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A good day with some interesting birdlife and some good company as well. A Chimney Swift had been found yesterday in York where it was habiting the town centre. It was seen early this morning and sporadically throughout the day and so, if it hangs around for the weekend, I will probably take the long journey north to twitch it. But for now, I was heading into West Sussex for I had an appointment at 7pm this evening.
The day kicked off with a quick look on Ivy Lake, Chichester Gravel Pits for possible Black Tern but I was too be disappointed. There was hardly anything of note, except for a few House Martens and Swifts skimming over the water. The weather looked a bit overcast with the threat of rain and so I headed down to the Ferry Pool.
The majority of waders on the Pool were Black-tailed Godwits which numbered53 birds, with most being in summer plumage but some did show signs of moult. Up to four Common Sandpipers were seen along the waters edge and four summer plumaged Dunlin fed at the far end of the pool. Best of all were a small flock of eight Yellow legged Gulls, a good month tick, resting within the middle of the Pool. There were four adults and four juveniles, which showed well during my stay. Coincidentally, this species is a special feature in this months Birdwatch magazine too!
After raiding the Farmshop near the Ferry Pool for my dinner, I headed off to the Bill for a good seawatch, especially due to the fact a good Southerly wind was blowing. I joined a fellow birder called Tim and suddenly the afternoon became a pleasant one. Whilst watching the seabirds go through, which was very quiet despite good conditions for seawatching, I caught up on some rumours and stories about the birdlife in the area over the years.
The birdlife, meanwhile, was dominated by Gannets going through, though most were very distant but some did come within a quarter of a mile away. Up to two adult Kittiwakes were seen flying low in a westerly direction. A dark bellied Brent Goose flew west low along the shoreline, again, one of the summering birds in the area. Three Common Scoter flew west, two females and a drake while three female Eiders swam distantly near the basket. Good numbers of Terns, notably Common and Sandwich went past but up to five Little Terns were seen fishing distantly offshore. We were hoping for Shearwaters, but though two Shearwater species flew through, they were extremely distant and there was no way we could positively identify them. Groan! So, after four hours of seawatching, I headed off for a kip within Church Norton car park!
Left, some of the Yellow legged Gulls on the Ferry Pool and right, one of the Black tailed Godwits on the same Pool this morning.
