A Hobby circling over our house at around 7pm this evening. A few Swifts moving through. Our House Martins seem to have gone.

Two geese amongst starlings, pigeons and rooks, in the field north of West Wittering car park, 4pm lying down head to wind, 6.30pm feeding. Dark-bellied Brents? The smaller one with no white on the neck, a juvenile?

A cuckoo was perched at the top of an ash tree in an "off the beaten track" part of Ashdown Forest where it remained for some time calling. Also seen was a singing tree pipit and at Colemans Hatch cricket pavilion a pied wagtail was feeding a single youngster.

At 7pm, I re-found the female GOLDEN ORIOLE as it was observed flying strongly NW up Cradle Valley towards Bo-Peep. Well done Dad on the find. Horrid pictures on http://seafordbirding.blogspot.com

I saw a male bullfinch and a green woodpecker at the Hurstpiepoint allotments. First ever bullfinch seen there by me in 15 years. Several swifts overhead too. Just had a week on the Orkneys, wow, a must visit place for all keen birders, it was fabulous.

Whilst doing a transect in somewhat dodgy weather on Frog Firle a female GOLDEN ORIOLE flew across in front of me and landed in the top of a bush about 100yds away. It then turned around so I had good views of both its front and back!! This was at 4.15pm on Cradle Hill opposite the new building on the new vinyard. Matt is still up there hoping to relocate it.

Re my previous posting of Siskins for more on this please visit http://westfieldwildlife.wordpress.com/ Thank you.

At 11.30 a Red Kite was being mobbed by noisy Herring Gulls above North Ferring shops.

On reaching the North Wall - Pagham Harbour at 8.30am this morning I saw 27 Black-tailed Godwits on the Breech Pool plus a handsome summer plumaged Curlew Sandpiper which flew off to the northeast five minutes later.

Glimpsed a red kite drifting over Chiddingly area at 10.30 this morning.

A video of the birds on my youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/wightvogels

A drake Red-crested Pochard was on the reservoir off the dam at Arlington Reservoir this evening. A few images at http://eastsussexbirding.blogspot.co.uk/

A turtle dove caught in a polytunnel at Ivyhouse Nurseries, Ivyhouse Lane, Hastings. After four lengths of the polytunnel, it flew out the open end. We were standing in the middle on our own looking at plants.

We've had great tits nesting in the bird box on our shed... Delighted to report that at least three and maybe four chicks successfully fledged.. Parents very active feeding.. we've been putting out fruity nibbles... proving extremely popular although not so good for our bird food budget! With reference to other postings about the "silent spring", anecdotally around these parts, the spring birdsong (mainly blackbirds & song thrushes) has been fantastic this year.

Another 16+ Jays NW over the Bill this morning continued the bizarre sequence of spring sightings of this species. Also 2 Arctic and 1 Great Skua and 150+ Commic Terns. Full details on Selsey blog.

I think I saw an osprey flying over Ardingly Reservoir this morning. Can anyone comment, please, as I'm just a beginner. Also kingfishers active, viewed from the hide in the Loder Valley Reserve.

We have been feeding birds all year, Siskins have been regular visitors as well as Goldfinches, Greenfinches and various other birds. Because the Siskins have visited the feeders still in the last few weeks I suspected they might be breeding in the village (Westfield) somewhere, today we saw parents feeding three very young birds which confirms what I first thought.

Sussex Wildlife Trust would like visitors to their nature reserve at Waltham Brooks near Pulborough to be aware that the car park is closed. The car park is not owned by Sussex Wildlife Trust and the leaseholder, West Sussex County Council, has decided not to renew the lease. Sadly this situation is out of our control. We apologise for any inconvenience caused to our members or other visitors to the nature reserve.

I was having a wander around Woods Mill in Henfield in the hope of seeing or at least hearing some Turtle Doves but to no avail, but things looked up when two Red Kites drifted over me at height -  my first sighting of these stunning birds in Sussex. Poor record photo attached.

A strange day when conditions were overcast with a keen northerly wind. My first visit recorded a pair of Siskins at the dam end, not exactly what I was expecting, they were in the trees on the north side of the car park wood, calling and showing nicely. On the dam a Common Sandpiper plus the pair of Little Ringed Plovers, whilst overhead 180+ Swifts were feeding in the company of 45 or so House Martins. I briefly popped in to the west end, the best bird noted here was a Reed Warbler, with little else noted, not even the terns, I left for home. For whatever reason I returned at 10.30 to the dam and sat it out for sometime going through the many Swifts, watching their aerial antics in awe. A Green Woodpecker showed very well on the dam but little else of note was seen here. So continuing to watch the skies I picked up a flock of 55 Jackdaw that passed over heading N, also several Stock Doves, at least 12 noted, and four Jays. I was surprised by the mix of gulls that were passing through, firstly 12 gulls arrived for five minutes. Nine were Herring of varying ages plus an adult Great Black-backed, near adult Lesser Black-backed and a 1st summer Common Gull. These were the forerunners of a steady passage of mostly Herring Gulls, another 43 flew through. With them another adult Great Black-backed, four variously aged Lesser Black-backed, plus eight more 1st summer Common Gulls. Other birds noted today included a pair of Common Terns, these flew in from the north from who knows where, also a male Sparrowhawk was seen among the Swifts. Around the car park Goldcrest, Coal Tit, Marsh Tit, Blackcap and Whitethroat were noted as usual. It was also nice to hear three repetitive Song Thrushes in song plus a Blackbird or two with their lovely phrases.