4th - 6th November 2024

Wednesday, 6th November: Another dry but cool, grey day with a light N/NE breeze 2-3 and high pressure still firmly dominating.

Bilsham Farm: The reservoir was again full of birds, with the long-staying Black-necked Grebe the best of the bunch, accompanied by eight Little Grebes, an influx of 12 Pochard, a single Tufted Duck, 18 Shoveler and an accurate count of 188 Coots. There were also hundreds of gulls: as ever the bulk was made up of Black-headed and Herring Gulls, the remainder consisting of several Great Black-backed, one Lesser Black-backed, 72+ Common and 25 Mediterranean Gulls.

The hedgerows and fences around the periphery held eight Meadow Pipits, two Chiffchaffs and a Yellowhammer, whilst the adjacent recently-ploughed fields held several Skylarks and at least 20 Pied Wagtails. Other species logged included Common Buzzard, Kestrel, Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker and Long-tailed Tit.

Small influx of Pochards (with Coots) on the reservoir this morning

Shovelers and Black-necked Grebe

Some of the 188 (counted with a clicker!) Coots on the reservoir

Meadow Pipit (above) and Pied Wagtail around the reservoir

Tuesday, 5th November: A notably colder morning than of late, with murky conditions early on and high pressure with grey overcast skies still dominating in a light NE breeze. 

Elmer Rocks: There was little activity offshore, with just a single Brent Goose, two Razorbills and c.20 Mediterranean Gulls going east, whilst on the calm sea were 12 Great Crested Grebes and five Red-breasted Mergansers. As the tide began to rise 30 Ringed Plovers dropped on to the beach, together with 12 Sanderlings and 15 Turnstones. 

At the back of the beach a single Chiffchaff was in the bushes, the regular Kestrel was perched on boat-masts in the compound, three Pied Wagtails flew over and several Meadow Pipits and a Skylark were heard calling overhead. In the adjoining fields some ten Little Egrets were present and feeding amongst the gulls.

The regular Kestrel seems to be almost resident at the moment along the back of the beach: here it is perched on a boat mast and looking for its next meal.

Elmer & Ancton: A total of 15 Curlew (two flocks of six and nine) flighted in to the wet fields off Ancton Lane this morning, whilst other sightings in the area included a Grey Wagtail, three Redwings, two Goldcrests, 12 Long-tailed Tits and two Goldcrests, whilst two Siskins flew over calling. 

(On the down side, I failed to find any Black Redstarts, despite checking a number of favoured spots and despite them having been reported regularly from further along the coast). 

Curlews at Elmer/Ancton, flighting into the fields.

Monday, 4th November: High pressure still dominating, though generally cloudy and grey with a cool E/SE wind force 3-4. 

Climping Gap: I was committed yesterday and much of today, but was pleased to see good coverage was achieved by other observers this morning, which produced a nice variety of species including Short-eared Owl, Raven, Water Rail, Kingfisher, Redwing and Greylag Goose amongst others. 

Bilsham farm: The Black-necked Grebe was still present on the reservoir (per D.Boon)

Elmer Rocks: The brief time I had was little more than a short walk with nothing of any note....but I must at least mention the familiar and local feral Pigeons - technically the domesticated form of Rock Dove - which often frequent the beach area and gardens. They often seem to rummage amongst the beach and tideline debris with other species, before setting on nearby buildings. Usually overlooked by most people, they do have a certain charm!

(above) The local Feral Pigeons at Elmer beach - this colourful assortment do have a charm of their own! 

(below) View of Elmer Rocks - looking west

       

1st - 3rd November 2024

Saturday, 2nd November: A grey and quite gloomy day, with a cooler breeze than of late, although still mild overall. Just about remaining dry, bar a few spots of light drizzle here and there, with a moderate E/SE wind f 3-4.

Elmer Rocks:  A grey, early winter day but a few birds around to maintain the interest. Highlight for me was the first Great Northern Diver of the season, which flew in from the west, landed on the sea a short while, then flew back west and headed further out. Other birds offshore were; Gannet - 4E and 1W, Great Crested Grebe - 2, Brent Goose - 25W, Red-breasted Merganser - 5E and Razorbill - 1 .

Along the shoreline were 21 Sanderling, 50 Ringed Plovers and 15 Turnstone, all feeding for a short while on a receding beach as the tide rose. Meanwhile, a Chiffchaff, a Stonechat and a few Long-tailed Tits were in the hedges behind the beach, two Grey Wagtails and the same of Pied Wagtail flew over, and 30 Goldfinch and a few Siskins went east.

It was then that I realised that one of the hearing aids I was wearing was now missing. To cut a long story short, the next two hours was spent searching a shingle footpath and area of beach for the said item, without success. Another one to add to my increasing list of mishaps!

(top two) Ringed Plovers and Sanderlings on Elmer beach, and (bottom) Stonechat on telegraph wires behind the beach.

Friday, 1st November: Another fairly mild, dry and cloudy grey day, but pleasantly calm most of the morning with a just light NW breeze force 2, increasing 3-4 later.

Elmer Rocks: The first day of winter really although still meteorologically autumn and bang on cue the first Red-breasted Mergansers - a flock of five - appeared offshore, together with 12 Great Crested Grebes and a flock of eight Wigeon flying west. Along the shore and rock islands, a total of 75 Ringed Plovers were present, plus 15 Turnstones, 28 Oystercatchers and a single Redshank. There wasn't too much vis-mig going on, but there were at least three Redpolls flying over and a few Goldfinches, three Pied Wagtails and about the same of Meadow Pipits. Two Chiffchaffs were also present along the hedgerows.

Sunbeams and a flat calm sea at Elmer Rocks this morning

At this stage I decided to walk on to Climping/Atherington and the first surprise was just past Poole Place in the agricultural field (Cudlow's field). There have been a number of Little Egrets feeding there in recent days, but this morning an unprecedented 32 such birds were present, with numerous gulls feeding all around them. 

Some of the Little Egrets in the field close to Poole Place

Then an update message concerning a Short-eared Owl at Climping (thanks to Dan Booker) had me hurrying, but there was no sign on my arrival. However, persistence paid off and it was re-located in an adjacent field and then subsequently flying around, often mobbed by crows. My highlight of the morning by some distance! Other bits and pieces included four Chiffchaffs, some Long-tailed Tits, ten Pied Wagtails, 20+ Skylarks, three Reed Buntings and a few Meadow Pipits. Pheasants rarely ever get a mention, but they have become very much scarcer here since shooting was stopped several years ago, so worthy of note was a tight group of 12 which flushed from a field margin....probably a family party. Also of note were two Moorhens along the beach....probably wondering where their pool has gone under tons of shingle!

The changing face of Climping. This is actually the car park area! Work to this large shingle bank is still ongoing in an ever more demanding battle against coastal erosion.

Short-eared Owl at Climping

29th - 31st October 2024

Wednesday, 30th October: A cooler start this morning, though remaining mild overall, but fairly benign with cloud throughout the day and a fairly light NE breeze 2-3. 

Climping Gap: A slightly delayed start after a Dr's appointment, so I decided to concentrate just on the Kent's farm/old campsite area this morning - and I was soon glad that I did - for I was rewarded with a fairly late Ring Ouzel in a hedge along the track to the campsite. It called several times before breaking cover, but didn't stay too long and easily evaded my camera!

Two Swallows flew east and I also logged four Chiffchaffs and two Goldcrests in the bushes, whilst other species included two Stonechats, 40+ Skylarks, half a dozen Meadow Pipits, four Greenfinch, two Reed Buntings and three Yellowhammers.

Stonechats at Climping

Bilsham farm: There were a lot of birds on the reservoir today, including several hundred gulls; most were Black-headed or Herring Gulls, but also present were 20+ Mediterranean, several Common and half a dozen Great Black-backed Gulls. The Black-necked Grebe was still present, as were six Little Grebes and two Tufted Ducks, but new arrivals included five Wigeon, five Shoveler and four Pochard, with the recent 25 Canada Geese also putting in an appearance. I didn't count the Coots today, but a good estimate would be 150+ so all together a busy morning here.

Bilsham reservoir today: (above) Black-necked Grebe (centre) with two Little Grebes, (below) three Pochards with Coot and (bottom) five Wigeon.

Tuesday, 29th October: After overnight rain, a dry and mainly cloudy day, but notably mild with occasional glimpses of the sun and just a light W/NW breeze.

Elmer Rocks & area: I stayed very local again today and whilst there was nothing exciting, there were a few bits and pieces of interest. There were at least 72 Ringed Plovers on the rock island groynes, roosting at high tide, whilst five Little Egrets were also roosting on the islands early on; presumably the latter were part of a group of 12 later seen feeding together in the fields near Poole Place. The highlight though was the two Ravens, first seen and heard over the back woods near the paint-ball area, being pursued by a bunch of noisy crows. The Ravens were unable to settle and were harassed until they eventually flew off east, heading towards Climping. This species has spread significantly throughout the county now, but is actually still rather uncommon along this part of the coastal strip. 

My log for the morning was as below:-

Great Crested Grebe - 1 o/s

Gannet - 2 o/s amongst feeding gull flock

Little Egret - at least 12 

Oystercatcher - 8 

Turnstone - 6

Ringed Plover - 72

Sanderling - 1

Kestrel - 1

Buzzard - 5

Green Woodpecker - 4

Great Spotted Woodpecker - 2

Pied Wagtail - 5

Meadow Pipit - several

Skylark - 5

Robin - small influx, 15+

Song Thrush - 4

Goldcrest - 4

Chiffchaff - 3

Goldfinch - 30E

Chaffinch - 3

Raven - 2

(above) This Kestrel has of late taken to hunting along the back of the beach, but here it is right beside the top footpath near the Kiosk, whilst (below) early morning finds some Little Egrets roosting on the rocks....presumably some of the birds seen feeding in the fields later.

The Ravens this morning: (above) being chased by the crows, (middle) one Raven being followed by a crow, note the size difference, and (bottom) the other Raven flying off, 'cronking' as it went.

25th - 28th October 2024

Monday, 28th October: A generally cloudy and fairly grey day, but still quite mild and remaining largely dry with a moderate W/SW breeze force 4, though later some drizzly dampness into the afternoon.

Barnham Brooks: Around the area I logged two Snipe, a Sparrowhawk, three Buzzards, five Song Thrush, four Stonechats, three Cetti's Warblers, two Reed Buntings and four Chiffchaffs - all fairly standard fare - with a late Swallow perhaps the best of the bunch. Having completed my circuit, I made my way back to where I'd parked my car, at the edge of the Brooks and adjacent to the A259 crossing. As I loaded my gear into the vehicle, I caught a brief view of a bird low down along the hedge and upon grabbing my bin's, I soon discovered it was a female-type Black Redstart. Funny how it goes sometimes; I'd looked for one all week without success and now one had come to find me! Long story short, as I fumbled to retrieve my camera, the bird dropped onto the ground, then flew off to the other side of the road and was gone.

Bilsham farm: The Black-necked Grebe was still present on the reservoir, together with seven Little Grebes, 25 Canada Geese, two Tufted Ducks, three Shoveler, 20 Mediterranean Gulls and c.160 Coots. A Chiffchaff and a Yellowhammer were in the hedges and a Sparrowhawk and a Buzzard flew over.

On Bilsham reservoir this morning:  Canada Geese and (below) Black-necked Grebe with Herring, Black-headed and Mediterranean Gulls

(above) Mediterranean Gulls (front and left) with Black-headed Gulls, and (lower) Shovelers and (bottom) Little Grebe with Coot

Sunday, 27th October: A beautiful late autumn day; after a chilly start a day of glorious sunshine, surprisingly warm for the time of year, with very little cloud and just a light NW breeze.

Elmer Rocks & area: Only limited time available for birding this morning, so just a quick look around the local area. Four Brent Geese flew west offshore as did 15 Ringed Plovers, but there was apparently little else moving over the sea. A Grey Wagtail, two Pied Wagtails, five Skylarks, seven Chaffinches, a couple of Siskins and 20 Goldfinches flew east, whilst two Swallows were seen heading south over the fields before continuing out to sea. A single Chiffchaff was the best I could muster in a short look around the hedges.

Saturday, 26th October: A generally grey and cloudy day, although remaining fairly mild, with intermittent periods of light rain and drizzle in a moderate E/SE wind 3-4, decreasing 1-2.

Elmer Rocks and Area: A brief look at the sea revealed it to again be very quiet, although early on there were no less than 65 Ringed Plovers and eight Oystercatchers on the beach before being flushed by walkers.

Given the number of Hawfinches that have appeared in the county this autumn - presumably originating from a small continental influx - my plan was to concentrate on the coastal woodlands locally in the hope that one or more might happen to drop in....a long-shot I know but worth a try. As expected, my efforts drew a blank, but I wasn't too far off the mark, for I later received news from Climping that three had just been seen on the patch by local birder Dan Booker, flying over the old campsite area towards Littlehampton! Well done Dan.

My circuit around various areas of Elmer/Ancton woodland revealed an obvious influx of Goldcrests, with a total of at least 25 recorded, plus at least three Firecrests and seven Chiffchaffs. A small flock of about half a dozen Siskins went east, as did 120+ Goldfinches, a Grey Wagtail, four Pied Wagtails and two Skylarks. Two Little Egrets were again in the fields and other regular species included Great Spotted Woodpecker (2), Green Woodpecker (3), Buzzard (3), Kestrel (1) and Mediterranean Gull (25).

Firecrests at Elmer (top three) and Chiffchaff (bottom)

Friday, 25th October: A pleasant enough start to the morning; dry with some brief sunshine showing through the clouds and a moderate SE breeze 3-4 giving a slight chill. However, cloud soon thickening to become overcast with showers developing from around 10:30hrs......

Elmer Rocks: Out before the showers and back home just in time today. The sea was again very quiet bird-wise, so it didn't receive much attention from me and I concentrated on the beach and adjacent fields. The birds found were fairly typical autumn fare, perhaps having an air of species repetitiveness, but of course not necessarily involving the same individuals as they are constantly on the move at this time of year.

There was another movement of Woodpigeons going through, though it seemed to be on a smaller scale than of late, whilst there was also a bit of 'vis-mig' again with a number of passerines heading mainly east. A number of flocks were just unidentifiable to me as a sole observer, but there were just a few Siskins, at least 25 Linnets, 30 Goldfinches, a handful of Meadow Pipits and a couple of Skylarks and Pied Wagtails. A single Grey Wagtail also passed, apparently heading west.

Around the fields and hedgerows there was little to add. Three Little Egrets were back feeding in a field amongst plenty of gulls, which included a couple of Common Gulls and c.25 Mediterranean Gulls. A female Kestrel was again hunting the area at the back of the beach, three Chiffchaffs and two Goldcrests were in the hedges and two Stonechats were in the set-aside area, which is now very wet.

Stonechat at the Elmer set-aside; the notably pale wing coverts indicating this new arrival is surely a different individual than the recent birds present here.

Female Kestrel - clearly a resident here - using a favourite perch to look for prey

22nd - 24th October 2024

Thursday, 24th October: A cool start but soon becoming a dry, fine and sunny autumn day with a moderate SSE breeze force 3-4.

Climping – Atherington: An old birding friend of mine - Bernie Forbes - came over this morning to join me, (I should mention here that our friendship goes back 51 years!) We set off at a leisurely pace, our first target being to check for migrants around the Bailiffscourt area. Woodpigeons were again going through in good numbers though no count was attempted as we were soon inside the woods looking for much smaller birds! Our joint efforts produced a tally of five Chiffchaffs, three Blackcaps, two Firecrests, two Goldcrests, four Song Thrushes, 15 Blackbirds, three Meadow Pipits, a couple of Skylarks, an unseen Siskin or two that went over calling, 20 Long-tailed Tits in two flocks and a Sparrowhawk.

We then left this local patch to head to our next venue, which was at Pagham Harbour. However, en route, we chalked up a notable success by successfully managing, without incident, to negotiate a first for both of us – purchasing a drive-through coffee! No stopping us now.

Wednesday, 23rd October: A morning of frequent and sometimes heavy showers, lasting until well after noon, before the sun finally broke through to give a pleasant sunny afternoon with a fairly light W/SW breeze, 2-3.

Climping - Atherington: The persistent showers went on far longer than was forecast and became irritating, so I headed for the cover of the woodland here to try and get a bit of shelter and continue birding. Highlights were two Firecrests and four Goldcrests, whilst four Chiffchaffs and 13 Long-tailed Tits were the supporting cast, but nothing more exciting could be located. Overhead, hundreds of Woodpigeons were again on the move - coming from the east then heading out south - but it wasn't practical to do any sort of count today. 

Eventually, I widened my circuit to take in the flooded set-aside area, finding four Stonechats, several Skylarks and a few Pied Wagtails, whilst a flock of seven Siskins flew east and 30 Goldfinch did likewise later. The regular flock of Linnets was here, (it can sometimes number 100), but was perhaps only half that today. A couple of Jays were to and fro with acorns, and by this time the skies looked ominous again. A good soaking on my way back to the car was my reward!

Climping - Atherington this morning: Firecrest (above) and Stonechat (below), whilst (bottom) shows a flock of 32 Linnets, although there were more around.

Bilsham farm: The footpath to the area becomes ever more difficult at present, with heavy farm machinery churning the ground to become a sea of mud, It's not for the faint-hearted, but I donned my waterproof over-trousers and wellies to make another visit. The Black-necked Grebe was still present and showing a little better, as were seven Little Grebes. Two Egyptian Geese were new in, whilst Canada Goose numbers had dropped to ten. Good numbers of Coot remain - my count was 160 - and also present were four Gadwall, three Shoveler and three Tufted Duck.

(above) Black-necked Grebe, (below) Egyptian Geese and (bottom) an absolute sea of mud as a heavy farm vehicle trundles along the track

Tuesday, 22nd October: A bit chilly to start but soon becoming a very calm and pleasant morning of sunshine and light winds W/SW 2-3, until around noon, with grey cloud developing to produce a succession of heavy showers and a strengthening breeze force 4-5.

Elmer Rocks: A calm sea and nothing much moving, excepting a group of around eight auks which were probably Razorbills. The morning highlight however was all about the humble Woodpigeon, with large flocks repeatedly coming from the east along the coast before gaining height then departing SW out to sea. I watched from around 0830 - 1030hrs, during which time I estimated a total of 2550 moving through - though doubtless I missed plenty as it was impossible to keep watching them whilst looking out for other things too! A flock of 50+ Jackdaws and 20 Starlings were also in amongst the flocks at one time.

A look around the set-aside corner was quite good, producing four Chiffchaffs, two Firecrests and a Stonechat, whilst a couple of Siskins, several Meadow Pipits and two Skylarks flew over calling.

Woodpigeon flocks at Elmer; above flying overhead and below, flying well out to sea and heading SW

Firecrests at the set-aside corner hedge

                                           

Stonechat on hedge at the back of the beach

Lidsey area: A fairly brief visit to the WTW area was interrupted by heavy showers, but I logged a Green Sandpiper and 45 Gadwall around the reservoir, with two Grey Wagtails and four Pied Wagtails within the works and eight Chiffchaffs around the periphery hedges.