Winter 2016 - Goring

As followers of this blog may know, one of the area's I try and keep an eye on in winter months is at Goring, especially the roosts that accumulate here on the surrounding fields. This has proved fairly fruitful, with Iceland and Glaucous Gull's being found here in previous winters. Some crisp winter morning's allowed for some of Goring's resident birds to be photographed

Black-headed Gull - this individual had started to moult into it's breeding plumage very early!

Common Gull - hoping a Ring-billed Gull will drop in with these guys one day!

Kestrel - has been favouring the east side of the gap and can sometimes be seen hunting the back fields

Magpie - always look daper this time of year, a bird full of character

Sanderling - this individual on the beach with colour rings, unfortunatley unabe to retrieve any information on this individual as some rings are missing from it's left leg as is the bird's foot. Dave Potter also photographed this individual last winter at Goring. 

December 2016 - Rose-coloured Starling - Crawley

This young Rose-coloured Starling has been residing in gardens in Beachy Road in Broadfield, Crawley and paid this bird a visit in early December. Juvenille's are usually a drab affair, but this bird was already moulting and if it hangs around, who knows, we may well see it as a full adult and a completly different looking bird. The locals are feeding the bird well and were very friendly and inquisitive about the birds presence, hopefully it will hang around....

This photo featured in February's 2017 Birdwatching magazine

December 2016 - Local Snow Bunting

Snow Bunting are pretty regular along our local stretch of beach here in Worthing, I never tire of seeing them and they are generally confiding although this individual was pretty flighty and took some tracking down, not really a surprise considering how busy the area gets with dog walkers/joggers etc, The bird only remained in the area for around 4 days, but proved rather popular with local birders and photographers when it did show. It mainly fed along the coastal path, but I also observed this individual feeding in the ploughed field opposite the beach with Skylarks, flying back to the coastal path calling as it flew

Short video of the bird here on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RAzpGaVEvA

September 2016 - Sussex Birds

September on the Sussex coast enabled me to catch-up with a couple of scarcities. The Red-backed Shrike at Newhaven Tidemills showed brilliantly during it's stay. I went on a Saturday and the light faded as I was there but was great watching the bird hunt insects and also singing. I also have video footage whilst Yellow Wagtails were calling as they migrated overhead.

The Wryneck at Climping was not so easy and was typically elusive, I managed a quick record shot as it flew up from the beach into nearby cover and only gave very brief flight views before finally coming back to the beach again a couple of hours later, 

Red-backed Shrike - Newhaven Tidemills - September 2016

Wryneck - Climping - September 2016