Bird Race 2012: For those of you who want to hear our attempt to dislodge The Bald Eagles from their perch you can now tune-in and listen to episode four of our internet podcast ('The Natural History of Sussex') on our website This episode was recorded during our bird race attempt in West Sussex on January 7th. From the comfort of your armchair you can follow our team (The Almondlards) as we secretly sea-watch at Selsey, count crossbills at Iping and frantically search for the Rough-legged Buzzard at Burpham - while skillfully avoiding every Nuthatch in West Sussex. Well done to all the teams (apart from the ones that beat us) who took part this year. (Michael Blencowe, Graeme Lyons & Mat Davidson).

One pochard in the shallows, two great crested grebes - one a juvenile.

Two of the snow buntings gave a good prolonged display, preening, Friday morning (the third moved away): amazingly confiding. A redshank on the mudflats seemed to have an injured right leg.

On the way down to the sea I saw a Black Redstart on the cliff tops. Three Stonechats were also flying around and perching on the bushes. It is hard to miss the Stonechats on the clifftops. We have actually had them in the front garden. I was sad to see a Guillemot on the pebble beach with oil covering half of its front. Sussex Wildlife rescue did try and help it but it was too quick back into the water.

On my way to Chichester today I called at Burpham and had cracking views of the Bewick's Swan flock numbering approx 30 birds grazing the water meadows below the church and also a calling Chiffchaff. Fishbourne Creek: Firecrest in the car park, out in the channel Little Stint, 2 Greenshank and a single Whimbrel plus 7 Goldeneye .The Green Sandpiper was in the stream near the sewage works and nearby 6 Common Snipe and 2 Rock Pipits. 

Thanks for assistance in re-sizing.

Old Lodge: four Woodlark and a pair of Stonechats. Rodmell: two Short-eared Owls at 3.50pm, great views of one sitting on a fence post (apologies to the man from Telscombe who had to leave at 3pm).

A short walk around East Head this afternoon proved to be extremely productive. We found the 3 Snow Buntings showing very close in the fenced off area at the very tip of East Head with a Sandwich Tern overhead. There were also 8 Sanderling on the beach and as you arrived at East Head in the field on the right were well over 200 Golden Plover in amongst the Brent Geese and Lapwing.

Lots of bird activity today at Old Lodge. We saw coal tit, blue tit, great tit, robin, blackbird, goldcrest, chaffinch, fieldfare, bullfinch, great spotted woodpecker, crow, siskin, lots of lesser redpolls (20+) and - to my suprise - a flock of reed buntings (10+). On the way back to the car park, I finally spotted about 3 crossbills (see pic). No 'rare' birds but still a lovely sunny afternoon's birding. What I enjoyed the most today was listening to several great tits and coal tits singing their little hearts out. Spring has officially arrived!

A pair of Bearded Tits present in the reeds around the Breech Pool at midday, photo of ringed male was going to be attached, but difficulty in re-sizing prevented it. If anyone out there can give send me a mail on correct proceedure in re-sizing i would be much obliged, I use Photoshop Elements 9 and/or Lightroom 3.

(Software can be downloaded free from the web which will allow photos to be re-sized. If you google 're-size photos' you will find plenty to choose from - Ed).

Water rail and firecrest - still present in usual spots. Single pink-footed goose on north brooks from late morning with greylags and 12 white-fronted geese present at up to 08.00 before heading south. Several snipe showing well from Winpenny hide. At first light on Saturday two barn owls hunting the north brooks and a croaking raven. Amberley Wildbrooks - ringtail hen harrier, peregrine, kestrel and at least 3 buzzards, plus ca.80 black-tailed godwits and at least 8 ruff amongst lapwing flocks.

A very enjoyable visit yesterday late afternoon revealed the following: Short-eared Owl - 3, Peregrine - 1 male, Merlin - 1, female Water Rail - heard calling in the ditch near the water station, Stonechat - 1 pair, Shelduck - 1 and Reed Bunting - at least 60 present.

A sleek, metallic blue male Merlin flew fast across the road in front us as we returned to Mayfield from Five Ashes around midday. Not having seen Merlin in this area before to see first a female a couple of weeks ago and now a male was a real local treat.

If all goes according to plan, Graham Roberts and his filming of Swifts which breed in his roof space will be shown on "The One Show" on BBC1 tonight at 7pm.

Highlights at Rye Harbour over the last few days have included, on the Beach Reserve, Spotted Redshank and Merlin, and on Harbour Farm at least five Goldeneye (including two males) and three Bearded Tits in front of Watch Cottages. At Castle Water, highlights were six Black-tailed Godwit, five Ruff, three Marsh Harriers, three Red-crested Pochards (two males), at least two Bitterns and a Barn Owl.

Excellent visibility and birds passing extremely close in to the beach made sea watching a joy today. The highlights of a five hour vigil from 08.15 were an Arctic Skua going E at 08.50 and so close in to the shore that it was hidden behind the gravel on the beach until almost past me - forcing me (reluctantly) to abandon the relative comfort of the shelter and move down to Splash Point itself where I joined Sharafin Gardiner and Matthias Deschryvere. In addition, we also recorded: Red-throated Diver, 26E and 2W; diver sp.16E; Guillemot 19E, 1o/s; Razorbill 12E, 2o/s; auk sp. 21E, 3W; Brent Goose 342E, 5W - impressive but scarcely the sort of numbers recorded elsewhere!; Gannet 73E; Great Crested Grebe 7E, 1o/s; Eider IW male; Wigeon 11E; Shoveler a pair E; Shelduck 7E and, last but by no means least, Velvet Scoter 2E (but embarrassingly belated identified). Matthius and I then went on to Seaford Head where little of interest showed itself until in the Cuckmere just above Exceat bridge some very precise information from David and John Cooper helped us find one of the two Yellow-legged Gulls present (I told them I would only find one!). All in all, a very pleasant morning before home to enjoy a belated and much needed breakfast at 15.15.

Walked from the Information Centre via Sidlesham towards Pagham Village and spotted 4 possibly 5 Bearded Tits in the reed bed to the left of the sea wall just prior to leaving the reserve just before Pagham village. Not a very good picture of one of them but attached anyway.

A fine male Hen Harrier - possibly the same bird seen intermittently in last quarter of 2011 - seen coming in to roost in the heather shortly after sunset.Then in the fading light two Short-eared Owls briefly flitted about like a couple of enormous moths - magical!

Prior to the late afternoon count there were 32 Bewick's Swan at Burpham including 3 juveniles. The ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARD was showing very well from the Triangle above Burpham as well as the very pale Common Buzzard, also a Hen Harrier and 40+ Corn Buntings. Onto Fishbourne where there was one each of Little Stint, Spotted Redshank, Green Sandpiper and Whimbrel. The WeBS count produced the following: Dark-bellied Brent Geese 1450; BLACK BRANT 1 adult (but a different individual to the one seen here in December 2011); Red-breasted Merganser 17; Teal 373; Wigeon 23; Mallard 19; Golden Plover 267; Grey Plover 27; Lapwing 111; Curlew 35; Black-tailed Godwit 17; Oystercatcher 51; Redshank 58; Spotted Redshank 1; Greenshank 1; Dunlin 232; Knot 2; Common Snipe 9; Jack Snipe 1; Razorbill 1; Great Crested Grebe 4; Little Egret 3; Grey Heron 1. Finally the 3 Snow Buntings were still at the roped off area at the end of East Head.

A good afternoon spent at West Dean today. Four Marsh Tits near Lodge Hill Farm amongst a flock of other tits and finches, a single Firecrest showing well at the end of the track, and 3 or 4 Buzzards calling over head. We then continued to Stapleash Farm where there were at least 20 Crossbills and around 30 Siskins, also 20+ Redpolls high above the conifers, 2 Coal Tits, 1 Firecrest, 1 Goldcrest and a single Treecreeper.