Wednesday 1st January 2025: Local birding

 With a dire weather forecast today - rain and 60mph winds, we decided to postpone our traditional New Year visit to Pulborough until tomorrow. However the lure of a new year list was too hard to resist, so at 7.45, before sunrise, Tim and I set off for the river, hoping for a quick walk before the rain set in.

As we left home, we could just make out a cluster of Wood Pigeons in our neighbours tree, and a crow landed on their roof. A Robin sang from the trees in front of our house, but we couldn’t see him in the gloom.

It was very quiet on the river, with no waders in sight, but an assortment of Black-headed, Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls were active in the water. We heard calling House Sparrow but again failed to see any. Approaching the tollbridge, a Kestrel flew overhead and briefly hovered, but was seen off by another silhouetted bird, species unknown, whilst three Magpies foraged on the ground and a group of Starlings flew over.  

With so little on the river, and the rain holding off, we continued to the new Monks Farm country park, finding Moorhen in the ditches, Blue Tit, Blackbird and Goldfinch foraging on the Teasel and scrub and at the Secret Pool around ten Mallard. Crossing the main road, we took the new cycle/footpath beside Pad Farm, encountering a number of revellers from an all night party by the river. Tim spotted a Heron lurking in the ditch, obscured by vegetation.

Returning via the river, we spied a pair of Redshank, a Pied Wagtail landed on the bridge, then opposite the sdos bench site, a single Lapwing mooched on the mudbank, and a Great-crested Grebe was a fairly unusual sighting for this location.

We arrived home around 9.30, and after some breakfast, enjoyed a short garden Birdwatch, noting a pair of Blue Tit and Great Tit nervously darting back and forth to the newly filled feeders, and surprisingly a Chiffchaff flitting restlessly in the low shrubs close to the window. 

At ten it was still light rain, so we drove over to the fort, where the gorgeous male Eider showed really well from Harbour Way. Tim regretted not taking his camera. The harbour itself was a wild and exhilarating frenzy, waves crashing over the harbour wall and encroaching high up the beach. A few Turnstones foraged around the edges, but there was no sign of any Purple Sandpiper in these extreme conditions, with huge waves lashing ferociously at their preferred roosting site.

By now we were decidedly damp, and barely able to see through salt-spattered specs, but it had been a fantastic experience. On the way home, a short detour to Widewater Lagoon added Mute Swan, Coot, Little Egret, a couple of Cormorants on Allen Island and several Little Grebe. With the rain now setting in, we headed for the comfort of home and a hot cup of tea!

Not the most exciting of birding days, but after a period of being largely confined due to family commitments it was great to be out watching birds and we finished the day with a tally of 28 species seen.

Shoreham Harbour