A frustrating day's birding with plenty of rain and the one that got away! At Brooklands Park our first stop was at the north end of the park. Straight away Steve shouted Yellow-browed Warbler in top of a nearby sycamore tree. I managed to get on the bird briefly noting a single wing bar and dull underside and belly before it flew off with other birds in the feeding flock. My instant thought was is this a Hume's Warbler, with only a single wing bar and dull overall plumage to go on. We spent 2 hours in relentless rain checking out the park with plenty of mixed flocks of Blue, Great and Long-tailed Tit and Goldcrest with a few Chiffchaff that were roving around frequently. Single Treecreeper and Great Spotted Woodpecker also noted. Richard Fairbank joined us later to help with the search. After a warm up coffee in the cafe, with the rain still belting down we visited Widewater finding the Goosander sheltering in the lee of the east end of Allens Island. Then on to the harbour where we searched in the rain for the Purple Sandpiper without any luck. Returning to Brooklands, where it had stopped raining at last, we spent over an hour checking out any feeding flocks. Still plenty of birds constantly on the move seeing the usual suspects but just adding a couple of Firecrest that showed well. I guess we were thwarted by poor views and the rain.
Bernie Forbes & Steve Lawless

The National Trust has made a planning application to the South Downs National Park Authority to restore 42 hectares of land at Chyngton Brooks (Lower Cuckmere Valley) to saltmarsh and mudflats.

The Environmental Impact Assessment has used data from surveys (including WeBS), site visits and other online sources in relation to the ornithological importance of the site.

If anyone has any further data specifically for this area that is not already captured by BirdTrack or eBird etc, please email conservation@sos.org.uk.

You can read more about the scheme in this news article.

West Beach Promenade, Newhaven: Goldfinch, Kestrel, Little Egret, Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Rock Pipit, and Stonechat, the Peregrine performed some acrobatic flying prompted by Crows and the Kestrel.

The week was notable for a small influx of Pallas’s Warblers and another potential Pallid Swift. Alas there were no further sightings of the Isabelline Shrike sp at Woods Mill SWT.

A Spotted Crake was heard calling from Charleston Reedbed on 5th and two Russian White-fronted Geese were found at Pulborough Brooks on 9th. A Black-necked Grebe was on the sea at Selsey Bill on 3rd and 7th.

An adult American Golden Plover was a nice find at Rye Hbr on 4th and the bird was still present on 9th. The juvenile Turtle Dove was noted again at East Beach (Selsey) on 7th. Two Caspian Gulls were reported, both on 9th; one on the Adur Estuary at Shoreham and the other at Newhaven.

There was a tantalising observation of a Swift sp flying east over Beachy Head on 8th - quite possibly a Pallid Swift at this time of year.

A Ring Ouzel at Church Norton on 7th was seen again on 8th when another was noted at Beachy Head (along with a flyover Woodlark).

Yellow-browed Warblers were reported from Rottingdean on 5th, Church Norton on 8th, East Brighton Park on 7th-8th, and Beachy Head and Angmering on 8th. However the bigger prize at this time of year is Pallas’s Warbler, and this was an excellent week indeed: single birds were found on 5th at Castle Hill (Newhaven) and Brooklands (Worthing), and on 8th at Church Norton and Ferring. Remarkably three different birds were discovered on 6th at Beachy Head (photo taken by Laurence Pitcher attached). The last bird of the week was found at Sovereign Park (Eastbourne) on 9th.

Four Hawfinches were noted at West Dean Woods on 4th; there are rather low numbers currently at Penshurst Lane where just five were seen going to roost on 7th.

A Snow Bunting was still present at Thorney Deeps on 3rd - 4th.

So, I'm in Stanmer Woods and looking at fungi through my binoculars in order not to trample the intervening undergrowth and there is a loud flurry of wings immediately in front of me, I see nothing... fortunately my loyal assistant has. Colour? Mottled brown. Shape? Dumpy and flying in a low, straight line...

(It could well have been a Woodcock at this time of year - ed)

At Horseshoe Plantation, a Yellow-browed Warbler (short, faint crown stripe and lack of pale rump) along with c20 Goldcrests, 4 Firecrests, several Blue Tits and a Chiffchaff. Also seen 9 Stonechats, 10+ Corn Buntings, a Black Redstart, Skylarks, Meadow Pipits and some 1,200+ Starlings in a huge flock.

Fantastic to see several Bearded Tits at Pett Level in the Autumn sunshine today.

There were two Black Redstarts at Belle Tout Lighthouse this morning including the one in the photo captured just on take-off. There was also one at Birling Gap which may have been the bird later seen flying high to the north west over Went Hill. Others were also reported from elsewhere on the headland. Horseshoe Plantation was busy with a decent Goldcrest flock (perhaps 20-30) along with a few Firecrests looking particularly splendid in the sunlight but I couldn't find anything else despite a prolonged search. Additionally, there was a Dartford Warbler on the slopes near Belle Tout lighthouse and a flock of five Golden Plovers calling as they circled overhead near Birling Gap.

An adult male Hen Harrier over Iford Brooks this afternoon. Flew from Lower Rise towards Swanborough.

Single Black Redstart (fem/juv) seen from car on the new housing estate by Monk's Farm, Lancing.