29th - 31st October 2024

Wednesday, 30th October: A cooler start this morning, though remaining mild overall, but fairly benign with cloud throughout the day and a fairly light NE breeze 2-3. 

Climping Gap: A slightly delayed start after a Dr's appointment, so I decided to concentrate just on the Kent's farm/old campsite area this morning - and I was soon glad that I did - for I was rewarded with a fairly late Ring Ouzel in a hedge along the track to the campsite. It called several times before breaking cover, but didn't stay too long and easily evaded my camera!

Two Swallows flew east and I also logged four Chiffchaffs and two Goldcrests in the bushes, whilst other species included two Stonechats, 40+ Skylarks, half a dozen Meadow Pipits, four Greenfinch, two Reed Buntings and three Yellowhammers.

Stonechats at Climping

Bilsham farm: There were a lot of birds on the reservoir today, including several hundred gulls; most were Black-headed or Herring Gulls, but also present were 20+ Mediterranean, several Common and half a dozen Great Black-backed Gulls. The Black-necked Grebe was still present, as were six Little Grebes and two Tufted Ducks, but new arrivals included five Wigeon, five Shoveler and four Pochard, with the recent 25 Canada Geese also putting in an appearance. I didn't count the Coots today, but a good estimate would be 150+ so all together a busy morning here.

Bilsham reservoir today: (above) Black-necked Grebe (centre) with two Little Grebes, (below) three Pochards with Coot and (bottom) five Wigeon.

Tuesday, 29th October: After overnight rain, a dry and mainly cloudy day, but notably mild with occasional glimpses of the sun and just a light W/NW breeze.

Elmer Rocks & area: I stayed very local again today and whilst there was nothing exciting, there were a few bits and pieces of interest. There were at least 72 Ringed Plovers on the rock island groynes, roosting at high tide, whilst five Little Egrets were also roosting on the islands early on; presumably the latter were part of a group of 12 later seen feeding together in the fields near Poole Place. The highlight though was the two Ravens, first seen and heard over the back woods near the paint-ball area, being pursued by a bunch of noisy crows. The Ravens were unable to settle and were harassed until they eventually flew off east, heading towards Climping. This species has spread significantly throughout the county now, but is actually still rather uncommon along this part of the coastal strip. 

My log for the morning was as below:-

Great Crested Grebe - 1 o/s

Gannet - 2 o/s amongst feeding gull flock

Little Egret - at least 12 

Oystercatcher - 8 

Turnstone - 6

Ringed Plover - 72

Sanderling - 1

Kestrel - 1

Buzzard - 5

Green Woodpecker - 4

Great Spotted Woodpecker - 2

Pied Wagtail - 5

Meadow Pipit - several

Skylark - 5

Robin - small influx, 15+

Song Thrush - 4

Goldcrest - 4

Chiffchaff - 3

Goldfinch - 30E

Chaffinch - 3

Raven - 2

(above) This Kestrel has of late taken to hunting along the back of the beach, but here it is right beside the top footpath near the Kiosk, whilst (below) early morning finds some Little Egrets roosting on the rocks....presumably some of the birds seen feeding in the fields later.

The Ravens this morning: (above) being chased by the crows, (middle) one Raven being followed by a crow, note the size difference, and (bottom) the other Raven flying off, 'cronking' as it went.

25th - 28th October 2024

Monday, 28th October: A generally cloudy and fairly grey day, but still quite mild and remaining largely dry with a moderate W/SW breeze force 4, though later some drizzly dampness into the afternoon.

Barnham Brooks: Around the area I logged two Snipe, a Sparrowhawk, three Buzzards, five Song Thrush, four Stonechats, three Cetti's Warblers, two Reed Buntings and four Chiffchaffs - all fairly standard fare - with a late Swallow perhaps the best of the bunch. Having completed my circuit, I made my way back to where I'd parked my car, at the edge of the Brooks and adjacent to the A259 crossing. As I loaded my gear into the vehicle, I caught a brief view of a bird low down along the hedge and upon grabbing my bin's, I soon discovered it was a female-type Black Redstart. Funny how it goes sometimes; I'd looked for one all week without success and now one had come to find me! Long story short, as I fumbled to retrieve my camera, the bird dropped onto the ground, then flew off to the other side of the road and was gone.

Bilsham farm: The Black-necked Grebe was still present on the reservoir, together with seven Little Grebes, 25 Canada Geese, two Tufted Ducks, three Shoveler, 20 Mediterranean Gulls and c.160 Coots. A Chiffchaff and a Yellowhammer were in the hedges and a Sparrowhawk and a Buzzard flew over.

On Bilsham reservoir this morning:  Canada Geese and (below) Black-necked Grebe with Herring, Black-headed and Mediterranean Gulls

(above) Mediterranean Gulls (front and left) with Black-headed Gulls, and (lower) Shovelers and (bottom) Little Grebe with Coot

Sunday, 27th October: A beautiful late autumn day; after a chilly start a day of glorious sunshine, surprisingly warm for the time of year, with very little cloud and just a light NW breeze.

Elmer Rocks & area: Only limited time available for birding this morning, so just a quick look around the local area. Four Brent Geese flew west offshore as did 15 Ringed Plovers, but there was apparently little else moving over the sea. A Grey Wagtail, two Pied Wagtails, five Skylarks, seven Chaffinches, a couple of Siskins and 20 Goldfinches flew east, whilst two Swallows were seen heading south over the fields before continuing out to sea. A single Chiffchaff was the best I could muster in a short look around the hedges.

Saturday, 26th October: A generally grey and cloudy day, although remaining fairly mild, with intermittent periods of light rain and drizzle in a moderate E/SE wind 3-4, decreasing 1-2.

Elmer Rocks and Area: A brief look at the sea revealed it to again be very quiet, although early on there were no less than 65 Ringed Plovers and eight Oystercatchers on the beach before being flushed by walkers.

Given the number of Hawfinches that have appeared in the county this autumn - presumably originating from a small continental influx - my plan was to concentrate on the coastal woodlands locally in the hope that one or more might happen to drop in....a long-shot I know but worth a try. As expected, my efforts drew a blank, but I wasn't too far off the mark, for I later received news from Climping that three had just been seen on the patch by local birder Dan Booker, flying over the old campsite area towards Littlehampton! Well done Dan.

My circuit around various areas of Elmer/Ancton woodland revealed an obvious influx of Goldcrests, with a total of at least 25 recorded, plus at least three Firecrests and seven Chiffchaffs. A small flock of about half a dozen Siskins went east, as did 120+ Goldfinches, a Grey Wagtail, four Pied Wagtails and two Skylarks. Two Little Egrets were again in the fields and other regular species included Great Spotted Woodpecker (2), Green Woodpecker (3), Buzzard (3), Kestrel (1) and Mediterranean Gull (25).

Firecrests at Elmer (top three) and Chiffchaff (bottom)

Friday, 25th October: A pleasant enough start to the morning; dry with some brief sunshine showing through the clouds and a moderate SE breeze 3-4 giving a slight chill. However, cloud soon thickening to become overcast with showers developing from around 10:30hrs......

Elmer Rocks: Out before the showers and back home just in time today. The sea was again very quiet bird-wise, so it didn't receive much attention from me and I concentrated on the beach and adjacent fields. The birds found were fairly typical autumn fare, perhaps having an air of species repetitiveness, but of course not necessarily involving the same individuals as they are constantly on the move at this time of year.

There was another movement of Woodpigeons going through, though it seemed to be on a smaller scale than of late, whilst there was also a bit of 'vis-mig' again with a number of passerines heading mainly east. A number of flocks were just unidentifiable to me as a sole observer, but there were just a few Siskins, at least 25 Linnets, 30 Goldfinches, a handful of Meadow Pipits and a couple of Skylarks and Pied Wagtails. A single Grey Wagtail also passed, apparently heading west.

Around the fields and hedgerows there was little to add. Three Little Egrets were back feeding in a field amongst plenty of gulls, which included a couple of Common Gulls and c.25 Mediterranean Gulls. A female Kestrel was again hunting the area at the back of the beach, three Chiffchaffs and two Goldcrests were in the hedges and two Stonechats were in the set-aside area, which is now very wet.

Stonechat at the Elmer set-aside; the notably pale wing coverts indicating this new arrival is surely a different individual than the recent birds present here.

Female Kestrel - clearly a resident here - using a favourite perch to look for prey

22nd - 24th October 2024

Thursday, 24th October: A cool start but soon becoming a dry, fine and sunny autumn day with a moderate SSE breeze force 3-4.

Climping – Atherington: An old birding friend of mine - Bernie Forbes - came over this morning to join me, (I should mention here that our friendship goes back 51 years!) We set off at a leisurely pace, our first target being to check for migrants around the Bailiffscourt area. Woodpigeons were again going through in good numbers though no count was attempted as we were soon inside the woods looking for much smaller birds! Our joint efforts produced a tally of five Chiffchaffs, three Blackcaps, two Firecrests, two Goldcrests, four Song Thrushes, 15 Blackbirds, three Meadow Pipits, a couple of Skylarks, an unseen Siskin or two that went over calling, 20 Long-tailed Tits in two flocks and a Sparrowhawk.

We then left this local patch to head to our next venue, which was at Pagham Harbour. However, en route, we chalked up a notable success by successfully managing, without incident, to negotiate a first for both of us – purchasing a drive-through coffee! No stopping us now.

Wednesday, 23rd October: A morning of frequent and sometimes heavy showers, lasting until well after noon, before the sun finally broke through to give a pleasant sunny afternoon with a fairly light W/SW breeze, 2-3.

Climping - Atherington: The persistent showers went on far longer than was forecast and became irritating, so I headed for the cover of the woodland here to try and get a bit of shelter and continue birding. Highlights were two Firecrests and four Goldcrests, whilst four Chiffchaffs and 13 Long-tailed Tits were the supporting cast, but nothing more exciting could be located. Overhead, hundreds of Woodpigeons were again on the move - coming from the east then heading out south - but it wasn't practical to do any sort of count today. 

Eventually, I widened my circuit to take in the flooded set-aside area, finding four Stonechats, several Skylarks and a few Pied Wagtails, whilst a flock of seven Siskins flew east and 30 Goldfinch did likewise later. The regular flock of Linnets was here, (it can sometimes number 100), but was perhaps only half that today. A couple of Jays were to and fro with acorns, and by this time the skies looked ominous again. A good soaking on my way back to the car was my reward!

Climping - Atherington this morning: Firecrest (above) and Stonechat (below), whilst (bottom) shows a flock of 32 Linnets, although there were more around.

Bilsham farm: The footpath to the area becomes ever more difficult at present, with heavy farm machinery churning the ground to become a sea of mud, It's not for the faint-hearted, but I donned my waterproof over-trousers and wellies to make another visit. The Black-necked Grebe was still present and showing a little better, as were seven Little Grebes. Two Egyptian Geese were new in, whilst Canada Goose numbers had dropped to ten. Good numbers of Coot remain - my count was 160 - and also present were four Gadwall, three Shoveler and three Tufted Duck.

(above) Black-necked Grebe, (below) Egyptian Geese and (bottom) an absolute sea of mud as a heavy farm vehicle trundles along the track

Tuesday, 22nd October: A bit chilly to start but soon becoming a very calm and pleasant morning of sunshine and light winds W/SW 2-3, until around noon, with grey cloud developing to produce a succession of heavy showers and a strengthening breeze force 4-5.

Elmer Rocks: A calm sea and nothing much moving, excepting a group of around eight auks which were probably Razorbills. The morning highlight however was all about the humble Woodpigeon, with large flocks repeatedly coming from the east along the coast before gaining height then departing SW out to sea. I watched from around 0830 - 1030hrs, during which time I estimated a total of 2550 moving through - though doubtless I missed plenty as it was impossible to keep watching them whilst looking out for other things too! A flock of 50+ Jackdaws and 20 Starlings were also in amongst the flocks at one time.

A look around the set-aside corner was quite good, producing four Chiffchaffs, two Firecrests and a Stonechat, whilst a couple of Siskins, several Meadow Pipits and two Skylarks flew over calling.

Woodpigeon flocks at Elmer; above flying overhead and below, flying well out to sea and heading SW

Firecrests at the set-aside corner hedge

                                           

Stonechat on hedge at the back of the beach

Lidsey area: A fairly brief visit to the WTW area was interrupted by heavy showers, but I logged a Green Sandpiper and 45 Gadwall around the reservoir, with two Grey Wagtails and four Pied Wagtails within the works and eight Chiffchaffs around the periphery hedges.

19th - 21st October 2024

Monday, 21st October: A calm but grey and heavily overcast morning with a barely noticeable S/SW breeze at first and feeling quite mild. Remaining dry until about lunchtime, before rain eventually set in as the breeze increased to force 3-4.

Elmer Rocks: The still morning produced nothing beyond some gulls moving about offshore, but there were a few bits and pieces of interest. A nice 1st winter Yellow-legged Gull showed well but briefly on the beach, whilst overhead a flock of c.30 Siskins went east and a Grey Wagtail, two Pied Wagtails and 12 Swallows went west. In the bushes along the path and the back of the beach, a Firecrest was present, together with three Chiffchaffs. A number of Skylarks and Meadow Pipits were on the move, mostly just heard though a few seen. At least 70 Mediterranean Gulls were also to be found, commuting between the beach, the rockpools and the adjacent fields.

Bilsham farm: Access to the area is now quite an ordeal, with the paths and tracks little more than a sea of mud. However, it was worth the effort today when a juvenile Black-necked Grebe was located. This is now the fourth year running the species has appeared in the area; it's possible it has even occurred previously but this is beyond my knowledge. Also on the reservoir were seven Little Grebes, three Shoveler, two Gadwall, three Tufted Ducks and c.160 Coots. Two Chiffchaffs were also in the surrounding hedges.

Black-necked Grebe (juv) at Bilsham Farm 

Saturday, 19th October: Heavy rain in the early hours extended into the dawn and beyond, finally clearing around 08:30hrs, when the sun broke through to give a mainly sunny day with some white cloud and a moderate breeze W 3-4.

Bilsham farm: I was committed elsewhere for most of the morning due to the monthly WeBS count, so just had time to make a brief visit here on my return, to see if there was anything more unusual on offer. In short, there wasn't, the only new arrivals being a party of six Mute Swans - clearly a family of four juveniles with their parents - which were around a flock of 24 Canada Geese, these having been present for some days. There was still a good count of Coots (160+) but very little else; two Tufted Ducks, a single Gadwall and six Little Grebes being about it. A Yellowhammer, two Chiffchaffs and a couple of Meadow Pipits around the margins were the only other species of note.

16th - 18th October 2024

Friday, 18th October: A calm and misty start, with just a faint Southerly breeze, eventually clearing around 09:00 to give a fine and sunny morning with just a little cloud and the wind veering to SW3.

Climping Gap: I was feeling a little slow this morning, partly due to a twisted and swollen knee, following my unscheduled dip yesterday! I decided to take it easy with just a couple of hours birding on this lovely autumn morning, staying around the Kents/old campsite area. Unfortunately there were no excitements, with just regular species recorded, though following a night with a 'Hunter's Moon' it seemed that many of the migrants may have taken their cue to move on.

Meadow Pipits and Skylarks were present in good numbers, both in the fields and flying over, with lesser numbers of Pied Wagtails. A total of 10 Chiffchaffs were eventually logged, with just two Goldcrests, whilst in the bushes were at least three Blackcaps. Four Stonechats were around the set-aside areas and at least two Reed Buntings were also present, whilst three Yellowhammers were showing well in the hedgerows and a Bullfinch was calling frequently but not showing well in the campsite hedge.

Yellowhammers at Climping

Thursday, 17th October: A dry and pleasant day, very mild for the time of year, with a good deal of sunshine throughout and lighter winds, W/SW 2-3.

Climping Gap: Another visit but there was no sign of the Pallas's Warbler after yesterday's excitement.  I spent time checking out various  areas of the site, where there was a good bit of visible migration going on, with plenty of Skylarks, Meadow Pipits and finches going over, including Siskins and Goldfinch, although I didn't attempt a count this time. I also logged four Stonechats, eight Blackcaps, several Chiffchaffs and a couple of Goldcrests and then a Kingfisher unexpectedly flew across a damp field of set-aside, settling for a while near a small flood, before moving on.

A cropped image of the fairly distant Kingfisher in the set-aside field at Climping.

I casually made a slow circuit back down the fields towards the beach, but as I got nearer I suddenly remembered I'd parked my car at the bottom of Climping Street and that it was nearing high tide. My pace quickened, and very quickly I realised as I reached the beach that a very big high tide had effectively cut me off, with a river now running north along Bread Lane! A bit of a panic...I had to cross it despite some risk; needless to say I didn't make it safely, fell face down, got completely soaked and optics all submerged in sea-water...oh joy! The car was OK, but it was a bruised and very wet Elmer Birder that got into it and set off home....birding over today!

Wednesday, 16th October: A dull and grey start with some threatening cloud early on in a fresh SE breeze, but remaining dry and gradually brightening to give some warm sunshine by late morning. Clouding over again by mid-afternoon and becoming grey, with the forecast of rain by evening....

Elmer Rocks area: Mid-October, with east in the wind and heavy cloud all added up to the chance of something decent turning up, and possibly a rarity about. I started my circuit with a short sea-watch, seeing 1E, 4W Gannets, 15W Brent Geese, 6W Common Scoter, 3E Sanderling, 7E Turnstones and 25E Mediterranean Gulls. A bit of 'vis.mig' consisted of six Swallows, a few Meadow Pipits, two Skylarks, 25 Goldfinches and eight Siskins heading east.

A good look around the fields and hedgerows produced a Kestrel hunting the beach area again, a single Stonechat in the set-aside and just a few more Meadow Pipits. A total of nine Little Egrets were feeding together in the fields today, amongst various gulls, before some of the egrets decided to roost in tree-tops at Poole Place.

Time then to check the sheltered spots, woods and hedgerows, but my best efforts produced nothing more than six Chiffchaffs and a couple of Goldcrests.

At Elmer this morning: (above) Stonechat in the set-aside (with Goldfinch), (below) Kestrel watching a potential meal and (bottom) six of the nine Little Egrets in the field.

I felt that there surely had to be a Yellow-browed Warbler or at least a Ring Ouzel about, given the number being reported elsewhere - but no, not a sniff of one today. Then, just when I was feeling a bit despondent, I got a message and it was time to go.....

Climping - Atherington: Shortly after noon, local birder Bola put out the news that he'd found a Pallas's Warbler* in the small wood behind Bailiffscourt Hotel, (*for those non-birders of you reading this, it is a tiny little warbler that is rare here and comes from Siberia, usually at this time of year, has lots of wing bars and head stripes and is always highly prized by UK birders). No time to waste, so I made my way there as fast as I could.

On arrival, I met up with Bola who pointed out the area of trees where the bird was showing, but it had since moved higher into the canopy and had gone out of view. It was however calling, quite frequently, so we had some idea of its location. It was, as ever, very elusive, eventually giving a number of calls before seeming to drift higher and to the left, thereafter becoming silent. In short, it remained elusive, but then apparently joined a roving flock of Long-tailed and other tits, giving only a couple of very brief glimpses (but was later reported to be calling again). 

Other birds seen were a couple of Firecrests and Goldcrests, several Chiffchaffs and a Swallow.

13th - 15th October 2024

Tuesday, 15th October: A bit murky at first but remaining dry, with grey cloud and a few glimpses of brightness later, with a light to moderate SSE wind force 3-4, increasing force 5 by late afternoon.

Lidsey WTW area: After a morning watching at Selsey Bill, I returned to the local area by early afternoon, stopping off here for a quick check. The WTW area held a Grey Wagtail, 3 Pied Wagtails and seven Mallard, with at least six Chiffchaffs and several Long-tailed Tits in the surrounding hedgerows. On the small reservoir were 34 Gadwall, 14 Shoveler and just two Little Grebes.

Bilsham farm: The access track to and from the reservoir is now a sea of mud, frequently churned up by heavy farm machinery. On the reservoir Coots were the main feature, with a high count of 165 present today. There were also 26 Canada Geese, five Tufted Ducks and six Little Grebes, plus two Chiffchaffs in the hedgerows.

Coots on Bilsham reservoir, where there was a high count of 165 today, whilst below, the access track to the area is now a sea of mud and hard to negotiate on foot...this is actually a public footpath!

Monday, 14th October: After some heavy overnight rain, a morning of almost incessant heavy drizzle with a gloomy grey sky and a light SSW breeze, the precipitation finally easing by early afternoon.

Sorry, no report for yesterday which was a complete write-off for me, for having caught the virus that is doing the rounds, I was in bed most of the day, feeling completely washed out. This morning, after a very slow start, I felt the need for some fresh air, so decided on visiting Climping for a while, to ease myself back in, so to speak. The irritating drizzle certainly didn't help my cause and I got quite wet whilst doing a good bit of bush-bashing, but in the end nothing exciting could be found and another blank for a YbW.

The highlight was two Firecrests and two Goldcrests (Kents farm area); also a total of 14 Chiffchaffs and five Blackcaps were logged plus a few other regular species. Hopefully I will be more active again in coming days.....

10th - 12th October 2024

Saturday, 12th October: A grey, cool and gloomy start with heavy grey cloud and a fresh SSE wind force 4-5: just about remaining dry to 08:00hrs before heavy and frequent showers commenced. Gradually drying up by late morning, but with further showers forecast in the afternoon.

Elmer Rocks: Another morning when sea-watching was the only realistic option, and I managed an hour before my battered umbrella was called into use again, although the wind direction made shelter difficult and visibility offshore was sometimes dire or impossible as the rain swept in.

There appeared to be very little going on in the way of visible migration, but the sea was more productive than of late. Most of the birds were heading east today, as was a Red-throated Diver, my first of the autumn, whilst Gannets totalled 19E and 5W and 36 Common Scoter passed in small flocks. A number of auk flocks were just faintly visible along the horizon (at times!) but two Razorbills were much closer, again heading east before dropping onto the sea. Several Meadow Pipits and Skylarks and two Pied Wagtails on the move could just about be heard above the noise of the wind and sea, but that was about it.

In the fields behind the beach, four Little Egrets were feeding amongst gulls, a Kestrel was active and at least 12 Buzzards were again all up at once, soaring above the trees; presumably at least two family groups involved here. Chiffchaffs were in very short supply this morning after the good numbers of recent days, my count being just three - and one Goldcrest.

Fairly dire visibility at times this morning; (above) Gannets and (below) Common Scoters passing in the rain!

Buzzards over the back fields at Elmer: cropped shots of part of the group of 12

Friday, 11th October: A cold, bright and clear start with a light to moderate N/NE breeze, though no frost, the sun soon raising the temperature to give a fine autumn day.

Climping - Atherington: Conditions looked promising for migrants and given the number of interesting species such as Yellow-browed Warbler around the country, including Sussex, it had to be worth a good search around with some decent bush-bashing. As it turned out, local birder Bola had the same idea and was working the patch too, but despite our best efforts we both drew a blank for such highlights.

There were compensations though with a good bit of migration going on, whilst Chiffchaffs seemed to be everywhere. My personal log was as follows;-

Great Crested Grebe - 2 o/s 

Little Egret - 6

Mediterranean Gull - 50

Kestrel - 2

Skylark - 12N, 15 fields

Stonechat - 8

Pied Wagtail - 15

Grey Wagtail - 1E

Meadow Pipit - 50

Rock Pipit - 1

Goldcrest - 1

Chiffchaff - c.45

Blackcap - 10

Goldfinch - 120E, 25 fields

Siskin - 12E

Linnet - 25E, c.100 set-aside

(above) Linnet and (below) Stonechat at Climping

Elmer Rocks: An early afternoon visit for about an hour and a half found it quiet at sea, but a single Common Scoter and then a single Brent Goose both flew east, whilst a dozen Med Gulls were moving west. There were plenty of Chiffchaffs here too and I saw at least a dozen on my short circuit. Up to six Little Egrets were again feeding in the fields, before some took a break to rest in nearby trees. Overhead, a flock of 20 Goldfinches went east and a couple of Skylarks went north, with a few Meadow Pipits also buzzing about the fields with a couple of Pied Wagtails. A female Kestrel was seen to take a young Blackbird and at least 12 Buzzards were seen soaring together over the back fields.

A single Brent Goose going east in front of an array of windmills and (below) a couple of Little Egrets roosing in the trees at Poole Place

Thursday, 10th October: A grey and fairly miserable start, with prolonged showers and heavy cloud, whilst also cooler than of late with the wind having gone round to a moderate northerly. Becoming drier and brighter by afternoon with the odd glimpse of the sun and the wind easing a tad to force 3. 

Elmer Rocks: I made a visit during a brief lull in the showers, but it wasn't long before I was watching from under my umbrella once more. A large flock of gulls was out near the horizon again, with about six Gannets amongst them, then some while later several small groups of auk species were noted (6E and 15W), somewhat closer, but still too far out for specific identification (though some were considered probably Razorbills). A small number of Mediterranean Gulls were also back and forth amongst other regular gull species, whilst along the beach were 52 Ringed Plovers, 10 Turnstones and several Oystercatchers.

There was also some vis.mig going on, the majority of which was Swallows heading east and a proper count this morning logged a total of 124. Also noted were Pied Wagtail - 8E, Meadow Pipit - 35N, Skylark - 2N, Linnet - 6E, Goldfinch - 20E and Siskin - at least one heard. Chiffchaffs were also still in evidence with eight counted.

Bilsham farm: An early afternoon visit to the reservoir, where there were lots of birds present, but after patiently sifting through them for quite a while, I could find nothing unusual amongst them - except perhaps for the group of 24 Canada Geese, notably more than the odd one or two which occasionally appear. There were also 142 Coots, eight Tufted Ducks, six Mallard and six Little Grebes, plus a gathering of c.250 mixed gull species, including 20 Mediterranean Gulls. Along the hedgerows five Chiffchaffs were also present.

Canada Geese on Bilsham reservoir - a count of 24 was well above the norm, but you know it's not a great day when this species is the highlight!