I first suggested the idea of a Sussex Bird Race back in January. Since then we had decided on a possible new route. In previous years we had started at Arundel where as this year we were to start at Westdean Woods for the dawn chorus. From there we planned to go to Selsey Bill for a seawatch, stopping at Ambersham Common on the way to tick of Woodlark, Tree Pipit, and Dartford Warbler. From Ambersham we were to go to Arundel and then on to Waltham Brooks and finish at Pulborough Brooks. We considered a total of 130 to be attainable and calculated that it would be possible to see 140 species if we missed absolutely noting.
I awoke at 3am having had, at most, three and a half-hours sleep. Within twenty minutes Peter and I were out of the door and listening to the call of a Whimbrel flying over. By 3:30 we had picked up Ian and Michael and were on our way along the A27 to our dawn chorus site, Westdean Woods. With very little traffic on the roads we made good time and arrived at Westdean shortly before 4:30. It was still dark as we got out of the car just as another team pulled up.
The first bird of the day was a singing Songthrush, quickly followed by Blackbird, Robin, Chiffchaff, Wren, and Pheasant. Peter was the first to hear a reeling Grasshopper Warbler but it was a couple of minutes before Ian and I tuned our ears in. A Tawny Owl was calling distantly which turned out to be our only owl of the day. Willow Warbler and Blackcap were also singing. As we entered the conifer woods we paused to listen for Firecrests but were unable to pick any out from the numerous signing Goldcrests. A Woodpigeon was calling followed by a singing Chaffinch.
At 5:15 we actually saw our first bird of the day, a Robin. As we descended the brow of the hill a Buzzard started calling. We were pleased to get Buzzard, although we had another two later in the day at Ambersham Common. Whitethroat was the next bird on the list followed by a singing Garden Warbler, its song clearly different from Blackcap being much faster, scratchier, and generally less musical.
A couple of stocky finches perched at the top of a pine weren`t Crossbills, as we first thought, but Greenfinches. Just before we completed a circle of the conifer woods we found a singing Firecrest. We couldn`t see it but its song was distinctive, similar to Goldcrest, but shorter and lacking the trill at the end.
As we walked back down the path to the car we heard and then saw a Marsh Tit, shortly followed by a flock of twittering Long-tailed Tits. A Cuckoo called. Great Tit and Blue Tit soon joined the list but it seemed we weren`t destined to complete the set with there being no sign of a Willow Tit.
As we got back to the car three Lapwings flew over and a Dunnock was singing. Carrion Crow joined the list as we drove down the windy roads through Westdean Woods. Two of the members of the team saw a Jackdaw fly over but it was to be another hour and a half before we got the other half. We picked up a few common birds on route with a Collared Dove at Singleton, Starling, House Sparrow, and Swallow at Cocking and a pair of Canada Geese at Graffham. We added up our total for the first time in the day and were disappointed to discover that at 6:32 we were only on 32.
Three Stock Doves were feeding in the car park at Ambersham. A Tree Pipit was singing. We located four pairs of Stonechat and two displaying Woodlarks. Ian had a brief view of a Dartford Warbler disappearing into the heather but nobody else saw it. A Green Woodpecker was calling and bizarrely a Mallard flew by, although only Michael and I saw it. Peter found a Yellowhammer perched in a birch tree. A Sparrowhawk flew by and a couple of Linnets flew over. It was disappointing to not get Dartford Warbler but maybe it was too early for them to be singing. The Mallard flew past again allowing the other members of the team to tick it off. We decided we had better cross the road and get Coal Tit before we left but had barely crossed the road before one started singing.
We were soon back in the car and heading for Selsey Bill. As we drove past a small duck pond near Graffham Peter thought he saw a Tufted Duck. We reversed and duly ticked off Tufted Duck, along with Moorhen and a Magpie on the road.
As we left Chichester we finally got the other half of the Jackdaw and added Feral Pigeon. We made a brief stop at Ivy Lake to check for Black Terns but only added Mute Swan, Coot and Swift. It was eight o’clock exactly when we arrived at the Bill and there was already forty-odd people seawatching. They had already had Hobby and Roseate Tern but there hadn`t been any skuas. Black-headed, Lesser Black-backed, and Herring Gull were sitting on the shingle spit. A large flock of Common Terns were feeding off the spit as well as half a dozen Black Terns. Peter, Michael, and I picked out a few Little Terns but Ian was seriously disadvantaged without a scope and couldn`t see any. A Greenshank called but must have been flying very high up, as we couldn`t see it. The birds came quickly with two Oystercatcher flying past, a couple of Yellow Wagtails calling, a fly-by Avocet, Cormorant on the sea, and Dunlin flying past. I finally got the last quarter of Sandwich Tern and Ian got the last quarter of Little Tern. Somebody called Great Northern Diver. We quickly got our scopes onto the bird that turned out to be two! Sadly they were very distant and both still in winter plumage.
Although there was a lot of terns feeding off shore the passage wasn`t very good. We had a few Gannet but I was the only one to see the only Fulmar of the morning. The next flourish involved a calling Whimbrel followed by a Peregrine flying over very high and a calling Ringed Plover. Another twenty minutes later I found three Common Scoter flying east which were shortly followed by a couple of Sanderling in with a flock of Dunlin.
Ian remarked that he thought he had seen Common Gull earlier on the shingle spit. We scanned the spit but couldn`t find any until I found two birds right in front of us on the sea. Peter went back to the car to get his coffee and missed a fly-over Meadow Pipit. However, he returned to say he had had a Meadow Pipit on the football pitch. The last species added on the sea watch was two Curlews that flew over along with another two Whimbrels. We picked up directions for a Corn Bunting site from a fellow bird racer.
By 9:54 we were at Church Norton and scanning the wader flocks. The tide was out and the birds a little distant but we found some fine summer-plumaged Grey Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit, and Knot. Shelducks were out on the saltings and Peter located a Red-breasted Merganser feeding in one of the channels. We walked along the bank to check the scrubby area where we were immediately successful with a singing Lesser Whitethroat. Great Black-backed Gulls were located in the harbour resting with some Cormorant and Peter picked out a Grey Heron. Back at the scrub we found singing Reed and Sedge Warbler and a Reed Bunting flew past. Back in the harbour I found a Great Crested Grebe. A charm of Goldfinches flew over revealed by their characteristic calls. I found a falcon sat on the mud that turned out to be another Peregrine which we later saw tussling with a Saker! Peter found the only Little Egret of the day.
We met another team who informed us that there was a Temminck`s Stint at Sidlesham Ferry. We were just about finished at Church Norton but still had to do the Severals. After a brief discussion we decided that the stint would probably hang around while we quickly checked the Severals. There wasn`t any duck or Redshank but we added Skylark, Mistle Thrush, and Kestrel.
By the time we got to the Ferry the stint had gone. There was a good selection of waders including an Avocet, fourteen Greenshank and ten Common Sandpipers but the only new birds we added were Redshank and Common Sandpiper. It was just gone twelve o`clock so we decided to stop for lunch viewing over Pagham harbour. The only species we added during our lunch break was House Martin. We had another sighting of the Saker, this time chasing a Feral Pigeon.
On our way to Chichester Gravel Pits we made a slight detour to the Corn Bunting site that our informant had told us of earlier. We found the road fairly easily but there was no sign of any Corn Buntings. I suspected we needed to be further along the road as we were parked in a garden center car park but we didn`t want to waste any more time so we moved on.
Our next stop was Chichester Gravel Pits where we were hoping to find Gadwall. We didn`t find any but had good views of a Black Tern. We added a dubious pair of Greylag Geese to the list but later struck them off when we saw birds with better credentials at Pulborough. There was also a pair of Muscovy Ducks, but not even being on the British List we couldn`t count them.
We left Chichester heading back along the A27 to Arundel. We added Great Spotted Woodpecker and Mandarin on the millstream but there wasn`t any Cetti`s Warblers singing. A pair of Barnacle Geese were in the adjacent field but being less than a hundred yards from a WWT reserve their credentials were not very good. We checked the mill pool but there wasn`t any Grey Wagtails. At Swanbourne Lake I found two males and a female Ruddy Duck and a female Gadwall. We were ahead of schedule so decided to head back to Ambersham and try again for Dartford Warbler.
On the way we stopped at a suitable Corn Bunting site and listened. Nothing. We stopped again, but didn’t get out of the car, at Lavington for Ian to tick off the last quarter of Sand Martin. We also managed to get the last half of Jay near Graffham.
At Ambersham we found Dartford Warbler singing immediately and wondered why it had been so much trouble earlier on. A Buzzard was soaring on the warm afternoon thermals. We decided to check the other side of the road for Crossbill or Siskin but it was a bit of a long shot and we were not very disappointed to get neither. Peter found a Goshawk but although Michael and I saw it, it had gone by the time Ian looked through the scope. While scanning the horizon hoping for it to reappear we picked up another Buzzard. On the way back to the car there was a nice pool that was ideal for Crossbills to drink from. There wasn`t any Crossbills but there was a Coal Tit. Before we left Ambersham I counted up our total for only the second time in the day. Peter thought we were on about 94, Michael was indifferent, and Ian thought we were on 99. In fact, our total was a not very impressive 100. My lack of sleep was starting to catch up with me but it was soon solved with a can of Redbull.
It was 15:30 and we had an hour to spare before we were due to get to Pulborough so we decided we might as well go to Burton Mill Pond for Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and Kingfisher, both of which I had seen there in March. We didn`t see, or even hear, any Lesser Spots and only added one species, Treecreeper. We had a quick look in the mill stream for Grey Wagtail but we had no luck. We still hadn`t had Nuthatch so we stopped the car near Coates Common and listening. Nothing. It was beginning to become a bit of a theme.
We headed over to Pulborough making a stop at Waltham Brooks with the possibility of Teal, or maybe Garganey. We didn`t get either. It was then that I realised that we hadn`t seen any Pied Wagtails. I was convinced that there would be wagtails at the sewage works and sure enough a Pied Wagtail were perched on one of the basins.
Our final destination was Pulborough Brooks RSPB. We quickly scanned the Little Owl tree but the bird wasn`t there. Nightingale was the next species we added to the list. In fact, there were at least six different singing birds on the reserve. On the brooks we added Greylag Goose having decided that the Chichester pair were a little dubious and a number of Teal. The scrapes were distant but Peter managed to locate two Little Ringed Plovers that the rest of us eventually saw through the scopes. A fox was quartering the scrape but the birds didn`t seem the slightest bit bothered. As I was watching the fox a Black-tailed Godwit flew in being easily identifiable by its large white wing bars. Peter then found a Wood Sandpiper, which was a real bonus.
Sure that we had seen everything on the scrape we walked round to the final hide where there had been a Green-winged Teal for several weeks. It was easily found and readily identifiable by the white band down the flanks and the lack of white along the wing. There were eight Greenshanks but we didn`t add any new species. Back at the visitor center we had another unsuccessful scan for the Little Owl before calling it a day with 109.
We could have gone looking for Woodcock and Nightjar but the enthusiasm had gone. We had been awake for seventeen hours and had driven one hundred and fifty miles. We felt we could have done better but on the day there were very few migrants about. Perhaps the most glaring omissions from our list were Hobby, both partridges, Ruff, Turtle Dove, Nuthatch, and Bullfinch. Although there were several other species we probably should have got. Suffice to say the Temminck`s Stint was later reported from Sidlesham Ferry.
Marek Walford. 10th of May 2000.
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Great Northern Diver Great Crested Grebe Fulmar * Gannet Cormorant Little Egret Grey Heron Mute Swan Greylag Goose Canada Goose Barnacle Goose ** Shelduck Mandarin Duck Gadwall Teal Mallard Tufted Duck Common Scoter Red-breasted Merganser Ruddy Duck Goshawk * Sparrowhawk Common Buzzard Kestrel Peregrine Pheasant Moorhen Coot Oystercatcher Avocet Little Ringed Plover Ringed Plover Grey Plover Lapwing Knot Sanderling Dunlin Black-tailed Godwit Bar-tailed Godwit Whimbrel Curlew Redshank Greenshank Wood Sandpiper Common Sandpiper Black-headed Gull Common Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Herring Gull Great Black-backed Gull Sandwich Tern Common Tern Little Tern Black Tern Feral Rock Dove Stock Dove |
Woodpigeon Collared Dove Cuckoo Tawny Owl Swift Green Woodpecker Great Spotted Woodpecker Woodlark Skylark Sand Martin Swallow House Martin Tree Pipit Meadow Pipit Yellow Wagtail Pied Wagtail Wren Dunnock Robin Nightingale Stonechat Blackbird Songthrush Mistle Thrush Grasshopper Warbler Sedge Warbler Reed Warbler Dartford Warbler Lesser Whitethroat Whitethroat Garden Warbler Blackcap Chiffchaff Willow Warbler Goldcrest Firecrest Long-tailed Tit Marsh Tit Coal Tit Blue Tit Great Tit Treecreeper Jay Magpie Jackdaw Rook Carrion Crow Starling House Sparrow Chaffinch Greenfinch Goldfinch Linnet Yellowhammer Reed Bunting |
* Species not seen by all members of the team.
** Species not considered to be genuinely wild.