30th September 2019

GORING GAP: I arrived on site mid-morning and was soon apparent that there was plenty of birds around noteabley with the constant calls of Meadow Pipits and the Swallows and House Martins overhead. The Meadow Pipit numbers must have easily exceeded 2,000 birds, some strangely arriving in off the sea from the south east, but many were grounded and became invisible in the stubble fields, were difficult to get a definitive count and I do not recall seeing this many at one site before. A few Sand Martins were picked out amongst the hirundines, many were feeding up above the plantation, the sky was full of hirundines anytime you scanned the horizon. The fields contained just a single Wheatear, 10 Skylark, the gull roost contained 124 Black-headed Gulls, 1 adult Mediterranean Gull, 3 Common Gulls and 2 Sandwich Terns which included a young bird. Linnets were about in good number, a mobile flock of 24 patrolled the fields most of the morning before moving off east whilst a further 62 were noted in 2 flocks also moving east. 2 single Reed Buntings flew over, as did a single Tree Pipit, a Grey Heron flew over the houses on the west side, the only raptor noted was a Sparrowhawk. The bushes were fairly quiet except for Chiffchaff numbers, at least 10 were feeding up together near the pumping station, and a couple of Blackcap in the north west corner where the only Stonechat of the morning was seen. The breeze picked up and the hirundine numbers dwindled as the sun came out, I thought I would check the area on the east side where I found some everlasting sweat pea last week to find it had been cut back as had most of the grass verges around the fields(NB)

Chiffchaff, Sandwich Tern, Wheatear and Stonechat all at Goring gap (NB)

Calm conditions were ideal for a good passage of hirundines and Meadow Pipits along the coast and over the fields at the Gap this morning.

Between 0900 and 1030, c.400 of the former, which were mainly Swallows (say 80%) and 60 of the latter flew West with another 30 on the ground.

Also a few distant Wagtails (I'd say alba).

Later, at around 1300, four Wheatears had appeared on the beach, at

least two of which looked like Greenlands.

I had a short look at the Ferring Paddocks in the afternoon and there

were c.30 Meadow Pipits there with a Stonechat and Chiffchaff by the Rife (CH)

LADYWELL: A productive ringing session saw 73 Blackcaps, 127 Chiffchaffs, 14 Goldcrests, six Song Thrushes and a Kingfisher among the birds ringed.  Others included two Cetti's Warlers, a Grey Wagtail, 150 House Martins, two Moorhens, two Skylarks, 30 Swallows and a Swift (MM et al).

WEST WORTHING:
With much to do around the house, I reluctantly stayed in this morning but kept an eye on the skies whenever I popped into the garden, noting 22 Meadow Pipits, 23 Swallows, two Chiffchaffs, a Goldcrest and a garden-tick Little Egret. (DKC)

BROOKLANDS PLEASURE PARK: In the afternoon I squeezed in flying visits to Brooklands Pleasure Park and the Adur Estuary. At Brooklands highlights included a Grey Wagtail, a Little Grebe, five Teal, a House Martin, 11 Chiffchaffs, two Lesser Black-backed Gulls, three Goldcrests, a Little Egret and the entire Mute Swan family still going strong (DKC).

ADUR ESTUARY: The tide was still a little high on the Adur and I only stayed a few minutes, noting four of both Little Egret and Turnstone, a Ringed Plover and a Mute Swan (DKC).BirdTrack listed two Mallards, three Grey Herons, three Little Egrets, 14 Lapwings, six Oystercatchers, a Dunlin, two Greenshanks, 10 Turnstones, 20 Redshanks and four Chiffchaffs.

STEYNING PENLANDS VALE/BOSTAL HORSE FIELDS: A Swift and three Swallows (BirdTrack).

WORTHING: 10 House Martins and two Swallows flew SSW over Guildbourne House at 10am (SOS).