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.
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