A dull,cold and windfree day.

 Main highlight today were 12 Avocets in flight over the harbour mudflats before landing in front of the hide to feed..superb birds!

Cormorant numbers have been building up recently and today I counted over 200 just south of New Island...2 of them showing the very white heads and back of neck of the Sinensis type (but probably just adult breeding plumage showing a lot of white! )

5 Goldeneye still on the Lagoon...all female

A cold January day

About 20 Gannets flew west this morning and on looking out again from my living room window this afternoon I can see 6 Slavonian Grebes in the bay. I suppose I am somewhat spoilt living on the beach!

Have just been going through a few images taken last year and seeing if any are worth printing...

Female Blackbird feeding on Ivy berries...near Pagham Lagoon

Juvenlie Night Heron...taken in Mallorca in October

3 Gadwall on the Lagoon this morning plus female Goldeneye.
A further  6 Goldeneye in harbour entrance....included 1 drake.
7 Red Breasted Mergansers on sea.

Med Gulls

Everything fairly static here at present. A few Barwits in the harbour with the usual Curlews,Grey Plovers,Oystercatchers etc.

The rough weather of the previous weekend produced some interesting seabirds moving West i.e. Gannets,Auks,Divers ands Grebes.

Todays highlight was perhaps the 156 Mediterranean Gulls on the Lagoon

Resident Blackbird now singing and Wooppigeons beginning to look excited  about the prospect of Spring!

Bring it on!

Snow Buntings...but not on my local patch!

Following reports during the past few days of Snow Buntings at Prinsted I decided to go and find them at the first opportunity of better weather and improved lighting conditions. The sun came out at noon today so we were off and were quickly directed by another birder to the spot where they were feeding. Just as we arrived they were 'spooked' by a dog walker but soon returned  and allowed a close appoach.....a pair of nice birds.
I have posted another 3 images on Flickr.

Male Snow Bunting

Snow Bunting...male

Preening Snow Bunting

The duller female...Snow Bunting.

The Lagoon  produced 12 Goldeneye today wich included just 2 drakes. The Scaup was present along with 12 Tufted Ducks and 2 Pochard.

 A few of the Med Gulls were showing signs of adopting summer plumage...

Mediterranean Gulls on Lagoon

Off shore there was some activity with a few Eiders, Scoters and Red Breasted Mergansers moving west. A flock of  27  Pintail flew in off the sea to the harbour. The usual Knot flock were wheeling over their high tide roost being repeatedly disturbed by surf boarders ...there was an exceptinally good surf today! Dunlin were feeding along the tide line along with Turnstone and a few Grey Plover.

Knot on shingle bank

Dunlin along shore line

A Bittern at last.

Having known that there has been a Bittern (or 2 !) in the Breech Pool area for a little while and having had no joy during several visits, I eventually had success today after meeting a fellow birder who told me one had 'crashed' into the reedbed just before I arrived. After waiting patiently on the North Wall for 20 minutes or so and getting colder as the minutes ticked by the bird flew up and headed away from me towards the reeds before dropping out of view again. Not exactly a close up view but nevertheless a nice bird to see.

Apparently I also arrived a few minutes  too late to see a male Hen Harrier flying from the reedbed over the trees....story of my life!

As a matter of interest whilst looking  from my window yesterday I noted a flock of about 60 Eider Ducks flying east.

The Scaup remains in the harbour visible at a distance from the Spit hide.