August 31st 2018

GORING GAP: Trektellen Movement was evident as soon as the whistle blew this morning, maintained full flow until mid-morning and trickled on till about midday. I ended up with 260 Yellow Wagtails through, almost entirely east (and including flocks of up to 42), with 1,180 Swallows, 70 Sand Martins, 23 House Martins, a Swift, two Meadow Pipits heading the same way. Nine Grey Wagtails added further spice to the day as they clinked overhead and a single Pied Wagtail headed west. A juvenile Red Kite cruised west and a couple of glances offshore revealed a Shelduck and a Gannet. Grounded migrants included three Redstarts, a Tree Pipit, a Whinchat, four Wheatears, a Willow Warbler, seven Whitethroats and a Blackcap. The Treecreeper was calling in the Plantation, where a Coal Tit was singing. A flock of 17 Dunlin flew strongly inland and wader counts included seven Oystercatchers, 36 Ringed Plovers, 70 Turnstones and 13 Sanderlings. 15 Sandwich Terns entered the roost field and 22 Little Egrets and three Common Gulls were also noted. DKC

Whinchat DKC

female Redstart - the other two were 1CY males DKC

juvenile Red Kite DKC

Wheatear DKC

August 30th 2018

GORING GAP: Yesterday will be written up soon but highlights then included a Redstart, five Whinchats and four Wheatears.


WEST WORTHING: Working out in the garden today, I heard a couple of fly-over Yellow Wagtails and a Coal Tit was singing next door. Analysis of my nocturnal recording from last night revealed a small flock of Sandwich Terns and - to my astonishment - a very clear few seconds of Wood Sandpiper calls as two birds passed over just after midnight. DKC

Wood Sandpiper sonogram

August 29th 2018

GORING GAP: Little Egrets feeding on the beach increased to 64. With them were two Grey Herons, 41 Ringed Plovers, a Sanderling, five Turnstones, a Redshank and an adult Mediterranean Gull. Eight Sandwich Terns ventured into the roost field. I started to walk the Gap but it wasn't long before the rain set in. This didn't put off a male Firecrest from calling and eventually bursting into song near the playing field though, nor did it deter me from trying to cover some ground. This produced five Whinchats, four Wheatears, a female Redstart, two Whitethroats and two Willow Warblers. Three of the Whinchats, the Redstart and two of the Wheatears formed an entertaining flock feeding right out in one of the fields in the rain. 23 Yellow Wagtails flew overhead, as did a Pied Wagtail and 11 Sand Martins and 60 or so Swallows. Rain prevented total coverage! DKC/GDM/GJ

Whinchats

August 28th 2018

GORING GAP: Trektellen. Nine Whimbrel were a nice surprise on the beach this morning before they headed east. Counting the Little Egrets led to an impressive tally of 40, while Oystercatchers numbered just 10. A Grey Heron was also feeding and I heard a Redshank. The northwest corner held a female Redstart and a Spotted Flycatcher. Two Lesser Whitethroats, 11 Whitethroats, three Willow Warblers and three Blackcaps were noted. Four Yellow Wagtails and two Grey Wagtails flew over, as did nine Sand Martins and six Swallows. 20 Sandwich Terns were using the roost field, along with 53 Ringed Plovers, two adult Sanderlings, a juvenile Dunlin and 89 Turnstones. Nine Mediterranean Gulls included five northbound birds, and four Common Gulls were seen. Four Great Crested Grebes were resting just offshore, while a tight group of six Cormorants was feeding. Three Jackdaws were notable and a Coal Tit was in the northwest corner. DKC/NB/GDM
 

Spotted Flycatcher DKC

six of nine Whimbrel DKC

Common Whitethroat NB

WEST WORTHING: A Sparrowhawk flew over Boundary Road DKC

August 27th 2018

GORING GAP: A quick morning visit, pretty birdless on a mini circuit, the Whinchat was still present in the routh field in the southern end, tagging along with a lone House Sparrow. A Mute Swan flew east over the gap NB

WEST WORTHING: A Tree Pipit flew over Boundary Road, where there was a Willow Warbler in the garden. DKC

Whinchat - NB

August 26th 2018

GORING GAP: Trektellen. Gulls featured strongly today with our second Caspian Gull of the year for the Gap (and all time), a juvenile moulting into first-winter plumage, roosting in the southwest field this morning. Two Yellow-legged Gulls (1CY and 3CY), the first juvenile Great Black-backed Gull of the year and 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls were also seen but Common Gull numbers remained low at just three. Sandwich Terns have begun to use the field, with 22 there today. Ringed Plovers increased to 60 - in the field late morning, along with 18 Turnstones. The beach held 22 Little Egrets, 11 Oystercatchers and two Dunlin. Passerine migrants included two Tree Pipits and six Yellow Wagtails overhead, a female Redstart at the pumping station, a singing male Firecrest along Ilex Avenue, a Whinchat and a Reed Warbler by the dead-end road, three Whitethroats, a Blackcap, seven Willow Warblers and a Pied Wagtail. The Treecreeper was still in the Plantation. A half-hour seawatch in dire conditions around midday produced two Grey Plovers, two Fulmars and three Sandwich Terns. DKC/NB

1CY Caspian Gull

1CY Caspian Gull

1CY Yellow-legged Gull

August 25th 2018

GORING GAP: Between 0700 and 0830; Two Wheatears on the beach and in the NW corner 
(only part I looked at)  8 Willow Warblers, 2 Whitethroats, a Blackcap, 
and a female Redstart. Also 6 Chaffinches. No overhead movement seen or heard CH
WEST WORTHING: Leaving the recorder out last night produced digital firsts for the garden in the form of a Sandwich Tern late evening and two Redshanks over together in the early hours, as well as a bonus Yellow Wagtail around dawn. DKC