At Pagham Harbour North Wall a Cackling Canada Goose Branta canadensis minima, diminutive and dark underbodied against accompanying ordinary Canada Geese Branta c. canadensis.

A ringtail Hen Harrier flew high west over Piltdown at 11am today, mobbed for a few minutes by a crow.

Whilst out birding this morning we found a hearing aid on the bench at Church Norton. I have placed it in the letter box at the Pagham Harbour Information Centre at Sidlesham today - telephone 01243 641508.

My wife and I spent a few hours at Pulborough Brooks, but most of the water frozen so not much close, lots of Wigeon plus Pintail, Shoveler, Teal, Mallard, Canada Geese, Grey Heron, about 40+ Snipe and a few hundred Lapwing. We then went on to Greatham Bridge hoping to see a Barn or Short-eared Owl, no luck with them but a female Hen Harrier was hunting over the marsh. After we drove over the bridge back towards Pulborough we had a Barn Owl flying along beside the car for 100yds - a very good end to the day.

This morning 3 Purple Sandpipers on the eastern harbour arm and about 45 Redshank on the creek.

The HONEY BUZZARD being satellite tracked by Roy Dennis was registered at 6pm tonight, Saturday, just north of the Polegate bypass possibly in Abbotts Wood.

No sign of the 'black-headed' Yellow Wagtail by 08.00 this morning amongst the 50-60 flava  wagtails in the field with cows in immediately W of the River Adur, more or less 200m N (and a bit E) of Botolphs Church in the Adur Valley, map reference approximately TQ 194095. Five Grey Partridges there though! (Richard Fairbank).

David Cromack will be giving a talk on "Birds of the Western United States" at the Henfield (Village) Hall on Friday 14th November at 7.30pm. RSPB and Tottington Woodlanders Sales stalls. Entry £2.50 (for non-Henfield Birdwatch members).

Due to a number of unavoidable delays the 2007 Bird Report was only cleared for printing on Thursday 18th December. With the run up to Christmas and scheduled maintenance of the printer's binding machine between Christmas and the New Year, the report cannot be mailed to members until the week commencing 5th January 2009. (Nick Paul - Editor).

Not sure if this is a record total at Pagham Lagoon and in the adjacent harbour?  Dave Smith and I simultaneously counted 379 (!) Mediterranean Gulls in two flocks this morning, the majority of the birds were adult or second year birds with a low percentage of 1st winters mixed in the two flocks. Around the beach and North Wall 2 Greenshank and a few Wheatears with low number of Yellow Wagtails flying over. At Church Norton few waders in the harbour although Wigeon and Teal and small numbers of Pintail building up. Lots of Common Buzzards up thermalling all over the reserve and surrounding area with at least 4 Sparrowhawks, 2 Peregrines out in the harbour and a Marsh Harrier that flew towards the North Wall. Roosting on the old jetty at Church Norton were a few Sandwich and Common Terns and a single Arctic Tern. We counted small parties of Siskin moving through totalling 150 birds and at least one Grey Wagtail. Around Norton Church a Hobby. At West Fields, Selsey a 1st winter female Merlin, 2 Marsh Harriers and 10 Common Buzzards. Two Ruff on the marsh in the rough grazing area. On the way home 2 Hobbies hunting over Ivy Lake, Chichester GPs. (Bernie Forbes, Dave Smith & Dorian Mason).