Following the Large Tortoiseshell sighting this week on SOS, just thought it might be worth flagging www.sussex-butterflies.org.uk, which has a daily sightings page for butterflies and moths copied from SOS! That's now two Large Tortoiseshells in two weeks, a Camberwell Beauty yesterday, and Scarlet Tigers breeding in Sussex for the first time in almost a century.

I was driving across the Ashdown Forest when a Red Kite flew right in front of my car.  I stopped in a layby and watched it for around 15 mins. It was trying to retrieve something from the verge but it was chased off by crows. It kept circling the area - sometimes only about 20 feet from me. It eventually drifted off East. Brilliant!

Off Seley Bill this morning a good passage of BALEARIC SHEARWATERS, many of them lingering offshore. The main movement was between 08.30 - 10.45 when we logged a total of 19 birds with flocks of 6, 4, 3, 2 on several occasions and single birds. The flock of 6 flew east past the Mixon marker disappearing out of sight. All the birds were readily identifiable in the perfect morning light, even the ones outside the line of rough water beyond the reef. Some of the shearwaters came fairly close within 400m and fantastic scope views were had as many of them drifted offshore. Also two Guillemots on the sea, many terns feeding a long way out plus one or two Mediterranean Gulls. (Bernie Forbes & Dave Smith).

At Hope Gap, Seaford Head this morning were 2 Sedge Warblers, 7 Willow Warblers, 7 Blackcaps, 3 Lesser Whitethroats, 21 Whitethroats and 100+ Sand Martins. Also at High and Over at 11.20 a party of 8 Crossbills flew west.

An evening walk under blue skies and a beautiful orange sunset on the Downs at Steep Down near Sompting produced an abundance of Corn Buntings, many of which appeared to be young birds, good numbers of Yellowhammers and Whitethroats, a couple of Willow Warbler, a few Red-legged Partridge and a good number of Swifts going over. Deciding to take the long way around the hill on the SW side resulted in very little else being seen until a falcon flying towards me from the north aroused my interest and as it banked in the evening light was seen to be a superb male RED-FOOTED FALCON. It continued flying SE towards Lancing and as it was late in the evening I wonder whether it was going to roost in the wood at the end of the ridge or Lancing Clump? A superb bird and totally unexpected especially considering the large spring influx into the UK which seemed to result in Sussex being left out! No sound of any Quail there this evening though.

I know that this is a birding website, but I people may be interested to know that today there was a large tortoiseshell butterfly at Ifield Mill Pond at 12.30. (Andrew Bshford).

On the North Brooks this evening: 1 Little Egret, 10 Black-tailed Godwits, 3 Snipe, 2 Green and 3 Common Sandpipers, 7 Little Ringed Plover, 1 Dunlin, 2 Wigeon, 10 Mandarin plus brood of ca. 5 young, 1 Shoveler, 5 Teal, and 83 Greylag Geese - much of this was flushed by a ridiculously low hot-air balloon although some birds returned.

A Grasshopper Warbler at Seaford Head this morning but precious litle else.

If anyone would like to read recent trip reports for Lesvos in April, Spanish Pyrenees and the Picos in late May and Romania in June, all for 2008, they are available by contacting me privately.

Three Green Sandpipers flew low over my garden in Firle this morning (from Firle birds).

A short afternoon walk in an undisclosed site in West Sussex today produced 2 Red Kites in their usual haunt, a Peregrine passing through, and two pairs of Common Buzzards soaring over the fields. Also seen were numerous House Sparrows and Yellowhammers singing in the hedgerows.

A 1st year Grasshopper Warbler ringed today. The only obviously migrant bird present.

Sunday: 3 Crossbills flew W over Southwick Hill as did 250+ Swifts and a handful of Sand Martins (in approx 2 hours). In the evening 60 Swifts over Crown Road and 50+ Swifts over the River Adur where a juvenile Little Egret with all grey legs was seen. Saturday: 3 Common Sandpipers and a very smart summer-plumaged islandica Black-tailed Godwit on the River Adur opposite the Airfield in the evening. Very little had been seen there, at Shoreham Fort or Widewater earlier in the day. Evening visits to the River Adur opposite the airfield both days failed to produce any Yellow-legged Gulls despite the tide being low (although an apparent ist winter was seen on Southwick Beach on Thursday).

A Grasshopper Warbler trapped and ringed at Warnham LNR, also 7 Common Crossbills over.

The adult/2nd summer WHITE-WINGED BLACK TERN still at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve today. At the Midrips 29 Avocets, 215 Dunlin, 15 Little Ringed Plovers, 1 Greenshank, 4 Golden Plover and a Curlew Sandpiper. At Pett Pools 7 Little Ringed Plovers, 40 Avocets, 14 Black-tailed Godwits and several Yellow Wagtails. Two Whinchats beside the Royal Military Canal on Pett Level. (www.rxwildlife.org.uk).

An evening walk around Arlington Reservoir, and there was plenty to see. Great Crested Grebes with chicks, many Pied Wagtails with juveniles, two Little Egrets, a flock of Linnets, Green Woodpecker, a Black Swan, two Common Terns preening on the float in front of the hide, two Dunlin, Grey Heron, Swifts and Swallows. A very enjoyable trip.

At Church Farm for an RSPB volunteers' thank you day, and we were rewarded by the sound and sight of a Raven at the top of one of the fields. Also a Common Buzzard, Sky Larks, and numerous Goldfinches.

A Red Kite flying over the Rare Breeds Show at the Weald & Downland Open Air Museum, Singleton today at 13.00.

A very bright, breezy afternoon produced a few interesting birds. Most activity was on the beach on the falling tide where approx 150 Sandwich, 100 Common and 6 Little Terns were present in with mixed Herring and Black-Headed Gulls and at least 5 Mediterranean Gulls. Also a young looking Guillemot close inshore, 2 Sanderling, 1 Whimbrel and 9 Dunlin dropped in briefly and 100+ Sand Martins over the fields. The family of Stonechats, present for at least a month that presumably bred here was also in attendance, but surprisingly little in the way of waders on the RSPB reserve, though the prospects look good.