Newhaven Recreation Ground - 7/11/2005

Only my second ever Red-backed Shrike and my first in Sussex. This confiding bird spent a few days in the area. Although I only had binoculars in those days, Paul Marten kindly let me look through his scope where the bird was completely frame filling.

Red-backed Shrike - 1 juv

Cuckmere Haven - 25/8/2005

A Wood Sandpiper was my first patch record of this species and as always was picked up by its distinctive call. Distant scope views were had through Mark Austin’s scope.

Wood Sandpiper - 1
Greenshank - 1
Bar-tailed Godwit - 1

Seaford Head & Cuckmere Haven 22/8/05

Seaford Head
Spoonbill - 1 flew north whilst I sat at the bottom of Hope Gap

Cuckmere Haven
Curlew Sandpiper - 1 adult in moult - a superb bird and even better a new one for me.

Rye Harbour 10/7/05

Roseate Tern - 1
Mediterranean Gull - 10

Roseate Tern at Rye Harbour

Lakenheath RPSB & Weeting Heath 2/7/2005

Blogged on 19/4/2019

A trip up with Dad as neither of us had seen Golden Oriole, and at the time for us was one of those mythical birds to see in the UK. Now we’ve both found one in Sussex it wasn’t all that mythical after all. 

Lakenheath:

Golden Oriole - 1 male 

Weeting Heath:

Stone Curlew - 4

Woodlark - 5

Spotted Flycatcher- 3

North Creake:

Montagu’s Harrier - 2

River Adur, Shoreham 31/5/05

GULL-BILLED TERN - 1

Seen mainly on the mud south of the footbridge. At one time if circled to an amazing height before dropping back down to feed.

No sign of the Bee-Eaters in Shoreham.

Gull-billed Tern at Shoreham

Splash Point & Cuckmere Haven 1/5/05

Splash Point

Pomarine Skua - 14

Cuckmere Haven

After a successful sea watch, a call from Dick Gilmore soon saw us down the Cuckmere as a Black-winged Stilt was present. After an hour search, we eventually saw the Stilt and had great scope views.

BLACK-WINGED STILT - 1

Black-winged Stilt in the Cuckmere

Worthing P&P Golf Course 6/4/05

GREAT SPOTTED CUCKOO - 1

Twitched this bird with Chris Lowmas and Dick Gilmore after an unsuccessful visit at Splash Point only seeing 1 Great Skua.

On arrival, no sign of the bird though it had been seen early on. A walk around I glimpsed what I thought was the bird in question. A walk up the hill confirmed my suspicions and after seeing it in flight, the Cuckoo settled on a green and showed very well.

Great Spotted Cuckoo at Worthing

Splash Point - 2/4/2005

A crazy seawatch that provided the largest passage of Garganey ever recorded past Splash Point. The largest flock being a flock of 15 birds, whilst all flocks were observed moving close inshore, and I seem to remember a couple of flocks circling just offshore and continuing on their way. 

Only highlights listed:

Whimbrel - 4

Avocet - 7

Velvet Scoter - 1

Garganey - 31

Eider - 6

Little Gull - 1

Obviously the Garganey passage was noted elsewhere, with Dungeness recording over 50 birds.

Brighton Marina - 5/3/2005

Kumlien’s Gull - 1 juv
Purple Sandpiper - 7
Razorbill - 3

Rye Harbour - 15/2/2005

Blogged on 19/4/2019

A trip to Rye and we were rewarded with a major flock of 19 Scaup on Long Pit. Sadly it’s a major struggle to get a single bird in Sussex now, so flocks like these are now a long distant memory.

Goosander - 1
Merlin - 1
Scaup - 19

Seaford Head & Cuckmere Haven 5/2/2005

Blogged on 19/4/2019

Two good patch birds seen on this day with a Snow Bunting on the golf course, and in the Cuckmere exactly where the Gulls congregate now,  a juv  Glaucous Gull was present in a small Gull flock. 

Rye Harbour - 29/1/2005

Blogged on 19/4/2019

Another trip with Dad as the pair of Long-eared Owls had once again returned to Narrow Pit. Also a nice assortment of winter Ducks.

Scaup - 13
Smew - 4 incl 2 drk
Long-eared Owl - 2

Rye Harbour 29/1/05

Long-eared Owl at Rye Harbour

Crawley - 22/1/2005

My first ever Waxwings and superb views were had of what was only a small proportion that were recorded in Sussex in the first winter period.

Waxwing - 29

Pagham 15/1/05

CATTLE EGRET - 1

A lot of time was spent searching for this bird, and finally we connected. However on arriving home, we were unaware that a flock of 8 had been found no more than 15 minutes away. We enjoyed all of these as well.