It still feels like we are on holiday here. Needless to say it's been a busy week moving in but getting there. I managed to get out in the field again this morning and did some exploring of parts of Pagham Harbour I've not visited before. Today I walked the Sidlesham Tramway path and then across the tracks around Halsey's Farm towards the North Wall. I had 71 species of bird HERE, the highlights being the Wood Sandpiper found on Ferry this morning, two Little Ringed Plovers, an influx of Swifts in heavy rain, Cattle Egrets and up to five Cuckoos between Ferry and Halsey Farm.
The garden moth list is now on 108 after the first week. Highlights have included Cream-bordered Green Pea, Delicate, Eyed, Poplar and Elephant Hawkmoths, daily Cream-spot Tigers, Satin Waves, Brussels Lace, Peach Blossom, Portland Ribbon Waves and both Toadflax and Foxglove Pugs.
Garden birding highlights include daily Med Gulls, several Shelduck sightings, a couple of Curlew over, Cattle and Little Egrets, an influx of over 100 Swift yesterday evening, Chiffchaff, Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat and Blackcap singing in the lane, Yellowhammer over and several Cuckoo sightings.
We visited Arundel WWT yesterday with the kids. Ebird list HERE.
Wood Sandpiper - heading north or south?
Second-summer Med Gull at Arundel
Avocets on Ferry- I ticked Avocet here while on holiday at our caravan at Bognor when I first started birding in the late 1980's. Also ticked my first Cattle Egret on North Wall in around 1988- a bit of a national mega at the time. Nowadays they are numerous and breeding at North Wall. Not sure if destiny is at play here but as I was unpacking I noticed that my very first entry into a birding notebook was in 1986 of a Bar-tailed Godwit at Pagham Harbour when I was 13.
Little Egret
Cuckoos at the Mill Pond at Sidlesham Quay
Cream-bordered Green Pea
Cream-spot Tiger
Southern Marsh Orchids at the Mill Pond
Family pond-dipping at Arundel. We bought a garden pond this week so hope to get this dug in soon.
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