Monday, 31st March: Another bright, very dry and sunny day, with high pressure now well established and a light to moderate SE breeze, though still with a chilly edge along the coast.
Elmer Rocks: There was very little moving offshore this morning, though eventually a pair of Shovelers and a Little Egret flew east and a single Curlew went west, whilst two Mediterranean Gulls that were sat on the sea eventually also flew off west. Two Gannets fishing offshore for some while also drifted away in the latter direction, and a total of four Great Crested Grebes and two Red-breasted Mergansers were lingering offshore behind the rock islands.
Migrants were few, but a Pied/alba Wagtail arrived N from the sea, four Linnets went west and two or three Chiffchaffs were singing from hedgerows behind the beach. The best though was a total of three Wheatears; one around the Poole Place area and two together a little further east towards Atherington on the sea-ravaged 'cliffs' of Cudlow field.
Little Egret (above) passing Elmer Rocks and (lower two) newly-arrived Wheatears along the coast from Poole Place to Atherington
Elmer & Ancton: A look at the Lane End horse paddocks in Ancton produced yet another sighting of a Black Redstart - although this one seemed unusually elusive, giving just a few occasional glimpses as it favoured the hedgeline along the footpath leading from Sunnymead Close. Also present were the Mistle Thrush feeding in the paddocks, a Green Woodpecker, a Pied Wagtail and two singing Chiffchaffs.
Sunday, 30th March: A dry, bright and breezy day, with plenty of sunshine but also a fresh N/NW breeze 4-5, taking the edge off the temperature and giving a chilly feel at times.
Bilsham farm: Limited time available today, so a fairly brief visit hoping for a few new migrants, but alas it was all fairly quiet. There were a few things of interest though, with an obvious influx of Tufted Ducks which produced a count of 28, together with eight Mallard, 24 Coots and two Little Grebes. In the hedgerows were four singing Chiffchaffs, a Willow Warbler, a Blackcap and two Jays, whilst a pair of Buzzards were displaying, before one of them broke away to have a brief spat with a soaring Red Kite which drifted past.
Tufted Ducks on Bilsham reservoir where numbers had increased to 28
Saturday, 29th March: A generally fine and sunny spring-like day after a cool start, but still with a chilly edge to the moderate W/SW wind force 4.
Elmer Rocks: There didn't seem to be much at all moving offshore, beyond a couple of Sandwich Terns heading west and six Mediterranean Gulls which eventually went east. On the sea were four Red-breasted Mergansers and four Great Crested Grebes, but most of the action involved waders arriving to roost on the rock islands just before high tide, with some feeding along the beach. There were no less than 220 Turnstones today, plus 39 Oystercatchers and 18 Sanderlings amongst them.
I continued my circuit along the beach and then the fields behind, but on reaching the Poole Place rocks, up popped a Black Redstart, which almost immediately flew over to the fence and gardens of the large property there, before dropping down out of sight. This species is a scarce migrant in this part of the county, but the last few days have seen an above-average and very welcome showing at several sites on our patch. Other species seen included four Linnets on the beach, several Greenfinch and Long-tailed Tits, three singing Chiffchaffs and a single Goldcrest.
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