12th-18th May
Rarities
As predicted last time, it would either be a rarity or a late trickle of seabirds moving up channel that would make or break the blog as May progressed. There were several rarities reported in Sussex, but all were well outside the Worthing 10km radius, so any local birders wishing to try and see them had to travel.
Or may be not. With news of a Black Stork at Pulborough Brooks early morning on Wednesday 14th May some may have rushed off up the A24. However when it was reported to have flown off high to the south east, Richard Phillips had a hunch that it might head along the Chanctonbury escarpment and went out into his Steyning garden and waited. Twenty minutes later he picked up the unmistakable silhouette of a large stork soaring over the Downs towards him. Despite the harsh lighting it was clearly the Black Stork, with a black neck, all black underwings and a neat white belly, rather than one of the Knepp White Storks taking a wander.
This must have been a pretty impressive sight and would appear to be the first Black Stork noted in our area since a record over Cissbury from August 1991. Granted that Richard’s garden only just sneaks into the Worthing 10km, but the bird was flying south east and must have briefly moved through our airspace before being picked up again further east over Devil’s Dyke and then Beachy Head later that day.
Seabirds
Five Arctic Skuas were noted past Goring Gap and Marine Gardens including four pale morph birds close to shore on Monday 12th May. Common Scoter (155e) and Bar-tailed Godwit (1e) and Whimbrel (3e) were also recorded before Worthing’s die hard sea watchers packed up for the Spring.
Migrants and Summer Arrivals
The only other sighting of note was a Hobby hunting over the fishing ponds at Black Ditch, whilst a Common Sandpiper was present at Patcham Pond, slim pickings indeed for mid May.
19th- 31st May
The rest of May just slipped away almost unnoticed. There were plenty of breeding birds singing on the Downs with Whitethroats, Blackcaps, Yellowhammers and Corn Buntings, whilst Swifts continued to be reported in small numbers over the town. However there were virtually no other reports across our immediate area as our attention shifted away from the coastal areas to the inland Sussex heaths.
