Next week is your final opportunity to help prepare Tern Island for the arrival of the terns. Two projects are planned next week - Monday 22nd February meet Church Norton 10.00am and Thursday 25th February meet Church Norton 2.00pm. Look forward to seeing you there. Thanks.

A Bittern at Twissells Mill, Nettleswoth Lane, Old Heathfield TN21 9AP. The bird appeared two weeks ago stayed for a few days and disappeared. It was back again last night and my friend advises it likes rudd of which I have an abundance.

A rather flighty Avocet this afternoon on the pools at Cuckmere Haven. Also eight Pintail dropped in for a visit.

Super views of a Kingfisher in the NE corner of Buckshole Reservoir at 13.30 today. Frequently disturbed by walkers etc but seen perched, diving and geneally whizzing about.

Saw two buzzards circling overhead at Burton Mill Pond, but no sign of any bitterns. Also saw many long-tailed tits, tufted ducks and two herons. A barn owl was hunting at about 3pm near Amberley Wildbrooks.

Went for another look at the COMMON CRANE this afternoon and saw it up to 2pm on the east side of the river very close to where I saw it on Monday. Walk 10 minutes south on the east bank of the Ous from Southease Bridge until 2 rows of terrace houses are visible on the left. Today it was in line with the gap between the two terraces, walking and feeding in the second field from the river bank. Saw its tail and full height this time!

In Old Lodge NR this morning a party of crossbills, a few fieldfares, three wrens, and a raven, all recorded by Mick Denness.

On the beach at Ferring the Black Redstart was perched on benches 50yds east of the block. On the rife 6-8 Common Snipe and one Jack Snipe.

A fine, sunny morning. The fields are very wet and wellington boots are required to complete the circuit. Conditions clearly favourable for the birds - 3400 starlings, 2700 gulls, the vast majority black-headed with fewer numbers of herring, common and Mediterranean. Also 480 black-tailed godwits, 210 curlew, 1700 wigeon and 900 lapwing, and 80 fieldfares and 22 redwings close to Honer Farm. (Jim Weston & Mike Welcome).

The COMMON CRANE still present in the Ouse Valley late morning on the W side of the river about 400m south of Southease Bridge. It then flew up on to the Downs and could be seen distantly from the bridge in a green field in front of a clump of trees looking SW. Also a Common Sandpiper on the Ouse by Piddinghoe Church, at least one Cetti's Warbler calling from a reedy ditch just south of Southease bridge,  and 3 Common Buzzards. (Paul James & Tim Parmenter). Later, two Woodcock flushed at Offham Marshes.

A day spent out in the woods leading an event in grim weather conditions was rewarded with some good sightings. The first was a Woodcock seen in flight and perhaps flushed by a dog walker. Otherwise, a handful of Crossbills were actively moving around the site calling, Redpolls too, and the occasional Goldcrest announcing its presence. Tits included Long-tailed, Great, Blue, Coal and Marsh on the move in loose roving flocks and several times they alarm-called but no sign of any raptors. A Mistle Thrush was also seen, and Song Thrush and Robin were in song.

Crawley & Horsham local RSPB Group - the next meeting will be TODAY at 8 pm. in the Friary Hall, Crawley, RH10 1HR (next to the bus station) when member John Hamilton will present an illlustrated talk on AUSTRALIA – NORTHERN TERRITORIES AND QUEENSLAND. Admission charges, which include refreshments, are £3 local group members and £4 non local group members. The meeting will finish at approximately 10 p.m. - all welcome. The Friary Hall has its own car park.

07.15 - 08.30: 11 crossbills over/on the heathland restoration areas this morning, they flew off south before I could get a proper look at them. Lots of other small birds in parts of the woodland: several great tits singing, 4 marsh tits, singing coal tits, ca. 20 long-tailed tits, at least 2 great spotted woodpeckers drumming and 2 treecreepers.

Wivelsfield Green - feeding on sunflower hearts, a first recording for us of a female Blackcap in our garden this morning, and still here on my return this evening.

Many thanks for all the responses to my earlier report regards mystery duck, lesson to be learned, i.e. carry scope as well as bins and camera when veiwing distant birds. Cheers all.

A male Sparrowhawk caught a Blackbird (I think!) in my garden (North Horsham) at 07.30 this morning. I had good views of it on the ground for several minutes as it subdued and then ate it.

What a wet cold and miserable day, with plenty of rain to dampen the spirits! We checked out the water meadows west of Warningcamp near Arundel opposite the Wetlands Trust but no sign of the reported Great Grey Shrike. Ivy Lake, Chichester: male and female Scaup. Down at The Bill the weather was dreadful so we soon moved off Church Norton seeking shelter in the hide where we had cracking views of a female Merlin perched up on the old hide on Tern Island and possibly a different bird later on sitting on a sign on the shingle beach. A female Marsh Harrier flew south over the reserve putting up plenty of roosting waders and a Spotted Redshank called and settled with Common Redshank in the harbour. Also 400 Knot in the harbour. From Burpham village we counted 66 Bewick's Swans in three loose flocks. (Bernie Forbes & Dave Smith).

As Owen states in his posting regarding the bird at Burton Pond which Phil photographed, it is a Pochard with a bill tag. On the 7th February there were several Pochard and Tufted Ducks on the pond with these turquoise-green bill bands/tags. Unfortunately no numbers or letters could be seen on them and so the origin may remain a mystery although I understand only birds on the Continent are tagged in this way and so the birds are most likely to have come from France (or possibly Spain or Portugal) where these are regularly used. As there appears to be a marker on the tag in the photograph I shall try to find out its origin and let everyone know.

A new item has been added to the Swifts page, and the latest decisions from the SOSRC and BBRC can be downloaded from the Records section.

41 Bewick's swans (inc. 3 juv) left their roost on the north brooks at 07.30 this morning. Yesterday, 2 peregrines hunting together over the north brooks.