There was some awful weather at the start of the week which might have persuaded the Eastern Subalpine Warbler to think better of it – he was last seen, briefly, on Monday. Not so for the superb drake Long-tailed Duck which lingered obligingly throughout the week on the meanders at Cuckmere Haven (photo by Leonardo Parker attached).
It was relatively quiet at Selsey Bill although a Storm Petrel was a great find on 20th, spending some time offshore before moving west in the early morning.
The pair of Garganey appears quite settled at Pulborough Brooks and was noted daily, most often from the Winpenny Hide. Pulborough Brooks also recorded a Turnstone on 19th and a Temminck’s Stint on 18th. The Temminck’s Stint at Sidlesham Ferry was present again on 18th and 19th. A Sanderling was inland at Weir Wood Res on 22nd.
Incredibly there were five Roseate Terns on the tern island at Church Norton on 18th – according to the Selsey Blog this is probably the largest ever gathering recorded on the peninsula. Two were found the following day. A Black Tern was at Rye Hbr on 24th and the two 2cy Little Gulls were still in and around Pagham Hbr (recorded on four dates).
A singing male Quail was found south of the dew pond at Chantry Hill on 22nd and a Common Crane flew over Woodvale (Brighton) in the late afternoon of 19th.
Honey-buzzards are apparently back on their territories now with numerous reports from the published sites. One was over Bexhill on 24th, presumably one of just a tiny few that got spotted en route.
A male Red-backed Shrike was at Rye Hbr on 19th and a female was found on the headland at Beachy Head on 24th (on the day a Bee-eater flew overhead!).
On 23rd a Serin flew west over Felpham and at least two Hawfinches were found at Graffham Down.
