Devoran and Stithians Reservoir

Before I headed home, Liam and I headed out for a bit of birding near Falmouth. First up was Devoran, a nice little site where we had seven Greenshanks, four Common Sandpipers, 70 Redshanks, four Whimbrel, seven Black-tailed Godwits, 18 Dunlin, 94 Curlews, 20 House Martins, six Mediterranean Gulls, a Sandwich Tern, 16 Oystercatchers, 70 Redshanks and two Little Egrets.

From the hide at Stithians Reservoir, we enjoyed views of single Green and Common Sandpipers. A Snipe, a Willow Warbler, nine Swifts, seven House Martins, a Little Egret, an Oystercatcher and two Lapwings were also present.

Porthgwarra

Liam and I pulled up in the car park down in the cove shortly after 05:00 then trudged our way up to Hella Point in the pre-dawn. We were eager to secure a comfortable, sheltered position and the 03:00 alarm paid off as we claimed prime position behind the sheltering rocks. Anticipation was high as the rough sea came into blearly vision. It wasn't long before the first Great Shearwater came into view, and once the lights were fully on we were treated to a steady stream of shearwaters between squalls. Many were close in, with some of each species even visible with the naked eye.

Things went to another level when a shout came from the opposite end of the 25-strong crowd, declaring 'Fea's!'. I found it remarkably hard to compose myself, especially as we weren't hearing any kind of useful indication as to the bird's position or behaviour. Failing to get on the bird in a couple of wide and frantic scans, I resorted to getting on the Runnelstone (near the right-hand end of my view) and clapped eyes on the creature as it slided around the back of the buoy. However, our prime positioning next to the rocks backfired and I only got the most fleeting of views as it vanished out of view - just enough time for the bird to jar with my expected image of Fea's, but still fit well with a Pterodroma petrel. Just then, Martin Elliot started declaring to the crowd that it was a TRINDADE PETREL! It made sense from my extremely limited viewing time, and it did too to Liam - who had it for much longer than I did - and to everyone else present. Good descriptions and field sketches have now emerged online from observers who were lucky enough to be watching the bird for up to a minute as it passed.

It took a while to simmer down and re-focus on the seawatching as the shearwaters hadn't stopped going through! Indeed, it remained a busy watch till around 14:00 and we kept going till 18:00. My personal totals included 13 Cory's Shearwaters, 64 Great Shearwaters, 38 Sooty Shearwaters, 16 Balearic Shearwaters, 18 Storm-petrels, four Arctic Skuas, 10 Bonxies, 10 Mediterranean Gulls, four Kittiwakes, a Guillemot and good numbers of Manx Shearwaters. Shags, Gannets and Fulmars were of course also noted. Around the point was a showy juvenile Yellow-legged Gull, a Peregrine and a couple of Rock Pipits.

A day to remember...

Great Shearwater

Balearic Shearwater

Sooty Shearwater

Cory's Shearwater

Manx Shearwater

juvenile Yellow-legged Gull

Banstead Woods

There were no notable bird sightings during the CFBW Butterfly Tour but lepidoptera highlights included a Purple Hairstreak and four Silver-washed Fritillaries.

Goring and Headley Heath

A productive morning started with an unseen Green Sandpiper calling over my vismig point. A mooch around the bushes felt autumnal, with a Cuckoo, a Garden Warbler and four Willow Warblers. A family of five Whitethroats was nearby. Good counts on the beach included 129 Mediterranean Gulls and 19 Little Egrets, while three Dunlin, three Oystercatchers, a Ringed Plover and two Common Gulls were also present. The sea itself only offered singles of Gannet and Sandwich Tern. A Sand Martin, eight Swallows, a Pied Wagtail and two Lesser Black-backed Gulls were among the other birds logged.

Willow Warbler at Goring Gap

In the evening, Phil and Lynne W and Linda M joined me for a quick evening walk around Headley Heath, where we glimpsed a Woodcock fly past us.

Goring and West Worthing

Lately some mornings have offered plenty of Mediterranean Gulls and other days the species have been in curiously short supply. This was a good morning, with 58 birds noted during my visit, including some active movers, mainly in a westerly direction (where some Black-headed Gulls were heading too). Two Willow Warblers were in the bushes and a Grey Wagtail flew west; a Pied Wagtail also flew over. Swifts and hirundines trickled through in small numbers, with 18 Swifts, five Sand Martins and 21 Swallows migrating across the fields. Singles adults of Lesser Black-backed and Common Gull were seen, and the beach held a Whimbrel, a Redshank, seven Oystercatchers and 11 Little Egrets.

At home in West Worthing, 12 Mediterranean Gulls flew over in the evening - just my second record here and possibly birds coming inland for flying ants? Also five Swifts still, and a couple of Long-tailed Tits were relatively unusual visitors.

Willow Warbler - autumn is here!

Goring and West Worthing

The first Common Sandpiper of the autumn called as it flew west along the beach early this morning and a Willow Warbler, also a season-first, called in the Plantation behind me. A walk around later revealed another in the northwest corner. A Yellow Wagtail called overhead. 21 Mediterranean Gulls included 11 westbound movers and an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull was mobbing a Grey Heron. 12 Little Egrets were on the beach, and five Gannets and a Sandwich Tern flew past. Additional waders comprised my first four Turnstones of the autumn, two Redshanks, four Oystercatchers, a Dunlin and a Ringed Plover. A Swallow flew east, followed by a nice fast-moving flock of eight Sand Martins which skipped over the Plantation at the end of the visit.

26 Swifts were over my West Worthing garden mid-afternoon.

West Worthing

33 Swifts were over my West Worthing garden late evening.

Goring and West Worthing

It felt like a very quiet session this morning and I didn't think I'd be coming home with any particular highlight - though it was nice to catch up with Gareth J who joined me for a while. There's almost always something to define the outing though, even if it's not rare. Today it was a fine male Stonechat which flew behind me and briefly alighted at the seaward end of the Plantation, just behind my vismig point! I wasn't expecting the first of the autumn for a little while... A flock of nine Shelducks flying west was also noteworthy, and three Common Scoters flew past. Also offshore were seven Gannets, two Lesser Black-backed Gulls, eight Sandwich Terns and five Mediterranean Gulls. Four Little Egrets were on the beach and a juvenile Green Woodpecker was noted. I logged four Swallows and two Swifts west and Gareth had another Swallow. There were 22 local Swifts over the garden in West Worthing late evening.

male Stonechat

West Worthing

Local Swifts over the garden were down to 11 in a quick evening count...

Cissbury Ring and West Worthing

A morning ringing with Val, Finch and Mya produced some interesting catches. Juveniles of Lesser Whitethroat and Treecreeper found their way into the net, and a Woodpigeon proved something bigger to get our hands on. Two Crossbills calling as they flew ESE was the best moment of the morning for me, though. In the nearby fields a Corn Bunting sang and a few Red-legged Partridges were arguing among themselves. Three Yellowhammers seen included a juvenile. A Swift, four Swallows, a Lesser Black-backed Gull and two Buzzards were among some of the other species noted. In the evening, 30 local Swifts were over my West Worthing garden. I spent a while savouring the sight and sound - it won't be long till they're gone!

juvenile Lesser Whitethroat at Cissbury Ring

juvenile Treecreeper at Cissbury Ring