A ringtail Hen Harrier hunting over the eastern side of Amberley Wildbrooks this afternoon (about 15.00), sending up numerous Snipe, Lapwings, Starlings and at least one Dunlin.

A Redwing in my Southwick garden this morning eating Cotoneaster berries. Although I've often seen and heard Redwings passing overhead here, this is the first in my garden since moving here in 1998.

Fourteen members of the Sussex Ornithological Society assembled in the car park at the Pagham Harbour Visitor Centre on Sunday morning - our venue today Selsey West Fields and the RSPB reserve at Brackleham Bay. After the continual rain the day before, spirits were running high with blue sky and light NE winds. Finding birds proved more difficult than usual with little to be found in the way of late migrants or winter visitors. A lone Redwing flew over calling and couple of coveys of Red-legged Partridge were noted. A single hunting Sparrowhawk and a few Common Buzzards were found sitting on fence posts or in trees. Small numbers of Stock Doves were found within the flocks of Woodpigeons. Scanning over the RSPB reserve, it was the first time that I had been there this autumn and seen very little except for a couple of pairs of Stonechats and a few Reed Buntings in the ditches and hedgerows. We spent a little time sitting on the beach taking our lunch and were rewarded with a Red-throated Diver close to the shore and a fly by Avocet plus a few parties of Brent Geese moving west. The sea like the fields was very quiet and finding birds was not easy. We returned, walking back via the sewage works. In some of the stubble fields several flocks of Skylarks were found, a large party of Meadow Pipits was feeding inside the treatment works and young Grey Wagtail was seen briefly. Yellowhammers were evident in the hedgerows affording us all close views. We arrived back at the centre around 15.00 having walked approximately 7.5km. Although the species list was not high, the walk enabled members to view the new RSPB reserve in its early stages of development.

During a damp, muddy and grey Atlas survey in a rather miserable tetrad in deepest East Sussex (TQ62C), things were brightened considerably by a very unexpected Black Redstart on some isolated farm buildings.

On what looked like being a bit of a dreary day, a female Black Redstart at the dam just after dawn brightened things up somewhat. This was my first sighting of this species here, somehow I've always managed to miss them before. Also today the Little Egret and a Green Sandpiper were present, but a little elusive though. There was a constant movement south of winter thrushes, their calls being fairly constant. The return of the feeders at the west end has been greeted with the usual enthusiasm, Coal and Marsh Tits plus Great Spotted Woodpecker and Nuthatch, all noted today. Lots of Long-tailed Tits too in the car park area, they're always entertaining to watch. I'll no doubt return later today.

A Common Crane seen flying over and landing in trees on the east side of the B2118 just south of Albourne at about 4.45pm yesterday (Sunday).

At Waterhall (north of Brighton RFC) this afternoon: ca. 20 Song Thrushes, ca. 10 Redwings, a pair of Bullfinches, a pair of Stonechats, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel and 2 Green Woodpeckers.

At Edburton Hill this morning there was a Ring Ouzel, Brambling, 10 Fieldfares, 10 Redwings, 30 Blackbirds, 20 Song Thrushes, 6 Goldcrests and 2 Treecreepers.

A male Ring Ouzel was with a group of ca. 20 Blackbirds moving through the dead elms along the northern side of the churchyard at Church Norton at 08.00 this morning.

Two Black Redstarts at Newhaven Tide Mills this morning. Also 5 Dunlin on the Mill Creek with the 30+ Redshank.

At Crowlink 15 Lapwings flew east and one Northern Wheatear perched on a fence while at the cliff edge by the Boat House, Birling Gap besides a few House Sparrows were a Chiffchaff, a Rock Pipit, a Pied Wagtail, a Green Woodpecker and four Black Redstarts, one being a blinding male with pied flycatcher-like wing panels and black underparts. Yesterday on Lewes Brooks were 200 Fieldfares and 20 Redwings.

Two nice spots today: a Ring Ouzel perched next to a Redwing at Hope Gap at 10.00, and later about noon a Dartford Warbler called and popped out of the gorse beside the 4th tee on Seaford Head golf course.

On a walk between Rodmell and Southease: 15+ Corn Buntings, 3-4 singing Cetti's Warblers and 1 each of Rock Pipit, Grey Wagtail, Kingfisher and Little Grebe, with a supporting cast including all the common farmland birds.

A quick visit up to Beachy Head this afternoon produced a Firecrest and a female Ring Ouzel in the hotel garden and a male Ring Ouzel at the old trapping area.

At about 11am today, 2 Mistle Thrushes briefly in our Bognor Regis garden, a first for our garden list. Another first for us last month and unreported at the time was a Jay on 8th October, this bird or other birds have been back twice since then. A pair of Coal Tits taking sunflower and teasel seeds and 2 very active Goldcrests, a Wren, 2 Robins and Great and Blue Tits were among the other birds seen so far today.

A Black Redstart was present, though elusive, this morning on the rough ground at the end of West Sands Caravan Park, Selsey.

After locating a Long-tailed Duck, feeding in the harbour (in front of the hide at the end of the spit), a Short-eared Owl was mobbed by a Carrion Crow as it soared above the mud flats. Whilst watching the Owl there was a flurry of feathers as an adult Peregrine took down a pigeon with a juvenile Peregrine in attendance. Also around the harbour were 3+ Yellow-Legged Gulls, a Mediterranean and a Lesser Black- backed Gull in the gull roost. Large numbers of Brent Geese and Shelduck on the mud flats with a Gadwall and a few Pintail amongst the Teal and Wigeon in the channels. A large flock of 200+ Golden Plover settled on the flats mid morning with Knot, Dunlin, Grey Plover, Curlew, Oystercatcher, Turnstone, Ringed Plover and Black -tailed Godwit all around.