Monday 23rd April - A very cold April

As the April dates get into the final week of the month, there is somehow an expectation the weather will have distinctly warmed by now. Unfortunately, we have been stuck in a northerly airflow with temperatures ranging from 3-10c, so still plenty of layers needed when out and about.

I returned to Pulborough late morning on the 17th as a Green-winged Teal had been seen there the previous day, I made my way to the hangar viewpoint overlooking the North brooks and it didn't take long before I managed to pick out the Green-winged Teal amongst Eurasian Teal and Shoveler, although it was pretty distant. The drake is distinctive enough with a white side breast crescent and no white wing marking which separate it from the Eurasian Teal.. There was also a Little Ringed Plover, which was my first in the UK this Spring. The surrounding scrub, as per last week, had Nightingales, Whitethroats, Sedge Warblers, Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps in plentiful numbers and 2 House Martin flew over the car just as I left the place.

Visit to Selsey on the 20th was in bright conditions but cold enough with a brisk Northerly wind. The sea was ultimately very quiet, not unexpectedly given the conditions with just the regular species including 2 Brent Geese, 5 Great Northern Divers and a couple of Little Terns with the more numerous Sandwich Terns but the morning highlight was a Hobby seen fairly close into shore but rising higher before plucking a passerine out of the sky and drifting inland with it's prey. There was a marked influx of smaller passerines with 2 Wheatear, , 20+ Willow Warblers, Whitethroat, Redstart, Blackcap all seen in the small area of bushes along the seafront, with some spotted on their final approach over the shingle.

I relocated to the North Wall at Pagham via Halsey's Farm, there had been a Purple Heron in the area but typically only seen early morning or very late evening before spending the day hidden in the reeds, I waited for over an hour but no Purple Heron, there was consolation in a smart Whinchat, the Cattle Egrets in the herony along with Little Egrets a fine looking male Marsh Harrier and my first Lesser Whitethroat of Spring.

At home on the 21st it was dull and dreary most of the day but I did see my first Common Swift of the Spring. 

A further visit to Pulborough on Monday 22nd  and despite the cold, I think there were even more warblers having arrived since last week. There were at least 6 Nightingale territories, more Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Blackcap and Chiffchaff.  The nice surprise on the quieter North brooks were 3 Garganey (2 drakes) again my first sighting this Spring in the UK. The South brooks had a  Great Egret, and a small number of Swifts, House Martin and Sand Martin were hawking above the brooks. A great Spring morning here.

North Brooks from the Hanger

Shockingly distant picture, but a distinctive white flash on the side of the Green-winged Teal just visible below the Shoveler on the bank.

Gannet

Wheatear just arrived

Willow Warbler - just arrived

Willow Warbler

Willow Warbler

Redstart

Whimbrel

My own Bluebell Wood

Monday 15th April - April Showers

Rain almost every day. Not completely unexpected for April, but just a bit unrelenting as it has been for the whole Winter. The exception was possibly this weekend when we had a spell of milder weather which was mostly dry. The migrant birds have been trickling in some earlier than others, it is difficult migrant numbers are more or less than usual. It feels like a full complement of Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs with their distinctive songs. Less so of Willow Warblers, I have only heard 2 on a visit to Black Down this week. 

My first visit in the month to Black Down was on the 2nd, of course with high expectations there might have been an influx of migrants but to be firmly put in my place with only Chiffchaffs singing. Woodlark numbers seem ok as do Stonechats, Linnets and a small number of Crossbill, Dartford Warblers were not showing  but I think they are around.

male Crossbill

Woodlark

The first of a couple of visits to Selsey and Pagham on the 6th, had some activity with Red-throated, Black throated and Great Northern Divers seen. 28 Whimbrel and 11 Bar-tailed Godwit were potentially a sign of the start of wader passage this month. The best activity were over 270 Sandwich Terns, 30+ Common Terns and a Little Gull all moving purposefully East with 2 Arctic Skuas in pursuit. There is nothing better than watching groups of Terns migrate. Another Swallow and a Wheatear were the limit other species on offer. This was followed up by another visit on the 8th, which started promisingly with the first 2 Little Terns of Spring but very quickly died down to nothing at all. I walked from the Siddlesham visitor centre out  on the Medmerry trail towards Ham. My first Sedge Warblers and Common Whitethroats of spring were amongst the numerous Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs , Linnets and 2 more Swallows but Spring felt like it still had a long way to go.

Brent Geese

Arctic Skua

Arctic Skua

Sandwich Terns

Red-breasted Mergansers

Mediterranean Gull

Swallow

I visited Black Down on the 10th, the morning started with a pair of Mandarin Duck that were next to the garden pond at first light although they didn't hang around. Black Down remains fairly quiet although a Common Redstart was singing, although remained hidden in the pines and there were 2 Willow Warbler, although their song was rather tentative.

The following day on the 11th I walked to the Furnace Pond, no real surprises here either although 2 Greylag Geese on the pond a relatively unusual here and a Goshawk was seemingly displaying.

Mandarin Duck

Stonechat

Unfeasibly smart male Mandarin

Roe Deer

Early Purple Orchid ?

Goshawk

Furnace Pond still looking wintery.

A trip to Pulborough brooks with Paul Bowley on the morning of the 12th, surprisingly still  and sunny weather first thing. A Treecreeper was nest-building in the car park and our first of 4 or 5 Nightingales was heard then seen shortly after. This was the reason we went as we knew they had arrived in the last few days, such a wonderful song.

A Cuckoo was calling as we approached West Mead hide and we found it in the scope although rather distantly. The South Brooks had a lot of birds, with lingering Wigeon, Teal and Pintail on the water. A few Avocet had paired up and there looked to be a good number of Lapwing and Redshank. A single smart male Wheatear was in the grassy areas. The walk to Winpenny hide had good numbers of Sedge Warbler, Whitethroat a Reed Bunting and Stonechat. The North brooks, by contrast, still had high water levels and as a consequence lower numbers of birds although the White-tailed Eagle was sitting out on a fence on the brooks. A distant pipit was possibly the Water Pipit that had been present but was too far to allow ID. A return via the hides added 2 smart Adder near the path. A very pleasant Spring morning.

The first Nightingale of Spring was tricky to locate

The second Nightingale was a little more obliging

Blackcap

rather distant - White-tailed Eagle

White-tailed Eagle

2 Adders

Sunday 31st March - Easter Bunny birding

A prospect of winds to the East and South at this time of year suggest that there could be some migration activity with maybe a variety of species. By Monday the weather was looking like it might deteriorate back to a wetter and westerly vibe. So, I took advantage on Saturday and Easter Sunday to do an early morning visit to Selsey.

Saturday, the winds were light and Southerly and it was fairly bright. A very distant Bonxie started things off but frustratingly decided to head out to sea rather than come towards shore. A steady stream of Common Scoter totalled around 100, highlights were a Manx Shearwater, Little Gull, Black-throated Diver and 4 Long-tailed Ducks a brief stop at the ferry delivered a single Green Sandpiper.

Today, after Easter Bunny duties another early start, albeit technically an hour later with the clock change. The wind was stronger and more Easterly but this helped the constant passage of Common Scoter where over 500 were recorded moving East, constantly looking for something else travelling with the Scoter groups we only managed 2 Teal and 6 Shoveler. The Easterly movement of birds continued with the first 8 Common Terns of the Spring and 7 Little Gulls with a count of 76 Sandwich Terns.

Passerines were inbound with a few Chiffchaff, including one which comically landed on the lens of my camera when it was over my shoulder, before it realised it wasn't a branch it called in panic and headed to the nearest bush. A small number of Meadow Pipits, Linnets and Goldfinch and my first Spring Swallows and 3 Sand Martin.

4 Common Scoter and 2 Eider

Mediterranean Gulls

Black-throated Diver

 

Distant Little GUll

Common Terns

Common Terns

Common Terns

Common Scoter

Peregrine