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Thursday, 29th February: A mild but grey, wet and miserable day, with light or moderate rainfall throughout the daylight hours and a fairly fresh W/SW breeze 3-4.
Elmer Rocks: It was another early afternoon sea-watch from a sheltered spot and under an umbrella. There was little to record and I even considered not making a report here at all, but in the end felt I should at least document the effort! A Great Crested Grebe and 2 Gannets flew W, whilst around 6 Red-breasted Mergansers were offshore, occasionally displaying to each other in the rain. The regular waders - Oystercatchers, Turnstones and Sanderlings - were again noted, whilst at least 20 Ringed Plovers were present in Cudlow's field, near to Poole Place, and several Common and Mediterranean Gulls were along the shoreline.
However, there was to be none of yesterday's excitement with no sightings of either the Seal or the Dolphins. A brief look around the back fields produced just a pair of Jays, a Greenfinch and a hunting Kestrel, before I decided an hour and a half was enough and called a halt to things.
Wednesday, 28th February: Back to changeable and milder weather: a mainly dry morning of grey skies with a little hazy sunshine, in a light SW breeze 2-3, but becoming dull and drizzly by afternoon, followed by more persistent rain as the wind increased.
Elmer Rocks (1445-1600hrs): Unfortunately I missed the pleasant morning due to a hospital appointment, so was keen to get out birding for a while in the afternoon, just as the weather went downhill! Undaunted, I managed over an hour near the kiosk, sea-watching from a sheltered spot and under an umbrella, before finally calling it a day. The tide was still high, but the only birds passing through were 2 distant Gannets heading W and a single Curlew going E. However, there was a good count of 48 Oystercatchers, mainly roosting on the rocks, together with 2 Dunlin, 10 Sanderlings and 30 Turnstones, plus a handful of Red-breasted Mergansers loafing on the sea.
The unexpected highlight today though was non-avian. Firstly, a Grey Seal kept popping his head up briefly behind the rock islands, before diving and then re-appearing. Then a small flock of gulls, apparently in a feeding frenzy much further out, drew my attention and the reason soon became clear....Dolphins! Conditions were by now quite murky and visibility not great, but with my telescope I could easily make out at least five individuals as they broke the surface and headed slowly eastwards....there was certainly one large (presumably male) dolphin leading, followed by three medium sized (perhaps female) individuals and one smaller one. These I presume are Bottle-nosed Dolphins, but at this range (approx 3/4 mile) some decent optics are necessary to get any sort of view.
Then, on returning home, for some reason a drake Mallard had taken up residence on the front lawn - nice weather for ducks!
This drake Mallard was a surprise visitor to my front lawn this afternoon in the rain; another common and often overlooked species which is also subtly beautiful.
Tuesday, 27th February: A very welcome change to a dry, pleasant day with hazy sunshine and high cloud - and with only a light WSW breeze 2-3.
Ancton/Elmer: As I was about to depart from home, in order to meet a birding friend for a visit to Pulborough RSPB, I was stopped in my tracks by a Coal Tit, which was singing from several neighbouring gardens and clearly trying to establish a spring territory. I've mentioned previously that this is not at all a common species in this general area, although I'm aware that another pair(s) have been reported from M-o-S parish. Then my attention was drawn to the two adult Herring Gulls that have been in and around my garden and the general area in recent weeks. They are to be found foot-paddling and feeding on worms and other insects drawn to the 'falling rain' they imitate. A nice start to my morning.
Adult Herring Gulls 'foot-paddling' in gardens at Ancton/Elmer. This is a much-maligned species - mainly for its habit of stealing food from unwary humans in open locations - but a closer look will reveal they are actually very adaptable and beautiful birds. It may also surprise many of you to know that despite its regular presence in our area, it is a species in decline and is currently Red-listed as a species of high conservation concern.
Atherington (Climping): Having completed my 'off-piste' trip from the local patch, I decided to make a short visit on my return during the afternoon. Things were generally quiet, with nothing to show for a short sea-watch, but in the set-aside areas behind the battered and eroded beach, there were 4 Stonechats, a pair of Greenfinches and a small flock of 12 Skylarks, with a small number of Goldfinches flying around. The only other birds worthy of note were 3 Jays feeding around the grassy entrance to Bailiffscourt Hotel and probably digging up acorns and the like.
Jays feeding at Bailiffscourt Hotel - another common species, but none the less beautiful for that!
Monday, 26th February: Heavy rain overnight gradually subsided to leave a chilly but dry morning, mainly cloudy but with some weak sunshine, and notably a strong to gale force NE wind force 6-7/8.
Elmer Rocks (0850-1050hrs): Once again the conditions dictated that sea-watching would be the best option in the circumstances, especially with a number of local sites within the patch being out of bounds due to flooding. I managed a couple of hours, where the main feature of interest was the gathering of Common Scoter which remain offshore; they were split into two flocks totalling at least 30 birds and again proved difficult to count and study on the rough sea....but it will need calmer conditions to ensure there is not something scarcer amongst them! My full log is below:-
Great Crested Grebe - 1 o/s
Gannet - 6E, 2W
Brent Goose - 6E
Red-breasted Merganser - 18 o/s
Common Scoter - 30+ o/s
Teal - 1E, settled o/s
Pintail - 7W
Curlew - 8E
Oystercatcher - 34
Sanderling - 12
Turnstone - 20
Mediterranean Gull - 4W
Oystercatchers (with some Sanderlings and Turnstones) arriving to roost on the rock islands as high tide approaches.
Bilsham farm area:
On the choppy reservoir this afternoon were just 4 Tufted
Ducks and a pair of Great Crested Grebes. A scan of the more distant flooded fields produced
2 Canada Geese and a flock of 16 Shelduck.
Sunday, 25th February: After a cool and fairly grey start in a moderate breeze, the morning slowly deteriorated, as the SE wind freshened and the sky became darker before the forecast rain duly arrived.....
Barnham Brooks: I was elsewhere today, but herewith an edited report of the more interesting species reported by another local birder:-
Buzzard - 2
Sparrowhawk - 1
Gadwall - 3
Pintail - 71
Shelduck - 7
Lapwing - 52
Little Egret - 4
Grey Heron - 12
Water Rail - 1
Skylark - 8
Stonechat - 1
Goldfinch - 6
Greenfinch - 3
Fieldfare - 13
Redwing - 6
Mediterranean Gull - 16
Yellowhammer - 2
Reed Bunting - 4 (thanks to Dan Boon)
Friday, 23rd February: A drier and brighter morning, with some hazy sun, plenty of cloud and the risk of a shower never far away as the day progressed. Feeling cooler than of late in a fresh W/SW wind, force 4-5.
Elmer Rocks: Bird of the morning was a Great Northern Diver, which lumbered into view flying east before dropping onto the rough sea, out of photographic range. Later, a Red-throated Diver flew west, whilst a distant flock of Common Scoters were occasionally glimpsed on the choppy waters - perhaps the flock seen offshore on the 20th - but impossible to count with any certainty. No more than a dozen Red-breasted Mergansers were seen, the majority chasing back and forth and clearly getting ready for the approaching spring; also of note were flocks of Sanderling (15E & 35W), Oystercatchers (22), Turnstones (c.30) around the rocks and a few Mediterranean Gulls of varying ages.
In the set-aside behind the beach, 2 Stonechats were still present, together with 6 Meadow Pipits, and nearby in Cudlow's field a flock of 26 Brent Geese were feeding.
Turnstones on Elmer beach. These charming waders can sometimes be quite approachable and it is one species where the name accurately fits the bird, as it can often be found flicking over pebbles to feed on insects below. The vast majority of these birds breed in the Arctic, thus most will be absent from our patch in the summer breeding season (bar the odd non-breeding straggler) - as is the case with most of the waders you may be seeing now. These birds moult into a more colourful, orangey-backed breeding plumage later, but note the plumage differences shown in the two birds in the lower photo...the rear bird is in fact a juvenile/1st w bird - hatched in the Arctic last year!
(above) Great Northern Diver, off Elmer Rocks, April 2021. This is not today's bird, but one I prepared earlier (!) in response to several conversations with the locals this morning. There are a number of features with this species but note the large size, thick neck and big dagger-like bill.
Ancton: A brief visit to the Lane End horse paddocks found that the Black Redstart was still present around the fence posts and dung-heaps: a bit of a surprise as it has been absent for several days. Also, a pair of Green Woodpeckers were in the paddocks, whilst a second pair were active and calling in the woodland behind.
The last couple of days (21st-22nd) have seen more or less persistent rain, strong winds and gloomy conditions, with local flooding in many places, resulting in a lack of any fieldwork by yours truly. However, every cloud has a silver lining, for it does at least afford an opportunity to catch up on overdue admin - of which there is always plenty - and make record submissions to county and national databases. Even so, my next opportunity to get out birding cannot come soon enough...!
Tuesday, 20th February: A mainly overcast and damp sort of day, with misty drizzle making conditions generally murky. Although still comparatively mild, feeling a little cooler than of late, with the moderate WNW wind force 3-4 increasing to fresh 5/6 later.
Elmer Rocks: The fairly uninspiring conditions meant that sea-watching was again likely to be the best option, albeit that the murky horizon was not ideal. A few Brent Geese were on the move today, suggesting that early migration may now have started, whilst a Great Northern Diver heading W was a good record. A flock of Common Scoter was some way offshore behind the rock islands and often difficult to see as they bobbed around on the choppy sea, before eventually drifting further out. My log was as follows:-
Red-throated Diver - 2W
Great Northern Diver - 1W
Great Crested Grebe - 2W
Brent Goose - 41E, 10W
Common Scoter - 30 o/s
Red-breasted Merganser - 12 o/s
Mediterranean Gull - 8W
Brent Geese off Elmer Rocks... (above) a flock moving west, close in, probably just returning to the Pagham Harbour area, whilst (below) a larger flock heading east, higher up and further out are likely to be early birds starting out on their migration.
Monday, 19th February: Mild, with a touch of early drizzle, then dry and mainly cloudy with some sunnier breaks and a moderate WNW breeze, force 3-4.
Elmer Rocks: Continuing very quiet as the last couple of weeks of meteorological winter draw out, the only movement noted during my brief sea-watch being a flock of 12 Brent Geese heading W. Red-breasted Merganser numbers offshore appear to have dropped considerably, with barely a dozen birds counted today. The only other items of interest were a number of gull flocks along the shoreline, containing 25 Common Gulls and 10 Mediterranean Gulls of varying ages, plus a few of the regular waders including 25 Turnstones and a single Ringed Plover.
Adult Common Gull (distant bird) and adult Mediterranean Gull on Elmer beach. (Note the Med Gull here is just beginning to acquire its summer plumage, when the head pattern shows a full jet-black hood with white 'eyelids' and a blood-red bill and legs, but note also the pure white wings with no black and the silvery back (mantle) - making this a very pale and striking gull, especially in flight.
Ancton: The highlights of a look along the hedgerows and fields adjoining Ancton Lane were a couple of Greenfinch singing in tree-tops and then a cracking Firecrest, which showed well for a short while.
Firecrest at Ancton (just inside the entrance of the field subject to a recent planning application!) This stunning little bird is the scarcer and flashier cousin of Britain's smallest bird, the Goldcrest, but note its more colourful plumage and face pattern.
Saturday, 17th February: A really murky, damp and overcast day, with persistent mist and light drizzle most of the morning and a fairly light SW breeze, lightening slightly by afternoon.
Lidsey WTW and area: Conditions certainly didn't make for easy viewing, but most birds were on the flooded fields - or more accurately lakes - behind the sewage works (WTW). Teal were the most numerous species, being spread across the fields and lakes, my estimated count being c.700 birds. Also present were 50+ Wigeon, 50+ Gadwall, 6 Pintail, 60+ Lapwing and 3 Snipe, whilst in the adjacent hedgerows were 25+ Chiffchaffs (quite a few now singing) and 2 Cetti's Warblers.
Pintails in the gloom at Lidsey (with single Gadwall above)
Barnham Brooks: A fairly brief visit to this well flooded area didn't produce too much, but there were 34 Mute Swans and a good number of Teal (not counted), together with perhaps 40 Wigeon, 30 Shoveler and 30 Pintail. Grey Herons have started to pair up and at least 4 nests now look to be in use in the Flansham colony. A close Cetti's Warbler was singing loudly and showing occasionally and a Buzzard was roosting in tree tops. Plenty of gulls were present, including at least 35 Mediterranean Gulls and a Lesser Black-backed Gull.
Friday, 16th February: Mild, dry and mainly bright, with periods of sunshine and cloud and a moderate breeze, W 4.
Elmer Rocks: We've reached that stage in the birding year when the weather can be quite spring-like, but it hasn't happened yet with arriving migrants, while some of the wintering birds are quietly drifting away, leaving a rather quiet feel to things. It was generally more of the same today on my visit; a Red-throated Diver was feeding offshore, with another passing east quite far out, whilst 2 Great Crested Grebes and c.25 Red-breasted Mergansers were on the sea, the latter spaced out in small groups, some of them giving their head-bobbing and stretching display as they pair up. A few Common Gulls and c.30 Mediterranean Gulls were also to be found, along the beach and sitting on the sea. Three Mallards were also chasing each other around furiously.
Passerines (= generally small perching/singing land birds, of many species) were fairly low in number, but did include 2 Stonechats (a female-type in the bushes near the Kiosk and a male in the set-aside area), 25 Goldfinches, 2 Song Thrushes and 2 Meadow Pipits.
Stonechats: female (above) in bushes near the Kiosk, and male in the set-aside behind the beach.
Bilsham farm: It was still rather quiet here too. On the reservoir were just 13 Tufted Ducks, whilst at the water's edge were 2 Pied and a single Grey Wagtail. A couple of Skylarks were singing nearby, then a low-flying Buzzard appeared again, disturbing everything....80 feeding Rooks all took to the air, as a flock of c.200 Starlings and a handful of Redwings and Fieldfares also broke cover in a panic.
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