An early start at Thornham Marina today where the stunning juvenile Pallid Harrier flew right past in front of me (and behind the birder who went running down the lane following the pager message... who runs for a Pallid?!) soon after sunrise. It performed for ten minutes before seemingly drifting low north and out of sight. An Osprey also flew over, a Whinchat was out in the reeds and a Firecrest was calling along the east side of the island. There were also a number of Sandwich Terns in the channel.
After a short time guiding two ladies, I quickly went and saw the showy Red-backed Shrike in the south-western corner.
It's been a tough autumn, so it was re-assuring to see some decent birds today.
This is now the third Pallid Harrier I've seen in Sussex (why didn't I go for the Beachy bird last year!) with other juveniles, both at The Burgh, in 2011 and 2015.
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| Sunrise at Thorney Island |
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| juvenile Pallid Harrier |
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| juvenile Red-backed Shrike |
