28th - 30th April 2025

Wednesday, 30th April: Another warm and sunny day from the outset, with an almost cloudless blue sky and prolonged sunshine, well above average for the time of year, with a light NE breeze force 2 gradually backing to the SSE.

Elmer Rocks: After yesterday evening's disappointment with Pomarine Skuas, it was back for another try this morning as conditions still looked perfect. Fortunately, it proved to be a good decision, for news came in of a flock of five passing Selsey Bill at 08:25hrs - and twenty minutes later they were passing Elmer Rocks - admittedly fairly distantly, but giving perfectly acceptable scope views. Job done at last!

There were a few waders also passing through eastwards, and I logged Whimbrel - 25, Oystercatcher - 6, Bar-tailed Godwit - 9 and Sanderling - 6, whilst two Little Egrets also went east. A gull flock had again built up offshore and around 20 Sandwich Terns and a Mediterranean Gull were present with them and three Gannets flew west. 

Later, a casual evening visit (1800-1900hrs) produced two Arctic Skuas heading east, plus a small flock of five Sanderlings, three Oystercatchers and two Little Egrets. Also a total of 12 Great Black-backed Gulls were amongst the gull flocks on the beach.

Whimbrels and (below) Sandwich Tern passing Elmer Rocks

Tuesday, 29th April: After a cool start early on, soon warming up to give a glorious day of warm and unbroken sunshine, though a bit hazy at times, with a moderate coastal breeze 2-3, increasing to force 4 later. Continuing very dry.....

Elmer Rocks: On arrival there was a gathering of c.200 gulls fishing and resting offshore - the majority being Black-headed Gulls - and in amongst them were up to 20 Sandwich Terns coming and going, plus two Common Terns (where are they all this spring?) Eventually, most of the flock slowly drifted away eastwards, whilst two Mediterranean Gulls, three Whimbrel and a Little Egret also went east and two Shelduck west. Generally though, it was notably quiet with very little visible migration; two Great Crested Grebes were offshore, singles of Sand Martin and Swallow arrived from the sea and a crazy group of four Mallard spent time chasing east other all over the beach and beyond. The now-regular Whitethroats and Blackcaps were singing, but there was so little happening it was time to move on.

Lidsey WTW and area: All of the fields are now devoid of any remaining floodwater as the dry spell continues, leaving areas such as rifes and reservoirs to be of importance to wildlife at present. In the area around the WTW were a nesting pair of Coots, two Little Grebes, five Tufted Ducks, four Gadwall and 14 Mallard, with a single Common Sandpiper being the highlight, and nearby, a single Little Ringed Plover. 

A bit of a theme here, with (above) another pair of Coots nesting on plastic floats, whilst a Common Sandpiper and a small group of Tufted Ducks were also present.

Climping: Following information received earlier from local birder Bola (BA) I made an evening visit, where I was able to catch up with a Corn Bunting and a Whinchat - both species I had been seeking this spring. There was a sting in the tail however, for I arrived just three or four minutes too late to see a superb flock of 14 Pomarine Skuas close in, these birds having passed Selsey Bill, then being logged at Rustington, Worthing and all stations east. Such is the joy of birding - can't win them all I guess!

Whinchat at Climping

Monday, 28th April: A rather hazy but bright start, soon becoming sunny and quite warm, with the light E/NE breeze easing round to the SE by mid-morning.

This blog, as I'm sure readers are now fully aware, generally deals with the birdlife within my home-5Km local patch. However, I'm sure you'll also be aware I frequently go birding elsewhere at times, mostly in West Sussex, but also other places too. As a general rule I don't include such information in my write-ups, but there are times when it may be of interest, or when it puts local information into context, hence the following:-

Yesterday, I headed for the Downs to the west of Hove, where a male Cirl Bunting was singing - this being its second year - and after a while it eventually made an appearance. I wearily opted out of any further local birding when I eventually got back, hence no local report!

Today, the weather conditions seemed promising for a visit to Selsey Bill, when a passage of skuas was anticipated - including Pomarine Skuas ('Poms'), that sought-after and enigmatic species that can be so hard to connect with. So it was that at 09:26hrs I was present amongst a group of birders when two Poms flew steadily east past the Bill, much to everyone's delight. But pleased as I was, I couldn't of course include it on the local patch list. Often this species passes Elmer/Climping beach just too far out to be visible from the shore of our little patch - but not today, when at least two of the Climping regulars managed to see the two Poms, about twenty minutes later. Well done chaps!

Bilsham Farm: After my visit to the Selsey peninsula, I once again decided to check out this area on my way back home. There was nothing very exciting on the reservoir, which held four Little Grebes, five Tufted Ducks, seven Gadwall and 12 Mallard, plus 12 Coots, of which one pair has now built a nest on the plastic floats. It will be interesting to see if this survives, given the number of gulls which visit daily.

A single Whimbrel flew over, quite high and calling, whilst four Swallows were feeding over the water. Two Yellowhammers were singing from the hedgerows, four Linnets were on the reservoir fence and the number of singing Whitethroats has now increased. A male Kestrel was also hunting around the area.

Nesting Coots (above) on the floats at the reservoir, four Little Grebes and pair of Gadwall

24th - 26th April 2024

Saturday, 26th April: A bit grey and murky to start but soon becoming bright and sunny with scattered cloud and a light to moderate breeze, NE3. Remaining sunny most of the day, and fairly warm, but rather hazy at times, especially offshore.

Elmer Rocks: There were some waders moving through on migration, and a few Swallows arriving from the sea, with a few other bits and pieces recorded during my two sessions today from 0830-0930hrs and 1200-1300hrs. My totals during these periods were follows:

Great Crested Grebe - 2 o/s

Gannet - 2E

Oystercatcher - 6E

Whimbrel - 35E, 2W

Bar-tailed Godwit - c.110E

Knot - 1E

Sanderling - 3E

Turnstone - 5

Sandwich Tern - 4E

Swallow - 10N

Goldcrest - 1 (singing male, in fir trees, Poole Place)

Willow Warbler - 3 (two singing, newly arrived, in bushes along back of beach)

Chiffchaff - 2

Blackcap - 3

Whitethroat - 3 (two singing, apparently on territory)

Whimbrel (above) heading east off Elmer Rocks, and (below) flock of Bar-tailed Godwits with a Whimbrel leading.

I made another visit to the undisclosed site (visited on 24th, as below) and found just one Wood Sandpiper still present, together with two Little Ringed Plovers and several Lapwings. A couple of Pied Wagtails and a male White Wagtail were also present.

Wood Sandpiper at an undisclosed site on the patch this morning (once again, distance and heat haze hindered my photographic efforts...)

Thursday, 24th April: Rather cloudy through the morning, though just about remaining dry, with some sunny breaks by afternoon and a fairly light SW breeze 2-3.

Elmer Rocks: I started at the beach this morning, but soon realised there was virtually nothing moving offshore and almost no visible migration going on. A Little Egret went east well offshore, four Sandwich Terns drifted west, three Great Crested Grebes were on the sea and two Swallows arrived. There were three singing Whitethroats along the bushes and a couple of Linnets, but precious little else, so I decided to cut my losses and move on inland a bit.

Singing Whitethroat behind Elmer Rocks, at the set-aside hedge

As it turned out, my decision to head inland was a good one, but due to access restrictions and other potential site difficulties, I cannot give further details about the location visited. What I can say is that I located three Redshanks, half a dozen Lapwings - and then, not one, but two Wood Sandpipers. These smart birds are always very welcome on any birding year-list. It was necessary to maintain some distance, and the birds were frequently obscured by vegetation, but I managed to obtain some hazy record shots, as below:

Record shots of Wood Sandpipers, location with-held

20th - 23rd April 2025

Wednesday, 23rd April: Some heavy but welcome overnight rain lingered a bit but soon gave way to a cloudy and changeable morning with some sunshine and a moderate W breeze force 3-4. Mainly dry through the day, with just a few odd showers and the wind becoming variable later. 

Bilsham farm: After a morning spent sea-watching at Selsey Bill - with very few rewards - I made a brief diversion to the reservoir area here, on my way back home early this afternoon....which also proved to be unrewarding and barely worth the effort! On the water were just four Little Grebes, two Tufted Ducks, a dozen Mallard, two Gadwall and 16 Coots, with several Swallows hawking above. Around the perimeter were four Linnets on the fence, plus three Blackcaps and four Whitethroats in the hedgerows.

Little Grebes on Bilsham reservoir - the highlight of a very quiet day here!

Tuesday, 22nd April: After some early cloud, a pleasant day of sunshine and calm conditions, with a fairly light NW breeze 2-3, backing SW 4 later.....but with the possibility of rain by late evening.

Elmer Rocks: Pleasant enough conditions and a calm sea this morning, but yet again there was very little offshore to suggest migration. I logged just Gannet 3E, Oystercatcher 9E, Mediterranean Gull 2E and two Great Crested Grebes on the sea. Gradually though, a few bits and pieces were added to make it a morning of some interest. 

A group of 13 Turnstones were feeding on weed on top of the outfall pipe and amongst them was a Common Sandpiper which stayed a little while. A group of up to eight noisy Sandwich Terns appeared, fishing back and forth behind the rock islands, then a flock of 23 Sanderlings stopped off to rest and feed along the shore. A newly arrived Wheatear flew up from the beach, settling briefly on telegraph cables before heading off north, whilst two Swallows arrived north from the sea. 

Moving away from the beach, a walk along the 'long hedge' area behind produced four Whitethroats and two pairs of Linnets - both of the latter seemed to be paired up and were carrying nesting materials. A pair of Buzzards were calling and displaying and several Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs were singing at times. The best though came as a real surprise...I was checking an uncultivated area, which is a dried and muddy/sandy patch surrounded by arable, just west of Poole Place, when I unexpectedly flushed a bird which gave a loud, clear, full descending burst of song....it was a Woodlark! There was no doubt - and I even had my hearing aids in! - but I could not re-find the bird and I was left to ponder on what had just happened...quite bizarre really, but clearly a migrant on the move. 

At Elmer Rocks this morning: Common Sandpiper (above) followed by Linnet with nesting material, Wheatear, Turnstones on the outfall pipe and Sandwich Tern.

Elmer & Ancton: A brief look at the Lane End paddocks area didn't produce too much, the best being the regular Mistle Thrush which was collecting food and flying off, doubtless to feed young. The pair of Pied Wagtails were also still present, as were a couple of Swallows around the stables, whilst the woods behind held several Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps.

Mistle Thrush collecting food

Lidsey WTW area: There wasn't anything out of the ordinary, but I logged two Little Grebes, three Tufted Ducks, six Gadwall and 12 Mallard. A nice Grey Wagtail was back and forth and two Buzzards were showing a bit of display, with the regular warblers now in the hedgerows.

Easter Monday, 21st April: A fairly grey, dry and cool morning, quite murky, with hazy conditions offshore and a light SE breeze, veering more SW later.

Elmer Rocks: The sea was very calm but also hazy...it was a job to see the horizon at times, but there was very little on the move today. Up to six Great Crested Grebes were offshore, whilst two Gannets, a Grey Heron, five Brent Geese, two Shelduck and a handful of Sandwich Terns went east. A flock of five Oystercatchers dropped in to join another two on the beach, where six Turnstones and three Sanderlings were also present. 

I had only casual looks at the sea as I walked along, while also checking the hedgerows and gardens, so likely missed some passage, but doubt there was much. Three Whitethroats were new in and singing; also a couple of Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps were heard, and two pairs of Linnets were courting and gathering nest materials.

Grey Heron heading east offshore from Elmer Rocks and singing Linnet, which seems to be paired up

Barnham Brooks, Lidsey/Shripney area: It was generally quiet when I visited here this morning, the highlight being two Little Ringed Plovers on what little remains of a flooded arable field, together with just 16 Teal, four Gadwall and a few Mallard, plus a few Lapwings. There were at least three Cetti's Warblers singing, but nothing beyond the normal, with a few Reed Warblers, a Sedge Warbler and the regular Whitethroats, Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs on site.

It was a hard job locating any waders this morning with most of the previously flooded fields having almost dried up; here a Little Ringed Plover is just about visible on the mud (centre).

Easter Sunday, 20th April: Cool, cloudy and grey, with rain most of the morning - albeit mainly light and spitty - in a fresh to strong NE wind 4-5/6. Gradually drying and brightening up by around noon, with sunny periods and the wind easing slightly.

Elmer Rocks (0745-1030hrs): The light rain was just heavy enough to be irritating but there was nothing for it but to stay sea-watching. The highlights for me were the four Little Terns that passed eastwards, reasonably close behind the rock islands, and a soggy, newly-arrived Wheatear that was grateful to land on the rocks after arriving from the sea. It was slow-going at times, but my log was as follows:

Gannet - 22E, 10W

Great Crested Grebe - 1 o/s

Bar-tailed Godwit - 7E

Turnstone - 6 o/b

Sanderling - 1 o/b

Little Tern - 4E

Common Tern - 1E

Sandwich Tern - 26E

Wheatear - 2

Linnet - 4 o/b

Goldfinch - 10

Newly arrived Wheatear at Elmer Rocks....made it!

Bilsham farm: The first Common Sandpiper at the reservoir this spring was present this morning, whilst on the water were 3 Little Grebes, a Great Crested Grebe, a Black Swan, 14 Mallard and six Gadwall, with three Swallows and two Sand Martins feeding above. Around the hedgerows three Whitethroats and a Yellowhammer were singing, and a pair of Swallows near the donkey paddocks looked as if they were paired up and likely to breed there. 

Common Sandpiper (above), Black Swan and Great Crested Grebe on the reservoir, and Swallow near the donkey paddocks.

17th - 19th April 2025

Saturday, 19th April: Overnight rain, leading to a cold, cloudy and grey morning, with just a few very brief showers and a strong E/SE wind force 6-7. Becoming slowly brighter thereafter with sunshine by afternoon, as the wind eased by just a notch.

Elmer Rocks: I was a bit limited for time this morning, but with the strong easterly wind, a sea-watch was the best option (0815-1045hrs), once I'd found a suitably sheltered spot. It was hard going as a solo observer and doubtless I missed a good bit during my session, but there was at last some migration over the sea, with plenty of waders on the move. Notable amongst these were Whimbrel, with several groups heading east close in, only to turn and head northwards inland, calling as they went, perhaps 'cutting the corner' to re-join the coastline further along. Bar-tailed Godwits were on the move too, but usually considerably further out, including one large flock of c.80-100, so I'll say 90! There were also two Arctic Skuas, but I saw very few terns though, probably passing just too far out for my eyes to see them.....

Great Crested Grebe - 5 o/s

Fulmar - 1W

Gannet - 12E

Brent Goose - 12E

Shoveler - 6E, dropped onto sea

Whimbrel - 48 E/NE

Bar-tailed Godwit - c.170E

Arctic Skua - 2E

Sandwich Tern - 10E

Whimbrel flocks heading inland from the sea

The lower photo here shows one of the flocks gaining height and going inland....note the straggler in cloud above the building!

And this one I'm not quite sure about....the images of the flock (centre, below the ship) lead me to think these birds are most probably Bar-tailed Godwits, perhaps or perhaps not with a Whimbrel at the back.

Thursday, 17th April: A mainly fine and sunny day, after a cool start, with a moderate NE breeze 3-4 at first, veering lighter SE later and feeling quite warm at times.

Elmer Rocks: There was no obvious sea passage during my brief looks at the sea this morning - all very frustrating - with just a few Oystercatchers moving about and two Great Crested Grebes on the sea near the rock islands. I therefore diverted to looking at the fields and hedgerows behind, but it wasn't very exciting there either. Two newly arrived Whitethroats and a Goldcrest singing and displaying were about the best, whilst three Blackcaps and four Chiffchaffs were logged, but there was no denying it was a disappointing visit.

Whitethroat at Elmer

Barnham Brooks - Shripney/Lidsey area: The remaining wet areas in the fields are now mainly dried up, with the exception of one small area, which although it looked good for finding waders, produced none at all bar a couple of Lapwings, plus six Gadwall and 20 Teal. It is to be hoped that the rain predicted for coming days may just improve the situation. Meanwhile, warbler numbers of the commoner species seem to have built up steadily over the last few days; I noted at least six Whitethroats, four Cetti's Warblers, two Reed Warblers, a Sedge Warbler, four Blackcaps, five Chiffchaffs and a Willow Warbler on my little circuit today. Other sightings included Kestrel, a pair of Buzzards, two Swallows, several Greenfinch, a Yellowhammer and a Reed Bunting.

The remaining flood pools at Barnham Brooks are all but dried up now, and it was quiet today with just a few Teal and a Lapwing or two as above.

13th - 15th April 2025

Tuesday, 15th April: There was some rain overnight - the first in about a month - leading to a rather cloudy, murky morning with some drizzly mist and a light to moderate E/NE breeze. Some sunny periods developing later but remaining changeable.

Elmer Rocks: The change of weather, with some welcome cloud and rain, offered high hopes of producing interesting migrants, but it was all rather routine at first, before improving later. There seemed to be nothing moving offshore in a brief look, apart from a couple of Sandwich Terns east and a Gannet west, although two Great Crested Grebes were on the sea displaying, and a migratory flock of 25 Sanderlings dropped onto the beach for a brief feed, before moving on. 

Migratory party of Sanderlings, which dropped in briefly to feed on Elmer beach on a murky morning.

Elmer and Ancton: I was expecting more in the way of migrants from my circuit of the back fields and woodland edge, but it didn't really happen. There were a few Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps, plus a Swallow overhead, but the meagre highlight was recording my first two Whitethroats of the year. Other regular species included a pair of Green Woodpeckers, a Kestrel, two Buzzards, a couple of Song Thrushes and a Little Egret flying over. 

Moving on to the Lane End paddocks at Ancton, there was a bit more activity, though nothing too exciting. Three Willow Warblers were present, including two singing birds, plus four Chiffchaffs, three Blackcaps, the pair of Pied Wagtails, a Mistle Thrush, two Green Woodpeckers, two Great Spotted Woodpeckers and two Swallows.

Green Woodpecker (above) and Mistle Thrush at Lane End paddocks

Longbrook Park, Bognor Regis: A first appearance on the blog for this nice little location. Having not been overwhelmed by excitement from my efforts this morning, I was very pleased to receive a message from a local birder - John Kirkman - who gave me news of a Nightingale singing from thick vegetation at this site, at about 07:35hrs. However, I didn't see his message until after 11;00 whilst having coffee, so I made haste and was on site by about 11:35. It was quiet for a short while, then the bird began singing stridently, ignoring all the passers-by and families on the adjacent footpath. I stayed for a good twenty minutes, listening to its wonderful song, though it remained deep in the vegetation. It didn't show properly, although I got a couple of brief glimpses of it moving about, just shapes really.

This site is comfortably within my 5Km site boundary and is apparently a Local Wildlife Site with Arun District Council, but of course is very popular with tourists and locals alike, being situated next door to Butlins. However, worth keeping an eye on...!

Longbrook Park, Bognor - worth keeping an eye on!

Sunday, 13th April: A bit of a change, with more cloud today, though still reasonably bright and remaining dry, with the wind having shifted to the SW 3-4.

Elmer: The clear highlight this morning was finding a Hoopoe locally, which I believe to be the first confirmed record for the Middleton-on-Sea Parish. Whilst not entirely unexpected, given a small influx to the country, it is still a very scarce migrant in this area, not occurring annually. The circumstances of the finding were a little unusual though...

I set off from home at about 07:40 to cycle the few minutes to the local beach this morning on my usual route, via Ancton Way, on the Elmer Sands estate, on a still Sunday morning, when it was all very calm with not a soul around. I'd only gone a few hundred yards when I heard a distinctive 'Oop, oop, oop' call a few times. "Sounds like a Hoopoe" I said to myself, "but don't be silly, must be a small dog or something". But no, by now it was loud and clear - it certainly DID sound like a Hoopoe, causing me to stop in my tracks. 

I listened and the call continued awhile. The row of houses here are backed by a thick wood of mature trees and I was frantically scanning to try and locate the source of the call, when suddenly it flew, giving a very brief glimpse of a Hoopoe before disappearing....only for the call to continue but somewhat softer, obviously from some distance away. 

"When have you ever heard a migrant Hoopoe call like this," I thought, "so I need to see it better to prove it". A bit of a panic ensued, so I played a hunch and headed for the beach to overlook the small area of set-aside behind. On arrival - nothing - then just as one of the locals wanted a chat, I saw it in flight, having apparently just come up from the set-aside. It flew west over the wood and was lost to view again. I put messages out to other local birders and lots of searching then followed, before I briefly saw it in flight again. This time it was heading back to the wooded area! To cut the long story short, I failed to get a photo, but fortunately other birders also eventually saw it briefly, just to the east, on the Climping side.

There wasn't much of any note regarding other species, though several Chiffchaffs, three Blackcaps, a Mistle Thrush, a few Linnets and two Buzzards were seen.

Rabbit and Hoopoe in Cudlow's field, Climping (with thanks to local birder Bola Akinola). This is quite probably the same bird as I saw, having been found in an area adjacent to my last sighting, however given the influx of the species this spring, it's just possible it is another individual.

11th - 12th April 2025

Saturday, 12th April: A bit more cloud this morning, although still generally bright and sunny through the day, with a moderate breeze E4, becoming more SE later.

Bilsham farm: On the reservoir this morning were two Egyptian Geese and half a dozen Mute Swans, together with 12 Tufted Ducks, four Gadwall, four Mallard and two Little Grebes, and a Swallow flying over.

Egyptian Geese on Bilsham reservoir

This evening, at an undisclosed location, a Short-eared Owl showed fairly well before dusk, albeit distantly, giving nice scope views. Also located were three Reed Warblers, a Sedge Warbler and two Cetti's Warblers, plus a Yellowhammer.

Distant views of the Short-eared Owl

Friday, 11th April: Just a hint of frost with another cold start, but soon warming up due to a much lighter breeze today. Generally bright and sunny, with some haziness offshore, but feeling pleasantly warm in just a light NE - SE breeze, 1-2.

Elmer Rocks: As nice as it may be, the benign weather and prolonged settled conditions often don't make for the best birding, with many incoming migrants passing over high and unseen, not needing to seek rest along the coast....as was the case today really. There was next to nothing of interest moving offshore and waders along the beach were the main interest; ten Turnstones and 14 Sanderlings were feeding before the tide rose, then a flock of 30 birds, apparently all Oystercatchers, flew in...but on closer scrutiny there was an odd one out, which subsequently proved to be a Whimbrel. A Common Seal was also fishing fairly close in.

A single Wheatear was on the beach as were four Linnets, with another pair of the latter carrying nest material into the long hedge. Around the hedgerows behind the beach there were a couple of singing Chiffchaffs, but precious little else except a single Blackcap and a Swallow which flew over.

This flock of Oystercatchers held one other species, which I considered probably a Whimbrel (seventh from right)  - and I was pleased to say I called it correctly, as this much enlarged image just about shows the downcurved bill!

and below, the Common Seal near the rock islands

Elmer & Ancton: A look around the horse paddocks area produced yet another Black Redstart for the spring, though this one was not very co-operative most of the time. Also present were the pair of Pied Wagtails still collecting nest materials, whilst three Blackcaps and four Chiffchaffs were in the woods behind, and two Green Woodpeckers were coming and going. A Swallow - or perhaps two - was flying over the area, perhaps one of the local nesters returned?

Black Redstart at Lane End paddocks; this was elusive at times but eventually showed well enough to clinch it, though note the 'bleaching effect' of the strong sunlight on it's plumage.