The Great Grey Shrike at Coldwaltham Brooks was on view straight away.
11 Bewick's Swans on Amberley Brooks were a surprise in a brief stop, viewed from the Sportsman Inn. A couple of Pintail were also consorting with the other wildfowl, and was surprisingly a year tick.
2 Hawfinches were seen within 10 minutes of my arrival to West Dean Woods. I always have good success rate with these, and today proved no different. The Little Owl was in its usual tree, and at long last a Jay was seen, yet another surprising year tick.
News on the pager regarding the Red-crested Pochard on Ivy Lake came through, so I shot off down there, alas no sign of this, though 2 Whooper Swans were preening on one of the wooden jetties. As there was no sign of the Pochard, I decided to stay in the area so I could check it later on. So, Fishbourne Creek was next where the tide was falling. 2 Spotted Redshanks and a Greenshank were added, but nothing else much was seen.
News then filtered through to me that the R-c Pochard had been seen on a different pit, and sure enough, the female Red-crested Pochard was found, and showed well. With light now fading, a quick stop at Swanbourne Lake produced 3 Mandarins.
Hawfinch
Whooper Swans
Spotted Redshank
Red-crested Pochard
