After a chilled first few hours of the day, I drove to the coast to an empty Southmoor car park, not surprising giving the conditions. I walked along the seawall and soon found the adult
Sabine's Gull which had thankfully hung around all week. With no one around and the bird seemingly content, I walked out into the flood (a redhead
Goosander also present) and got fairly close. The bird then spent the next 30-minutes dip-feeding in front of me, at times, just yards away, perhaps interested in me stirring up the mud. An excellent bird and even better to have it all to myself. I looked out into the channel and found two
Black-necked Grebes, a
Great Northern Diver, a drake
Goldeneye and a few
Red-breasted Mergansers.
Afterwards, I ventured into Sussex and walked Dell Quay to Fishbourne Creek, finding a Spotted Redshank, two Greenshanks, a Water Pipit and Scandinavian Rock Pipit, and three stunning drake Goldeneyes. Approximately 1500 Brent Geese were either side of the approach road to Dell Quay, but I couldn't find anything of interest in amongst them.
Lastly, I went to Westdean Woods and to Stapleash Corner (picking up a nice £4.50 Sausage & Chips with curry sauce 'deal' along the way) and parked up. The food was excellent, but nine Hawfinches calling continuously to each other atop the Hornbeams were also good, and soon flew off at 2.15pm.
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| poor light and heavy rain for the Sabine's Gull |
