March - Welcome back to our first returning migrants !

                                                               Wheatear ( Colin Holter)

March is a month full of expectation as we finally say goodbye to winter and welcome warmer longer days and hopefully the first pulse of summer visitors. Of course singing Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps were reported in February but these birds may have over wintered. So what every birder is hoping for, is a March Wheatear or Swallow to whet the appetite, ahead of the main arrival of summer migrants. 

A warm spell mid month allowed many local birders to ease their Wheatear anxiety, before cold northerly winds closed the window for arrivals. However as always in Spring you had to move quickly before they continued northwards.

Wheatears

                                                          Wheatear (Colin Holter)

The first local Wheatears arrived at Shoreham Harbour on 17th March with two birds seen briefly around the Fort. followed on the 19th with a female Wheatear on the slope above the  Rifle Range on the south side of Cissbury late morning and three birds present in the horse paddocks at Ferring Country Park the same afternoon. A fine male was present in fields north of the golf course west of Angmering on 21st, with two birds on the beach at Widewater on 23rd and singles the following day at Goring Gap and Angmering.

The last few days in March saw further reports of two birds at Ferring C.P on 26th and a single at Steep Down on 28th. Single males were present on 29th on the beach opposite Brooklands and in the paddocks at Ferring C.P. and the final record of the month was two females together below the Rifle Range at Cissbury on 30th March.

Ring Ouzel

April is the main month for Ring Ouzel sightings on Spring migration so an early male at Mill Hill on 21st March was a welcome find by Richard Fairbanks though typically it moved on all too quickly.

Willow Warblers

An early returning bird was present at Sompting Brooks on 17th March with the only other reports of singing males at Brooklands on 27th and Ferring C.P on 31st although four birds were singing just north of our reporting area on Henfield Levels on 30th.

Hirundines

Surprisingly few hirundines were seen and although Sand Martin is traditionally the first to arrive back there were no known sightings in the Worthing 10km area, probably reflecting the lack of suitable open freshwater for birds to feed over. The first local Swallows were reported from Angmering on 20th with five birds seen over fields north of golf course and three north over an Angmering garden on 21st.

The only other Swallows reported were two north over Brooklands on 26th and singles from Steep Down on 28th and Widewater on 31st leaving most of us waiting into April for our first sightings of 2026.

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February - Mostly Moist

February was mostly damp, which did little to help local birders eke anything unusual out of the late winter, though Tawny Owls were becoming more vocal in our woods, parks and large gardens as the first signs of Spring began to appear.

Toads and frogspawn were seen in gardens from mid month and a welcome appearance of the sun on 25/2 raised temperatures sufficiently to bring the first reports of butterflies with Brimstones and Peacocks reported from Cissbury and Findon. Two basking Adders were taking advantage of the sunshine on the west side of Cissbury on the same day.

Most of the birding action was reported on the sea with a Red-necked Grebe found east of the pier (8/2) and seen again the next day off Brooklands. A few Black-throated Divers were reported amongst larger numbers of Red-throats which continue to move between feeding sites along our coastline, whilst Little Gulls were reported on three separate dates.

The flooded fields at Angmering continued to hold an assortment of wildfowl with peak counts of Wigeon (55), Teal (60), Shoveler (29) and Gadwall (27). Also of note was a female Black Redstart was seen in a housing development in West Durrington (8/2).

Very little changed on the Downs with small numbers of Fieldfares  still feeding on the remaining winter berries around No Man’s Land. Whilst the Green Sandpier was still present on flood along Maudlin Lane, Steyning throughout month but could go missing for long period.

Seawatching

2/2 - Widewater (08:00-09:00): Red-throated Divers 36e, 10w, Gannet 27e, Brent Goose 71e, Auk 50e, Razorbill 1e Kittiwake 3e, Great Crested Grebe 3 o/s.

3/2 - Brougham Rd (08:00-10:00):  Little Gull 1ad e,  Razorbill 2e,Guillemot 1e,  Auk sp. 34e and Gannet 12e. Red-throated Diver 33e, Fulmar 2e,  Kittiwake 1(imm), Wigeon 6e, Red-breasted Merganser 6e 2w and Great-crested Grebe 18o/s.

4/2 - Marine Gardens: Red-throated Diver 45e and Fulmar 1e.

5/2 - Marine Gardens:  Red-throated Divers 100e in an hour early morning, whilst a Black-throated Diver was on sea off Worthing Pier late afternoon with RTDs then drifted west.

7/2 - Marine Gardens: Black-throated Diver 1e and Red-throated 29e, Gannet 36w, Brent Geese 13e, Shelduck 1w, and Common Scoter 3e. A adult Little Gull was seen heading west feeding along shoreline, with single Kittiwake east  and Fulmar west further out.  

8/2 - A Red-necked Grebe was found by Nick Bond east of Worthing pier with two Great Crested Grebes along with good numbers of Red-breasted Merganser and a Red-throated Diver on sea.

9/2 - Ferring (0845-0945): A  Sandwich Tern west and two Knot on the beach were the highlight along with Brent Goose 4e, Gannets 5e, Red-throated Diver 4e.

9/2 - Brougham Rd ( 07:45-09:45): Gannet 10,  Red-breasted Mergansers 11, Razorbill 39e, Auk sp. 39e, Red-throated Diver 20e 4w, Common Scoter 2e,  Brent Goose 31e, Med Gulls 7e,  Common Gull 6e, Kittiwake 3e 1w, and Fulmar 1w. 

10/2 - Marine Gardens: Great Northern Divers 2e, Black throated Divers 2e, along with Red-throated Divers 50e, Velvet Scoters 3e and Common Scoter 10e. 

11/2 - Marine Gardens (08:00-09:30): RBMerganser; Brent Goose 7e, Red-throated Divers 2e and a mixed flock of 40 Dunlin & Sanderling west.

21/2 - Brougham Rd : Red-throated Diver 73e, Black-throated Diver 1e and  an adult Shag briefly on the offshore gantry with 17 Cormorants.  

25/2 - Little Gull along tideline at dawn this morning, drifted inland when it got to the pier.

Goring Gap 

5/2- Med Gulls (22) were east of Goring Gap on greensward with large Black-headed Gull flock. Meanwhile birds seen along Ferring Rife included  Linnets 140, Chaffinch 10, Goldfinch 30, Reed Bunting 2 and the Starling flock had increased to c.1600 birds.

7/2- 20 Med Gulls mostly adults still on greensward and another 10 adults at Goring Gap.

13/2 - Goring Gap. Knot 1, Sanderling 25, Turnstones 15, Oystercatcher 12, Med Gull 5.

Angmering

1/2 - The floods at Angmering continue to hold local interest with Egyptian Geese 2, Shoveler 19, Gadwall 27, Wigeon 45, Mallard 18, Teal 60, and a Peregrine flew west.

14/2 - The flooded fields held Gadwall 4, Wigeon 55, Shoveler 2, Teal 18.

28/2  - A Water Rail was at Black Ditch with two Shelduck and a large flock of gulls including  Med Gull (4), Lesser Black-backed (2) and Greater Black-backed Gulls (4).

Cissbury and Downs

13/2 - A walk around Lychpole Bottom, the Ring, the Monarch’s Way and Stump bottom yielded a few Fieldfares at No Man’s Land, and an increase in singing Skylarks and Corn Buntings.  Around Lychpole Farm there were large numbers of Starling (c5000) and several hundred Common Gulls (300+). 

January - A soggy end

After a promising start the remainder of January became a bit of a siege with only the briefest interludes in the persistent rain giving birders a chance to get out. Those that squelched through the muddy fields and tracks, not surprisingly found it hard work, but there were a few new finds to keep year lists ticking over.

A few tentative signs of Spring were noted with a small number of over wintering Blackcaps becoming more prominent and even optimistically bursting into bouts of song. At least one male was present on 25th at Boundary Road and on the same date the RSPB big garden birdwatch revealed two previously unseen wintering males near Durrington Rec, and four were also present at Goring Gap. 

The Downs

There was little if any signs of Spring on the Downs above Cissbury and whilst small numbers of Fieldfare continued to feast on Hawthorn berries around Stump Bottom and No Man’s Land, the Redwings and the Corn Bunting flocks seem to have dispersed. 

However a bright sunny day on 28/1 gave us hope, with a reappearance of the ring-tailed Hen Harrier between No Man’s Land and the Monarch’s Way. Encouragingly a Goshawk was seen soaring above the northern escarpment and plenty of Red Kites and a pair of Raven were prospecting for nest sites.

Meanwhile a muddy puddle on the north side of the Downs on the outskirts of Steyning played host to a Green Sandpiper, initially found at the end of December it reappeared on 19/1 and was still present at month end.

River Adur, Shoreham

                                                           Little Gull ( Richard Allan)

An adult Little Gull was present on the River Adur, Shoreham 20-21/1and reappeared again on 27-28/1 favouring the stretch between the Toll and the Railway Bridges. This delicate gull is more usually seen passing offshore on a spring seawatch or following winter storms, so a lingering bird showing at close range was popular with local observers.

The Adur in Shoreham is very well watched throughout the year and is a reliable site for the odd wintering Grey Plover and a small flock of Dunlin and the brilliant azure flash of a Kingfisher always brightens up an afternoon’s birding no matter how dull or damp the weather. It is also an excellent site for bathing or roosting gulls with Yellow-legged and Caspian Gulls often picked out by diligent local bird watchers scanning carefully through the gatherings of the large gull species. First winter Caspian Gulls were recorded (16/1, 18/1 & 30/1), and are well documented in Richard Fairbank’s excellent blog, whilst two adult Yellow-legged Gulls were present on several dates.

Goring Gap / Ferring Rife

The other main site for roosting large gulls is Goring Gap though the numbers so far this year have been disappointing. By 22/1 the roost in the wet fields had began to build up and contained 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls amongst c200 Common Gulls and c15 Greater Black-backed Gulls.

On 31/1 there were three singing Skylarks and a single Lapwing,

Meanwhile the flood at the west end of Angmering continued to hold small numbers of dabbling duck until at least end of January, with the month end continuing to hold local interest. Totals were Egyptian Goose (2), Shoveler(19),  Gadwall (27), Wigeon(45), Mallard (18) and Teal (60). 

Seawatching

Winter seawatching isn’t for everyone but those who braved the conditions recorded good numbers of Red-throated Divers, presumably moving between feeding sites as well as a couple of the scarcer diver species. 

20/1 Marine Gardens : Brent Geese (65e),  Razorbills (200+) Gannets (20). 

24/1 Brougham Rd (08:00-10:00) : A big movement of Red-throated Divers (96e,1w), Brent Geese (18e), Kittiwake (3e), Gannet (c60) and auk sp (29).  

25/1 Rustington (09:00-1030): Red-throated Diver (102e) and Common Scoter (2e).

29/1 Widewater: Black-throated Diver (1), Red-throated Diver (35) and Fulmar (2),

30/1 Marine Gardens: Gannets (c50), Black-throated Diver (1e) and Fulmar (2). 

31/1 Marine Gardens: Gannets (c50), Great Northern Diver (1e), Red-throated Diver (55e), Brent Geese (20e), Razorbill (4) and Kittiwake (6e).

Mid January - Nice weather for Ducks

The bright cold snap was replaced with a more typically damp wet week and with a return to work,  not surprisingly, fewer birds were reported. The only advantage of the rain was a small arrival of wildfowl on the flooded fields around Angmering giving year listers a chance to catch up with a number of species that are only usually recorded passing offshore during sea watches. 

Seawatching

A Bonxie flew west past Brougham Rd on 11/1 whilst waders on the beach at Goring Gap included c20 Sanderling, a few Dunlin and 30+ Oystercatchers.

Just  two Brent Geese and Red-breasted Merganser headed west from Goring Gap on 14/1 with Red-throated Divers (3) and Great-crested Grebes (8) on the sea.

The first Marine Garden seawatch of year on 16/1 was quite productive with Red-throated Divers (9),  a close Great Northern Diver, diver sp (4) and Red-breasted Merganser (6) all seen heading east in an hour over high tide, followed by Red-throated Divers (6), Red-breasted Merganser and Razorbill (2) later that morning.

On 17/1 a Great Northern Diver flew in from the east and landed on the sea off Patterson’s Walk, Goring. 

Angmering

Shoveler (7) were noted along Black Ditch, near New/ Common Barn, Angmering on 7/1, however following the heavy rain this area flooded and proved attractive to wildfowl usually difficult to catch up with inside the 10 km boundary. The Shoveler flock increased to 22 with Wigeon (85), Teal (4) and a drake Pintail present on 18/1 along with Curlew (2), Fieldfare (35) and a Lesser Black-backed Gull.

The Downs

Very little changed on the Downs with Corn Buntings and a few Fieldfare noted around No Man’s Land / Stump Bottom on 10th, however a few days later it seemed much busier with 150+ Redwing noted between Lychpole Farm and Steyning Round Bowl (15/1).

A Cattle Egret was in the livestock fields on the west side of Steep Down near pumping station at the north end of Dankton Lane (9/1).

A Dartford Warbler was a good find at Steep Down on 15/1 along with a couple of Corn Buntings and a  large flock of 500+ Linnets, whilst a single Golden Plover flew over. 

January 2026 - It’s Bean a Good Start

                                                       Tundra Bean Goose ( Gareth James)

Renewed enthusiasm, bright sunny weather and a four day holiday period, meant plenty of local birders were out in the field keen to get 2026 off to a flying start. The drop in temperature on the continent at the end of the year coupled with snow and ice along the east coast added a bit of excitement with an arrival of birds associated with the cold weather. In complete contrast a Blackcap was already singing from a garden along Boundary Road from 4/1.

Tundra Bean Goose

The freeze on the continent had produced an arrival of Russian White-fronted Geese in to the south east and amongst their number lurked a few Tundra Bean Geese. Although the Whitefronts have yet failed to make it within the Worthing 10km boundaries, with the nearest birds a flock of c50 White-fronted Geese in the Arun Valley favouring Henfield Levels, Adam Huttly found a single Tundra Bean Goose west of Angmering early on Saturday 3rd January. 

This is a good record for West Sussex and an excellent one as it was 200m inside the Worthing 10km perimeter, confirming “West is Best” on a local as well as a county level. Its favoured field was on a public footpath favoured by local dog walkers, but thanks to their excellent cooperation the bird remained undisturbed for much of the day allowing many to catch up with this orange-billed goose.

Lapwings and Golden Plovers

A sure sign of a cold snap is the arrival of flocks of Lapwings onto the Downs and coastal fields. Numbers built up in the sheep fields west of Sompting Church, with 21 on 3/1 increasing to 50+ on 5/1 with a further 140 flying west late afternoon and at least 30 Lapwing were on the Downs north of Cissbury on 6/1. Meanwhile the fields between Manor Farm and Decoy Pond, Angmering held 40 Lapwing on 4/1 increasing to 250+ the following day.  

Amongst the Lapwing single Golden Plovers were seen over New Barn, Angmering on 4/1 and Sompting Church on 5/1. This is a surprisingly scarce bird in our area so a flock of 22 Golden Plovers with the Lapwing at the extreme western end of the 10km between Manor Farm and Decoy Pond Angmering was an excellent count on 5/1 with 20 still present on 7/1. 

The fields around Manor Farm also held Cattle Egret (2) a Merlin and a female Brambling just outside to 10 km boundary at Poling Church on 7/1.

Jack Snipe & Woodcock

Another set of species associated with spells of cold weather are Snipe and Woodcock with the frozen ground forcing birds out into the open. Upto three Woodcock were reported at dusk along Black Ditch at the start of the year with another from Sompting on 9/1. The freeze made Snipe more visible with 40 around the Common  Barn / New Barn Angmering on 4/1 and fortunate observers spotted its smaller cousin Jack Snipe at Black Ditch on 2/1 and Sompting on 5/1.

Water Rails were also more visible along Ferring Rife and two particularly showy birds were present at Brooklands.

Downland 

Following a late start on 1st January the highlights of a Downland circuit ( Cissbury / Monarch’s / Stump Bottom) included  Fieldfare (25), Redwing (10), Corn Bunting (20), Stonechat (2) & Reed Buntings (6). 

By the 6/1 the cold weather brought an increase in numbers of winter thrushes to the Downs with Fieldfare (150+) and Redwing (c25) at Stump Bottom / No Man’s Land on 6/1 along with Corn Buntings (40+), Yellowhammer (c20), Stonechat (3) and Marsh Tit. In addition a ring-tailed Hen Harrier was seen over Wiston Estate early morning.

Goring Gap / Ferring Rife

A Slavonian Grebe was on the sea off Patterson Walk, Goring, along with Red-breasted Merganser (12) on the morning of 4/1 and a Goring Gap Seawatch on 6/1 yielded Red-throated Diver (6), Razorbill (45) and Great Crested Grebe (5). 

A  Dartford Warbler was seen briefly in fields west of Ferring Rife on 4/1 along with c200 Linnet, a handful of Reed Buntings, Chaffinches and a Stonechat. The following day the same Linnet flock contained Stonechats (3), Reed Buntings (3) and Meadow Pipits (20).   

2025 Done & Dusted - December Round Up

Well that’s another year of local birding done and dusted. Despite our stretch of coastline being highly developed there has been plenty to see within the environs of Worthing.  A haul that contained a spring Bluethroat,  multiple Hoopoes, a couple of September Wrynecks and three separate November Pallas’s Warblers within our urbanised area isn’t bad. Throw in a fly over Black Stork and a photographed Ortolan Bunting, our area has punched above its weight again.

December Round Up

Inevitably December was mostly wet and grey making winter birding hard work, though bright blue skies and sunshine over the Christmas period lifted spirits even though the pickings were still slim.

Seawatching

There was little to report on the sea with Wigeon (9w) and Teal (7w) from Marine Gardens on 6/12 a drake Goosander west past Goring 19/12 and a reasonable movement of Brent Geese, with circa 350 heading east on 23/12.

A two hour watch from Brougham Road (07:50-09:50) on 30th December produced masses of distant auks with an approximate count of c1100  mostly going east but only close enough to identify were Razorbills (26).  Also observed were Red-throated Diver (19e,7w), Great Northern Diver (1w), Red-breasted Merganser (18), Great Crested Grebe (8), Common Scoter (5e) Brent Goose (2w) and Kittiwake.

Coast and Goring Gap

Nine Brent Geese were in the fields at Goring Gap on 5/12 whilst the gull roost contained Great Black-backed Gulls (16) and Mediterranean Gull  (2 ad).  Ferring Rife held Kingfisher, Water Rail and two Stonechats (29/12).

The usual waders were around with a good count of Sanderling (98), Oystercatchers (11) and Turnstone (7) on the beach opposite Sea Lane Cafe. 

Cissbury and the Downs

19th December Downland Circuit north of Cissbury : the Downs were very quiet with only small numbers of buntings and finches seen mostly along the north escarpment from Steyning Round Hill along the SDW. Birds noted included Chaffinchs (15), Corn Buntings (6), Yellowhammer (3), Stonechat and Fieldfare (6+).

22nd December : Monarch’s Way and Stump Bottom yielded very little with the most notable sighting being Painted Lady near the Downs Barn and a Peacock on the Monarch’s Way.  Apart from that a mixed flock of Redwings, Fieldfare and Mistle Thrush near No Man’s Land was the only interest.

The cold weather was presumably responsible for a flock of Lapwings (20) flying north up Findon Valley on 24/12 with further reports of  44 heading north over Angmering on 27/12.

Two adult White-tailed Eagles  displaying over Long Furlong were an impressive sight on 24/12 though they drifted north towards Chantry Hill rather than towards the observers enjoying a mince pie with their coffee on the west side of Cissbury Ring. Also present were Redwing (6), Blackbird (6), Song Thrush (2) both Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker and a flock of Lapwings  (6) heading east over the trigpoint.

30th December Downland circuit north of Cissbury: Following a similar route to 19/12, though also taking in No Man’s Land and Stump Bottom, produced similar numbers of finches, buntings and thrushes. However additionally the cold weather had brought a flock of Lapwings (39) feeding on tilled fields and the Wiston Estate workers reported 8+ Woodcocks flushed by the morning pheasant shoot. 

Many thanks to all local observers who have contributed to helping ensure news is spread quickly and responsibly via the Worthing Birding WhatsApp group. We start again in the morning - Happy New Year and good birding in 2026.

Look to the East - December Highlights

In November we featured two star birds (Tale of Two Shrikes) in the Adur Valley though technically they failed to meet the 10km criteria. This month three scarcities in the far east livened up the dreary short damp days of December.  These very popular birds were all in the well watched environs of the Adur Estuary, though all were viewable inside the Worthing 10km boundary. 

Widewater

The shallow saline lagoons of the Widewater LNR always hold good numbers of Mute Swans and Little Grebes and can be a regular haunt for Grey Heron, Little Egret and Kingfisher. It is very well watched and occasionally something much scarcer drops in though often birds move on all too quickly, the male Citrine Wagtail being an all too painful example, evading all the local birders.

A female Goosander took up residence on 10th November and was still present at year end. More excitingly a male and female Goldeneye dropped into Widewater on 20th November but unfortunately this locally scarce bird didn’t linger. Three Goosander including a male were present on 7th-8th December.

                                                        Slavonian Grebe ( Nick Oliver)

Much more obliging was a Slavonian Grebe found by Jenny Holter on the 23rd November and remained until 30th November, which delighted observers and locals alike for several days, often giving very close views. A single Brent Goose was also present with up to 15 Little Grebes and 6 Coots.

Southwick Canal

The heavily industrialised canal basin of Southwick Canal lies on the border of the Worthing 10 km radius (anything west of Power Station is included). It can attract wintering seabirds and this December played host to a popular Red-necked Grebe between 8th-11th December, which although difficult to see at times did the decent thing being seen as far west as the lock gates. 

Also present for much of December was a Great Northern Diver and up to two Shag.

                                                    Red-necked Grebe ( Jerry Campbell) 

Southwick Beach

The final treat in the east were two first winter Little Gulls feeding along the tideline from Southwick Beach. The first sighting was a single 1st year bird on 17th December from the west breakwater of the harbour before two birds were relocated off the Power Station between 19th-23rd December. These delicate gulls proved popular during their five day stay with three birds seen briefly on 22/12.

Also noted was Black Redstart (21/12) and an early easterly movement of Brent Geese (c 350e) on 23/12.

                                                       1w  Little Gull ( Nick Oliver)