Cold grey early morning, with bright sunshine later although the birding didn't really improve. Very quiet offshore, and little movement over head.

Jack Snipe - 1 setaside

Golden Plover - 1

Lapwing - 1

Grey Plover - 15

Oystercatcher - 43

Sanderling - 15

Mute Swan - 7e

Little Egret - 7

Shelduck - 1 os

Great-crested Grebe - 4

Brent Geese - 6w 2e

Med Gull - 12

Buzzard - 4

Jay - 2

Redwing - 2

Skylark - c75

Meadow Pipits - 13

Reed Bunting - 5

Goldcrest - 2

Chiffchaff - 3

Stonechat - 2

Pied Wagtail - 22

Chiffchaff Kents

Golden Plover Cudlow Field

 A Velvet Scoter west from Poole Place this morning and 25 Red-breasted Merganser offshore. (OM)

A Velvet Scoter west at 08:30 from Climping beach was the highlight, with one or two Firecrest still at the entrance to Kents and a Rock Pipit at Poole Place.

Velvet Scoter - 1w

Red-breasted Merganser - 17os 8w 1e

Great-crested Grebe - 7os

Brent Goose - 1e 1w

Auk sp -3e

Gannet - 5w

Med Gull - 25 beach

Sanderling - 40w

Oystercatcher - 35w

Turnstone - nc

Curlew - 1

Little Egret - 15

Redwing - 1

Song Thrush - 10

Rock Pipit - 1 Poole Place

Meadow Pipit - c45

Skylark - 20

Goldfinch - 30

Stonechat - 2

Firecrest - 1 

Goldcrest - 5

Chiffchaff - 4

Great-spotted Woodpecker - 1

Green Woodpecker - 3

Buzzard - 4

Sparrowhawk - 1

Kestrel - 2 or 3

Great-crested Grebe

Common Gull

 Climping Gap:  Friday 15th

I made a visit to the West Beach (Local Nature reserve) by the cafe and the river mouth, and spent a very pleasant hour there (1120-1220hrs according to my car park ticket). My target was a Dartford Warbler that has been present for some days and fortunately I didn't have to wait too long for it to appear, and also present there were two Stonechats. I then spent half an hour sea-watching and was surprised to find two late Sandwich Terns going east, followed by four Red-breasted Mergansers, then two Brent Geese and a single Common Scoter went west. (OM)

Very grey early morning from Kents upto the river mouth and back, with the highlight being a Dartford Warbler again behind the cafe at the river mouth. A Grey Partridge flushed from the setaside was a surprise, as they are just about hanging on in the area.

Dartford Warbler - 1

Chiffchaff - 7

Stonechat - 3 

Reed Bunting - 10

Meadow Pipit - c60

Skylark - c30

Goldfinch - c75

Linnet - 25

Pied Wagtail - 20

Green Woodpecker - 2

Great-spotted Woodpecker - 1

Grey Partridge - 1

Little Egret - 16

Grey Heron - 1

Mute Swan - 3

Red-throated Diver - 1w

Red breasted Merganser - 9 os 1e

Brent Geese - 9e 1w

Great-crested Grebe - 1e 1 os

Grey Plover - 13

Dunlin - 2

Oystercatcher - 5

Dartford Warbler

Started at Climping carpark and ventured upto Poole Place, very quiet in glorious sunshine but with a cold NNE breeze.

Red-throated Diver - 2 os

Red-breasted Merganser - 5e 2 os

Wigeon - 2 os

Teal - 3 os

Brent Geese 16w

Redshank - 1e

Oystercatcher - 18

Sanderling - 8w

Turnstone - 25

Little Egret - 9

Gannet - 4e 1w

Med Gull - 31 os

Buzzard - 4

Kestrel - 1

Rock Pipit - 1

Meadow Pipit - 7

Skylark - c50

Pied Wagtail - 17

Siskin - 3

Chiffchaff - 5

Rock Pipit 

Kestrel 

Wigeon

Another quiet uneventful morning in the patch, although several more Song Thrush in evident and a late Sandwich Tern offshore.

Brent Geese - 39w 3e

Red-throated Diver - 1e,1 os

Great-crested Grebe - 15 os 6e

Red-breasted Merganser - 2

Sandwich Tern - 1w

Med Gull - 1

Oystercatcher - 26 beach 11e

Chiffchaff - 8

Goldcrest - 4

Song Thrush - 19

Redwing - 3

Mistle Thrush - 1

Little Egret - 5

Buzzard - 4

A cold grey morning with very little moving offshore.

Dartford Warbler - 1 behind west beach cafe

Chiffchaff - 9

Stonechat - 7

Meadow Pipit - c50

Skylark - 25

Siskin - 2

Linnet - c120

Goldfinch - c200

Yellowhammer - 4

Reed Bunting - 6

Pied Wagtail - 27

Starling - c250

Golden Plover - 1 heard

Song Thrush - 9

Redwing - 2

Fieldfare - c40

Peregrine - 1

Buzzard - 2

Kestrel - 1

Shelduck - 3

Grey Heron - 3

Little Egret - 4

 

 Cool and misty morning. Not much of great interest. Good numbers of crows and jackdaws around the sunflower field. Finch numbers are still good with more Robins and Blackbirds around. (RP)

Buzzard 2

Sparrowhawk 1

Kingfisher 2

Little Egret 2

Redshank 1

Water Rail 1

Great crested Grebe 2

GWP 2

GSWP 1

Firecrest 1

Chiffchaff 3

Dartford Warbler 1

Cetti’s Warbler 1

Blackcap 1

Skylark 24

Meadow Pipit 18

Mistle Thrush 1

Song Thrush 3

Blackbird 15

Robin 10

Stonechat 3

Yellowhammer 3

Reed Bunting 1

Linnet 100+

Greenfinch 6

A Ring Ouzel at 11.00 today between Littlehampton golf course and footpath on northern side of course. (STH)

 Ferry Road, Kent’s farm and back via Long and First Wood were (RP)

Short eared owl 1

Buzzard 1

Kestrel 2

Raven 1 N

Water Rail 1

Snipe 5

Common sandpiper 1

Lapwing 16

Kingfisher 1

Stonechat 3

Grey wagtail 1

Chiffchaff 3

Firecrest 2

Goldcrest 2

Yellowhammer 6 Ferry Road

Reed Bunting 2

Song thrush 2

Redwing 2

Mistle thrush 1

Black Redstart - 1 Gas tower

Greylag's 

Firecrest - 2 Kents

Chiffchaff - 5

Siskin - 10

Cetti's Warbler - 1 hrd

Stonechat - 2

Redwing - 2

Goldfinch - c190

Skylark - 25

Meadow Pipit - 20

Pied Wagtail - 20

Jay - 2

Brent Geese - 10 beach 7w

Greylag Geese - 9e

Great-crested Grebe - 3

Common Scoter - 3e

Oystercatcher - 41

Sanderling - 17

Turnstone - 20

Little Egret - 16

Buzzard - 4

Kestrel - 2

Sparrowhawk - 1

A little movement offshore this morning, but the highlight goes to a late Osprey initially flying in off then veered off west and flew over Atherington. Also an Avocet on the sea at climping beach.

Osprey - 1

Buzzard - 4

Kestrel - 2 

Raven - 2 Cudlow field

Avocet - 1 Climping Beach

Golden Plover - 1 Cudlow

Sanderling - 12w 15e

Turnstone - 15

Oystercatcher - 18 beach 22w

Ringed Plover 25e

Curlew - 1e

Brent Geese - 109w 15e

Great-crested Grebe - 7 os

Red-throated Diver - 1e

Diver sp - 1w

Auk sp - 9w 4e

Shag - 1 os

Red-breasted Merganser - 

Wigeon - 30 os 45w 12e

Shoveler - 2w

Teal - 9w

Little Egret - 31 fields either side of Poole Place

Common Scoter - 1e

Gannet - 2w

Chiffchaff - 2

Reed Bunting - 2

Redpoll - 1

Meadow Pipit - c40

Skylark - 27

Avocet Climping Beach

Golden Plover Cudlow Field

Little Egret (RP)

With lights breeze and low grey cloud it was very quiet around the golf course. Dartford Warblers featured strongly with one in the fort and one or two seen in gorse opposite the reedbed. 

Two Black Redstart seen at the gas tower from Harwood Road. (DB) 

Dartford Warbler -2 or 3

Chiffchaff - 8

Goldcrest - 5

Stonechat - 11

Cetti's Warbler - 2 heard

Siskin - 4

Yellowhammer - 5

Goldfinch - 130e

Linnet - 30

Skylark - 40

Meadow Pipit - 23

Song Thrush - 5

Jay - 2

Kestrel - 1

Buzzard - 2

Oystercatcher - 23

Sanderling - c60

Grey Heron - 2

Little Egret - 1

Brent Geese - 40w

 

Good coverage again this morning with the 1st Short-eared Owl of the autumn flew into the horse paddock (DB) a record count of Little Egret in the patch (OM) and other highlights of Merlin and Jack Snipe.

Short-eared Owl - 1

Merlin - 1

Kestrel - 3

Buzzard - 2

Jack Snipe - 1

Egyptian Geese - 2 flew west over camp site

Little Egret - 32 cudlow

Oystercatcher - 18 cudlow

Firecrest - 1 kents

Chiffchaff - 18

Goldcrest - 11

Redpoll - 7

Siskin - 5

Bullfinch - 1

Yellowhammer - 2

Reed Bunting - 9

Skylark - 50+

Linnet - c120

Pied Wagtail - 25

Meadow Pipit - 20

Stonechat - 4

Cetti's Warbler - 2 hrd

Short-eared Owl out of the horse paddock

Meadow Pipit

Long-tailed Tit

Linnet

Climping Gap: A slightly delayed start after a Dr's appointment, so I decided to concentrate just on the Kent's farm/old campsite area this morning - and I was soon glad that I did - for I was rewarded with a fairly late Ring Ouzel in a hedge along the track to the campsite. It called several times before breaking cover, but didn't stay too long and easily evaded my camera!

Two Swallows flew east and I also logged four Chiffchaffs and two Goldcrests in the bushes, whilst other species included two Stonechats, 40+ Skylarks, half a dozen Meadow Pipits, four Greenfinch, two Reed Buntings and three Yellowhammers. 

 

2 Raven's flew east over Poole Place yesterday Tuesday 29/10/24 (OM)

 3 Hawfinch flew over the field north of camp site towards ferry road late morning, also 3 Firecrest and 30+ Goldcrest around Kents. (DB)

Late morning start, not expecting too much, and wasn't disappointed

Firecrest - 2 Kents

Goldcrest - 19

Chiffchaff - 5

Blackcap - 1

Skylark - 30+

Meadow Pipit - c75

Linnet - 50

Sparrowhawk - 1

Kestrel - 2

Gannet - 1e

Med Gull - c100

Oystercatcher - 18

Ringed Plover - 1

Sanderling - 1

Turnstone - 14e

Little Egret - 7

A bright sunny morning with good coverage but little reward, combined totals below.

Jack Snipe - 1

Firecrest - 2 Bailiffs

Blackcap - 1

Chiffchaff - 6

Cetti's Warbler - 1 heard

Goldcrest - 17

Stonechat - 10

Rock Pipit - 1

Meadow Pipit - c125

Linnet - c100

Skylark - 30

Reed Bunting - 6

Yellowhammer - 3

Goldfinch - c160

Linnet - 120

Swallow - 19

House Martin - 2

Kestrel - 2

Sparrowhawk - 1

Med Gull - 30

Today's bird count from (AH)

Loads of Chiffs about but nothing with them that I could find.

Lots of Blackbirds moving through, especially around Kents.

Water rail in rife in Paddock

Kingfisher in rife at first Set-aside

Black-headed Gull

C30 Blackbird 

1Blackcap f/ near campsite

 Blue Tit

1Buzzard

Carrion Crow

1 Cetti's Warbler

2 Chaffinch

c25 Chiffchaff 

3 Common Gull

3 Curlew

Dunnock

1 Firecrest

1 Goldcrest (Longwood)

C40 Goldfinch

2 Great Spotted Woodpecker 

Great Tit

1 Green Woodpecker

1 Greenfinch

 Herring Gull

1 Jay

1 Kingfisher (rife first setaside)

c50Linnet 

4 Little Egret

Magpie

Meadow Pipit

Mediterranean Gull

c10Pied/White Wagtail

5 Reed Bunting

Robin 

Rook

Skylark

3 Song Thrush 

2 Stock Dove 

13 Stonechat 

c20 Swallow

1 Water Rail ( rife near paddock)

 Wren

Out after the rain, starting my walk from the back of the golf course, covering Kents & Firstwood and still no YBW in the area. 

Dartford Warbler - 1

Chiffchaff - 9

Goldcrest - 6

Cetti's Warbler - 3 

Rock Pipit - 2

Wheatear - 1

Yellowhammer - 1

Stonechat - 10

Reed Bunting - 11

Siskin - 2

Linnet - c175

Skylark - 35

Meadow Pipit - 40

Pied Wagtail - 25

Snipe - 1

Curlew - 1

Kestrel - 1

Sparrowhawk - 1

Buzzard - 1

Firecrest - 1 Kents (AH)

Strong bright sunshine after a brief period of mist from the east.

Firecrest - 2 Kents

Goldcrest - 7 

Wheatear - 1

Coal Tit - 1 Kents

Chiffchaff - 17

Blackcap - 2

Stonechat - 8

Reed Bunting - 5

Skylark - 35

Meadow Pipit - c50

Pied Wagtail - 1

Song Thrush - 9

Kingfisher - 1

Snipe - 1

Wigeon - 1

Curlew - 1

Probably my last Wheatear of the year, unless very lucky

Stonechat

Reed Bunting

Still plenty of Chiffchaff in the area

No sign of yesterday's Pallas's Warbler, but nevertheless good coverage and variety in bright windless conditions.

Marsh Harrier - 1 west over the hotel

Merlin - 1 camp site

Buzzard - 1

Sparrowhawk - 1

Raven - 1

Kestrel - 2

Firecrest - 2 Kents

Goldcrest - 3

Grey Wagtail - 2

Pied Wagtail - 7

Stonechat - 5

Cetti's Warbler - 1 hrd campsite

Blackcap - 5

Chiffchaff - 10

Coal Tit - 1 Kents

Reed Bunting - 9

Redpoll - 2 hrd

Song Thrush -11

Skylark - c50

Meadow Pipit - c75

Linnet - c60

Golden Plover - 1 

Marsh Harrier

Coal Tit 

Firecrest

 A Pallas's Warbler heard & seen in the small wood behind the Tennis court in Bailiffscourt late morning, calling and seen high in the sycamore at 11:45, before becoming elusive but continued to call. Seen again at 14:03 with the local Tit flock but moved off east. Also 2-3 Firecrest in the wood.

Around the golf course today with a Kingfisher near the 13th Fairway, 2 Water Rail heard, also 2

Cetti's Warbler, still good numbers of Chiffchaff and Skylark in the area, also Reed Bunting & Green Woodpecker. ( PK)

A quick walk on Monday 14th from Rope walk up to the Mill produced (RP)

Water Rail - 1 

Kingfisher - 1

Grey Heron - 1

Firecrest - 2

Chiffchaff - 4

Blackcap - 2

A Dartford Warbler north of the golf course at the old railway carriage site this morning. (MB)

Records from (CN)

Firecrest - 2 kents

Goldcrest - 2

Blackcap - 1

Song Thrush - 2

House Martin - 2e

Swallow - 2e

Red Kite - 1 

Little Egret - 4

Grey Heron -1

Stonechat - 3

Reed Bunting - 5

Yellowhammer - 4

Sparrowhawk - 1

Kestrel - 3

Great -spotted Woodpecker - 1

Green Woodpecker - 1

Chiffchaff - 20+

Skylark- nc

Meadow Pipit - nc

Firecrest Kents (CN)

Many hours in the field and good coverage, but still no YBW for me.

Firecrest - 1 Kents

Goldcrest - 6

Chiffchaff - 45+

Cetti's Warbler - 1 heard horse paddock

Blackcap - 16

Brambling - 1 heard

Siskin - 9

Stonechat - 15

Grey Wagtail - 1

Pied Wagtail - 20

Reed Bunting - 6

Yellowhammer - 2

Skylark - 36

Linnet - c100

Goldfinch - c150

Greenfinch - 12

Chaffinch - 5

Meadow Pipits - 17

Mistle Thrush - 1

Song Thrush - 1

Sparrowhgawk - 1

Kestrel - 2

Buzzard - 1

Great-spotted Wood pecker - 2

Green Woodpecker - 4

Little Egret - 1

Stonechat

Grey Wagtail

Chiffchaff

Blackcap

I did a walk around the course yesterday…the highlight was a great view of a Winchat(just left of 13th fairway)…otherwise huge amounts of Stonechats and especially Linnets. Hardly any swallows compared to Sunday when there were hundreds. I guess the migration is in full swing. A member did see a Kingfisher on the 15th so good to know they have returned as I hadn’t seen one there in a while. (PK) 

Climping Gap - Atherington area: Once the rain had eased it was actually quite mild, as the wind dropped away, so it looked promising for passerine migrants. I spent most of the time 'bush-bashing' this morning but could only locate the commoner species once again. There was a fair bit of 'vis mig' going on overhead too and my log for the morning was as follows: (OM)

Little Egret - 4

Swallow - 30, mainly E

Meadow Pipit - plenty in fields and some overhead, no count

Skylark – 20                    

Rock Pipit - 1

Pied Wagtail - 15

Song Thrush - 2

Blackcap - 5

Chiffchaff - 15

Goldcrest - 4

Linnet - 20

Greenfinch - 2

Reed Bunting – 1

This is a list of all birds seen from the start of the golf course footpath at Rope Walk until the end of it at the mill. Roughly the order in which they were seen! (RP)

Feral pigeon 14

Wood pigeon 350+

Starling 5

House sparrow 4

Collared dove 4

Robin 18

Magpie 12

Wren 8

Swallow 18

Black headed gull 25+

Great black backed gull 1

Jackdaw 80+

Great spotted woodpecker 2

Green woodpecker 1

Greenfinch 6

Carrion crow 45+

Stock dove 6

Dunnock 6

Blue tit 8

Great tit 5

Blackcap 15

Chiffchaff 5

Firecrest 1

Spotted flycatcher 1

Herring gull 70+

Goldfinch 40

Linnet 125+

Water rail 2 heard

Cetti’s warbler 1 heard

Cormorant 3

Stonechat 2

Blackbird 9

Very windy today so no big surprise that it was fairly quite around the patch with the Merlin still knocking around at the bottom of Long wood, 2 Kingfisher Atherington Pools & First wood, a Water Rail heard from the latter site. 5 Grey, 4 Yellow and 30+ Pied Wagtail, 23 Chiffchaff, 2 Blackcap, 8 Stonechat and a Rock Pipit being the best of the rest.

Grey Wagtail Bailiffscourt

Chiffchaff

 A Water Rail in the rife at the Camp site (AH) and a Merlin seen at the top of Longwood (MB) were the only sightings of note today.

Hirundine continue moving east in good numbers and good numbers of Robin & stonechat in the area. (RG)

Red Kite - 1

Rock Pipit - 2

Stonechat - 27

Robin - 30

Swallow - 600+

House Martin - 200+

Chiffchaff - 25

Wheatear - 1

Around Poole Place (OM)

1 Firecrest at the old camp site. (MB)

Goldcrest - 4 

Grey Wagtail - 1e

Blackcap - 2

Chiffchaff - 10

Blackbird - 12  together

Good coverage today around the patch with combined totals resulting in at least 4 Firecrest, 80+ Chiffchaff, 15 Stonechat, 2 Reed Warbler, Whitethroat, 70 Pied Wagtail, 3 Yellow Wagtail, 10 Reed Bunting with lots of Swallow & House Martin moving through east. (RG, CN, OM)

 With Finches on the move early and hundreds of Meadow Pipits in the fields the day looked promising, but eventually just fizzled out when the sun broke through. Swallow and House Martin continue to trickle through in less numbers, 22 Chiffchaff, 3 Blackcap, 5 Rock Pipit, in the setaside10 Stonechat, and a Kingfisher again at Atherington.

Rock Pipit

Late news from yesterday with a Pied Flycatcher in elm's at Littlehampton cemetery on the east side. (CJ)

A couple of visit's to the different areas of the patch didn't result in anything special with 2 Firecrest being the highlight, at First wood & Bailiffscourt. 

 Good coverage today with little reward, but saw thousand of House Martin streaming through west with hundreds of Swallow, the Merlin still hunting around the campsite, and noticeable increase in numbers of Magpie, Jay and Robins.

House Martin c1000+

Swallow c650

Sand Martin - 1

Merlin - 1

Buzzard - 6

Kestrel - 3 or 4

Grey Wagtail - 1

Yellow Wagtail - 1

Pied Wagtail - 5

Wheatear - 3

Meadow Pipit - 65

Skylark - 19

Reed Bunting - 8

Yellowhammer - 6

Stonechat - 15

Chiffchaff - 35

Blackcap - 3

Cetti's Warbler - 2

Siskin - 2

Linnet - 60

Jay - 9

Med Gull - 45

Gannet - 6w 2e

Merlin in the field bottom of Longwood

 A Merlin in the top fields west of the camp site was the highlight of the morning, also a Firecrest with Goldcrest at Kents (CN). 5 Stonechat a couple of Blackcap & Chiffchaff around the bushes in blustery conditions, as well Reed Bunting and Yellowhammer present, 5 Yellow Wagtail and a trickle of both Swallow & House Martin continue moving west.

A Balearic Shearwater west at Climping Beach at 10:50 (OM).

Out before and after the heavy shower, with a few more Chiffs on view but nothing to get excited about.  Constant stream of Swallow  moving east.

Peregrine - 1

Kestrel - 2

Sparrowhawk - 1

Buzzard - 2

Brent Geese - 3w

Common Scoter - 2e

Gannet - 6w 2e

Sandwich Tern - 10e 2w

Lapwing - 1

Oystercatcher - 6e

Turnstone - 

Kingfisher - 1

Little Egret -11

Grey Heron - 2

Chiffchaff - 41

Blackcap - 16

Meadow Pipit - c200+

Stonechat - 9

Whitethroat - 1

Wheatear - 2

Yellow Wagtail - 3

Pied Wagtail - 2

Linnet - c75

Skylark - 11

Reed Bunting - 9

Goldcrest - 2

Song Thrush - 3

Mistle Thrush - 1

Chiffs present in good numbers

Stonechat Climping Beach