My name is David from Shoreham and I have just come out of hospital following heart surgery. I need friendly birdwatchers from Shoreham to help as I can't drive until July. If anyone is going birding and they have a spare seat in there car I would be very grateful.  Please phone me on 01273 232137 - I can walk for about 45 mins before a rest.

Driving very slowly along a quiet lane in the Pevensey area with an elderly relative, listening to the many singing Sedge and Reed Warblers and occasional Reed Bunting, I was pleasantly surprised and puzzled to find a pair of Yellow Wagtails standing in the road. They flew into some reeds with some calls and brief song from the male (and very much appeared to be on their breeding territory). The male returned to the road and then followed a weasel, at a safe distance of a couple of yards, along the road to only a short distance from our stationary car! Memorable, and a "life" bird sighting for my companion!

Andrew Walmsley's excellent new site New Forest Explorers' Guide has been added to the County Sites section of the Birding and Nature Links page.

An early morning timed tetrad visit to TQ20H (Shoreham) produced a number of surprises including a singing Stock Dove, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Jay - all species that I don't that often see in this area. There were also 4 Little Egrets together in Shoreham Harbour on the mud at the end of Kingston Lane, another Stock Dove on the mud by the sailing club, 2 pairs of Ringed Plover on Shoreham Beach and three Lesser Black-backed Gull nests on the warehouse by the lighthouse. Strangest of all (though not particularly significant to the Atlas) was a large mob of gulls following a fishing boat into Shoreham Harbour that were accompanied by up to 100 Gannets. The Gannets stayed with the fishing boat right up until it reached the harbour entrance when they dispersed and rested on the sea with the gulls just off the harbour arm. At one stage there were even Gannets flying around just inside the harbour arms! Perhaps there is currently a shortage of food for seabirds in the Channel?

Sorry its a bit late, but I had 20+ Swifts over Dorothy Stringer High School in Brighton.

Over several years I've found the odd breeding Firecrest on the edges of Ashdown Forest. None have been in tall conifers and all have been in what I would call mixed woodland. There has always been at least one conifer in the territory but there have been many more deciduous trees. All have been not too far from streams but don't know whether this is coincidental. I suspect if we went out looking hard for them there would be plenty more over this side of the county but its a case of finding the time.

At 4.30pm an Osprey appeared over the Visitor Centre and flew towards the Exceat Bridge where it took a large fish from the river. It then flew off north up the valley and was not seen again - a good end to an otherwise rather quiet walk. The only other highlight was a male Northern Wheatear on the short grass at the far end of the valley just before the beach.

I don't know where the nest site is, but there were 12 or so Swifts over Kingsland Road, Worthing this afternoon, including a pair copulating on the wing.

A CATTLE EGRET on Lewes Brooks with 7 Little Egrets then flew south. (From www.birdguides.com). Possibly the Piddinghoe bird? Four Black Terns at Weir Wood Reservoir from the dam end. (From www.birdguides.com).

Interesting to read Nigel Driver's comment about the abundance of Garden Warblers this year. I too have noticed this at a number of different sites both in the Weald and on the Downs. Numbers of Willow Warblers however seem well down though admittedly I've not surveyed any heathland sites this year.

Outside my house in Southwick today I was surprised to see two Carrion Crows, one of which had a Magpie pinned to the floor. Had I not disturbed the birds when I pulled up in my car, I think it would have been 'curtains' for the Magpie which flew off in a cloud of feathers. Justice perhaps for the Magpie which has spent the last few days trying to raid the young Starlings on the house opposite!

The Birds of Sussex describes Firecrest as 'A rare breeder and scarce passage migrant and winter visitor'. Breeding was proved in the county in 1973 on Ashdown Forest while my first experience of Firecrest as a breeding species was in 1976 when my father and I located two pairs near Lower Beeding. These birds were in tall conifers, a habitat which I'm sure most birders associate breeding Firecrests with. Today I was carrying out survey work on a private estate in central Sussex and was surprised to find a single Firecrest in hazel coppice beside a small stream. Perhaps it was a late migrant or are Firecrests spreading into deciduous woodland, a habitat they occupy on the other side of the English Channel? It's clear that numbers have increased dramatically in Sussex in recent years so it would be interesting to know if others have found them away from the usual stands of dense conifers? Also nice to hear a couple of 'purring' Turtle Doves and several Cuckoos while another surprise was a pair of Lapwing in a field of winter wheat which probably had young nearby given the way they actively chased off the local crows.

At Pagham Harbour this morning (west side - Church Norton): 3 Spotted Flycatchers plus a couple of Whimbrel. An early morning look at Selsey Bill produced 100+ Commic Terns, an Arctic Skua, 2 Whimbrel and a singing Sedge Warbler by the playing field.

Recent days have been a little quiet probably due to the wonderful weather, though things picked up on the 13th... On the 9th Common Sandpipers were in some cases displaying along the dam, 12 birds being present.  There are also now eight Common Terns; three pairs seem to be established each on a different raft. Garden Warblers seem to be abundant this year together with Common Whitethroat and Blackcap. On the 11th a pair of Tufted Duck was lingering near the dam; Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker were also showy and vocal. In the evening of the 11th a Woodcock flew over Admiral's Wood at the west end. Little change occurred until the evening of the 12th when lots of Swallows and House Martins appeared plus high numbers of Swifts feeding over the trees; at times the screaming was deafening. The flock of ca. 200 corvids was still roaming around and at 18.00 a Honey Buzzard flew over the area between the reservoir and Ashdown Forest. On the 13th what would have been considered unusual a few years ago was four immature Herring and an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull that flew over. The Heronry seems to have been successful but counting the number of young is a difficult task. The highlight today was the Raven that may well be one of the Ashdown birds? This is only the second sighting for me here. Also a Turtle Dove whipped through looking to have no thoughts of stopping. Lastly the Red Kite was seen again drifting about towards the west end, I can only assume it's the same bird involved in recent sightings. Either that or they're getting common round here.

A walk from the Golden Galleon to the beach and back mid morning produced 9 very tame Dunlin in almost complete summer plumage, one Ringed Plover, three Bar-tailed Godwits (1 in summer plumage), and three Sanderling, unusual here and also in summer plumage. There were a pair of Oytercatchers, and group of birders reported a Common Sandpiper on the eastern side. No sign of breeding Lapwing or Redshank, in what looks like a suitable habitat. Perhaps there are too many humans around?

At Rackham Woods this morning a pair of Spotted Flycatchers.  In the Waltham Brooks area 2 Grasshopper Warblers reeling, 2 Common Sandpipers, Greenshank and Little Ringed Plover. Around The Burgh 6 pairs of Grey Partridges and 60 Stock Doves. Fourteen brown hares counted in and around the area.

Interesting comment from Paul James re possible Honey Buzzard. I had a similar, though even more fleeting, glimpse of a large Buzzard-like raptor (but not a Common Buzzard) flying northwards, while driving westwards towards Falmer on the A27 at about 07.45 this morning.

A COMMON CRANE circling low over East Dean, about three times the height of the houses, being mobbed by seagulls. I unwittingly blocked the road for a while as I watched it slowly soaring above the village at 12pm.

Down on the farm at Edburton a singing Turtle Dove this morning and a singing Cuckoo this afternoon.