29th - 30th January 2025

Thursday, 30th January: A welcome change to dry and sunny conditions, though rather cool in exposed spots due to the fresh N/NW wind force 3-4/5.

Bilsham farm: A fairly brief lunchtime visit, on my way back from birding the Selsey & Pagham areas this morning. It was very quiet, with the reservoir holding just 15 Tufted Ducks (the majority being males), 36 Coots and 3 Little Grebes. Numbers here are now beginning to steadily decrease as the winter draws out and thoughts of early spring gradually come into the reckoning. In the distance a herd of 22 Mute Swans was still in situ, but there was precious little else to report, beyond a few Skylarks and Pied Wagtails, plus two Buzzards starting to do a bit of display.

There was little to show for my visit this morning, but 15 Tufted Ducks were still present, the majority being drakes.

Wednesday, 29th January: The strong wind of yesterday subsided overnight, to give a grey but dry morning of cloud with a few hints of brightness and just a light W/SW breeze. Changing again by afternoon, to become overcast with rain setting in and the wind increasing.

Barnham Brooks: Having not visited here for a little while I decided to do a circuit this morning, where the fields were found to be partly flooded but largely devoid of wildfowl, with not too much else on offer either. Twenty-two Mute Swans were in the back fields, whilst three Grey Herons were roosting in the regular nesting colony, presumably just beginning to take an interest there. Two Stonechats were along the path, two Greenfinches were obviously paired up, three Cetti's Warblers were singing from various locations and two rival Song Thrushes were singing stridently, whilst two Buzzards were loafing in tree tops and hedges and up to 20 Skylarks were chasing around the fields.

Stonechat along the fenceline at Barnham Brooks 

Shripney area: I took the long walk, where I eventually found the herd of 54 Mute Swans out in the fields. On the small reservoirs were just 28 Coots and a Grey Wagtail, but the perimeter area held six Chiffchaffs, actively flycatching from the trees and hedges. The flooded arable fields held around 10 Skylarks and 30 Meadow Pipits, plus 20 Goldfinches and half a dozen Pied Wagtails, but there was nothing else worthy of note.

Grey Wagtail on a farm reservoir at Shripney

27th - 28th January 2025

Tuesday, 28th January: Another very windy day with rain early on, clearing as the morning progressed.  Generally grey and cloudy with a few brighter interludes and a near gale force W/SW wind, easing only slowly and always with the risk of a shower.

Elmer Rocks: Similar conditions to yesterday really, with a big high tide, waves crashing over the rock islands and the strong wind pushing the spray inshore. It was again very quiet birdwise, as might be expected, but there was just a little more to report.....

A Red-throated Diver flew east and a flock of 26 Wigeon and a single Brent Goose went west offshore. There were a good many of the commoner gulls feeding amongst the surf along the tideline, with at least a dozen Mediterranean Gulls and three Common Gulls amongst them. There were very few waders about as the waves were crashing up the beach, but a single Grey Plover and a handful of Turnstones made a brief appearance. A quick look at the wet and windswept fields behind the beach produced two Song Thrushes feeding amongst at least ten Blackbirds.

(above) Immature (1st-w) Mediterranean Gull and (below) two adults of the same species riding it out over a rough sea, whilst (bottom) a Common Gull feeds amongst the waves.

Monday, 27th January: A very windy and changeable day, with a gale-force SW wind, heavy squally showers and even hail, heavy black cloud at times, interspersed with bright sunny spells and then a mainly dry and sunny afternoon.

Elmer Rocks: Two visits for me today, with very little reward. My first was in the morning, co-inciding with a near high-tide, heavy waves crashing over the rocks, much spray and some heavy downpours.....diabolical really. There seemed to be nothing moving at all beyond a few of the commoner gulls and a couple of Mediterranean Gulls on the beach with a couple of lonely Oystercatchers. It became increasingly difficult to watch or find enough shelter and then finally a burst of spray told me it really was time to go...!

Stormy conditions produced very few birds this morning and defeated me too!

I later made a mid-afternoon visit in drier and sunnier conditions, although the wind was still near gale force. Hopes of any storm-driven birds soon evaporated, but two distant Gannets went west, whilst along the beach were 10 Mediterranean Gulls and 2-3 Common Gulls, then a number of waders dropped in with a handful of Sanderlings and Turnstones and half a dozen Oystercatchers around the rockpools.

22nd - 25th January 2025

Saturday, 25th January: A complete change from yesterday, with dry, bright and sunny conditions in a light to moderate but cool NW breeze force 2-3.

Lidsey WTW area: After a visit to the Selsey Peninsula early on, I returned to the patch late morning and decided on a visit to the sewage works area for a change. I was beginning to regret my decision for a while, whilst stuck on the A29 at a set of traffic lights at yet another building site (sigh...) but I eventually got through.

On a small reservoir were 68 Gadwall, 16 Teal, singles of Shelduck and Shoveler and two Little Grebes, whilst nearby was a Grey Wagtail and 20+ Pied Wagtails. In the trees and fields were at least 25 Redwings, but 30 Chaffinches were to and fro between these fields and the Works, where the birds seem attracted to the piles of screened material The highlight though was the number of Chiffchaffs present today, in all the hedges surrounding the works, the nearby trees and along the footpath. At one time I had 20 birds present in one field of view feeding along the perimeter hedge in the sunshine, and there was certainly that number again in other areas, so I estimate at least 40 here today, a remarkable total for late January.

Gadwalls on the reservoir (above), Chaffinch near the WTW (centre) and Chiffchaff in trees along the path (bottom)

Friday, 24th January: A wild and windy night as Storm Eowyn passed through, fortunately not as severely as other parts of the country further north. A grey, wet and very windy start to the morning, with a SW gale gusting to force 8/9, though easing back fairly quickly by 09:00 and with the rain ceasing also.

Elmer Rocks: I waited until conditions had improved somewhat before doing a sea-watch from 0930-1100hrs, although the murky conditions out towards the horizon were less than ideal...and there really wasn't much moving either, with just a couple of distant Gannets and eight Red-breasted Mergansers flying west.

Mediterranean Gulls were more obvious today, with some moving back and forth along the shoreline and some on the beach, giving a total of c.30 and joining two Common Gulls and the other more regular gull species. The regular wader species also began to appear, with small flocks dropping in to feed, and I logged 18 Sanderlings, at least 14 Oystercatchers, c.50 Turnstones, c.20 Ringed Plovers and three Grey Plovers.

Common Gull (above) and Mediterranean Gulls (lower two) at Elmer Rocks

These Oystercatchers (above) and Sanderlings dropped on to the beach to feed and are regularly seen at this time of year.

Wednesday, 22nd January: A murky, misty and rather grey day, fairly calm but chilly, with just a light to moderate NE breeze 2-3.

Elmer Rocks: Back on the patch this morning for a fairly brief look around, having returned from several days away on a pleasant birding trip to Norfolk with a couple of birding friends. Visibility offshore was not great, but closer in there were at least 15 Red-breasted Mergansers, some of which were displaying to each other, plus half a dozen Great Crested Grebes. The only visible movement in an hour and a half was a small trickle of Red-throated Divers going east, with at least 14 logged and probably a fair few others missed.

On the beach and rockpools were at least 20 Grey Plovers, two dozen Ringed Plovers and 50 or more Turnstones, plus a few Sanderlings and Oystercatchers, but it was otherwise all rather quiet. The bushes and set-aside area were very still, the only thing punctuating the quiet being a lone Song Thrush singing and a few of the local Blue Tits and Great Tits becoming more active.

Bilsham farm: There was little change from my last visit and nothing exciting this morning. Four Shoveler and 28 Tufted Ducks made up the bulk, with just two Little Grebes and a substantial fall in Coot numbers to 38. A selection of the commoner gulls was also present, with nothing beyond the normal. In the distance 20+ Mute Swans were in the damp fields towards Barnham.

17th - 18th January 2025

Saturday, 18th January: A similar day to yesterday, though perhaps a little colder; dry, grey and cloudy with a fairly light to moderate E/NE wind, force 3.

Elmer Rocks: The fairly calm conditions again allowed good views over the sea to some distance, where birds were offshore at various ranges. A Great Northern Diver was present for a while and Red-throated Divers featured well amongst other regular species. On the land there was no sign of yesterday's Kingfisher, although the Song Thrushes and Great Spotted Woodpecker were still present.

My log was as follows:-

Red-throated Diver - 13E, 8W & 20 o/s

Great Northern Diver - 1 o/s

Great Crested Grebe - 10 o/s

Gannet - 6E

Red-breasted Merganser - 30+ o/s

Grey Plover - 24 on beach

Oystercatcher - 10

Turnstone - 150+

Sanderling - 26

Ringed Plover - 20+

Common Gull - 1 o/b

Great Spotted Woodpecker - 1 drumming from woods behind beach

Song Thrush - 2 singing from set-aside/woods

At Elmer Rocks: (top) Grey Plovers,  (centre)  adult Common Gull and Grey Plover, and (lower) Turnstones and Sanderlings in flight

Friday, 17th January: A dry, rather grey and cloudy day, generally calm with a light but chilly SE breeze.

Elmer Rocks: An interesting morning with the first bird of the day for me being a Slavonian Grebe on the calm sea and at moderate range. There wasn't a great deal on the move beyond six Brent Geese going west, but the calm conditions allowed scrutiny of some species on the sea at quite a distance and gradually I logged at least eight Red-throated Divers on the water and a further two going west, c.15 Great Crested Grebes and 20+ Red-breasted Mergansers.

After the arrival of a couple of boats well offshore and full of anglers, a large number of gulls began to assemble in what was clearly a feeding frenzy, then suddenly masses of Gannets also appeared and I estimated there were eventually c.200 of the latter amongst the throng - quite spectacular. Several flocks of Turnstones then flew west as the tide got higher, totalling at least 150, before many returned to drop onto the rock islands, subsequently followed by 25+ Ringed Plovers, 15 Sanderlings, 10 Oystercatchers and 20 Grey Plovers.

Two Song Thrushes were singing from rival locations behind the beach and around the set-aside and more distantly a drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker was also heard - the increasing daylight length at this time of year no doubt prompting avian thoughts of spring territories. However, perhaps the highlight of the morning was the Kingfisher present on Elmer rife, just behind the weedscreen area and near the footpath.

Two views of the Kingfisher along Elmer rife and just behind the footpath this morning.

13th - 15th January 2024

Wednesday, 15th January: A mainly grey, overcast and reasonably mild day, with some early murk and mist, in just a light W/NW breeze.

Barnham Brooks: I did a good circuit of the area this morning, anticipating a reasonable number of wildfowl on the flooded brooks, but alas it wasn't to be. There were certainly still a few flooded areas remaining, although nothing like last year, but where were the ducks? I managed to log a single Shelduck, but that was it! Perhaps they had been disturbed previously, or more likely they were elsewhere, but either way it was a waste of time today.

I did manage to record three Water Rails, two Snipe, four Stonechats, three Cetti's Warblers and a Kestrel, plus a large flock of c150 Linnets, but otherwise there was just nothing on my long walk to get the pulse racing.

Stonechat at Barnham Brooks on a very quiet morning

Ancton & Elmer: In the fields off Ancton Lane there were six Little Egrets in with the cattle, whilst a Great Spotted Woodpecker was again drumming from the woods. Then a male Sparrowhawk visited my garden, catching a House Sparrow, before the hawk settled on my compost bin, giving good views as it ate its meal over the next hour or more!

Sparrowhawk (male) with recently caught House Sparrow prey

Tuesday, 14th January: A pleasant sort of day; a little milder than of late with sunshine and broken cloud and a fairly light SW breeze 2-3.

Elmer Rocks: There was a bit more happening this morning; for a start there was a massive feeding flock of several thousand birds out on the horizon, of which most were gulls but also with a good number of Gannets amongst them, and additionally, several double-figure flocks of Gannets also went west a bit closer in. It is impossible to be sure of the numbers but 100+ would be the starting point, though in reality the total could be several times that figure.

I was pleased to find local birder Bola sea-watching from the beach near Poole Place rocks; fortunately his sharp (and younger) eyes had already picked out two Slavonian Grebes offshore, making it easier for me as they slowly drifted west behind the rock islands, Red-throated Divers too were more numerous today, and my log was as follows:-

Red-throated Diver - 3o/s & 30+ W

Gannet - 100+ o/s

Great Crested Grebe - 2 o/s

Slavonian Grebe - 2 o/s, drifted W

Red-breasted Merganser - c.8 o/s

Grey Plover - 38 on rocks/beach

Ringed Plover - 25

Oystercatcher - 12

Turnstone - 55

Sanderling - 5

Razorbill - 1W

auk sp - c.20W

Mediterranean Gull - 8

Grey Plovers on the rocky shore at Elmer Rocks and (below) Mediterranean Gull along the beach

Hotham Park, Bognor Regis: Not the best timing today as it was quite busy with walkers etc, but Firecrests were again the highlight, with a very minimum of three present and quite probably a fourth bird. These apart, there were not a lot of small birds around however, but two Green Woodpeckers were active and calling frequently, whilst an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull was on the lookout on tree-tops near the café. apparently a regular venue for it.

(above) Firecrest at Hotham Park and (below) adult Lesser Black-backed Gull perched on a tree top overlooking the café - a regular venue by all accounts!

Monday, 13th January: A dry and mainly cloudy day with just a few brief spells of brightness, but still feeling chilly despite the wind having shifted to the SW force 3.

Climping - Atherington: A rather disappointing couple of hours this morning. The chill wind didn't help, but there was nothing really on the sea bar a couple of Red-breasted Mergansers, although a number of Gannets were well out and moving through westwards, as was a Red-throated Diver. There were 15 Mediterranean Gulls along the shoreline and a further 30 in the flooded fields behind the beach, where there was also a Curlew and 10 Oystercatchers.

I didn't spend long sea-watching, opting to check the set-aside and hedgerows instead, but in the event it wasn't very much better, my highlight being a single Goldcrest - actually my first of the year! As always Skylarks were to the fore, with at least 50 in the set-aside, together with about five Meadow Pipits and a few Linnets. A couple of Buzzards rounded off my visit....time to move on.

Bilsham farm: I was hoping the recent cold weather might have caused some of the scarcer wildfowl to appear on the reservoir here, but unfortunately this was not the case....my tally was just two Little Grebes, 52 Coots and 26 Tufted Ducks, with two Song Thrushes feeding around the banks.

Tufted Ducks on Bilsham reservoir were the only birds of any note this morning...note the Barnham windmill in the lower photo (top left).

8th - 12th January 2025

Sunday, 12th January: A heavy frost with cold, crisp and sunny conditions early on, in a light E/SE breeze, before increasing cloud allowed the temperature to rise later.

This morning - and in fact the last couple of days - have seen me chasing around the Pagham Harbour and Selsey Bill areas, trying to add a few decent birds to my year list, but in the afternoon it was time to get back to the local patch....

Shripney area: I haven't visited here for a little while so decided to pay a visit. There were few small birds about, with just the common species, although on a flooded arable field were ten Pied Wagtails and three Meadow Pipits. However, the two small reservoirs here held 65 Canada Geese, a Greylag Goose, 21 Coots, two Tufted Ducks and two Gadwall, whilst on the fields behind were two Egyptian Geese amongst a herd of 53 Mute Swans. A Kestrel and a Sparrowhawk were the only other birds of note.

Canada Geese on Shripney reservoir with Coots and pair of Gadwall (centre right), and (below) with Greylag Goose (centre)

Thursday, 9th January::A dry, bright and mainly sunny day in a light to moderate NW breeze 3-4, with just a little high cloud later.

Elmer Rocks: There didn't seem to be much moving offshore as I did my usual circuit along the beach, with just five Red-throated Divers going east and four Gannets heading west the most notable species. A total of 18 Mediterranean Gulls were on the beach and flying around, with just a handful of Ringed Plovers and Turnstones feeding along the shoreline. A single Chiffchaff was flitting around the hedgerows of the boat compound and calling occasionally, whilst six Song Thrushes were amongst Blackbirds, feeding along the hedgerows and fields just behind the beach. 

Nearby, at Elmer woods, a group of three Great Spotted Woodpeckers were making quite a commotion, until it became apparent that two of them - presumably now paired up - were trying to drive out an intruding bird, which they eventually did.

Climping/Atherington: On the east side of Poole Place, at least 24 Ringed Plovers, 12 Oystercatchers and 12 Skylarks were all feeding in Cudlow's field (i.e. the large arable field just behind the beach, which lies between Poole Place and Climping 'car park' Atherington).

Ringed Plovers in Cudlow's field, Atherington (Climping)

Skylark (above) and Mediterranean Gull in flight

Wednesday, 8th January: A dry but decidedly cold start, with a fairly light E/NE breeze in generally overcast conditions, though with a few brighter intervals through the morning. Then becoming grey and wintry by early afternoon, with rain then sleet and snow as the wind increased to force 4-5.

Elmer Rocks: There wasn't much moving offshore, with the highlight being a Great Northern Diver that flew east, eventually dropping out of sight, whilst a Red-throated Diver, 12 Red-breasted Mergansers and two Great Crested Grebes were offshore, a single Gannet flew west and a flock of five Mute Swans also flew in that direction along the back of the beach. 

A number of waders were on the rockpools and beach behind the rock islands, consisting of 32 Grey Plovers, 10 Ringed Plovers, 22 Turnstones and 5 Oystercatchers, together with 15 Mediterranean Gulls.

In the Elmer woods and fields behind the beach a Great Spotted Woodpecker was repeatedly drumming, then two Firecrests were located at the woodland edge. Finally, a male Sparrowhawk was on a garden fence at Ancton, no doubt eyeing up the small flock of House Sparrows nearby.

Waders on the beach at Elmer Rocks this morning; mainly Grey Plovers, with a few Turnstones amongst them and a Ringed Plover (above, at bottom left, foreground)

Mediterranean Gulls on the beach

5th - 6th January 2025

Monday, 6th January: Heavy overnight rain and a strong SW wind force 6, continuing into the morning as the rain began to ease to become more drizzly. Then becoming drier and brighter with sunny periods, as the wind veered to the NW but turned noticeably cooler.

Elmer Rocks: Just a brief visit of about half an hour, producing just a single Red-throated Diver which flew east before dropping onto the sea, six Red-breasted Mergansers offshore, four Mediterranean Gulls back and forth and a couple of Oystercatchers on the beach.

Climping Gap: A look around the Ferry Road area of set-aside eventually produced a single Jack Snipe and up to eight Common Snipe, whilst around the fields nearby were 40 Linnets, several Reed Buntings and two Stonechats but little else.

I then diverted to the Arundel area and Wildfowl Trust - so a little beyond the boundaries of the 5 Km patch - before returning for a look at Bilsham farm. On the reservoir were 24 Tufted Ducks, four Shoveler, two Wigeon, four Little Grebes and 75 Coots. A Kestrel was hunting the fields nearby but there was nothing beyond the normal on a fairly quiet day.

Drake Wigeon on Bilsham reservoir

Sunday, 5th January: Heavy overnight rain, leading into a wet, windy and miserable day, with overcast grey skies and a strong to near gale force wind SW 6-7.

Elmer Rocks: Well I did try for a while, but visibility offshore was dire and the constant wet and windy conditions finally beat me I'm afraid, so this is basically a report about almost nothing! There were just a few gulls along the shoreline; mainly Herring but also a couple of Great Black-backed Gulls, whilst a small flock of Turnstones dropped in with a single Sanderling. A rather forlorn Cormorant battled into the wind, before I took my cue to leave. Sometimes you just have to give in!

1st - 3rd January 2025

Friday, 3rd January: A heavy frost followed by another cold, sparkling and sunny winter's day, with a light NW breeze 2-3.

Climping Gap: I set out on a mission to find a Jack Snipe today, but failed on that score, with no Common Snipe either, perhaps suitable habitat was just too frozen. There were compensations however; a Dartford Warbler was in a set-aside field with a total of eight Stonechats, whilst a total of 25 Reed Buntings and three Yellowhammers were also present. A flock of at least 30 Pied Wagtails was feeding in a flooded arable field, but the most notable species was Skylark, with two different large flocks totalling at least 120 birds. On my way back there were a few Linnets, a Bullfinch was in the Kents farm area and a single Chiffchaff was also located.

Stonechat and Reed Buntings in the set-aside at Climping

Thursday, 2nd January: A complete and very welcome change today, with the overnight rain and wind having passed through, to leave a frosty clear morning in bright sunny conditions and a light NE breeze 2-3.

Lidsey WTW and area: An early afternoon visit on the patch on my way back home, having spent a fine morning on the Selsey Peninsula. The small reservoir area held just three Shoveler and 15 Gadwall, together with 40 Black-headed Gulls and a single Grey Wagtail around the water's edge. The nearby works held another Grey Wagtail, plus half a dozen Mallard on a flood and a flock of 25 Chaffinch and several Collared Doves, all feeding on a steamy pile of screenings, before retreating to the adjacent hedges every so often. A Cetti's Warbler was singing occasionally from the perimeter of the works and at least 12 Chiffchaffs were also present.

Rooks were very obvious, with 100+ feeding in the fields, but the highlight today was a total of at least 120 Redwings; they were feeding en masse in a maize stubble field, then frequently returning to the trees surrounding the fields before dropping back down to feed. A fine sight, the like of which I haven't seen locally for some time, so presumably the cold weather had prompted their arrival. A flock of up to 40 Pied Wagtails was also feeding in the field, whilst a local Buzzard was reluctant to fly from the area, as I approached.

Gadwalls with Black-headed Gulls at Lidsey and Common Buzzard 

Wednesday, 1st January 2025: The predicted conditions duly arrived overnight, bringing in a stormy start to the New Year. This morning there was a full SW gale force 8, gusting to force 9, with leaden grey skies and constant light rain being driven through at speed by the wind, producing very rough seas and fairly awful visibility for much of the time; strong winds and heavier rain by afternoon! 

Elmer Rocks: I managed to watch from a sheltered spot near the Kiosk (08:15-10:45hr) but visibility offshore was often very poor, as I started my new yearlist. It was a fairly dismal start I have to admit, but I did add Gannet (3W), Great Black-backed Gull (5), Brent Goose (5W), Sanderling (3), Turnstone (12) and Oystercatcher (2) amongst some other commoner species. Time to abandon as the rain increased, but at least I'm just about off the mark!

(above) adult Great Black-backed Gull, (below) Sanderlings, and (bottom) a rough sea and awful visibility offshore at Elmer Rocks this morning.