A new tick?

As I was talking to a neighbour yesterday afternoon we noticed a large bird flying over the off shore spit...or was it? At first I thought it was a cormorant but as we watched it, it changed direction and flew back and forth up and down the spit....no bins...no camera. It turned out to be a drone being flown by a team from the coastal survey operation.Their vehicle was parked in the car park.

Earlier in the day the the work started on a 'patch up job' along the beach. This will probably be satisfactory until the next Spring tide!

Shingle is being  scraped up from the beach forming part of the nature reserve and dumped by the first rock groyne.

Residents don't have a lot of confidence in the operation ...it is certainly not a long term solution.

....but this is a blog about birds, so enough!

Not ideal birding weather and having circumnavigated the Lagoon nothing of major interest... 3 female Goldeneye, 12 Little Grebe,and Tufted Ducks. On the sea a few Gt Crested Grebes, the usual Med Gulls plus, on the high tide roost, c 300Knot/Grey Plover.

Maybe the shift in the wind direction and a drop in temperature will result in more activity.

Wet and very windy

Very little to report on this November day but those of you who know Pagham will be aware of the serious erosion us beach dwellers are suffering and may like to click on the following website which has been set up this week.

SAVE PAGHAM BEACH

North Wall....just to check on the 'hoodie'

Late morning as the light improved I wandered down to the North Wall and a group of birders was peering down Whites channel. The Hooded Merganser was fishing  but it was a long way off and views against the light were not particularly good..

Making my way alongside Breech Pool another group of birdwatchers were admiring the Snipe

..some of the Snipe feeding

and preening

  and the ever present Black Tailed Godwits.......

 Returning to the Salthouse the Hooded Merganser had got a lot closer and before very long it was swimming and feeding with the Wigeon giving good views.

 ...The Wigeon made photography difficult and the bird remained for only a short time before moving up the channel again.

A quiet morning.

An early walk to the Spit hide and back proved  somewhat disappointing until l returned, passing  the Lagoon, where a superb drake Goldeneye  was cruising and even showed a little head and neck 'jerkery'.

Apart from that a Greenfinch flock of about 75 birds, a few overflying Meadow Pipits and a  couple of Pied Wags. A Knot flock on the shingle bar ....approx 350.

                                                          Quiet...for the Spit

Got out early this morning before the forecasted rain and by 8.00am had secured another batch of images  of the Hooded Merganser in very different lighting conditions.....grey and overcast compared to the previous pics in bright, harsh sun.

Whilst I waited by the Salthouse for the bird to approach a Pied Wagtail (juv) came and looked at me

and a rather sad looking Black Headed Gull  poked about looking for some breakfast

but then 'she' appeared!

Just feast your eyes on this little beauty!

Hooded Merganser....third time lucky

After failing to obtain any photographs of this American visitor since its discovery last week, at last it was within striking distance and afforded an opportunity for me to obtain some images.

Late Summer Visitor

A real nip in the air this morning so I was surprised to find a Swallow flying to and fro along the beach. There have been some late records noted recently but this must be the latest to date!

The local  Peregrine was on his usual spot on New Island and, as I cleaned the broken glass, Vodka bottles and general debris from Spit hide I was cheered up by a flypast Kingfisher!

I notice there has been an influx of Waxwings in Shetland and in the North  generally so hopefully it wont be too long before they nudge southwards.

A new bird for our beach garden today....a Jay

Seen them as flyovers but never had one in the garden before...it only stayed two minutes!