The first Wheatear

 ....and what a stonker!

 A superb male on the Spit near the old car park.

Great to see this herald of Spring.

Brent Geese....preparing for departure.

 I have a note in my diary that March 10 is departure time for Brent Geese to leave Pagham Harbour for their breeding grounds in the north...at least this is the date that I have noted many times that hundreds of geese fly out of the harbour straight out to sea before turning sharp left heading east. So today I wandered down the east side of the harbour to say my good byes and literally hundreds of geese were were chatting to each other - noisily...a sure sign they were planning for the long journey. Perhaps they were aware that a storm had been forecast and a force 8 gale was about to hit us tomorrow.

Flocks were on the move between the fields and the mudflats.

Some were feeding and just hanging around waiting for the right moment to move on.

A lone Pale Breasted Brent was amongst hundreds of the familiar Dark Breasted. 

...and a single Barnacle Goose that has been associating with the Brent for several weeks.

Black Headed Gulls are gaining their summer plumage....

The Lagoon has attracted a number of Mediterranean  Gulls recently and many of them are now sporting their black heads...a sure sign spring is on the way

...and lastly a few garden birds...

This male Blackcap has been present on and off during the winter together with a female. I am surprised he enjoys sunflower kernels but they also seem to spend a lot of time feeding in the Camellia flowers, very often their  faces covered in nectar.

Blackbird....unfortunately taken by a Sparrow Hawk last week.

Coal Tit...one of a pair which seem to have taken up residence here.

Blue Tit

Robin....one of two pairs now regularly engaged in territorial fisticuffs!

The regular Wood  Pigeon.

That's it for now...roll on end of lockdown!