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Lesser Crested Tern - Oman 28th Feb 2024

26 December, 2021

It is with regret that I have to inform you of the passing of Eric Standing, who died on thursday morning. A personal friend, great birder with a wealth of knowledge of the local area he will be sadly missed by all.

22 December, 2021

Quiet offshore this morning so a quick romp around the fields which was equally quiet.

Red-throated Diver - 7e
Diver sp - 1e
Wigeon - 1e
Great-crested Grebe - 5 os
Red-breasted Merganser - 3e 2 os
Oystercatcher - 1w
Sanderling - 30w
Turnstone - 25w
Lapwing - 2
Med Gull - 3e
Little Egret - 1
Reed Bunting - 7
Yellowhammer - 5+
Skylark - 40+
Meadow Pipit - 11
Pied Wagtail - 5
Bullfinch - 2
Stonechat - 1
Goldfinch - 17
Linnet - c.100
Buzzard - 1

Linnets north of Ferry Rd

Skylark setaside

River Arun from Tortington

Marsh Harrier - 2
Great-crested Grebe - 1
Lapwing - c150+
Mute Swan - 46
Black Swan - 1
Lapwing - c150+
Egyptian Geese - 2
Shelduck - 2
Linnet - c100+
Stonechat -3
Great-crested Grebe

Marsh Harrier
 

21 December, 2021

Elmer Rocks: The cold weather had obviously prompted a bit of an influx and there were a lot of birds on the sea today. There were at least 12 Red-throated Divers on the water – some quite close behind the rock islands – whilst a further 27 flew west, though the highlight was the two Velvet Scoters which took off from the sea and flew east a short way, before dropping down again off Poole Place. My log for the morning (0830-1100hrs) was as follows. (OM)

Red-throated Diver – 1E, 27W, 12 o/s 
Great Crested Grebe – 60 o/s 
Gannet – 7E 
Brent Goose – 8E, settled o/s 
Common Scoter – 3 o/s 
Velvet Scoter – 2 o/s 
Red-breasted Merganser – 45 o/s 
Wigeon – 4W 
Curlew – 1E 
Oystercatcher – 9 o/b 
Grey Plover – 5 
Ringed Plover – 25 
Sanderling – 8 
Dunlin - 1 
Turnstone – 12 
Razorbill – 3E, 1W 
Auk sp – 6E, 1W
Nearby, 28 Curlews were feeding in the back fields behind the Poole Place area.

20 December, 2021

Hour & half sea watch at Climping Beach this morning found several Reds-throated Diver offshore.

Red-throated Diver 15e 5w 3 os
Razorbill - 1w
Brent Geese - 19e
Med Gull - 14w
Red-breasted Merganser - 8 os 2w
Great-crested Grebe - 14 os
Grey Plover 4e 6w
Turnstone - 15 
 

17 December, 2021

 

Elmer Rocks: The highlight of a fairly slow morning was a Great White Egret passing leisurely east offshore at 0910hrs, although quite a way out. Scope views were ok but attempts at a photo however were predictably less successful! Offshore there were 20+ R/b Mergansers, 15 Great Crested Grebes, singles of Razorbill and Guillemot and a Red-throated Diver, with several of the latter going E & W. A flock of 33 Brent eventually settled on the sea before heading back W and a Curlew went E, but waders were few, with just eight Oystercatchers and six Ringed Plovers. A Kestrel was again hunting over hotspot set-aside, but I couldn’t find anything of interest there. (OM)

15 December, 2021

Not the spectacle of yesterday but 3 Velvet Scooter flew in from the west and landed on the sea off the car park, and at least 3 Great-northern Diver west with probably a few more.

Velvet Scooter - 3
Great-northern Diver - 3w
Red-throated Diver - 4w
Diver sp - 18w 1e 
Brent Geese - 4w
Auk sp - 1e
Shelduck - 3w
Med Gull - 5w 2e
Red-breasted Merganser - 12w 9e 7os
Great-crested Grebe - 1 os

14 December, 2021

Late on parade this morning with other duties, a call from OM at 08:35 about a flock of c90 Barnacle Geese west at Elmer,at 08:35 had me scurring down the patch, and fortunaetly further flocks continued on the move with a total of 333 seen moving through the area.

Barnacle Geese - 233w
Red-throated Diver - 3w
Teal - 2w
Kittiwake - 3w
Med Gull - 45w 10e
Great-crested Grebe - 2w
Ringed Plover - 1w
Grey Plover - 43
Turnstone - 15w
Stonechat - 1
Yellowhammer - 5
Song Thrush - 5
Reed Bunting - 1
Buzzard - 1
Kestrel - 1
Linnet - 9
Skylark - 30

Barnacle west at Climping this morning


Med Gull west


River Arun fromTortington

Marsh Harrier - 2
Shelduck - 6
Eygptian Geese - 2
Greylag Goose - 1
Teal - 1
Lapwing - c160+
Snipe - 2
Linnet - c150-+
Common Sandpiper - 1
Redshank - 1
Mute Swan - 37
Grey Heron - 2
Marsh Harrier Tortington

Wigeon & usual wildfowl Marsh Farm


12 December, 2021

A very grey day covering west beach, seaside, long wood and  the back of the golf course.
Peregrine - 2
Kestrel - 1
Yellowhammer 6+
Reed Bunting - 4
Skylark - 40+
Meadow Pipit - 20
Song Thrush - 3
Chiffchaff - 2
Brent Geese - 2e
Med Gull - 12w 7e 5 os
Grey Partridge - 4
Redshank - 1 river
Oystercatcher - 4
Stock Dove - 18 

11 December, 2021

Arun/Tortington - A change of scenery this morning. Along the river were a Common Sandpiper, a Redshank and an Oystercatcher, whilst the fields held a herd of 30 Mute Swans in the regular area. In the marshy fields and bushes on the east bank were a Little Egret, two Stonechats, six Yellowhammers, two Reed Buntings, c.150 Linnets and eight Song Thrushes (with six of the latter in a single bush – most seemed rather dark, perhaps continental birds?) Also hundreds of corvids...surely 500+ Jackdaws.(OM) 

Records for Friday 10/12/21 
Elmer Rocks - There was next to nothing on the sea, with the local Great Crested Grebes and R/b Mergansers having largely gone, presumably due to the recent storm. A single Red-throated Diver going W and a couple of Med Gulls were all I could muster, whilst along the shore were 20+ Ringed Plovers, two Grey Plovers and a handful of Turnstones and Sanderling. Also, a flock of 35 Linnets flew W along the beach, 10 Meadow Pipits were in the field adjoining Poole Place and a total of 47 Curlews were feeding in the back fields there.(OM)

06 December, 2021

Good passage offshore this morning with the highlight being 2 Black -throated Divers found by the rampion surveyor's off West Beach.

Black-throated Diver - 2 os
Red-throated Diver - 7w 4 os
Eider - 3w
Slavionian Grebe - 1 os
Great-crested Grebe - c30
Red-throated Merganser - 40w 20 os
Razorbill - 4w
Guillemot - 2w 
Auk sp - c100+ w
Teal - 6w
Shelduck - 4w
Kittiwake - 17w
Gannet - 62w 39e
Med Gull - 1
Brent Geese - 10w c150e 
Curlew - 1
Sanderling - 21
Grey Plover - 5
Oystercatcher - 1
Ringed Plover - 2w

Brent Geese

Gannet

05 December, 2021

Around Marsh Farm this morning checking on the pools, not really  cold enough but an increase in wildfowl numbers nevertheless.

Mallard - 45
Wigeon - 15
Teal - 11
Pochard - 9
Tufted Duck - 7
Gadwall - 6
Mute Swan- 3
Cormorant - 6
Little Grebe - 1
Goldrest -2
Chiffchaff - 1
Grey Wagtail - 1
Pied Wagtail - 5
Yellowhammer - 3
Redwing - c40
Fieldfare - 7
Song Thrush - 3
Water Rail - 1 heard
Goldfinch - 33
Linnet - c50
Buzzard - 3
Sparrowhawk - 1
Kestrel - 2
Raven - 3w 
Jay - 1
Stock Dove - 3
Grey Heron - 1
Linnets

Redwing

Fieldfare

Climping this morning from RG, probable Black-throated Diver offshore, Razorbill, Peregrine and 40 Curlew in the fields north of Poole Place. 


04 December, 2021

Cold bright morning with a brisk north west breeze found several Kittiwake moving west offshore although mainly distant.

Kittiwake - c50+
Med Gull 9w
Auk sp - 100+w
Guillemot - 1
Red-throated Diver - 3w 3os
Great-crested Grebe - 7 os
Red-breasted Merganser - nc
Common Scooter - 6e
Little Egret - 2
Grey Heron - 1
Dunlin - 6w
Grey Plover - 32
Turnstone - nc
Yellowhammer - 10+
Reed Bunting - 6
Linnet - 15
Skylark - 30+
Meadow Pipit - 12
Stonechat - 2
Buzzard - 1
Kestrel - 1
Sparrowhawk - 1