Thursday 19th February 2026: Pagham Harbour again!

 Today we headed across to Pagham Harbour again, this time with our granddaughter in tow, eager to try out her new scope, gifted by the Shropshire Ornithological Society, after her recent talk on her first year of birdwatching.

We started at Church Norton, on a rising tide, arriving a little later than hoped due to me forgetting my binoculars and having to go back for them! There were lots of birds on view, making use of the rapidly depleting spits of land. Grey Plovers were joined by Knot and Dunlin in tight flocks, and we just had time to scan a line showing very well before the rising tide pushed them off to a more distant point. On Tern Island, a group of Redshank and Oystercatchers were joined by three Bar-tailed Godwits. A Curlew, Greenshank and a small group of Shelduck were feeding at the margins of the saltmarsh nearby, and a few Pintail, Wigeon and Teal were seen here too.

We moved on to Sidlesham, eating lunch overlooking the feeders at the visitors centre, where regular tits and finches entertained us as we ate and enjoyed a warm drink. The we moved on to Ferry Pool. Highlights here included decent flocks of Lapwing and Golden Plover and a delightful flock of Avocets. These circled over the pool for several minutes, showing wonderful zebra backs and brilliant white wings tipped in liquorice black, before alighting in the shallow water, giving an opportunity for excellent scope views. Plenty of colourful Shoveler sifted through the water here too.

Next we drove towards Dell Quay, pausing en route to admire a flock of Brent Geese feeding in a field. At the quay, both Red-breasted Mergansers and Little Grebe were added to the girls tally.

Brent Geese

From here we moved on to our last stop at North Wall. Here there were swirls of bird filling the skies, seemingly waiting for the waters to recede sufficiently to allow them to find land. The wide, rounded shape of Lapwings were instantly recognisable, and smaller flocks of Golden Plover were behind.  A large flock of Black-tailed Godwits circled back and forth, revealing their white wing markings and long bills as they passed, before settling in a huddled group on the far edges of White’s Creek. On the marsh behind, a young male Marsh Harrier flew in low over the reeds. At Breach Pool a group of Tufted Ducks were added to our daily tally. Tim scoped the Spotted Redshank out on the saltmarsh, and  finally as we retraced our steps, a large skein of  Brent Geese arrived to settle on the water,  their gentle burbling calls filling the air as they descended. This was a brilliant finale to the day, and with the cold beginning to penetrate, we decided to call it a day and head home.

Scopes r us!