An early evening visit to the patch after the hearing that the Shrike was showing well enabled a few better pictures. 

Redstart Atherington horse paddock

Added to the days totals was a Turtle Dove at the old railway carriages, 2 Redstart 5 Spotted Fly at Atherington horse paddock, and  4 Whinchat  singles of Grey Heron, Whimbrel, Kestrel and Sparrowhawk this evening.


The Red-backed Shrike present again early morning, viewed from the road sheltering from the rain.
Whinchat - 4
Redstart - 2
Yellow Wagtail - 22
Tree Pipit - 1
Wheatear - 5
Whitethroat - 16
Willow Warbler - 4
Blackcap - 7
Reed Bunting - 6
Buzzard - 1
Sparrrowhawk - 1
Kestrel - 1
Greenshank - 1
Grey Partridge - 2
House Martin - c. 300
Swallow - c. 200

A Red-backed Shrike in the paddock off bread lane until 17:45 at least, is the first for many a year. 

With the shrike showing for most of the day the presence of other visitors, reflected a good variety in the patch.

Raven - 2 east over bread lane

Wheatear

Egyptiian Goose - 3 flew north
Spotted Fly - 9
Tree Pipit - 6
Redstart - 10
Whinchat - 5
Yellow Wagtail - 44
Wheatear - 9
Lesser Whitethroat - 2
Whitethroat - 28
Willow Warbler - 15
Blackcap - 14
Goldcrest - 2
Reed Warbler - 7
Grey Heron - 5

Spotted Fly

Little Egret - 3
Siskin - 17
House Martin - 30
Swallow - c.1000 moving east
Sand Martin - 27
Swift - 12
Common Sandpiper - 2
Greenshank - 1
Ringed Plover - 10
Curlew - 6
Great-spotted Wood - 1
Green Wood - 4
Peregrine - 2
Sparrowhawk - 2
Kestrel - 1
Buzzard - 3
Common Scoter - 13w
Fulmar - 1w
Gannet - 32e
Sandwich Tern - 31e
Med Gull - 24
Common Gull - 5
Lesser B B Gull - 2

Combined totals for today covering the whole patch with coverage during the morning and evening will doubtless cause some duplication, so conservative figures below include;

Redstart - 10 (6 this evening around Atherington & Bailiffscourt)

Redstart Atherington horse paddock

Whinchat - 2

Spotted Fly - 6

Yellow Wagtail - 17

Garden Warbler - 1

Whitethroat - 40

Lesser Whitethroat - 3

Wheatear - 7

Blackcap - 25

Treecreeper - 1 

Goldcrest - 1

Willow Warbler - 22

Reed Warbler - 5

Sparrowhawk - 1

Buzzard - 3

Grey Heron - 4

Whinchat  Climping Rife

Common Sandpiper -1

Oystercatcher - 10

Kingfisher -1

Green Woodpecker 3

Swift - 8

House Martin - 40

Sand Martin - 50

Swallow -16

Buzzard Bailiffscourt

Common Gull Fields bread lane

One hour of sea watching from Littlehampton Beach produced;

Balearic Shearwater  - 1W at 10.30 plus possible group of 7-8 W at 11.07 but distant.

Sandwich Tern -1 W

Gannets - 20+

Another quietish day although the stiff breeze may have played a part in keeping the bird numbers down, took myself around the golf course and back along west beach.

Spotted Fly - 1
Whinchat - 1
Yellow Wagtail - 8
Garden Warbler - 2
Wheatear - 12
Blackcap - 9
Willow Warbler - 5
Whitethroat - 7
Reed Warbler - 3
Kingfisher - 1
Green Wood - 2
Great-spotted Wood - 1
Kestrel - 1
Sparrowhawk - 2
Grey Heron - 2
Little Egret -1
Grey Partridge - 2
Sanderling - 19
Ringed Plover - 7
Dunlin - 1
Cormorant - 14
Oystercatcher - 41

Tough going over the last couple of days with little reward the highlight today being 4 Common Sandpiper on the river, 14 Yellow Wagtail, 3 Wheatear and 1 Spot Fly.

Yesterday Friday  21st 

Buzzard - 1
Sparrowhawk - 1
Grey Heron - 2
Blackcap - 4
Reed Warbler - 10
Sedge Warbler - 1
Whitethroat - 18
Lesser Whitethroat - 1
Swallow - 10
Sand Martin - 6

Spent a couple of hours around the golf course, and the totals indicate below show there was not a lot on offer.

Sparrowhawk paddock

Willow Warbler - 12
Whitethroat - 16
Lesser Whitethroat - 1
Garden Warbler - 1
Blackcap - 10
Greenshank - 1
Whimbrel - 1
Wheatear - 1
Reed Warbler - 6
Sedge Warbler - 2
Greenshank - 1
Kingfisher - 1

Grey Partridge - 4
Kestrel - 1
Sparrowhawk - 1
Grey Heron - 2

Wheatear golf course

No sign today of the reported Fan-tailed Warbler late last night, which was seen east of the paddock in bread lane.  Several people on site from 05:30 this morning, but despite an extensive search the bird was not relocated.

Merlin - 1

Peregrine - 2

Buzzard  - 

Kestrel - 1

Grey Heron - 1

Little Egret - 1

Greenshank - 1

Mediterranean Gull - 30 including one with pale green ring 

Common Gull - 4 

Sandwich Tern - 4 

Little Owl heard 

Green Wood - 3 

Swallow - 20 

Wheatear -7 

Spotted Flycatcher - 1 

Blackcap - 2 

Whitethroat - 8

Garden Warbler - 2 

Reed Warbler - 4 

Sedge Warbler 2 one with ring 

Willow Warbler - 12+ 

Chiffchaff - 8+

 Long-tailed Tit - 8 

  Jay - 3

Whinchat - 5 (18:40)
Stonechat - 1

No sign of any large Owls this morning, although the patch was covered very well this morning.

Spot Fly Kents Farm

Tree Pipit - 1
Redstart - 1
Spot Fly - 2 or 3
Yellow Wagtail - 7
Wheatear - 5
Willow Warbler - 47
Garden Warbler - 2
Lesser Whitethroat - 5
Blackcap - 21
Chiffchaff - 2
Reed Warbler - 9
Siskin - 12

Lesser Whitethroat Bailiffscourt

Goldcrest - 1
Song Thrush - 7 
Curlew - 5
Grey Heron - 1
Buzzard - 3
Green Wood
Great-sptted Wood
Peregrine - 1 gas tower
Buzzard -3
Kestrel - 1
Sparrowhawk - 1
Little Owl - 1 heard
Med Gull - 14

One of several Willow Warbler in the area

Oak Eggar on our house wall

In addition  to the earlier post a Long-eared Owl flushed from the horse paddock and seen hunting over the adjacent fields this evening, a welcome patch tick for many, also 1 Short-eared Owl present this evening and Green Sandpiper seen earlier from the railway carriages.

Combined totals again this morning producing a  bit of variety:

Pied Fly - 2 bailiffscourt & long wood
Spotted Fly - 3 as above

Pied Fly bailiffscourt

Tree Pipit - 1
Yellow Wagtail - 3
Garden Warbler - 4
Willow Warbler - 32
Whitethroat - 29
Sedge Warbler - 4
Reed Warbler - 10
Blackcap - 12
Lesser Whitethroat - 1
Wheatear - 5
Green Woodpecker - 3
Great-spottted Woodpecker - 1
Jay - 1

Spot Fly bailiffscourt

Song Thrush - 1
Dunlin 5
Common Sandpiper - 4 river
Ringed Plover - 31
Sanderling - 5
Kingfisher - 1
Med Gull - 25
Common Gull - 3
Sandwich Tern - 7
Teal - 1
Sparrowhawk - 2
Buzzard - 4
Grey Partridge - 2

Linnet 

Swift - 11
Sand Martin - 15

Holly Blue

Bee

A good morning was had by some lucky observer with 3 Short-eared Owls sitting together after the thunder storm, in the stubble field adjacent to the paddocks at Atherington.

 Also,

 Pied Fly -  1 Mill cottages

Spotted Fly - 1 practice green

Willow Warbler - 23

Whitethroat - 26

Wheatear - 2

Garden Warbler - 2

Sedge Warbler  - 6

Green Sandpiper -1

More totals for yesterday and some duplication possible but nevertheless impressive figures for the patch.
Spotted Flycatcher - 2
Whinchat - 1
Willow Warbler - 42
Sedge warbler - 3
Reed Warbler - 19
Lesser Whitethroat - 2
Wheatear - 4
Garden Warbler - 1

Highlights for this morning include singles of Redstart and Whinchat back of golf course, 8 Garden Warbler and 4 Wheatear, counts of  34 Whitethroat, 33 Willow Warbler and a Common Sandpiper on the beach.

At last a good variety in the patch today, with some good totals, very busy around the back of the golf course and Bailiffscourt area, combined totals for the day reads:

Grasshopper Warbler - 1 atherington lodge
Redstart - 1 bailiffscourt
Garden Warbler - 3

Good number of Willow Warbler today

Lesser Whitethroat - 2
Willow Warbler - 62
Whitethroat - 25
Reed Warbler - 19
Sedge Warbler - 6
Blackcap - 7
Chiffchaff - 3
Wheatear - 1
Stonechat - 1
Reed Bunting - 5
Green Woodpecker - 3
Treecreeper - 1
Swift - 33
Sand Martin - c80 mainly east
Buzzard - 4

Sedge Warbler golf course

Sparrowhawk - 2
Mediteranean Gull - 13
Common Gull - 7
Whimbrel - 5
Sanderling - 8
Greenshank - 1 calling over golf course
Little Egret - 2
Grey Heron - 2
Common Scoter - 4w
Sandwich Tern - 11
Commic Tern - 1

Redstart hotel grounds

Common Blue

A Nightingale on the golf course this morning  and 12 Willow Warbler reported in the area.

With the wind swinging  around to south west things not a lot of movement offshore but plenty of gulls and waders on the low tide.

Mediterranean Gull - 11
Gannet - 11e 16w
Sandwich Tern - 18
Knot - 6e
Grey Plover - 1w
Sanderling - 41
Dunlin - 4
Turnstone - 37
Ringed Plover - 7
Little Egret - 3
Whimbrel - 9
Common Gull - 1
Grey Partridge - 1
Buzzard - 1
Sparrowhawk - 1

Not a lot of excitement this morning but always nice to see Little Tern.

Little Tern Climping Beach

Whimbrel golf course

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Sanderling

Turnstone

Little Tern - 11
Mediterranean Gull  - c50 climping beach
Lesser B B Gull - 3
Common Gull - 2
Whimbrel - 9 golf course
Sanderling - 7
Turnstone - c75
Dunlin - 3
Ringed Plover - 5
Little Egret - 4
Grey Heron - 2
Lesser Whitethroat - 1
Stonechat - 3
Willow Warbler - 6
Whitethroat - 17
Blackcap - 2
Reed Warbler - 7
Sedge Warbler - 1
Reed Bunting - 5
Meadow Pipits - 3
Stock Dove - 3
Green Woodpecker - 2
House Martin - 27
Sand Martin - 1

With a bright sunny morning and a hint of a south easterly breeze, an optimistic visit to Climping Beach resulted in only finding a good number of Gulls on the low tide.
 Mediterranean Gull - c65
Lesser Black Back Gull - 3
Common Gull - 1
Sandwich Tern -7
Cormorant - 17w
Gannet - 1e
Little Egret - 3
Grey Heron - 2
Curlew - 1
Sanderling - 27
Ringed Plover - 9
Turnstone - 40w
Willow Warbler - 5
Whitethroat - 14
Reed Warbler - 3
Blackcap - 7
Chiffchaff - 2
Sand Martin - 6w
Green Woodpecker - 3
Great-spotted Woodpecker - 1
Kestrel - 1
Sparrowhawk - 1
Buzzard - 1


Sat 1st August Out in a fishing boat 4 miles offshore, no fish, only the Mackeral were taking the bait and very little moving bird wise. Single Lesser Black Backed Gull in the Marina, a Common Sandpiper on the eastern arm of the river mouth, 2 Common Gull east beach, 4 west Common Scoter and small numbers of Sandwich Tern and Gannet.

Herring Gull

Gannet

Jellyfish

Records for Friday 31st July saw good numbers of Willow Warbler and a all to brief glimpse of a Grasshopper Warbler that flew into the bushes at the camp site.

Whimbrel - 4 golf course

Willow Warbler - 17

Whitethroat - 9

Reed Warbler - 16

Sedge Warbler - 1

Blackcap - 4

Chiffchaff - 5

Grey Heron - 1

Buzzard - 1

Cormorant - 10w