July...a traditionally quiet month for birding.

A quick walk around Pagham Spit this morning confirmed that July IS quiet. A juvenile Whitethroat put in an appearance in the Lagoon bushes confirming my suspicions that a pair had bred successfully. A Goldfinch flew off a nest in a gorse....obviously a good year for this species as we have had many Greypates visiting the garden feeders.
In the harbour a few Curlews were feeding...

Curlew...watching me.

...but were easily disturbed and quickly took flight.

A few Oystercatchers were feeding near the (old) entrance and a pair of Ringed Plovers was calling anxiously is I returned along the beach...a good sign as they were still either brooding or had youngsters.

A lone Black Headed Gull admired its reflection in a pool .

Is that me!

Vipers Bugloss..an unusually stunted specimen very close to the high tide mark.

A Small Copper looking good on the pebbles.

In the late afternoon I headed for the North wall as David Illman had let me know of a good opportunity to photograph Swallows. I arrived and went to the suggested spot...and nothing!
On along the wall and apart from a singing Reed warbler and a Reed Bunting the only birds of interest was a distant Buzzard and half a dozen Curlew plus the usual Mallards and Coots. Two Juvenile Little Egrets were feeding up the channel leading into Breech pool. At the far end of the pool a Green Sandpiper was feeding and a few minutes later flew down to the main pool.

 Sand Martins were hawking flies...

One of several Sand Martins.

...and a Cormorant flew over

Back to the sluice gates .......and there they were! A Swallow family of three youngsters waiting to be fed. I didn't have to wait long. Soon they were being fed by the parents whilst they remained on the wing.

So despite July being quiet, there's always plenty to see!

...and thanks David for the tip off.