Splash Point & Climping 29/3/14

A lengthy seawatch for starters before twitching the Hoopoe at Climping. Good movement this morning with plenty of variety. Totals between 05.30-13.00 are:

Black-necked Grebe - 5 (groups of 2 & 3)
Arctic Skua - 5 (incl. 1 bird literally 20ft in front of us)
Barnacle Goose - 1
Brent Geese - 269
Common Scoter - 882
Teal - 12
Pintail - 8
Eider - 4
Red-breasted Merganser - 30
Mallard - 2
Shoveler - 44
Red-throated Diver - 41
Gannet - 80
Little Gull - 56
Sandwich Tern - 92
Redshank - 4
Dunlin - 4
Canada Geese - 8
Shelduck - 11
Bar-tailed Godwit - 1
Chiffchaff - 1 landed on breakwater

Ballifscourt, Climping

HOOPOE - 1 showed reasonably in small field north of hotel

 Hoopoe at Climping

 Barnacle Goose with Brent Geese past Splash Point

Shoveler past Splash Point

Seaford Head & Splash Point 28/3/14

I phoned Bob before I left home to check if anything was moving out at sea......there wasn't, so I went up the Head instead where it was as usual quiet, with just 3 Chiffchaffs noted moving very quickly northwards.

I got down Splash Point at 9.05 and straight away there was obvious movement, so I stayed at it for another four hours. Hopefully tomorrows seawatching will be better still.

Totals between 9.05-13.05 are:

Common Tern - 1
Sandwich Tern - 9
Brent Geese - 739
Common Scoter - 633
Pintail - 4
Shoveler - 3
Great Skua - 1
Avocet - 10
Red-breasted Merganser - 3
Gannet - 13
Red-throated Diver - 33
Dunlin - 1
Bar-tailed Godwit - 51
Grey Plover - 18
Mediterranean Gull - 4
Kestrel - 1
Shelduck - 1

 Sandwich Tern

 Avocets

 Common Scoter

Brent Geese

Splash Point 27/3/14

Two stints down Splash today with the highlight being a Whimbrel, and even that was distant. Pretty poor though really for the time of year. The winds swung round to SE for a short period in the afternoon but still nothing moving. A Greylag Goose was sat on the sea which is probably my 2nd or 3rd sighting at Splash.

Anyway, totals for the day are:

Sandwich Tern - 7
Whimbrel - 1
Red-throated Diver - 17
Gadwall - 1
Red-breasted Merganser - 1
Brent Geese - 24
Greylag Goose - 1
Common Scoter - 8

Faro, Portugal 23/3/14

Greater Flamingo - 80
Swallow - 30

Seaford Head & Arlington 20/3/14

A bit of a later start today which resulted in missing an Arctic Skua past Splash Point. However a Sandwich Tern was a year tick. After a short seawatch, I walked the whole of the Head, though migrant numbers were as usual low. 

Due to lots of Sand Martins entering the country today, I visited Arlington and found 2 hawking insects over the water.

Splash Point/Seaford Head:

Sandwich Tern - 1

Little Gull - 2

Common Scoter - 4

Brent Geese - 45

Wheatear - 3 in Hope Gap

Chiffchaff - 1

Spoonbill - 1 juv still on west side of river viewed from Harry's Bush

Arlington:

Sand Martin - 2

Teal - 20

Wheatear in Hope Gap

Coldwaltham & Pagham 19/3/14

I first visited Greatham Bridge and Coldwaltham then spent the rest of the morning at Pagham Lagoon where the Iceland Gull showed very well, and probably appreciated the current buns being fed to it. Good to see John and Doreen at the lagoon as well. Not much else to report birdwise in the chilly conditions today, a reason for my early arrival home.

Greatham/Colwaltham:
Great Grey Shrike - 1 showing well by the railway bridge
Ringed Plover - 1
Dunlin - 1

Pagham Lagoon:
Iceland Gull - 1 juv

 Iceland Gull at Pagham Lagoon

Great Grey Shrike at Coldwaltham

Cuckmere Haven 18/3/14

Nothing new to report from the Cuckmere this morning. The Spoonbill still present near Foxhole Farm, before re-locating to the scrape, and a good count of 25 Little Egrets.

Seaford Head 17/3/14

Finished work early this afternoon, so I made the most of it and walked most of the Head. At long last the first arrival of Wheatears were scattered about. There was also an abundance of Ravens around. Totals are:

Wheatear - 6 (2 at Hawks Brow, 3 in Hope Gap & 1 by South Hill Barn)
Raven - 7
Peregrine - 1

 Wheatear in Hope Gap

Peregrine - which spent most of its time chasing the local Ravens

Splash Point & Seaford Head 16/3/14

Seawatched for half hour this morning before covering the majority of the Head. No grounded migrants but a steady stream of Meadow Pipits heading north along with a couple of alba Wagtails.

Splash: 7.00-7.30
Little Gull - 2
Red-throated Diver - 3
Common Scoter - 30

S'ford Head
Meadow Pipit - 50
Mediterranean Gull - 1

 Peregrine over Seaford Head

funky Blue Tit in Hope Gap

Seaford Head 15/3/14

All of the Head was covered this morning with nothing to show for the effort. A short seawatch with Bob also proved hopeless for the little time I spent there, with just a couple of Red-throated Divers and Brent Geese passing east.

Egyptian Geese in the Cuckmere

Splash Point 9/3/14

Ideal conditions this morning with a SE breeze, sunny conditions and a layer of mist a couple of miles out. The passage was rather slow unfortunately, but it was just pleasant sitting around in mild conditions. Totals between 6.15-9.30 are:

Brent Geese - 237
Common Scoter - 131
Razorbill - 4
Gannet - 11
Teal - 26
Tufted Duck - 3
Red-throated Diver - 14
Gadwall - 2
Shelduck - 4
Shoveler - 10
Pintail - 14
Mallard - 2
Mediterranean Gull - 6

No sign of the Spoonbill or White-fronted Geese down the Cuckmere afterwards, though I wasn't looking that intently.

Lidsey & Pagham 4/3/14

I met Adam at Lidsey Farm early on, and after nearly submerging our wellies walking towards the railway, we were watching the 2 Glossy Ibis on one of the many floods on the east side of the railway. Also present was a good flock of Fieldfare, singing C'ettis Warblers and a couple of Yellowhammers.

Pagham Lagoon was next where the sound of Mediterranean Gulls was superb, with most supporting all black hoods. A couple of Goldeneye gave close views with the male nearly doing the full display, but the Great Crested Grebes were certainly giving it a go. No sign of the Iceland Gull, but it was seen early afternoon, by which time I had started the journey home.

Off Selsey was a Great Northern Diver spending most of its' time asleep, but little else.

 good scope views, but not ideal for photos - Glossy Ibis at Lidsey

 drake Goldeneye on Pagham Lagoon

squadron of Mediterranean Gulls

Cuckmere Haven 3/3/14

A quick walk this morning in between the showers was rather unproductive with no sign of any new birds present, except from the influx of Lesser Black-backed Gulls that had joined the original Gull flock.

Totals are:
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 130
White-fronted Geese - 3
Firecrest - 2