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
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).
