We took the kids with Sue to Arundel WWT this morning circum-navigating the flooded roads. This afternoon Sue and I checked out Ferry and then did Halseys to North Wall. 71 species of over 12,000 individuals! HERE. Les had found six Ruff on Honer 2 but when we got there, there were 10 birds and also a single bird was in with the Lapwings. The White-fronts were also flying around and then landed on the flooded fields and we also had the Spotted Redshank. 3 Marsh Harriers came into roost and 2 Egyptian Geese were a Peninsula year tick.
Sue is down for the weekend so we got a birding session this afternoon. We did the high tide pre-roost at East Side/Pagham Spit HERE. Seems like Dunlin numbers are increasing with an estimated 3000 birds and Grey Plovers at approx 400 but seemingly Knot numbers are lower with 200 and we didn't see any Golden Plovers which are definitely clearing out locally. There were at least 1000 Black-tailed Godwits flying around White's Creek and we counted 375 Great Black-backed Gulls and in with them were 10 Lesser Black-backs, a 3rd cycle and an adult Yellow-legged Gull and a first-winter Caspian-type Gull (a little distant to be certain). There was also a couple of Barwits in the roost. Just from that viewpoint across the harbour we estimated about 10,000 birds including a conservative 2000 Lapwing and 1500 Brents. The other guys had larger counts earlier on in the day HERE with 4000 Lapwings, 2500 Brents, 300 Golden Plover, 300 Wigeon, 100 Teal and Pintail, 250 Common Gulls (flocks have been flying over the garden recently too indicating some kind of movements occurring) and 50 Meds so there has to be around 14-15000 birds in the harbour now and that's not including any large numbers of Black-headed and Herring Gulls which could add another few thousand. The most obvious increases recently have been in Blackwit, Dunlin, Avocet, Common Gull and Med Gull.
On the way back we noticed that the Glossy Ibis was back in the traveller field with 6 Cattle Egret and soon after news broke of the Snow Bunting back at East Head so we headed off over there for the last hour of the day. Now on 112 for the Peninsula year list HERE.
Persistent rain and resulting flooding is putting the knackers on any lengthy birding sessions so I've been popping out in between and during showers over the last couple of days.
After failing to get any decent views or photos of Slavs since I've moved down here I decided to go and twitch the wintering bird at Platinum Jubilee Park nearby in Chichester. Amazing to see one in an urban tiny pond and there was a nice little supporting cast for an urban pond too including 3 Chiffchaff, 12 Reed Bunting, Water Rail and Stonechat.
I also managed to get out and check Ferry yesterday and then got driven back by the rain when I tried to check the Tramway and this morning I aborted a gulling session on East Side after heavy rain started.
So far, despite a couple of close calls, the water fortunately has only flooded the garden and patio and not the house (yet!), but several local roads are closed making it a bit of a mission getting on and off 'Sidlesham Island'.
.jpg)
It was dicey getting out of our lane this morning with floods on Keynor Lane and also in Highleigh and later in the day the roads were closed. The garden looked like a lake last night and the patio was flooded but fortunately the rain stopped and the flood subsided before it got to the back door. Might need to do some flood proofing round here.
I managed to get to the Bill for the first time this year where it was quite lively with a steady procession of Red-throated Divers moving west (166 in total) and also a Velvet Scoter, 2 Great Northern Diver, a flock of 35 Med Gulls moving east and a few other bits and bobs HERE. A Common Seal was hauled up on the Beach showing nicely too.
I then stopped at Ferry which is extremely flooded and walked along the tramway on the rising tide. The waders and waterfowl from White's Creek and East Side were being flushed up by the high tide in a spectacular scene viewable from the Tramway. The Blackwit numbers continue to increase, there must have been 1000 flying around and also had to be at least 4500 Lapwing between the harbour and Ferry. There was also a flock of 57 Avocet which are also new arrivals as far as I know. I could even see the Dunlin and Knot flocks swirling around the Church Norton end of the harbour and the Grey Plovers which also hang around the Spit end were flying round too with a single Barwit. The main omission from today was Golden Plover with only a handful of birds indicating that they may have moved off already. Full list from Ferry and from the harbour viewed from the Tramway HERE .
After lunch with Holly I then went over to East Head where I dipped the Snow Bunting but had a nice selection of waterbirds including 2 Slavonian Grebes in the channel, 3 Great Northern Diver, a few Red-breasted Mergansers, a flock of 74 Avocet on Snowhill Marsh (also new arrivals as far as I know), 4 Greenshank, approx 3000 Brent Geese in the fields and at least 124 Sanderling on the tideline. There was also 80+ Barwits flying around (the main wintering area for them round here) and some large numbers of waders viewable around Pilsey Sands/Island on Thorney Island across the Channel. Full list HERE.
What with the seabirds today I've now seen 480 species in the world this year which is not bad for early Feb!
I successfully twitched the Purple Sandpiper at Medmerry Breach this morning - now on 206 for the Peninsula and the second patch tick in two days. There was quite a high tide roost at the Breach, Ebird list HERE. Other interesting bits included a couple of Sanderling, Marsh Harrier and a couple of Stonechats.
While I was waiting for the tide to start falling I checked out the Ferry Pool HERE. More or less the same as yesterday although there were 24 Snipe flushed off the saltmarsh by the Tramway by the rising tide.
