Monday 9th February 2026: Hayling Island and West Dean Woods

 We made the most of a day without rain, and headed to Hayling Island with Bernie and Steve, looking out into the channel from the oyster beds. As we got out of the car we were serenaded by a Song Thrush, a lovely harbinger of Spring. A few Goldfinches twittered and Greenfinches wheezed as we proceeded along the track.

We set up our scopes to scan the water, with the tide rising but still some way out. There were plenty of Brent Geese feeding at the edges of the water, and amongst the tidal weed Oystercatchers and Curlew meandered, probing for food. In the deeper water, we found good numbers of Red-breasted Mergansers, with their scruffy heads, some Goldeneye pairs and plenty of Great-crested Grebes, many now in breeding plumage. Amongst these, a female Long-tailed Duck swam fairly close to the shore, its striking white facial pattern showing very well. A male Greater Scaup was another excellent bird, and both were new for 2026.

Curlew

We walked a little further along the track, passing islands smothered in gulls, with a mixture of Black-headed and Med Gulls allowing for a good comparative study of the species, at varied stages of moult. On the shoreline here we could see mobile flocks of Dunlin, a few Grey Plover and Turnstones, then a Little Egret. Bernie picked out a Slavonian Grebe, but the rest of failed to find it. A pair of Common Gulls walked along the shoreline, mouths agape as they called loudly together. And finally, as we were about to leave the car park, an overwintering Sandwich Tern drifted past.

Mediterranean and Black-headed Gulls

Next we drove to Langston Harbour, and ate our lunch whilst overlooking the water. Here we added several new species, with over forty graceful Avocets, skimming the shallow waters, and around eight Black-tailed Godwits resting with heads tucked under their wings. A flock of colourful Shelduck paddled in the mud, and small numbers of Teal and Wigeon swam in the distant shallows. Tucked into the saltmarsh, a line of Lapwing sheltered from the wind, while a Kestrel appeared and hovered overhead. 

In the afternoon we moved on to West Dean Woods, where the star bird was Goshawk, rapidly spotted by Steve, soaring over the trees, its distinctive, bulky shape and pale underparts showing brilliantly. It was soon joined by another bird, and it was an absolute treat to watch their display flight, swoooping and soaring together, like a pair of figure skaters, mirroring each others movements with beauty and grace. This was a great location for raptors, with Buzzard, Red Kite and Sparrowhawk also seen here, together with a pair of cronking Ravens, one carrying nesting material.

Smaller birds were harder to find, with most seen at distance in the tops of the trees. A couple of Hawfinches perched high in the bare branches, and a Jay posed atop a tall conifer. Elsewhere a flock of Linnets landed alongside a few Chaffinches, but sadly none of the hoped for Bramblings were visible. Several Redwings showed well in the scope, and around twenty Fieldfare sat in a very distant tree. A pair of Mistle Thrush also flew across the valley and perched in a tree in front of us. It had proved to be another very satisfying day out.