White-fronts over the garden

The Ferry area is in top condition at the moment so I'm trying to keep a closer eye on it, so I had a couple of spare hours this morning so headed over there. Over 2000 birds are in the field and pool at the moment HERE, one of the largest local concentrations, including 1000 Lapwing, 200 Teal, 250 Wigeon, 40 Blackwits ,75 Shoveler, over 100 Canada Geese (and a single Greylag) and the harbour Brents are also beginning to land in the field. There were also 2 Buzzard and a Raven feeding on a carcass and Marsh Harrier and Peregrine over. 

I then walked along the Tramway and viewed the harbour distantly where there were another 1500 or so Lapwings and about 800 Golden Plovers. I also had over 100 Shelduck, the highest count I've had this winter HERE. 

I then had to get back to meet Matt as we were doing a day in the garden (Matt brought a work van down full of woodchip, so we topped up the beds). While working a flock of 68 White-fronted Geese flew low over the garden calling. I quickly called Andrew (neighbour and birder) but he was on the phone to Sam who had called to tell him the flock of White-fronts in the Honer Field area were flying over Halseys and headed west. By the time he got off the phone to Sam and called me back they had gone over his garden which was a shame. Apparantely there was a shoot out in the fields the White-fronts were settled in so they got flushed over here. A few minutes later a flock of 400 Brents flew over too, also presumably disturbed from their usual area- by far the largest flock I've had over the garden despite 1000s of bird regularly moving around locally (they tend to fly a bit further south from here between Pagham and Medmerry).  Garden list now on 115 HERE

Then news came out of a Red-necked Grebe at Church Norton which I still need locally so I did an hour there at dusk with my dad who is staying over for a few days but we dipped that but did have the male Long-tailed Duck again and a Red-throated Diver. 

Lapwings on Ferry (2500 today between Ferry and the harbour) 

Golden Plovers and Lapwings over the harbour 

Brents over Ferry- later in the day there were beginning to land in the field (which is unusual)

Raven and Common Buzzard on Ferry 

Redshank in the harbour 

White-fronted Geese over the garden - I've been doing almost daily vis mig sessions and even had the noc-mig out trying to pick them out for the garden list during this influx so it was pretty lucky we were doing a work day in the garden today just when they flew over