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.
