It certainly feels like it’s been a long wet winter but with a bit of sunshine this week the first Adders and Brimstone butterflies have been reported and there is a definite increase in bird song. So with March just around the corner and the first national reports of Sand Martin and Wheatear it is time to resurrect the Worthing Birding and Wildlife Blog.
2024 was a pretty good year within the Worthing birding area with highlights being Woodchat Shrike and Red-backed Shrike in Rustington, a day roosting Nightjar on Cissbury and a couple of latish Yellow-browed Warblers. Whilst just outside our boundaries Shoreham fared even better with a long staying Cirl Bunting and autumn Ospreys that were enjoyed by many, and if you were quick enough off the mark a superb Caspian Tern, which was only present for a couple of hours. Frustratingly a stunning male Citrine Wagtail at Widewater slipped through the net, only being identified from photos retrospectively.
This shows our relatively built up strip of coast and close proximity to the Downs can still attract good birds, so as we move into Spring we can expect some more surprises along with returning summer breeders and migrating waders and seabirds. We will try and report the more interesting sightings here as well as a more general migration update as the season progresses.
