Birding on the beach has been quiet recently but last week saw a large movement of Swifts moving east...the end of their summer and always the earliest to depart for winter quarters.  There was a Chiffchaff on the beach this morning flitting amongst the bushes and obviously 'feeding up' in preparation for a southward journey.
Juvenile Starlings have been teaming up and forming quite large roaming flocks...here's just one bird...

Sandwich Terns are still very much in evidence, some with sizeable sand eels...

From the Spit hide I watched an agitated Ringed Plover watching me...

She plumped up....

and then moved a little closer, sat down on a nest and started brooding...

Seems quite late in the season to start again!

Another beautiful morning!

 The Stock Doves are  still present and constantly on the move...they seem quite skittish birds.

Stock doves in flight over Pagham Spit

Ringed Plover watching me very cautiously...obviously a nest or youngsters nearby.

 The Terns were very active and these Sandwich Terns had been on a successful fishing trip and were flying back over the harbour.

Sandwich Terns...returning from a successful mission

A Mute Swan in reflective mood on the Little Lagoon.

Dozens of Gatekeepers present in the gorse.

What a great morning!

A 'welcome home' pigeon.

Having just returned from a few days in Holland where the daytime heat was almost unbearable reaching 36C on one day in Maastricht,  I was greeted by this very friendly homing pigeon...

This is an amazing bird with a wonderful mauve rump and scapulars and after being fed and watered now seems  reluctant to go 'home'!
 Little on the spit today but a pair of Stock Doves which had been frequenting the patch for a little while  are still here feeding on weed seeds. The Cuckoo appears to have departed. A couple of  stunning summer plumaged Black Tailed Godwits were feeding close to the Lagoon pathway. A Whimbrel flew from the Little Lagoon. Skylarks were evident and appeared to have youngsters...but this pigeon is my 'highlight of the day'!

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