Saturday 22nd April - More Spring

A cold northerly wind has persisted all week but it has remained dry and occasionally bright. A similar forecast for this morning, I was up early and arrived at Selsey before 6am . It was a decent species list with something of interest most of the time before I headed to Church Norton around 10am.

The full list was

Sandwich Tern 12
Common Tern 4
Little Tern 1
Great Northern Diver 8
Red-throated Diver 1
Common Scoter 135
Teal 2
Red -Breasted Merganser 1
Arctic Skua 1
Great Skua 2
Grey Plover 32
Whimbrel 16
Bar-tailed Godwit 18
Knot 30
Sanderling 10
Dunlin 12
Swift 4
Swallow 12
Sand Martin 13
House Martin 2
Yellow Wagtail 4
Meadow Pipit 17
Wheatear 1

I went straight into the churchyard at Church Norton, a Firecrest was singing in a Yew and there were a number of vocal Blackcaps and Willow Warblers. As I reached the far end I was sure I heard a brief snatch of a Lesser Whitethroat rattle, I took the footpath at the end of the churchyard and just where the oaks cover the pathway a couple of birds flitted into the canopy. Yes, one was the Lesser Whitethroat, I got on the other, expecting a Willow Warbler, it looked  a little large, then turned - bright yellow throat, clean whit underparts and lime green head and shoulders - a stunning Wood Warbler. I managed a few pictures but it was in the canopy and after a couple more minutes just seemed to melt away. I put the news out, had a further look to see if I could relocate the bird, which I couldn't then went to find some others.

I got to the hide and could hear a Grasshopper Warbler reeling at the back of the mote a further look here from another angle saw two Redstarts and a Garden Warbler, but the reeling Gropper just didn't reveal itself. I walked back to the hide met with Chris J and went back to the end of the churchyard a small gathering was looking for the Wood Warbler without success, A Cuckoo flew over and the Lesser Whitethroat was calling again.

The harbour had 3 Whimbrel, lots of Med Gulls and a Swallow and House Martin flew through. A walk towards the beach added Whitethroat and Sedge Warbler. So particularly pleased with the Wood Warbler as it can be tricky to see now in Sussex as breeding records have vanished the last few years.

Wood Warbler

Wood Warbler

and again

and a final one

A mid afternoon walk at Ebernoe common, there were 3 singning Nightingales and oddly a Reed Warbler in the same scrub plus a Marsh Tit with plenty of Bluebells and Orchids.

male Redstart at Church Norton