6th January 2021: Beach bonus

 After a rainy day confined to the house, we managed to get out again this afternoon as the weather cleared. Although still quite cold, the sun came through and we wandered over to the beach again. As we crossed the Ferry Bridge I noticed a cluster of Ringed Plover by the river’s edge and then a small movement in the salt marsh alerted me to the presence of a couple of Linnets - another new tick for the year.

We walked along the boardwalk on the beach with a particular target bird in mind that had been reported by other birders in the last few days. Scanning the silvery vegetation that grows on the beach we spotted a Wren and then a group of Greenfinch - another tick. Finally, I caught the briefest of glimpses of a small, dark bird that perched briefly on top of a small bush before disappearing from view. As I tried to describe to Tim and another birder where it was, it flew low over the shingle, a long tail now obvious. We saw roughly where it landed and moved cautiously along the beach. Suddenly it flew over a garden fence and could be seen furtively moving in a dense bush. After several minutes it came out into the open, tail cocked in a classic and familiar pose, where Tim was able to get this great photo of a notoriously elusive bird - Dartford Warbler!

Normally a heathland bird, although they can migrate to coasts in winter, this is a very special bird for the  locality and certainly a new Shoreham tick. It’s striking plumage with wine-red chest and red eye were enhanced by the late afternoon sun. An extremely satisfying end to the day and boosting the annual list to 76 species.

Dartford Warbler