Window to Wildlife

We headed to the west of the county and enjoyed a glorious morning at Pagham Harbour today with blue skies and shining sun, and not too much wind. It was lovely to see the return of some of of our winter birds, with Brent Geese, Wigeon, Teal and Lapwing all present in good numbers. A few elegant Pintail were swimming in the channel and winter-plumaged Great-crested Grebes were a further sign of the change in season. There were plenty of waders about too, including good numbers of Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank and Curlew, which are generally present. A few Ringed Plover and Dunlin were mixed with two Avocet, Grey Plover and a fair sized flock of Golden Plover, not reliably seen at this site, so very pleasing to observe. After lunch we set out for home, when we received a message that immediately changed out plans - Bearded Vulture (also known as Lammergeier) near Beachy Head, at the eastern end of the county! This was the bird that had spent much of the summer in the Peak District, befo...

 One of the members of Shoreham District Ornithological Society lives alongside Widewater Lagoon and he emailed the group this morning to alert us to the presence of a Grey Phalarope on the lagoon. We dropped everything and rushed over, to find this gorgeous, tiny bird just a few feet away from the causeway which crosses the lagoon. These seabirds have not learnt to be wary of humans and frequently allow extremely close views. This was certainly the case today, when the only disturbance causing it to take flight was the sudden appearance of gulls venturing a little too close.  The bird stayed for the rest of the day and it remains to be seen if it is still present tomorrow. They can sometimes hang around for several days, as has been the case with the bird at Lytchett Fields, Poole which no doubt sister Sue has rushed out to see as it is on her doorstep!?! Attached are a few shots which Tim took. The pink flush indicates a juvenile bird.

 Today I made a trip to Suffolk with target birds tree sparrow and stone curlew. I started by visiting the village of Ampton where I first saw tree sparrows in 2013 when there was a small flock living there. Since then I have usually found my annual tree sparrows in Dungeness but last year I could not find any when I visited Dungeness, so I went back to Ampton where I managed to find just one tree sparrow.  Today I again was able to find just one tree sparrow at Ampton so I wonder how big the population actually is there and if I will be able to find one there next year. Next I made my way to Cavenham Heath where I expected I might be too late to see any stone curlews as they may have already started on their autumn migration. I spoke to a woman walking a dog who told me that there had been 60 there at the end of September but she thought they had now left.  She told me where they had been seen and I went off to scan the specified field but could see no sign of them. I ev...

 Taking advantage of a good weather forecast, Jenny, Tim, Sue and I arranged to meet at Beachy Head at 8.30 a.m. to look for possible ring ouzel and the recently reported Lapland bunting. It was rather windy and cold when we arrived and as Sue had stopped off on the way at nearby Shooters Bottom and already found a ring ouzel, we decided to go back there to see if we could see one. Luckily after a short while we could hear the sound of a ring ouzel in the bushes and so waited patiently for the bird to move into view.  When it did emerge it settled quite a long way away but remained there long enough for some long range photos.  It was not the classic black and white male which would have been more impressive but at least it was a ring ouzel. Next we returned to Beachy Head where the Lapland bunting had been reported again that morning and we wandered around in the blustery wind looking for the bird.  We then encountered the person who had reported seeing it earlier a...

 Yesterday we headed off to Thorney Island in search of a Pallid Harrier which has been around for a few days. We arrived to reports that it had just been flying but had now settled on the ground in a distant field with cattle. We waited for around half an hour but there was no sign of the bird reappearing, so we set off to walk around the island, a distance of seven miles, n a scorching hot day and with a scope on my back! The island was exceptionally quiet, with a high tide gradually falling. On previous visits we have seen plenty of waders, but for much of the walk there were just a few Little Egrets, some gulls and distant Curlew. Midway we stopped at a bench and noted around 20 plus seals hauled up on the mudbanks in the Emsworth channel. We continued on our way, feeling tied and disheartened, when suddenly I saw a bird fly up from the ground and alight on a bush. I put my bins up and was astonished to find a Red-backed Shrike, an infrequent species in modern times, although h...

 Today we walked the South West Coast Path from Lulworth Cove to Kimmeridge - a magnificent but gruelling stretch of coastline. We were rewarded for our efforts by the fortuitous appearance of a Pectoral Sandpiper on the beach at Kimmeridge yesterday evening, which astonishingly, given the number of people on the beach, was still present when we completed our walk late afternoon today. We chatted to a photographer who had been there since 8am, and he seems to have been responsible for actively keeping people and dogs away from the bird.  The attached photo is of poor quality, but it was taken with just a mobile phone as we had no camera or scope with us. This gives an indication of how close this lovely little wader allowed us to get.  This was the 200th species of bird we have seen this year, and a fitting bird for such a milestone. Considering the constraints of lockdown, we are very pleased with this result. Our total to beat from last year is 216, so we are a long way...

 On Friday I met up with the Sussex birders Jenny, Tim, Sue and Kevin at Oare Marshes in Kent. Following the appalling visibility at Ditchling Beacon yesterday it was a relief to see much improved conditions today which allowed the chance for decent views and photo opportunities.  We began at the slipway by the river where we saw a couple of curlew sandpipers feeding. The photographers amongst us began edging closer to the birds 10 metres or so at a time until we were probably about 30 to 40 metres away and they still did not appear to be concerned with us as they carried on feeding.  After we had finished taking our photos we walked back up the slipway and started our circuit of the reserve.  I was very grateful to Kevin who lent me his spare camera battery when I realised that my battery had no charge left and so he enabled me to continue taking photos for the rest of the day. We had a brief look for the Bonaparte's gull which was somewhere on the beach amongst the...