25/09/2025

 This mornings sea watch was a re-run of the last couple of days, birds disappearing in the Sea Smoke.😀

As Richard was doing the main reserve and Hanson hide and track is closed for renovations for c2 weeks, I got my bike out and headed for Jurys Gap. On the way I diverted to check the scrub around the back of the Herons Park, lots of Chiffchaffs and a few Blackcaps and a Goldcrest.

On the Scotney sward 15 Ruff (18 late afternoon) among the hordes of Egyptian, Canada and Greylag Geese. 

A couple of Yellow Wagtails feeding around a Sheep

Further down towards Jurys Gap I noticed a bunch of Corvids obviously harassing something unseen behind a line of reeds on the far side of the lakes, a few yards further on I could make out a large brown bird that could only be a White-tailed Eagle, presumably one of the West Sussex birds. I had to cycle to Jurys Gap before I was able to head inland and try to re-locate the Eagle on the ground, I scanned from a vantage point inland of the old sand pit and could see nothing, until the Eagle rose up from behind the reeds and headed low away from me. An hour or so later it reappeared and appeared to land somewhere between Hook Wall and The Woolpack.

The setaside fields are full of Linnets, Meadow Pipits, Goldfinches, Starlings, Skylarks a few Tree Sparrows etc, this number of small birds also attracts Sparrowhawks, Kestrels, Merlins, Marsh Harriers and Common Buzzards, I'm sure it wont be long before they are Joined by a Hen Harrier or two and maybe Short-eared Owls or something better.

White-tailed Eagle

White-tailed Eagle with a Raven

At the back of the lakes I was checking the various fields and spotted 3 Wheatears 2 of which looked to be Greenland Wheatears, while looking at these a Buff-breasted Sandpiper came into view, before I could get an image of the bird it disappeared much to my frustration, while looking for it I found 4 Bar-tailed Godwits and 2 Knot at the waters edge, another scan and Sandpiper reappeared on a bank the other side of the inlet allowing me to get some awful record images, a Raven flew low through and flushed it and the Wheatears again to my frustration, I moved another 20mts along the field and suddenly it ran out from behind a hillock just a few yards away from me and commenced feeding seemingly oblivious of me.

Buff-breasted Sandpiper