21st - 30th April 2024

Tuesday, 30th April: A bright and breezy morning, with the wind initially due south before backing SE force 4, following on with a bit of warmth in the sun.

Yesterday morning and today has seen me birding at the headland of Selsey Bill, so it was good to get back to some local patch birding this afternoon.....

Barnham Brooks: The recent rain has topped up the flooded fields again, though ironically wader numbers have dropped and I logged only 2 Whimbrel, a Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Redshank, 2 Little Ringed Plovers and the usual Lapwings. The 2 Canada Geese with a Greylag dropped in, whilst 45 Shelduck and 4 Gadwall were joined by a surprise flock of 5 Pochard, consisting of 4 drakes and a female. Little Egrets and Grey Herons were again conspicuous and 4 Buzzards were soaring above. Along the rifes and hedgerows singing birds on territory included Reed and Sedge Warblers, Whitethroats, Blackcaps, Cetti's Warblers and Reed Buntings.

Pochards at Barnham Brooks this afternoon (with Shelducks in the background)

Sunday, 28th April: A wet and fairly windy night, continuing into the morning when the heavy rain became light showers, eventually passing through to give a cloudy day, with some sunny interludes and a moderate W/NW breeze, force 4.

Climping (Atherington): A fairly short visit this morning, much of it spent underneath an umbrella, with little to report for my efforts! News of interesting birds elsewhere filtered in as I made a search of the local area, but nothing noteworthy was forthcoming. Offshore were several Sandwich Terns, 10 Gannets and 2 Great Crested Grebes, whilst along the beach and set-aside was just a single Wheatear. A number of Chiffchaffs, Whitethroats and Blackcaps were singing and showing, plus a single Willow Warbler, but these apart it was just resident species including several Greenfinches and 2 Green Woodpeckers.

Some days you just have to laugh......a selfie from underneath an umbrella in the rain at Climping - with very few birds around!

Ancton & Elmer: Things were little better here, with the usual array of the commoner warblers present in increasing numbers - Whitethroats, Blackcaps and 2 Chiffchaffs, a pair of Pied Wagtails which looked as though they were thinking of nesting, a Swallow over and the usual Green Woodpeckers and a Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Barnham Brooks: I'm grateful for a report from this area this afternoon (per D. Boon) where a good selection of waders and other species is still present. Highlights below....

Cuckoo - 1

Grey Plover - 3

Ringed Plover - 25

Lapwing - 11+3 chicks

Whimbrel  - 4

Black-tailed Godwit - 48

Wood Sandpiper - 2

Redshank - 4

Greenshank - 1

Dunlin - 4

Lesser Whitethroat -1 

Whitethroat - 2

Wheatear - 4

Ringed Plovers and (below) Lesser Whitethroat at Barnham Brooks (D. Boon)

 

Saturday, 27th April: After overnight rain, a dry, cool and grey morning with a moderate ENE breeze 2-3, the cloud breaking up to give some hints of brightness as the wind veered SE 3-4.

Elmer Rocks: At last some migration was taking place, but things didn't begin too well for me, as I was half an hour too late in starting my sea-watch and so missed the birds of the morning, namely 2 Black Terns flying east off Climping beach (per H. Ramm). A number of late Brent Geese were on the move today, together with a few waders and my brief log (0750-0920hrs) is below;-

Great Crested Grebe - 2 o/s

Gannet - 5E

Brent Goose - 83E

Common Scoter - 6E

Whimbrel - 11E

Bar-tailed Godwit - 6E

Also, several Whitethroats, a Blackcap and 2 Linnets in bushes behind the beach.... then a message received concerning some interesting species at Barnham.....(thanks to Harry Ramm).

Brent Geese passing Elmer Rocks this morning

Barnham Brooks: A message had me hurrying here, where three interesting species had been found, namely a Spoonbill, a Wood Sandpiper and a Blue-headed Wagtail. There was also a nice selection of other waders present, including a Whimbrel, 6 Greenshank, 3 Redshank, c.20 Black-tailed Godwits, up to 9 Ringed Plovers and 6 Dunlin. At the end of the morning the Spoonbill had again managed to evade me, but there were plenty of other species around to maintain the interest. Hirundines included Sand Martins and a number of Swallows, plus 4 Swifts high above.

(above) The Wood Sandpiper was often very difficult to see amongst the vegetation; here there is a sleeping Black-tailed Godwit and just about visible to the left is the Wood Sandpiper! (below) The Blue-headed continental sub-species (flava) of Yellow Wagtail is always a nice find. (photos: Harry Ramm)

Lidsey WTW: At least 20 House Martins and 10 Swallows were over the works this morning.

Friday, 26th April: A cool and mostly heavily overcast morning, with the moderate to fresh NE breeze force 2-3 becoming more E/ESE 4-5 later, with the odd brief shower.

Bilsham farm: On the way back home after another visit 'off-patch' there was just enough time for a short diversion to the reservoir, which was still rather quiet, but it still produced 2 Common Sandpipers, 2 Coots, 2 Great Crested Grebes, 8 Tufted Ducks and 2 Pied Wagtails, whilst the Mallard ducklings have now grown considerably in size. In the hedgerows were a Yellowhammer and at least 3 Whitethroats.

Common Sandpiper and Pied Wagtail at Bilsham farm reservoir

Thursday, 25th April: A very grey and overcast start with rain and just a light SW breeze, before becoming dry with sunny spells, as the wind freshened and veered W/NW force 4.

Elmer Rocks (0800-1030hrs): Just a sea-watch this morning - in the hope that a good movement of seabirds is surely overdue - but it didn't happen and again it was very quiet. Gannets were the only birds really moving, though I did manage to catch up with my first Swifts of the year, arriving from the sea. My log below:-

Great Crested Grebe - 2 o/s

Gannet - 8E, 86W

Gadwall - 4E (dropped onto the sea for a while)

Whimbrel - 1W

Sandwich Tern - 14W

Swift - 2N

House Martin - 4N

Swallow - 3N

Linnet - 4

Goldfinch - 10W

Gannets west past Elmer Rocks; at distance and against a clear blue sky they can be surprisingly difficult to pick out sometimes.

Wednesday, 24th April: Another cold, overcast and grey day, with a fairly light N/NW breeze 2-3 and a few brighter spells during breaks in the cloud....

Elmer Rocks: It remains generally very quiet, with little visible migration at present. Even so, there were a couple of highlights this morning, with a Great Skua (aka Bonxie) and a Great Northern Diver both putting in an appearance. The Bonxie was first observed way out, around a group of anglers on small boats, before it then headed in towards the coast for some while, eventually lumbering off westwards until lost from view. The Diver flew in from the west and dropped onto the sea, later taking flight again, circling around then dropping a second time....perhaps the same bird as reported some days ago, which did a similar thing. My log was as follows:-

Great Northern Diver - 1 o/s

Great Crested Grebe - 3 o/s

Gannet - 2E, 5W

Grey Heron - 1E

Whimbrel - 13E

Oystercatcher - 28W

Sanderling - 3 o/b

Great Skua - 1 o/s flew W

Mediterranean Gull - 1W

Sandwich Tern - 5E, 12W

Swallow - 1N

Chiffchaff - 1

Willow Warbler - 2

Whitethroat - 2

Linnet - 4

Barnham Brooks: The flooded fields are drying out quite steadily now, although there is some way to go yet, and a Greylag and 2 Canada Geese still found it to their liking. There were plenty of Grey Herons and Little Egrets out feeding or relaxing (counts of 17 and 15 respectively) and 45 Shelduck and 2 Gadwall were also present. Waders seen included a Greenshank, 3 Redshank, 5 Black-tailed Godwits and several Lapwings, whilst Reed Warbler and Whitethroat numbers are increasing and Cetti's and Sedge Warblers were heard.

Barnham Brooks: (above) Greylag (centre) with Canada Goose, whilst (below) Grey Herons and a Little Egret relax

Barnham Brooks: (above) Shelducks in flight, plus four Black-tailed Godwits (on right, just visible underneath the ducks) and (below) Whitethroat - on territory

Tuesday, 23rd April: Grey and overcast early on and just about remaining dry, with a light N/NE breeze and a calm sea. Some hazy and sunny interludes later, before the return of more grey cloud and a freshening and chilly N breeze force 3-4.

Elmer Rocks: There was very little movement over the sea this morning and bird-wise it remains remarkably quiet for the time of year - with no sign of the Dolphins either. The slow trickle of migrants continues however and I logged the following:- 

Great Crested Grebe - 5 o/s

Mute Swan - 2W

Little Egret - 1

Whimbrel - 3W

Oystercatcher - 28W, settled on rocks

Turnstone - 20

Sanderling - 7 o/b, flew W

Green Woodpecker - 2

Sandwich Tern - 12E, 10 o/s

Swallow - 15 N from sea

Wheatear - 2

Song Thrush - 1

Blackcap - 2

Chiffchaff - 2

Willow Warbler - 2

Lesser Whitethroat - 1

Whitethroat - 3

Goldfinch - 12

Linnet - 4

Greenfinch - 2

Two Mute Swans west off Elmer Rocks; it is relatively unusual to see this species flying over the sea.

Oystercatchers heading west past the rock islands

Sanderlings on Elmer beach: note some birds now moulting to summer plumage

Variety of plumages here....winter bird (right) and partial summer (top left)...

partial summer plumage here but well on the way....

Bilsham farm: On the reservoir today were a Common Sandpiper, 8 Tufted Ducks, the Mallard brood, a pair of Great Crested Grebes and a couple of Coots. Around the area were 6 Reed Buntings, a Sedge Warbler, a Reed Warbler, the usual Cetti's Warblers and a few Whitethroats and Blackcaps, plus the resident pair of Buzzards.

Monday, 22nd April: A very cool, dry, sunny and clear start with a brisk NE wind force 3-4, steadily clouding over from mid-morning as the wind backed NW 3.

The Dolphins (I'm no expert but I'm reliably informed they are Bottle-nosed Dolphins) were perhaps the stars of the show this morning, offshore from the east end of the rock islands for up to half an hour, although binoculars were a must to get any decent views. I estimated there were about 6 to possibly 8 animals of varying sizes, one large one surely a male. and they genuinely seemed to be having fun as up to 4 together broke the surface at times. Trying to get any sort of an image was (for me at least) very difficult, but a few heavily-cropped images give some idea....

Bottle-nosed Dolphins offshore from Elmer Rocks

Elmer Rocks: The continuing cold and northerly-based winds are doing us, and the birds, no favours at all at the moment, with migration currently at a trickle. Such are the vagueries of the British weather, so we look forward to a bit of warmth and a nice southerly-based wind soon! 

It was still very slow offshore this morning, but even so, a number of species were recorded. Several Whimbrels, a Common Scoter and at least 12 Sandwich Terns went east, whilst 10 Gannets were also logged (3E,7W). Along the shoreline and rocks at least 14 Oystercatchers and 10 Turnstones were still present, as were 2 newly-arrived Wheatears. Two Swallows arrived N from the sea as did a single House Martin (actually my first of the year).

The hedgerows, field margins and set-aside behind the beach produced 2 Willow Warblers, 3 Chiffchaffs, 4 Blackcaps, 4 Whitethroats and 2 Linnets, whilst resident species included 2 Green Woodpeckers, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Buzzards and 4 Greenfinches, and up to 10 Mediterranean Gulls flew over to the ploughed fields.

Sunday, 21st April: Another dry, bright and mainly sunny but cold morning, in a brisk N/NE breeze force 4-5, with some cloud building up later.

The last ten days or so of April and the first 10 days of May are traditionally seen as the peak period to watch the up-Channel (easterly) spring migration of seabirds along this part of the South Coast, together with the inbound arrival of landbirds from the Continent. That's the theory anyway; the truth however is that the weather, and in particular the wind, plays a huge part in deciding when the peaks days will be. But today was most certainly not one of them....as I found myself birding off the patch! 

I perhaps should have gone to Climping, where other local observers enjoyed a better morning, with a number of incoming and/or recently arrived migrants, including 3 Redstarts, 2 Yellow Wagtails, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 20 Willow Warblers, 7 Wheatears and 3 Swifts, (thanks to H.Ramm/D.Booker). That's how it goes sometimes!

Elmer & Ancton: As I arrived home, an unseen Whimbrel flew over calling, soon to be followed by a few more conspicuous Mediterranean Gulls giving their distinctive 'meow' calls as they headed towards the ploughed fields. So, back out I went to check the local paddocks and fields, but there was little out of the ordinary, the usual few Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs, plus a Willow Warbler, were soon logged, but I was pleased to see a newly-arrived Swallow hawking over the stables - hopefully one of the local breeders having just returned.

12th - 20th April 2024

Saturday, 20th April: A mainly sunny but notably chilly start in a fresh NE breeze force 4-5, with increasing amounts of cloud by afternoon and the persistent wind keeping the temperature down.

Bilsham farm: It was basically more of the same here, with 4 Tufted Ducks, a pair of Mallard with their brood of young and a pair of Great Crested Grebes on the reservoir and a single Common Sandpiper feeding around the edges. Two rival Yellowhammers were singing from the perimeter hedges, whilst a number of Whitethroats and a couple of Blackcaps were present.

Yellowhammer, Bilsham farm

Barnham Brooks: There was a bit of variety this morning, including 18 Little Egrets, 8 Grey Herons, 25 Shelduck, 6 Gadwall, 2 Shoveler, 2 Canada Geese, 10 Mallard, (one pair of which had young), 2 Black-tailed Godwits, 4 Redshank, a Greenshank, 2 Little Ringed Plovers and several pairs of Lapwing. At least 3 Swallows were flying around over the floods, whilst along the rifes and ditches were at least 5 singing Reed Warblers, 2 Sedge Warblers, 2 Cetti's Warblers, 5+ Whitethroats, 3 Blackcaps, a Yellowhammer and a pair of Reed Buntings.

Grey Heron at Barnham Brooks

Friday, 19th April: Sunny at first, becoming rather grey and cloudy in a cool and blustery N/NW wind 5-6. with the odd isolated shower later.

Elmer Rocks: There was an obvious fall of newly-arrived Willow Warblers this morning and I logged at least 5 singing birds in the hedgerows and field margins behind the beach; this included one that was observed arriving low from the sea, then passing very close to me as it dived into a hedgerow near Poole Place and immediately commenced singing - just wonderful! These apart, there were 3 Whitethroats, a couple of Blackcaps and 2 Chiffchaffs in the bushes, plus 3 Swallows and a flock of 15 Goldfinches arriving from the sea, and 3 Wheatears along the beach.

Offshore were 2 Great Crested Grebes and 5 Gannets, whilst 3 Whimbrels went west, as did 12 Sandwich Terns. Ten Mediterranean Gulls were noted flying east, calling as they went, and 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls were amongst a large flock of Herring Gulls on a newly ploughed field.

Thursday, 18th April: A much brighter and drier day, with plenty of sunshine and high cloud, but still cool in a fresh NE wind, before becoming warmer as the wind eased to become more variable later.

Barnham Brooks: My planned visit yesterday didn't materialise due to illness, but it cost me dear as I learned that another local observer (D. Boon) had seen a number of scarcer species there, including a Spoonbill, a Great White Egret, a Greenshank and a summer-plumaged Little Gull amongst other species.....overall a nice selection. He even kindly supplied the following photos:

(above) Great White Egret (right) with Little Egret, (centre) Spoonbill and (lower) Little Gull at Barnham Brooks (photos: D. Boon)

So, feeling better and armed with hope against expectation, I visited the Brooks this morning, only to discover there was no sign of the Spoonbill, Greenshank or Little Gull today! However, a good selection of species was still to be had, starting with the Great White Egret, then 15 Little Egrets, 56 Shelduck, 4 Gadwall, a pair of Shoveler, a single Black-tailed Godwit, 4 Redshanks, 2 Common Sandpipers, plus  a number of Lapwings. Along the rifes and ditches were 3 Reed Warblers, a Sedge Warbler, 2-3 Cetti's Warblers and a pair of Reed Buntings.

Wednesday, 17th April: A day of light cloud, sunny intervals and the odd rogue shower, whilst still feeling chilly in a moderate N/NW breeze force 4.

Elmer & Ancton: Not feeling great today due to ongoing health issues, which restricted my birding opportunities, so I opted to just stay very local this morning.... visiting the horse paddocks and the woods behind. The first bird of note was a 'White' Wagtail (the continental form of our familiar Pied Wagtail) in the paddocks, but it was soon flushed by stables staff arriving. A Song Thrush and a Green Woodpecker were both feeding there too, whilst in the woods behind were a Blackcap and 2 Chiffchaffs.

Moving further into the woods and the fields behind I was pleased to readily locate two newly-arrived Willow Warblers, which were actively feeding and singing frequently (though trying to get a photo was another matter). Another Green Woodpecker and a Great Spotted Woodpecker were located, plus 2 more Blackcaps and a Chiffchaff. Several Mediterranean Gulls also flew over, en route to more distant fields which were being ploughed.

White Wagtail and (lower) Green Woodpecker at Ancton paddocks

Willow Warbler at Ancton Woods

Tuesday, 16th April: Another chilly morning, with periods of sunshine and cloud; remaining dry but with a brisk NW wind force 5-6 persisting.

Elmer Rocks: A very quiet morning, perhaps not surprising given the wind direction and strength, but apart from a couple of Gannets going west and up to 4 Great Crested Grebes offshore, there was nothing to report, bar the local gulls and Cormorants moving back and forth. On the beach were 15 Oystercatchers, then later a build-up of small flocks of Turnstones on the rocks eventually totalled 65 birds. Along the long hedge behind the beach, a singing Whitethroat looked as if it was claiming territory, whilst nearby a Blackcap and a Chiffchaff were also singing, 6 Linnets flew west and 10 Goldfinches went east.

Turnstones on the rocks at Elmer

Bilsham farm: The reservoir again held 4 Common Sandpipers - quite a good count for this time of year - together with the Tufted Ducks and Mallard brood previously reported on 14th. Nearby were 2 Shelduck on a flooded field, together with an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull amongst other gulls. Around the hedgerows it was clear that Whitethroat numbers are steadily increasing and I counted 7 different birds on my circuit; however migrant numbers are still generally low, with just a couple of Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps logged. Resident species included a pair of Reed Buntings and 2 Cetti's Warblers.

Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common Sandpipers and Whitethroat at Bilsham farm

Monday, 15th April: A real change to a distinctly cool, grey and dull morning with plenty of showers early on, driven by a near gale force WSW then NW wind, before becoming somewhat brighter later with sunny interludes and the odd shower.

Elmer Rocks: I couldn't get out birding until early afternoon, when a visit to the beach soon showed there was nothing at all moving through offshore. A casual check whilst walking the beach revealed a hint of migration with 3 Wheatears present, plus a couple of Chiffchaffs and a Blackcap singing from the set-aside hedges behind, whilst 4 Linnets were on the shingle and 15 Oystercatchers were on the rock islands.

Ancton paddocks: The rasping NW wind ensured that small birds were at a premium today, the best on offer being 2 Pied Wagtails, a Whitethroat, 2 Chiffchaffs, a Blackcap, 2 Long-tailed Tits and a Green Woodpecker.

Sunday, 14th April: A rather pleasant, mild morning of light cloud and hazy sunshine in a light NW breeze, force 2.

Bilsham farm: An early afternoon stop, on the way back from birding on the Selsey Peninsula, found a surprising total of 4 Common Sandpipers on the reservoir, together with the first brood of Mallard and 6 Tufted Ducks. Two Grey Partridges flushed from along the base of the reservoir banks, whilst the hedgerows held a Yellowhammer, up to 5 Whitethroats and a couple each of Chiffchaff and Blackcap.

Common Sandpipers on the reservoir at Bilsham farm, and (bottom) the first brood of the year of Mallards there.

Climping: There was quite an influx of Wheatears this morning along the West Sussex coast, and here alone, at least 23 were counted along the beach. (D.Booker)

Saturday, 13th April: An early morning blanket of coastal fog rolled in, before clearing fairly quickly to reveal a day of cloud with sunny periods and a light to moderate W/SW wind.

Scarce and rare breeding birds on the patch: It is now the breeding season and it is likely that one or more scarce or rare species may breed on the patch. Such species are fully protected by law under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 - with some species receiving special protection under what is known as Schedule 1 of that Act. In common with many other sites, this blog will adopt the protocol of not mentioning any detail that might identify the nesting area of these species, in an effort to avoid undue or illegal disturbance during this time.

Following on from the above, I will share the following basic information concerning two Schedule 1 species.....

Last night, I was able to confirm the great news that a pair of Barn Owls are nesting within the boundaries of the M-o-S parish. I am also aware of another pair that breed outside of the parish, to the east. All information of any owl species - not just Barn Owls - is of value, so if you are aware of any that have not been officially documented, do please let me know.

Little Ringed Plovers are migrants that arrive here to breed and I am aware of 1-2 pairs that appear to have now settled into suitable territory. You will understand that no further information can be disclosed at this stage.

Little Ringed Plovers, spring 2024, undisclosed location

Climping/Atherington: The first Lesser Whitethroat of the year was singing its rattling song almost constantly for about half an hour, from within the hedgerow in the old horse field, though it gave just glances of itself throughout. As the mist began to clear, other species noted were Common Whitethroat (3), Blackcap (5), Chiffchaff (4) and a single Swallow. A couple of Great Crested Grebes were offshore and 2 Little Egrets were feeding along the shoreline. The recent flooding and damage to the beach was all too apparent, then as the increasingly sunny conditions drew in the visiting public, it was time for me to leave.

Lidsey WTW & area: There were 2 Great White Egrets at some distance, feeding at the back of the flooded meadow behind the WTW, but the water level has now subsided considerably. Wildfowl numbers are also very much reduced, with just 14 Gadwall, 12 Teal and a few Mallard on show, whilst nearby were 4 Tufted Ducks and 2 Little Grebes. Warbler numbers are now beginning to increase however, with at least 8 Blackcaps, 3 Whitethroats, 3 Cetti's Warblers, 2 Reed Warblers and 6 Chiffchaffs logged.

Barnham Brooks: Two Redshank and 3 Black-tailed Godwits were on the flooded water meadows, with several Lapwings which seemed to be defending territory. On the water were 28 Shelduck, 10 Shoveler, 8 Gadwall, 14 Mallard and 4 Canada Geese. Along the hedgerows and rifes were a Yellowhammer, a Reed Bunting, 2 Chiffchaffs, 2 Whitethroats, 2 Reed Warblers and 2 Cetti's Warblers.

Friday, 12th April: Fairly cool and grey to start, before slowly improving to give a generally warm and mainly sunny day in a moderate SW breeze 3-4.

Having been away from home for the last four days, and given the time of year, I was expecting to miss a fair bit of bird migration locally, but in the event I got away with it fairly lightly, the exception being a smart Pied Flycatcher at Climping, which sadly didn't linger (found by Bola Akinola on 9th). That apart, a number of the more common warblers also began to appear, so I was keen to get out birding this morning to see what I could find within my local 5km area, otherwise known as the patch.......

Elmer Rocks: There really wasn't much at all moving offshore this morning - 6 Mediterranean Gulls went east and a single Great Crested Grebe was on the sea - so after a short time I abandoned sea-watching and spent time searching the beach and set-aside field and woods to Poole Place. My first Common Whitethroat of the season was found, together with a selection of species including 2 Blackcaps, 3 Chiffchaffs, 6 Linnets, 10 Goldfinches, 3 Greenfinches, 2 Song Thrushes and a pair of Stock Doves.

It was more of the same really at Ancton (Lane End) paddocks which produced another Common Whitethroat, at least 2 Blackcaps, 3 Chiffchaffs, 2 Greenfinch, a couple of Long-tailed Tits and a Pied Wagtail amongst other regular species.

Bilsham farm area: On the reservoir were just 5 Tufted Ducks, 5 Mallard and a pair of Great Crested Grebes, but whilst 'scoping the latter, I noticed a small wader along the edge on the far side and it turned out to be the first Common Sandpiper of the season. Nearby, my third Whitethroat of the morning appeared, with at least 2 Chiffchaffs and a Blackcap also logged. There was some ploughing taking place on the farmland, which had attracted quite a number of gulls; these were mainly Herring and Black-headed Gulls, but also included a Lesser Black-backed Gull and at least 4 Mediterranean Gulls. A pair of Grey Partridge also put in a brief appearance.

(above) Cropped image of a Great Crested Grebe on the reservoir at Bilsham, but if you look closely you can just about make out the Common Sandpiper on the water's edge, just right of the tyres. It proved not to be photogenic, always staying on the opposite side of the reservoir to me!    (below) Mediterranean Gulls flying over to the fields.