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
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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.
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