Trip reports

GROUP OUTING TO PAGHAM HARBOUR

Sunday, 17 February 2008

The group enjoyed a rewarding day with plenty of birds to be seen despite a bitter wind. With tide on the turn as we arrived, Janet decided we should spend the morning at Church Norton. Here the lovely call of the curlew greeted the ear; also many other waders, chiefly redshanks and grey plovers, were feeding at the water's edge along with good numbers of dunlin and oystercatchers. Several cormorants were already showing some white plumage denoting they were ready to breed. Some turnstones chasing each other at the edge of the sea however were still in winter plumage. We checked the small pools for spotted redshanks without success.
Temporary respite from the wind was sought inland. In sheltered places quite a few birds were in song: great tit, chaffinch and wren. A pheasant was seen. In the trees a great spotted woodpecker was drumming - a real sign of spring not far away. We saw a small flock of red-legged partridges at the far end of a field but, alas, no grey partridges, which are becoming rare. We had more luck with raptors: kestrel, sparrowhawk and buzzard, all seen well.
Back at the Centre some goldfinches fed on teasel. On the Ferry Pool we saw good numbers of duck including shoveler, wigeon, teal and shelduck. A godwit was eventually identified as a black-tailed. The lapwings were restless: perhaps a peregrine was about although we did not see one. When they all took flight we were surprised to see among them around 10 snipe whose presence we had never suspected.