Round up - 16th - 31st August

 The Downs

Sorry for the late posting but the last two weeks of August have been far too good to be sat at home working on the computer. Warm sunshine, blue skies and light easterlies have meant there was plenty of coverage of the high ground from Beeding & Mill Hill, Steyning Round Hill, Cissbury and Highdown and all points in between. This has resulted in good daily counts of all our common migrants with those lucky enough to have the time enjoying multiple Redstarts, Whinchats, Wheatears, Spotted Flycatchers and the regular Warblers.

Highlights

Three Wrynecks in the Cissbury / Monarch’s Way area between 17/8 & 28/8 is worthy of its own separate post.

The only Pied Flycatchers of the month were seen briefly on Cissbury and west of Steyning on 25/8 but unfortunately neither lingered. A Reed Warbler was at Highdown on 17/8 and Cissbury on 31/8, whilst Crossbill was seen on Cissbury on 22/8.

Raptors included a lingering Marsh Harrier seen over Farmers Memorial, Steyning Round Hill on 24/8 and again north of Cissbury on 29/8, whilst Hobbies were recorded over Highdown, Cissbury, Findon Gallops, Sompting and Monarch’s Way.

                                                      Whinchat Cissbury (Nick Oliver)

To give a flavour of the numbers of migrants, coverage by multiple observers across our area on Friday 22nd August produced a conservative combined total of Redstarts (13), Whinchats (28), Wheatear (36), Spotted Flycatchers (18), Yellow Wagtails (16) as well as Lesser Whitethroats (6), Garden Warblers (3) and many Willow Warblers and Blackcaps.

                                                  Spotted Flycatcher - Cissbury (Nick Oliver)

Whinchats - small groups daily with peak counts from Monarchs Way (9) on 24/8, Steyning Round Hill (11) on 22/8 and Cissbury (5) on 31/8.

Wheatears - again present in small numbers with largest groups from Sompting (9) on 16/8 and Steyning Round Hill (15) on 28/8.

Redstarts -  daily with peak counts of Findon Gallops (5) on 17/8, Chanctonbury (6) on 22/8, Cissbury (8) on 28/8 and (7) on 31/8.

Spotted Flycatchers - present daily in small numbers with peak counts from Highdown (8) on 16/8 & 22/8 and Cissbury (10) on 16/8 & 28/8.

Yellow Wagtails - the first were reported from Highdown (7) and Monarch’s Way (20) on 17/8. Small numbers were seen daily until 25/8 when 40+ were with cows in fields north of Cissbury with a peak count of circa 150 on 31/8.

Tree Pipits - mostly recorded as fly overs with records from Durrington (3) on 22/8, Cissbury (4) 24/8 and singles 28/8 & 29/8, Lancing Ring (3) on 30/8.

                                                   Tree Pipit Lancing Ring ( Nick Bond)

                                                        Redstart - Cissbury ( Nick Oliver)

The Coast

Most of the action was from the Downs but Whinchat, Wheatear (2) and Spotted Flycatchers (2) were at Goring Gap on 16/8 and Swifts (8), Sand Martins (8) and Swallows (40) flew over Ferring on 18/8.

On 22/8 Wheatears (4), Whinchat (2) and Yellow Wagtails (8w,4e) were at Goring Gap with Bar-tailed Godwit, Redshank (9), Dunlin (3) and Ringed Plover (26) on beach. Whilst on 23/8 there was a significant movement of Swallows (400e) a sure sign of the changing seasons as we move towards September. 

Wryneck Bonanza !

Strap in -  It’s been quite a period for Wrynecks in the Cissbury area over the last two weeks of August. This cryptically plumaged European woodpecker is much enjoyed by those lucky enough to catch up with them but can cause frustration for those trying to relocate typically elusive birds. 

                                                Wryneck - Monarch’s Way ( Matt Bowley) 

Wryneck are perhaps one of the most wanted self finds of the autumn being a scarce migrant, but one that turns up in small numbers each year. Encouraged by a good early run of common migrants Matt and Paul Bowley ventured up Cissbury on Sunday 17th August, and having already seen both male and female Redstart and two Spotted Flycatchers headed down Monarch’s Way to the area of set-a-side much favoured by Whinchats and Wheatears.

Much to his surprise Matt discovered a Wryneck sitting up amongst weeds and was composed enough to take some excellent photos. News was quickly circulated via the local WhatsApp groups and Matt and Paul were able to get other birders onto this furtive bird. True to form the bird then became typically elusive and disappeared for over 2 1/2 hours before finally popping up again in front of waiting birders including Matt’s brother, who had declined the chance to join them that morning.  It was seen again late afternoon and then finally just before sunset, but there was no sign the following day.

Remarkably a second Wryneck was seen briefly near the Rifle Butts on the south-east side of Cissbury on 20/8 but it couldn’t be relocated later in the day. Finally Nick Bond found yet another of these scarce migrants near the upper Cissbury car park on 28/8 amongst a fall of Spotted Flycatchers (10) and Redstarts (8) and other common migrants. Again it was typically elusive but did show later in the morning before going to ground once more.

Three separate Wrynecks across a 12 day period seems quite remarkable, and although it may be tempting to think these relate to just one bird the area is well covered on a near daily basis. As the birds were seen in three widely separated areas they almost certainly relate to three different arrivals. 

A fourth was seen briefly in private fields at Kingston Gorse on 31/8 but couldn’t be relocated.