3rd January: Pagham Harbour

A fruitful morning at Pagham with my friend Becky. We started at the visitor centre where there were a lot of Shoveler, Teal and Wigeon on Ferry Pool and a Buzzard perched on a post beyond.

At Church Norton the tide was unfortunately a long way out so the birds were quite distant. However,  there were Oystercatchers, Grey Plover, Avocet, Curlew and Great Crested Grebe around the channels and Becky, who is relatively new to birdwatching, was pleased to see the plumage details of these lovely birds in the telescopes. A Peregrine perched on a wooden post, possibly considering his lunchtime menu, made for an interesting addition.

Finally we drove round to North Wall. Here we enjoyed the spectacle of huge flocks of Brent Geese and Golden Plover wheeling overhead, together with a few Lapwing and Curlew dotted across the salt marsh. We were also entertained by a pair of Marsh Harriers dancing over the reeds.

 The magnificent sunlit views  combined with the evocative calls made for a very rewarding morning indeed!