Brilliant scope views of the Tawny Owl as it slept in a birch tree near the old sweet chestnut trees this morning. A Nuthatch close by, also ca. 7 Redwings in the area - still looking for my 1st Treecreeper though!!

A suprising first for my Bognor Regis garden was a cock Pheasant sitting on our back garden wall at 17.00 today. Sat there for about 5 minutes or so then flew up into a nearby Magnolia tree and gave a couple of calls before disappearing into the gloom. Light not good enough for a photograph.

Hawfinch - 12 in a single flock, Bullfinch - 3  and Marsh Tit - 1 all just north of Stapleash Farm mid-afternoon.

Whilst doing my WeBS count this morning, the only bird of any note was an Egyptian Goose on Piddinghoe Pond for a short time before it flew south. No sign of the Crane.

Since the cold snap my bird feeders seem to have become famous! We have had up to 16 chaffinches at the same time. During the snow we had a brambling amongst them. Then a male blackcap started turning up on the peanut feeder. I haven't seen him for a couple about 10 days, but the last few days we've had a female blackcap and female great spotted woodpecker. So far this morning I've seen (max counts) 9 chaffinches; 5 greenfinches; 3 goldfinches; 1 female blackcap; 1 female great spotted woodpecker; 5 blue tits; 3 great tits; 2 dunnocks; 1 robin; 1 blackbird; and a pair of collared doves.

On east pier at Newhaven Harbour at about 2pm were 14 Purple Sandpipers, all on the weedy (Enteromorpha?) lower structures and seen by peering down on them, all tame and photogenic as ever while at sea a flock of 14 Common Scoter and 10 Kittiwakes flew W.

Two adult Bewick's Swans on Horse Eye Level this evening - different birds from those seen on the 13th as neither had a neck collar and there were no accompanying young birds. Also 1000+ Starlings and 400+ Fieldfares, 2 Marsh Harriers, Little Egret, and Little Owl. For those who are interested the neck collared bird of the 13th - and presumably the rest of the group - had spent most of the winter from 1/11/09 to 7/1/10 in the Netherlands where on the latter date they had been at Noorder Leidse vaart Hillegom. It is interesting to note that the wintering herd roosting at Arundel is the largest it has been for a number of years - perhaps numbers being swollen by a cold weather movement from the continent?

(Three separate reports from Pevensey Levels on the same day must be some kind of record! Birding here is not easy as the few paths are currently very muddy though perseverance will inevitably produce something good as these reports show - Ed).

I attempted to reply to your query but the email address you supplied was not recognised. Please email me and I will try again.

Now is the time of year when some scarce breeding birds show signs of nesting. Ravens for example are already on eggs and Wood Larks have started singing over areas of heathland. If you have reported any of the following species in the past few days - Red Kite, Peregrine, Wood Lark and Raven - it may be that your sighting has not been published on this website. This is in accordance with the Society's policy with regard to scarce breeding birds. We do however greatly value such records which should be sent to the Hon Recorder and marked confidential (if appropriate).

With the weather conditions as they were there was little choice but to stay on the beach and see what was on the move. The was a fairly good number of Fulmars on the move with 15 recorded in just over an hour. There was a fairly constant passage of Gannets with most sailing westwards. Six Brents moving eastwards was perhaps a sign that spring is not far away? The star bird of the morning was a Black-necked Grebe fishing just offshore - a real rarity on the coast but this may have been the bird which has been recorded regularly over the past three weeks. (R Ives, D Smith & D Mason).

After a cold and wet hour or so at Fishbourne Channel, my wife and I headed back to the car at Apuldram Church and were rewarded with great views of a Firecrest feeding in the brambles next to the path.

Bob Self and I spent a couple of hours searching Cooden Beach this morning. Plenty of wind and rain and temperature barely above freezing, but no sign of a Laughing Gull.

A female Merlin in hot pursuit of a Sky Lark at Horse Bridge. The chase continued for a couple of minutes though we did not see whether it was successful or not. Also 7 Shoveler and 5 Gadwall in the same area. (Paul James, Sussex Wildlife Walks).

Bittern on roadside at Ditchling spotted at 11am - looked very healthy.

A superb male Hen Harrier considerably brightened up a very damp WeBS count (between Chilley's Farm and Rickney). (Tom Forbes & Christine George).

A very long, wet and windy walk from Bracklesham to Selsey West Fields this morning was rewarded by the sight of 3 Barnacle Geese in the flooded field east of the Sussex Holiday Village. Also in the area, a male Stonechat, a Little Egret, 6 Gadwall, 2 Shoveler, 6 Shelduck and plenty of Teal and Wigeon.

After yet another fruitless afternoon spent in search of a Barn Owl at The Burgh (amazing numbers of Grey Partridge there as compensation, though) and Greatham Bridge, where everybody seems to see them, I was beginning to despair of ever seeing one this year. Then driving home with my family from a night out at 10pm, there was a Barn Owl, sat on top of the village sign by the B2145 in the middle of Hunston, seemingly not the least bit perturbed, even when I slammed on the brakes and reversed up the road for a better look!

In sunshine on the Roundhill were a singing Grey Partridge, several singing Sky Larks and one Corn Bunting singing from mugwort stems beside the South Downs Way and a flock of 40 Lapwing while at the sewage plant (Kings Barn Lane) in the afternoon, besides 60 Pied Wagtails and four Grey Wagtails there was a Black Redstart, this one with the black face of a male and on the Black Gutter nearby was a Green Sandpiper.

Burpham: 47 Bewick's Swans from the cricket field; The Burgh: very little with 25 Grey Partridges and 3 Corn Buntings best in almost 3 hours; Coldwaltham: very little; Burton MP: Tawny Owl roosting in the usual birch by the old chestnut trees and 4 Bitterns seen at dusk; Greatham: a Barn owl on a post by the road on the way home. (Richard Fairbank & Frank Lambert).

Spotted redshank and 4 greenshanks on Great Deep. Whimbrel just north of Marker Point.