Flying very low and displaying its enormous wingspan in Fishbourne village mid morning over the A259 at roof gutter level near the Wool Pack pub. 

Railway lands nature reserve, nice view of Oystercatcher flying on River Ouse, very loud Reed Warblers in heart of reeds. Also Kestrel, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail and Goldfinches.

While looking for raptors several small flocks of Crossbills flew over, 12 birds in total. Male Yellowhammer was singing in the hedge in front of me which also held Stonechats, Whitethroats, Meadow Pipits & Linnets. A flock of 19 Mistle Thrush went over as did a high Red Kite. At the end of the path a family of Spotted Flycatchers was feeding.

Few bits of interest today were six Crossbills flying NE over the dam and a summer plumage Dunlin on the dam. At the Lagoon pair of Tufted Ducks has just hatched six tiny chicks, good record for here. Later a Lesser Whitethroat was seen in some blackthorns.

Another good day at 'work' - it hardly seems like work sometimes! In the church, the single young Kestrel is being fed regularly by the parents, and spent much of the day at the entrance to the nest (pictured). We think there are four pairs of breeding Swifts here too, which are a pure joy to watch. Treecreepers and Goldcrests could be heard in the churchyard. On my way back to the shop, I saw Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs in the hedgerows on the farm, and heard distant Whitethroats and Yellowhammers. The Pied Wagtails have now fledged what we think is a second brood this year. Buzzards have been enjoying today's blue skies, and the male Sparrowhawk is making regular jaunts to the feeding area, where among the usual visitors, we've started seeing a pair of Greenfinches (sadly not a common visitor any more). The most surprising sighting today though was a flock of ca.12 Crossbills which flew over early this afternoon.

As it was low tide I decided it might be worth checking out the beach and greensward at Middleton-on-Sea where the rocky foreshore was fully exposed, including one nice area of weed-covered rockpools which had attracted a roosting flock of gulls. A check through this flock revealed it contained 90 Mediterranean Gulls (including two juveniles), 25 Black-headed Gulls (including one juvenile), five Herring Gulls and two Sandwich Terns.
Closer examination revealed two ringed Mediterranean Gulls amongst them; one bore just a metal ring and I couldn't establish full details, but the other bore a metal ring and also a coloured ring which was readable and should in due course reveal its origins and history. It seems likely this flock of Meds and Black-headed Gulls may have recently departed from a breeding colony, perhaps even from the Continent, as part of a post-breeding dispersal. (Initial enquiries reveal it may have been ringed in Germany or possibly Sweden).
(Fuller details of my local blog The Elmer Birder).

Two Crossbills heard flying over fields near Barcombe this morning.

A Raven "cronked" its' way over north Chichester this morning

It’s been a long time coming but, this evening around 7 o’clock, sitting in the garden at Hillside Terrace in Steyning up to 10 Swifts at a time were whizzing about overhead.

A distinctly late breeding season feel today with most birds relatively quiet, but there were exceptions. Still two singing Reed Warblers, and a Sedge Warbler singing strongly 4 metres up in a tree. A very vocal Water Rail. On the edge of the flower meadows a Chiffchaff called persistently, and there was a singing bird elsewhere. Every flower head of the umbillifers in the meadow held 5-10 Red Soldier Beetles, making a conservative estimate of at least 1,500 in the field. A Common Whitethroat, carrying food, almost flew into me through the vegetation, then hovered momentarily before turning 180 degrees and flying off. Other sightings included a Kestrel, a Common Buzzard mobbed by corvids, Green and Great-spotted Woodpeckers, and a Nuthatch. A few Swallows over the stream-side meadows. Butteerflies included many Meadow Browns, a few Gatekeepers, also Small Skippers, Commas and a single Silver-washed Fritillary.