Wednesday 12th June - Wet and Windy

The occasional dry day has now turned into a steady stream of wet and windy weather, although towards the start of last week there was sufficient dry weather early mornings for me to complete another BBS on Stanley and Lynchmere Commons on the 6th.

My key aim was to try and get a more certain position on the number of breeding Common Redstart as this common had historically been quite a stronghold in the Wealden part of Sussex. I was partially successful, but could only conclude 2 breeding territories where there were 2 distinct singing males. I had another female bird carrying food slightly away from where one of the males was singing but could not conclude this was a different pair. I did have a success with 3 Woodlark territories and 3 Tree Pipit territories. Other birds included a good number of Garden Warblers, Blackcap, Linnet and to calling Cuckoo.

Back at home I have had more sightings of the Turtle Doves, mostly one but occasionally 2 together, they must have a nest site somewhere close, but I have still yet to hear their purring song. During last weekends stormy weather an Egret flew past the house, I couldn't get bins on it but assumed Little Egret.

On Sunday 9th I had a walk around an exceptionally quiet Pagham Harbour. This Spring has been strange on the South coast with very little wader passage at all and even though we are almost now nearer to the autumn migration time than Spring, there would often be a good number of waders in the harbour at this time. Other than a small number of Black-tailed Godwit, and resident Lapwing and Curlew the whole place was devoid of birds. The bushes were more active with a good number of Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Common Whitethroat, Chiffchaffs and a calling Lesser Whitethroat. The gull and tern colony at Church Norton was busy with Sandwich Terns a few Little Terns and a small number of Common Tern although the dominant species was Black-headed Gulls with maybe a dozen pairs of Mediterranean Gulls.

Common Redstart (M)

Woodlark

Black-tailed Godwit

Sedge Warbler