Saturday, 20th July: A rather muggy and cloudy day, remaining dry with a milky grey sky and a fairly light southerly breeze.
Bilsham farm area: On the reservoir there were 3 Common Sandpipers, 2 Little Grebes and 34 Coots, but around the edges amongst a mixed flock of gulls was a sub-adult (probably 3rd-summer) Yellow-legged Gull.
Around the area were ten House Martins and four Swallows, plus two Pied Wagtails, three Whitethroats, a Yellowhammer and the first returning Stonechat.
Common Sandpiper on the reservoir and Stonechat at Bilsham farm
Yellow-legged Gull (centre rear): These two very poor record shots were the best I could manage in the circumstances before it departed; note the much darker grey mantle compared to nearby silvery grey Herring Gull, whilst the dull pinky-yellow legs don't really show up here, nor do the facial features.
Friday, 19th July: A splendid summer's day of warm sunshine, blue skies and a little high cloud, with a light to moderate SE breeze 2-3 just holding the temperature down a few degrees along the coast.
Elmer Rocks: An early visit this morning before the beachgoers arrived in force. It was as expected fairly quiet, but 14 Sandwich Terns were logged (all but two going E) and 4 Common Terns also headed eastwards, whilst a Gannet and a Little Egret flew W. On the rock islands, 11 Oystercatchers were roosting on the high tide, and the first returning Turnstone of the autumn* was also present. (*Note to non-birders: you may think that summer hasn't even really started, but already to some wading birds and wildfowl it is autumn migration time. The first birds start their return passage from their breeding grounds in the high Arctic about now - the earliest often being unsuccessful or failed breeders).
Behind the beach were 8 Linnets, a small flock of Goldfinches, a couple of Greenfinches and 5 Swifts high over the fields. Starlings are much more numerous now with several flocks of 100+ in the area, often dominated by noisy juveniles.
The first returning Turnstone (in summer plumage) was rather unobliging. and (below) Starling flocks are building now, often dominated by noisy juvenile birds.
Thursday, 18th July: Another cloudy start, with even a few drops of rain, before becoming fine, warm and sunny, with a little cloud but a moderate E/SE breeze force 3-4, just taking the edge off the temperature.
Elmer Rocks: There were two large flocks of gulls way offshore, with birds clearly feeding in a bit of a frenzy, amongst them being perhaps a dozen Mediterranean Gulls and four Sandwich Terns, whilst another eight of the latter - including two juveniles - were patrolling back and forth near the rock islands, occasionally diving for fish. Two Grey Herons flew east over the sea, quite a way out, and on the rock islands six Oystercatchers were roosting at high tide. Flocks of post-breeding Black-headed Gulls are now to be found regularly, with increasing numbers of juveniles amongst them. A flock of 5 Sand Martins flew E over the sea, two Swallows were over the fields and a Chiffchaff and a Whitethroat briefly sang from the hotspot corner area.
(above) Juvenile (left) and adult (with fish in bill) Sandwich Terns off Elmer Rocks and (below) Juvenile Sandwich Tern
Lidsey area: A brief visit to the area around the remaining floods produced four Little Ringed Plovers, although they were often obscured by waterside vegetation and impossible to photograph! The usual Mallards, Lapwings and Little Egrets were present, but there little else of note.
Wednesday, 17th July: A bit grey and humid at first, but steadily improving to become a much better day; dry, with prolonged sunshine, some high wispy cloud and a light SSW breeze 2-3.
Shripney: A look around the area produced three Great Spotted Woodpeckers - apparently a family party - dropping onto the grassy footpath presumably to feed on ants, before returning to the hedgerow for a short while and then dropping down again. Nearby, a male Yellowhammer was singing and a Whitethroat gave a short burst of song. The highlight though was at the small reservoirs, where a total of five Little Ringed Plovers were located. Eight Swallows were feeding over the area, where a single Gadwall was the only bird on the water.
Singing Yellowhammer and juvenile Little Ringed Plover at Shripney
Lidsey WTW & area: In the damp fields behind the works there were six Little Egrets and 30+ Mallards but little else of note. On the private reservoir, the female Tufted Duck was still present with all of her brood of nine still accounted for, whilst two other Tufteds, eight Little Grebes and ten Mallard were also there. No waders were located here today, but several Swallows were feeding above.
Bilsham farm: I was pleased to note that a pair of Swallows is nesting in a barn along Bilsham Lane. At the reservoir there were two Common Sandpipers, a Tufted Duck, a Little Grebe, a Great Crested Grebe and the two Mallards with broods, whilst a couple of Sand Martins and Swallows were feeding over the water. The number of post-breeding Coots is gradually increasing, with 32 counted today.
Great Crested Grebe with Coots and Common Sandpiper at Bilsham reservoir
Barnham Brooks - Lidsey area: We're into the second half of July now and so should very soon be seeing some returning waders starting to appear. This morning there was perhaps a sign of this noticeable trickle, with 2 Green Sandpipers, a Greenshank and a Little Ringed Plover in and around the replenished floods. Six Sand Martins - also early autumn migrants - were feeding around the area, plus about 4 House Martins and at least a dozen Swifts high up.
Several hundred Black-headed Gulls were present, with the occasional Mediterranean Gull amongst them, whilst c.50 Mallards were loafing around the reedy margins with 20 or so Lapwings. Two rival Blackcaps in one area were fairly close to each other and still singing repeatedly, with a juvenile Song Thrush in a bush between them and several Reed Warblers gave brief bits of song.
This juvenile and probably recently-fledged Song Thrush looks somewhat startled with a Blackcap singing each side of it!
Bilsham farm: There were 4 Common Sandpipers around the reservoir this morning, whilst Coot numbers had risen to 26, and the Little Grebe, female Tufted Duck and 2 Mallards with their respective broods, all seen on my last visit, were still present. Several Sand Martins and House Martins were also here and a male Yellowhammer was singing from the hedgerow nearby.
Monday, 15th July: Quite a pleasant start, with hazy sunshine, high cloud and just a light E/SE breeze; however, soon changing to heavy grey cloud and becoming cooler as the wind picked up to a brisk SE force 4-5, with the threat of rain, which was soon to arrive.
Elmer Rocks: With heavy rain forecast from mid-morning, an early visit to the beach and a bit of sea-watching seemed the best option. There was however very little to be found and just a few of the regular species were recorded, the meagre best being 8 Sandwich Terns going west. A small number of Mediterranean Gulls were back and forth along the beach, most eventually heading inland to feed in the fields. A Little Egret was along the shoreline before being disturbed and heading W, whilst a female Kestrel was along the back of the beach and hunting in the set-aside, and 3 Swifts and 2 Swallows were feeding high above. Other species seen included Green Woodpecker, Song Thrush, Linnet, Greenfinch and Buzzard (2).
Sandwich Tern and Kestrel on a quiet day at Elmer Rocks
Sunday, 14th July: A lovely start to the day, sunny, quite warm and almost still with just a faint NE breeze, before the cloud thickened and the wind freshened to a moderate SW force 4.
Elmer Rocks: I started with a brief early morning visit - before most of the beach-goers and walkers were around - on a beautiful morning with a high tide and a flat, glassy sea. There were 4 Little Egrets feeding together around the rock islands, but little movement over the sea, apart from a single Sandwich Tern and about a dozen Mediterranean Gulls heading W. A Green Woodpecker was flushed from the vegetated shingle at the back of the beach, a Swallow passed through and a snatch of Whitethroat song was heard, before my half-hour had passed and it was time to move on.
Lidsey area: The sewage works (WTW) produced nothing other than lots of Starlings (many juveniles) feeding on the filter pans, but a nearby private reservoir was more interesting, the highlight being a female Tufted Duck with a brood of 9 ducklings, (with 4 other adult Tufteds also present). The pair of Coots that have nested here now have 2 young, whist there were also 6 Little Grebes, a pair of which have 2 well-grown young. The remaining floods in another part of the area held 3 Teal, 20 Lapwings and at least 250 Black-headed Gulls, including up to 20 juveniles.
Female Tufted with her brood of 9 ducklings at Lidsey farm (yes, nine...count the 'double heads'). Although common enough at certain times of year, this is actually a scarce breeder in the County.
Bilsham farm: Most interest was around the reservoir today, where there were 3 Common Sandpipers, a Little Grebe, a single Tufted Duck, 2 Mallards with their broods and 22 Coots, a resident pair of which were feeding their 2 young. Nearby in the fields, an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull was amongst a mixed flock of gulls.
Coot with young and Common Sandpiper at Bilsham farm reservoir
Thursday, 11th July: A dry and mainly sunny day, with some high cloud and a light to moderate NW breeze force 2, veering SW 3-4 later.
Shripney: A farm reservoir held a Little Ringed Plover, a couple of Coots and a Pied Wagtail this morning, whilst nearby were a pair of Mute Swans with a brood of cygnets and a Yellowhammer singing from a hedgerow,
Bilsham farm: There were 2 Common Sandpipers around the reservoir edges, as were 2 Pied Wagtails, whilst on the water were a Little Grebe, 2 Mallards with their broods and 16 Coots - the pair nesting on the floats now showing off their newly-hatched young. A mixed gathering of gulls included 2 freshly arrived juvenile Black-headed Gulls, but little else of note was seen, just a pair of Buzzards, a Yellowhammer and 2 Swallows.
Common Sandpiper at Bilsham farm
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