Monday 9th March 2026: Pagham and Medmerry

 A rather foggy day as we set out this morning, and although it improved a little as the day progressed, visibility was never great, hampering our birding a little, but not dampening our spirits, and we still managed a good tally of birds across the day.

We arrived at Pagham visitor centre to use the facilities, but with the fog lingering we decided to linger and went to the hide at Ferry Pool. The back of the pool and adjoining fields were invisible, with the fog low and thick, so we focused on the birds we could see! The regular wintering wildfowl were present in reasonable numbers, with Shoveler, Wigeon, Teal and Mallard all on view, plus a few Gadwall. On the wader front there was a small group of Black-tailed Godwits foraging in a wet, muddy field to the right of the main pool, together with a couple of Redshanks chasing each other around a narrow channel. A number of Avocet, Lapwing and Oystercatchers roosted on the small islands or banks within the main waterway. A few Pied Wagtail ran around the muddy margins and a Stonechat posed atop a large bramble bush twitching its tail as it sat.

On the adjacent feeders we accumulated a good tally of passerines, with Greenfinches and Chaffinches joining the regular tits and House Sparrows. A medley of bird song included the noisy trill of the Wren, ‘teacher, teacher’ from the Great Tit and distinctive wheezing calls of the Greenfinch.

Having exhausted all possibilities here, and convincing ourselves that the fog was lifting, we moved on to Medmerry. At the car park a noisy and active Chiffchaff revealed itself as soon as we got out of the car. We took a slow walk towards the Stilt Pool, pausing at benches along the way to scan for birds. The sound of Skylarks filled the air, with several seen in the fields. The gorse and scrub contained Linnets, Dunnock and Reed Bunting. In the tall, dying trees where the saltwater has encroached as a result of the planned breach we found Buzzard, Stock Dove and on our return a Green Woodpecker. 

In one of the trackside pools, Little Grebes whinnied and a tree behind the pool contained a mixed flock of Linnets and eighteen Greenfinches.

At the Stilt Pool we found around half a dozen Ringed Plover, a Greenshank and Spotted Redshank and a couple of Dunlin, together with more Avocet and Lapwings. Tufted Duck, Little Egret and Grey Heron were also new for the day.

At the beach, looking out over a relatively calm sea, we could find nothing on the water, but a single Sandwich Tern drifted past. A probable Rock Pipit disappeared as we reached the shingle. Turning to the tidal harbour, Steve picked out a distant flock of Brent Geese grazing and a pair of displaying Lapwings showed well. 

Retracing our steps, a Marsh Harrier flew low over the bushes, giving decent views, and as a grand finale, a singing Dartford Warbler sudden appeared at the top of a small tree just behind the benches where we sat. Despite the murk, it had been a really enjoyable day in good company. 

Spotted Redshank

(Photo not taken today)