Bird movements.

A few Wheatears on the beach today and many Linnets with young in the gorse...its been a good breeding season for Linnets. On the wader front numbers are increasing and a lot more Dunlin in various stages of plumage are now present. Greenshanks can be seen from the hide at low tide when the mud is exposed and Ringed Plovers and a few Grey Plovers are about. A few Sandwich Terns flew west and Sand Martins (and noticeably no House Martins) likewise. There was a report of a couple of Knot about and an Osprey was seen and reported on Birdguides!

Is it a bird? is it a plane?

Well actually no....it is a Hovercraft in the harbour at eight 0'clock this morning. Not many waders about for some reason...hovercraft are VERY noisy. I guess it was from the Environment Agency as it was stopping every so often to take water/mud samples.

Willow Warblers and a few Whitethroats were in the bushes but the highlight was a group of 8 Cormorants flying into the harbour peacefully when a Peregrine suddenly appeared and singled out one and gave chase. At the last moment it veered off as the remainder of the small flock turned back as if if to help and the Peregrine disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared.

I re-fixed the flap in the Spit hide as the Swallows have now gone and don't appear to be returning even at night as they have done since fledging last Monday. When returning home at 11.30am 5 Wheatears had arrived and were feeding along the path.

A Wheatear returns

I have seen returning Wheatears a a few days earlier than this most years but they always indicate to me that Autumn migration is underway. A few Willow Warblers were also present plus a Whitethroat lurking in the the gorse. The Spit is alive with Linnets at present with several family parties searching for food on the ground. The highlight for me today was the family of Swallows permitting a close enough approach for some reasonable photography...see www.flickr.com/photos/pagman/
2 Peregrines were sitting stationary on New Island; numbers of Curlew are steadily building. A number of moulting Mediteranean Gulls were roosting on a mud bank with a dozen or so Sandwich Terns.

They've fledged!!

The Swallows have successfully fledged and were flying in and out of the hide this morning.

Swallows again!

An early inspection of the nesting Swallows yesterday morning revealed that the door had been opened despite being wired up and the open observation flaps had been shut. Thankfully, I had removed one flap in case of such an eventuality. The swallow parents were flying round anxiously so I quickly opened the flaps and secured the door after first ascertaining the youngsters were still in the nest, took a record shot and beat a hasty retreat.

(The previous evening as it was getting dark I noticed 3 lads with fishing rods appoaching the end of the spit and in the gloaming saw them through binoculars fishing in front of the hide...)

The good news is that the parents were feeding them again this morning!

One of several Willow Warblers

Yesterday morning started well with a flurry of warblers in the gorse along the track to the hide...several Willow Warblers a Whitethroat and quite unexpectedly a Sedge Warbler.
Unfortunately, someone had been into the hide where the Swallows are nesting and left the door swinging and banging in the wind. They hadn't even fixed the wire back around the clasp. The good news is that the Swallow parents were still feeding and continue to do so today...they must fledge soon.
A visit to Pulborough Brooks produced a Greenshank, several Redshanks, Common Sandpipers and a single Green Sandpiper. For me however the bird of the day was a splendid male Crossbill 'chipping' on the topmost branch of a pine tree.

Back on Pagham Spit today it is quite quiet with a few passing Sandwich Terns and few waders except for a couple of Whimbrel and the usual Oystercatchers etc. There has been a steady westerly movement of hirundines, mostly Sand Martins. I am expecting a returning Wheatear any time now. My records show that they usually show up July 31/August 1.

On the move...

Certainly Painted Lady butterflies were on the move again today with a real influx being noted during the past couple of days but especially today, they were everywhere...brambles,beach and budleia(25 at a time in the one bush!)
Swifts were moving westwards together with a few Swallows; Sandwich Terns were noted again but not as many as recent days in the harbour; Common Sandpipers were seen in the harbour and on the Lagoon and Whimbrel were heard.
The Swallows are still very busy feeding their nestlings in the hide and I suspect they will fledge any day now!