Sunday, 16 August 2026

Cool Sunday

It felt decisively autumnal this morning in the cooler conditions and partly overcast skies. The moth traps were not as exciting as recent days but there were still a few migrants including 3 Small Marbled again (maybe the same ones?) and a new for year species in the form of a couple of Frosted Orange. Now on 506 for the year. A Greenshank flew over the garden this morning, there was a Ringed Plover calling yesterday evening and the good numbers of hirnundines, mainly Sand Martins are still present over the garden which is wonderful to see. 

As it was Sunday, Holly took Jacob to church and I hung out with Isaac for a bit before we all met up again and spent the afternoon at West Wittering and East Head. There was a surprising large high tide roost of waders on Snowhill Marsh. I had given up on that site after trying persistently over the Spring for roosting waders but it seems it's being used again now- maybe because it was a very high tide, over 5 meters. Ebird list HERE with highlights including my first Golden Plover of the autumn, 12 Greenshank, a juvenile Bar-tailed Godwit and seemingly where all the local Black-tailed Godwits and Sandwich Terns have been hanging out. 

In the early evening I went to Church Norton to look for the Pied and Spotted Flycatchers that had been found in the morning. I couldn't find the flycatchers but did have a couple of Garden Warblers (a local year tick, now on 178), about 8 Willow Warblers, a Chiffchaff, a couple of Blackcaps, a Wheatear on the concrete blocks and more surprisingly a Treecreeper was in with the tit flock. It broke off from the flock as it refused to fly over our heads with the flock and went back to the south side of the area behind the hide. A Pagham Harbour tick for me (now on 191) and only seen them on the Peninsula in the woods along Chichester Harbour.  It evaded my camera but I managed to get a sound recording below. Ebird list HERE.

Garden Warbler
There are few finer waders than a summer plumage Grey Plover 
My first Golden Plover of the autumn
High tide wader roost at Snowhill
Approx 250 Sandwich Tern on the marsh too
Frosted Orange- NFY
Small Marbled , one of three again. 
Golden Argent- there were lots of these in Scotland but the first here in a while
Treecreeper calling at Church Norton 

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