twitched, with two Golden Plovers in a nearby field and skeins of Pink-footed and Dark-bellied Brent Geese flying in (what was presumably the known Black Brant hybrid was clocked among the latter).

Rough-legged Buzzard at Wells

Holkham was rewarding, with nice views of four Shorelarks and 42 Snow Buntings in the roped-off area, while the sea produced four Long-tailed Ducks, several Velvet Scoters among vast rafts of Common Scoters, plus small numbers of Red-breasted Merganser, Red-throated Diver and Great Crested Grebe. Other birds included a field full of 75 Snipe, six Ruff, 12 Grey Partridges, 100 or so Golden Plovers, a White-fronted Goose with Pink-footed Geese, Dark-bellied Brent Geese and two Egyptian Geese and a Fieldfare.

Snow Buntings at Holkham

Shorelark at Holkham

Common Scoters off Holkham

Long-tailed Ducks off Holkham

Velvet Scoters in with Common Scoters off Holkham

Grey Partridges at Holkham

Ruff at Holkham

Snipe at Holkham

Thornham harbour offered the relic winter flock of 10 Twite, along with a Rock Pipit, a couple of Red-breasted Mergansers and trip ticks such as Mediterranean Gull, Bar-tailed Godwit and Grey Plover.

Twite at Thornham harbour

Curlew at Thornham harbour

Today's dusk vigil was at Burnham Norton, where we had a Short-eared Owl, a Great White Egret, a Barn Owl, good numbers of Dark-bellied Brent Geese and Pink-footed Geese, three Cetti's Warblers, a Bearded Tit and four Egyptian Geese.

Cissbury Ring

I couldn't get away till quite late in the afternoon today but was then soon joined by Gareth James to twitch the shrike which had made an unexpected second coming. With the day drawing to an end in overcast, breezy conditions we didn't feel that optimistic but eventually spotted the Great Grey Shrike in the scrub near the western yew... A fantastic bird for our 10km Worthing area 'Uber Patch'! A clear but relatively brief view, I'll hopefully get a chance for another look at it before too long, assuming it hangs around. 12 Yellowhammers flying to roost was the most notable other sighting.

Great Grey Shrike

Flimwell and Belmont

Sadly, I keep forgetting I've been keeping a Sussex yearlist this year. It was very enjoyable for the first half of the year, although it soon became clear that I'd picked about the worst year possible for a serious attempt. Then autumn came along, full of expectation as usual, but as far as scarce bird finding and twitching has gone, it's fallen flat on its face. My local birding efforts have produced absolutely nothing unusual and seemingly the hours put in my birders across the county have given a similarly poor return, by and large, so there have been very few moments of excitement. There has been hardly anything to go for, and the very little that has occurred has done so at the least opportune times for me.

So it was nice for Sussex to have one small defibrillator hit when farmer Malcolm Phillips found a Serin at his Cedar Farm near Flimwell the other day. I finally managed to get over there this lunchtime, on the way up to my parents' for the weekend, and enjoyed good views of the bird feeding on a track. Only two other visiting birders were present though, and both were from out of the county! Malcolm's keeping the track seeded, so hopefully it will stick around for visitors at the weekend. A Marsh Tit was heard calling.

Serin near Flimwell

When I arrived in Belmont, I was pleased to see Redwings, Song Thrushes and Blackbirds feeding in the usual berry-laden tree in the car park.