Plenty of movement offshore this morning in a bitterly cold morning with thousand Gannets moving east offshore, and hundreds of unidentified Auks moving on the horizon.

Gannets  - c.1200 e 100 w
Red-throated Diver 61w 3e 10 os
Diver sp - 3w
Red-breasted Merganser - 8w 35 os
Great-crested Grebe - 5e 25 os
Razorbill - 5oe
Auk sp - c.1000+
Common Scoter - 2e
Med Gull - 47
Curlew - 6
Grey Plover - 2
Sanderling - 75
Turnstone - 120
Oystercatcher - 4
Skylark - 21
Meadow Pipit - 1
Pied Wagtail - 4
Mistle Thrush - 1
Song Thrush - 1
Kestrel - 1

 Red-throated Diver east offshore and on the sea

Covering the fields north of the golf course, onto Kents Farm, West Beach and back along the River.

Buzzard - 2
Kingfisher - 1
Grey Heron - 6
Little Egret - 1
Mute Swan - 6
Wood Pigeon - c.250
Jay - 2
Great-spotted Woodpecker - 2
Green Woodpecker - 1
Mistle Thrush - 2
Song Thrush - 7
Redwing - 3
Red-throated Diver - 15w
Great-crested Grebe - 13 os
Grey Plover - c.60
Sanderling - 19
Turnstone - 75
Oysterctcher - 12
Redshank - 1
Common Sandpiper - 1
Bullfinch - 2
Goldcrest - 5
Skylark - 1

Common Sandpiper & Redshank below on the river bank

Herring Gull

Redwing Kents Cottages

Song Thrush

A bright sunny morning had be looking around Marsh Farm first thing which was fairly quiet on the pools, except for 4 Mute Swan, a flock of 20 Yellowhammer in the hedge by the barn and 45+ Redwing in the field opposite Peregrine house. Singles of Reed Bunting, Grey Heron, Kestrel and Sparrowhawk.

Single flock of Yellowhammer in the bushes

Onto Climping beach with hundreds of Gull and Gannets feeding distantly offshore, with the following also logged.

Red-throated Diver - 1 

Gannet -nc

Med Gull - 65

Great-crested Grebe - 22

Red-breasted Merganser - 17 

Razorbill - 5e

Sanderling - c.90

Oystercatcher - 10

Turnstone - nc

Grey Plover - 80 west beach

Skylark - 31

Meadow Pipit - 5

Grey Wagtail - 1

Pied Wagtail - 2

Goldcrest - 3

Song Thrush - 4

Stonechat - 2

Great-spotted Woodpecker - 3

Kestrel

Buzzard - 1

Buzzard Cudlow field

Med Gull Climping Beach

Turnstone Climping Beach

Decided to have a look for the Cattle Egret north of Lyminster Church which was located in its usual area along with 2 Little Egret, also there a juv Marsh Harrier, 5 Buzzard, 2 Stonechat, 400+ Lapwing flew up north west of the railway track there,  2 Teal and loads of Wigeon on the knucker hole. 

Cattle Egret

Received images of a dead Great Skua found on Littlehampton Beach this morning.

700+ Auks flew west this morning in a hour from Climping beach at 09:00, with only 30+ Razorbill safely identified.

Red-throated Diver - 1e 2w
Common Scoter - 2e 4w
Auk sp. 700+ w
Razorbill - 30+ w
Gannet - 14w
Med Gull - 6e 7w
Great-crested Grebe - 15
Red-breasted Merganser - 7e 13w
Brent Geese - 9w 2 in fields
Oystercatcher - 12w
Curlew - 29
Grey Plover - 5e
Ringed Plover - 2w
Sanderling - 65
Turnstone - c.100
Redshank - 1 marina
Stonechat - 2
Song Thrush - 3
Skylark - 12
Meadow Pipit - 5
Pied Wagtail - 3
Goldcrest - 2

Another visit to the patch this afternoon at high tide Climping beach produced good numbers of Divers on the sea or moving west and a Canada Goose of unknown origin in the cudlow field.

Black-throated Diver - 1
Red-throated Diver - 11
Common Scoter - 3
Red-breasted Merganser - 13
Great-crested Grebe - 7
Med Gull - 27
Oystercatcher - 11
Turnstone - c.80
Sanderling - 15
Grey Plover - 1
Gannet - 39w 5e

Canada Goose

Fairley quiet around the back of the golf course this morning, with a Little Grebe in the rife there and a Cetti'sWarbler calling from the reedbed,  more dog walkers than birds this morning on the beach. 

Kingfisher - 2
Little Grebe - 1
Grey Heron - 1
Goldcrest -3
Cetti's Warbler - 1 heard
Skylark - 5
Pied Wagtail - 1
Bullfinch - 2
Mistle Thrush - 2
Stonechat - 2
Jay - 2
Green Woodpecker - 1
Great-spotted Woodpecker - 1
Buzzard - 1
Peregrine - 1 gas tower
Grey Plover - 3
Sanderling - 5
Red-throated Diver - 1
Great-crested Grebe - 18
Red-breasted Merganser - 14
Gannet - 4w
Med Gull - 1w

Totals from this morning (RP)

Peregrine - 2
Buzzard - 1
Great-crested Grebe - 6 
Red-breasted Merganser - 12
Med Gull - 30
Grey Plover - 1
Redshank - 1
Turnstone - 1
Stonechat - 2
Great-spotted Woodpecker - 1
Jay - 2
Song Thrush - 8
Redwing - 18
Bullfinch - 2
Grey Wagtail - 1
Linnet - 12
Goldcrest - 2

Slim picking this morning in fine bright conditions

Red-throated Diver - 2w 5e
Diver sp - 2w
Gannet - 15w 3e
Common Scoter - 5w 1e
Great-crested Grebe - 15
Red-breasted Merganser - 7
Razorbill - 5
Brent Geese - 2e
Oystercatcher - 13
Sanderling - 45
Turnstone - 70
Ringed Plover - 7
Grey Plover - 3
Curlew - 40
Buzzard - 1
Kestrel - 1
Great-spotted Woodpecker - 1
Skylark - 22
Goldfinch - 19
Meadow Pipit - 5
Pied Wagtail - 8
Mistle Thrush - 1

Grey Plover Climping Beach

Stonechats Atherington

Water Vole

The highlight of the morning walk up the river from the Tesco roundabout to Ford was a Seal feeding just before the Ship & Anchor Pub. Good numbers of Meadow Pipits in the fields and along the river bank.

Redshank - 21
Little Grebe - 7
Wigeon - 2
Teal - 4
Snipe - 14
Mute Swan - 47 with 11 Juv
Grey Heron - 1
Meadow Pipit - c.80+
Bullfinch - 5
Yellowhammer - 1
Pied Wagtail - 5
Redwing - 9
Fieldfare - 23
Song Thrush - 11
Buzzard - 3
Black-headed Gull - 75
Great-BB Gull - 7
Herring Gull - 11
Common Gull - 5

Redshank

Feeding Seal

My first visit to the patch resulted in a Red-necked Grebe on the sea at Climping this morning, 200yds west of the car park. Also good numbers of Red-throated Diver and Razorbill on the sea.

Red-necked Grebe - 1
Great-crested Grebe - 13
Red-throated Diver - 8e + 9 on sea
Razorbill - 11
Shoveler - 4w
Teal - 1w
Common Scoter - 2e 1w
Red- breasted Merganser - 5
Brent Geese - c.100
Med Gull - 23
Gannet - 5e 3w
Grey Plover - 75
Sanderling - 60
Ringed Plover - 22
Turnstone - 80
Oystercatcher - 12
Curlew - 31
Stonechat - 1
Meadow Pipit - 1
Skylark - 15

Gadwall numbers increased to 40 at Marsh Farm, along with 11 Pochard and 4 Teal on the big pool.

First outing of the year, decided to avoid the crowds at the beach and had a look around Black Ditch accessed from the footpath opposite Thornlea Court Lyminster.

Golden Plover - 2
Lapwing - 2
Chiffchaff - 3
Goldcrest - 4
Bullfinch - 3
Pied Wagtail - 3
Reed Bunting - 5
Redwing - c.100
Fieldfare - 10
Mistle Thrush - 2
Song Thrush - 6
Meadow Pipit - 5
Great-spotted Woodpecker - 1
Green Woodpecker - 1
Buzzard - 2
Grey Heron - 4
Cormorant - 2
Black-headed Gull c.120
Common Gull - 6
Herring Gull - 4

Some Deer

Golden Plover

Redwing