20th March 2025: Medmerry in Spring time

 This was our first visit to Medmerry for some time. Scopes are needed to find some of the smaller waders on Stilt Pool at the end of the path, and it is quite a long walk carrying this on the back as we get older, so our visits are less frequent than to nearby Pagham, which is always such a good source of birds.

We arrived around 9AM in glorious sunshine and the first sound I heard on opening the car door was a singing Skylark. It is difficult to feel anything other than joy when listening to this melodic song poured out in a constant stream of cascading notes. We were serenaded by this delightful song throughout our walk as Skylarks soared above us, then parachuted down to disappear in the long grass or alight helpfully atop a thorny gorse bush. Spring has definitely arrived!

Our next noteworthy sighting was a flock of eight Fieldfares in a field close to the car park, a lingering winter visitor, and a species that has been notably thin on the ground in Sussex this year. A single Song Thrush hopped amongst them.

Much of the path is lined with scrub, predominantly gorse, and the bold yolk-yellow flowers shone brightly in the sunlight. In line with the colour theme, gleaming Yellowhammers were abundant and their characteristic 'Little bit of bread and no chee-eese' song rang out. Perched on a fence with its back to us, one bird showed off the rufous colouring on its rump. Linnets were everywhere, perching on the gorse, foraging on the path and bouncing through the air. It was impossible not to feel uplifted with the sheer exuberance of all these birds and the continuous song was music to our ears after the long, silence of winter.

Yellowhammer

At the tidal inlet, a few Shelduck enjoyed the wet mud, and half a dozen Curlew probed the Saltmarsh, but it was generally quiet here.  We took our time strolling along the path, noting a group of  Stock Doves and a single hovering Kestrel along the way. A few Stonechats chittered cheerfully, and noisy Wrens banged out their trilling contributions as we passed. Great Tits, Blue Tits, wheezing Greenfinch and chattering Goldfinch added to the mix. In a muddy pool on the low marshland we found Teal, whilst foraging in the field nearby, a small flock of Wigeon.

Eventually we arrived at Stilt Pool, so named after a pair of  Black-winged Stilts nested here the first year the reserve opened. Sadly they have not returned. Tufted ducks were a new addition to the day list, and there was a decent variety of waders, with Redshank, Greenshank, Dunlin, Oystercatcher and Ringed Plover all present. Two Black-tailed Godwits were seen, one in winter plumage, the other well advanced into its brick-red summer moult. Around a dozen graceful Avocet  were a pleasing sight, but the highlight was our first Little Ringed Plover of the year, quite tricky to identify in hazy light, until it moved in closer and we were able to pick out the distinctive yellow eye-ring and white patch above the black band on the forehead. On the marshland, a pair of Lapwing displaying completed our tally of waders at this site.

A short walk to the sea added a Great-crested Grebe offshore, and a flypast from a skein of around 50 Brent Geese. There had been reports of thousands of these migrating along the coast in the last few days and throughout the morning, so we were pleased to be able to join the party!

Next we drove to Church Norton to eat lunch overlooking Tern Island. Conditions were not ideal, as it was close to high tide, leaving minimal areas of mud for roosting. At a distance we added Turnstone, a single Bar-tailed Godwit and Grey Plover. A Med Gull was on the island, and a pair of Pintail bobbed on the water. We ended the day with almost 60 species, a satisfying tally and a really enjoyable day out, with the ensemble of birdsong being the absolute highlight.

Little Ringed Plover