Easter Sunday, 31st March: A cool, dry and fairly grey start with a fresh E/SE wind force 4, gradually becoming warmer and sunnier to give a pleasant afternoon.
Elmer Rocks: I was a little weary this morning (following the clocks changing to BST, plus a visit to a local hostelry last evening!) so delayed my start. On arrival the first birds up were 2 Wheatears and 8 Linnets on the beach - a good start - then offshore several flocks of Common Scoters went east and 4 Great Crested Grebes were on the sea. There were also several Gannets and 10 Sandwich Terns passing through, when I was joined by Bola, who had walked up from Climping and had been watching for longer than me, having earlier notched up 2 Little Gulls amongst other species. We then watched together for a while, producing an overall joint total of 274 Common Scoter for the morning, before we went our separate ways.
A newly-arrived Blackcap was singing from Poole Place and a Willow Warbler nearby was also new in, whilst the set-aside bushes and local woods produced a total of 4 singing Chiffchaffs.
Wheatear on Elmer beach near Poole Place
Elmer paddocks area: My visit to the local paddocks, via the very muddy footpath, was quite productive today and once again the Black Redstart - assuming it is the same bird - put in an unexpected appearance after being absent from some while. There was also a Wheatear in the paddocks, together with 2 Pied Wagtails, 2 Linnets and a Green Woodpecker. A Sparrowhawk also flew over, whilst nesting Stock Doves were calling from the trees and 3 Chiffchaffs were singing.
Black Redstart (above), Green Woodpecker and Wheatear at Elmer horse paddocks
Saturday, 30th March: A dry and much more pleasant day than of late, with plenty of sunshine, some scattered white cloud in a blue sky and just a light Southerly breeze.
Elmer Rocks: A couple of hours early on this morning, spent checking the beach and adjacent area whilst keeping an eye on the sea, didn't produce too much, even though it felt like it should with the calm sea and light southerly breeze. Several Sandwich Terns moving east were about the best, whilst offshore there were 4 Great Crested Grebes....one pair displaying with their head shaking and posturing movements, and the presentation of seaweed! Red-breasted Mergansers were notable by their absence; I didn't see a single one and it seems the local birds have now all departed to head for their breeding grounds.
Along the back of the beach there were 4 Linnets, a pair of Greenfinches and at least 2 singing Chiffchaffs. A Skylark was again proclaiming territory with song and display flight over the set-aside area, whilst a Song Thrush was also singing, but it was soon time for me to move on.
Nearby, a Siskin has continued to visit garden feeders over the last few days. (D.Bole)
Lidsey WTW area: A pair of Grey Wagtails were within the WTW, and the perimeter hedges held at least 6 Chiffchaffs, mostly singing, and 2 Cetti's Warblers that were doing likewise, with a third Cetti's responding from a more distant area. The flooded meadows behind the works still maintain their high water levels; a good number of wildfowl are still present but numbers have fallen considerably since my last visit. A count produced to following approximate totals:-
Teal - circa 100, Shoveler - 6, Wigeon - 4, Pintail - 6, Gadwall 30 and Mallard 4. Three Little Grebes were also in the area.
Pair of Gadwall at Lidsey (drake leading, right)
Bilsham farm area: A short visit to see if there had been any improvement since yesterday - but the short answer was no! There were just 7 Tufted Ducks and 3 Mallard on the reservoir, whilst around the periphery vegetation were a Yellowhammer, at least 2 Chiffchaffs and a singing Blackcap.
Good Friday, 29th March: Still very wet and windy overnight, bringing in a fairly dismal early morning of intermittent rain and drizzle, driven on by a near gale force SSW wind gusting to force 7. Skies then clearing by late morning to give sunshine and scattered cloud, with the strong wind easing back a notch or two.
Elmer Rocks: Inspired by early reports from Selsey Bill concerning movements of good seabirds (including shearwaters), I decided to head straight to my local sea-watching spot to see if I could get in on any of the action, arriving at 07:45hrs. It would be fair to say I failed dismally and I saw next to nothing...although the drizzly rain had started in earnest as soon as I arrived, reducing visibility, whilst the SSW wind made my usual sheltered spot rather uncomfortable. It was just one of those days when conditions were unfavourable here and although I managed to watch for nearly two hours my meagre list didn't get beyond a few Gannets, a couple of Common Scoter, a handful of distant Brent Geese, a Great Crested Grebe and a couple of unidentified wildfowl flocks. Somewhat deflated, it was time to go...!
Bilsham farm area: The strong wind here did nothing to improve my fortunes and the reservoir held just 6 Tufted Ducks and a pair of Great Crested Grebes. Around the area 2 Chiffchaffs were singing, as were 2 Cetti's Warblers, whilst a Reed Bunting and a Greenfinch put in a brief appearance and a few Skylarks were in the fields. The only highlight on an otherwise slow day was flushing a pair of Grey Partridges from a field edge beside the footpath.
Great Crested Grebes (above) and Grey Partridges at Bilsham farm
Thursday, 28th March: A wet and windy night and early morning, giving way to a cloudy but drier interlude, before the strong SW wind increased to near gale force accompanied by heavy showers, as Storm Nelson passed through.
Elmer Rocks (0745-0945hrs): As coastal areas took another battering, I took the window of weather opportunity this morning with a sea-watch before conditions deteriorated, and was pleased I'd made the effort. Although there wasn't a lot moving, the first Great Skua of the year was seen heading west...with what was presumably the same bird later reported off Selsey Bill. This species (sometimes known as 'Bonxie') apparently suffered badly during the avian flu outbreak and the population is believed to have significantly reduced.
Then at 0825hrs a surprise as two smallish ducks were seen heading west over the rough sea, at reasonable range, not too far out. I admit they took some sorting out, conditions were tricky and I have certainly had much better views, but the greyish forewings and thick white trailing edge to the secondaries, an impression of a contrasting darkish front against the paler underparts and a certain flight jizz surely excluded Teal and was just about enough to convince me they were in fact Garganey. My log below:-
Red-throated Diver - 1E
Great Crested Grebe - 1W
Gannet - 2E, 5W
Brent Goose - 70E
Common Scoter - 5E
Red-breasted Merganser - 2 o/s
Garganey - 2W (pair)
Great Skua - 1W
Sandwich Tern - 1E
Wednesday, 27th March: A better day than forecast, with less rain and more sunshine, although very breezy in a brisk south-south-westerly.......
I was committed elsewhere today, but have had time for some research and so I'm now pleased to formally and belatedly add another two new species to the patch list (though neither unfortunately were within the M-o-S parish boundaries!) The first record concerns not one but four different individuals of a rare British bird, the Black-winged Stilt, in early May 2023 in the Lidsey area. Sadly I didn't personally see them, but it was not immediately possible for the finder to release the news due to access difficulties and private land issues. See photos below.....(with thanks to D.Boon)
Black-winged Stilts at Lidsey, May 2023 - a really noteworthy record (D. Boon)
The second record relates to a sighting at Barnham Brooks on 29th November 2023, when a Glossy Ibis dropped in amongst wildfowl and herons on the flooded fields, before subsequently moving on. Another quality record of a scarce/rare bird (thanks to D. Boon)
Glossy Ibis at Barnham Brooks on 29th Nov 2023 (D. Boon)
Tuesday, 26th March: The forecast of rain all day was well wide of the mark, with a not unpleasant and dry morning of some sunshine, cloud and a moderate but cool ESE wind force 3....and it was not until early afternoon before things went downhill and persistent rain set in.
Elmer Rocks (0715-1030hrs): Situated inside the bay of Sussex, it can be frustrating here at times when conditions offshore are good for sea passage and lots of birds are obviously moving past headlands, whilst at the patch a majority are just too far out to be identified, or even seen! Such was the case today, but even so a variety of species was logged, as below:-
Red-throated Diver - 1E
Gannet - 2E
Great Crested Grebe - 2 o/s
Brent Goose - 14E
Common Scoter - 54E
Red-breasted Merganser - 3E, 8 o/s
Oystercatcher - 42 on rock islands
Sanderling - 10 on beach/rocks
Ringed Plover - 2
Turnstone - 45W
Sandwich Tern - 10E
Kestrel - 1 back of beach
Chiffchaff - 2 singing
Linnet - 4
Part of the sizeable flock of 42 Oystercatchers still present and roosting on the rock islands at high tide
Sandwich Terns moving east this morning
Monday, 25th March: After a largely clear night, the dawn saw a grey, cloudy start with light rain at times in a fresh and rather chilly SSE wind 4-5, before becoming dry with cloud and some hazy brightness.
Diver sp - 1W
Great Crested Grebe - 1E
Gannet - 5E
Little Egret - 1E
Brent Goose - 360E
Common Scoter - 8E
Red-breasted Merganser - 4 o/s
Long-tailed Duck - 1E (may have dropped onto sea near Poole Place)
Oystercatcher - 42 roosting on rock islands
Turnstone - 20
Sandwich Tern - 5E
Linnet - 2
Migrating Brent Geese offshore from Elmer Rocks....another good movement today, with flocks passing at all ranges from very distant to quite close, as above.
Saturday, 23rd March: A cool, dry and sunny start in a brisk WNW wind force 6, with cloud increasing to give blustery showers by afternoon, mixed with sunny intervals.
Elmer Rocks: Not promising conditions for migration on the south coast this morning and so it proved to be. There were just 20 Oystercatchers, a single Grey Plover and a few Turnstones on the rock islands and 4 Red-breasted Mergansers on the choppy sea when I arrived....but absolutely nothing moving offshore barring a few Herring and Black-headed Gulls. Three quarters of an hour later it was still the same so I decided to move on, then noticed 5 large birds some distance away heading east and close in. My high hopes were soon dashed though when it became clear they were only Cormorants; albeit showing much white, with some or all quite likely to be of the continental race sinensis..
You know it's a quiet day when Cormorants feature as the highlight! This flock of birds got me going a bit when first seen at distance, but as they neared Elmer Rocks their identity became apparent and all or some sinensis race birds seem likely.
Unfortunately, I later learned that I'd arrived at the beach just a few minutes too late and missed the birds of the day - a pair of Garganey - which flew west past Climping at 0740hrs (B.Akinola) and were later seen passing Selsey Bill (A.House).
Lidsey WTW area: The works held a Grey Wagtail but little else and in the perimeter bushes were several singing Chiffchaffs and a Cetti's Warbler, whilst a pair of Common Buzzards was displaying and calling overhead. All the activity however was in the flooded fields behind, where I was surprised to see so many wildfowl still lingering...a total of 600 birds minimum, although nothing scarce was located amongst them. Out came the trusty clicker which gave a fairly accurate count of 445 Teal, plus 6 Pintail and estimates of 80 Gadwall, 30 Shoveler and 40 Wigeon. There were also 6 Lapwing, 14 Little Egrets and 6 Grey Herons.
Bilsham Farm area: Much quieter than yesterday; the 21 Tufted Ducks and 3 Mallard were still present but no hirundines, or much else, around the reservoir area. Some of the fields are still well flooded - with nice muddy margins - but there was little to show for it, the best being several Pied Wagtails, a Meadow Pipit and a pair of Reed Buntings, before a Buzzard dropped in to snatch a few worms. There will be better days!
Male Reed Bunting feeding in wet field at Bilsham.
Friday, 22nd March: A fairly cool, cloudy and grey day, with a moderate W/ NW breeze force 4, but remaining dry most of the morning before showers eventually set in shortly before noon.
Elmer Rocks: My visit lasted little more than an hour this morning, as there seemed to be nothing at all moving offshore. Then a flock of 35 Sanderlings, with one Dunlin amongst them, flew west close in, whilst the only birds offshore seemed to be 4 Red-breasted Mergansers. However, a check along the beach soon revealed that Wheatears were again arriving and I logged a total of 7 during my visit. A couple of Meadow Pipits arrived from the sea heading N, whilst 2 Chiffchaffs were singing from the bushes and the now-resident Skylark was singing above the set-aside.
As I worked my way back along the beach and getting ready to leave, I noticed a single bird all alone and resting on top of one of the rock islands offshore, on the high tide. Expecting it to be yet another Wheatear, I was somewhat surprised to note it was in fact a small wader, sitting motionless. Ringed Plover perhaps, I thought....but no, it was rather longer-bodied, slighter and longer-billed than that species...and wasn't that a hint of an eye-ring in the scope? In short, it was a Little Ringed Plover; unusual location and behaviour I know - but 'LRP' it was, presumably just resting before moving on. It is always surprising just how many species seem to use the rock islands in this way.
Wheatear on Elmer beach
Bilsham Farm area: The reservoir held 21 Tufted Ducks, 3 Mallard and a pair of Great Crested Grebes, but the highlight was the appearance of the first Sand Martins of the year; just a couple at first but eventually building to a total of at least 10, this species often being one of the first to arrive in spring. Nearby a singing Blackcap was heard, then 2 singing Chiffchaffs and a Yellowhammer, before the deep 'cronking' call of a Raven announced the presence of a pair which slowly flew over, high up.
Sand Martins over Bilsham farm
Thursday, 21st March: A lovely morning early on, with pleasant sunshine and just a light NE breeze, but soon becoming duller and a little cooler as the cloud increased and the wind backed to SW 3-4; then followed by a thick sea mist rolling in!
Elmer Rocks: It was quite hazy at first, somewhat hampering visibility offshore, though there seemed to be very little on the move, the best being the first migrant Sandwich Tern heading east. Two Great Crested Grebes and 11 Red-breasted Mergansers were offshore, some of the latter now getting very restless and chasing each other about. Waders roosting, mainly on the rock islands, were 20 Oystercatchers, 15 Sanderling, 6 Ringed Plovers and 30 Turnstones - with another flock of 50 of the latter flying west.
It was however a good spring morning, with the first notable 'fall' (arrival) of Wheatears....I logged a total of 12, some actually arriving from the sea and landing on the offshore rock islands to rest awhile, before making their final leap to the shoreline. Other birds in the area included at least 2 Chiffchaffs, 4 Greenfinch, a pair of Long-tailed Tits with nest building material, a Skylark singing above the set-aside and a Snipe which flew up from that area.
A male (above) and female (below) Wheatear on Elmer beach
This newly-arrived male (above) perched offshore on the rock islands to rest awhile, whilst the bird below had just reached the shore.
