West Sussex - Pagham Harbour RSPB - A Big Ish Weekend!

The Pagham Harbour Big-ish weekend was upon us! We were up and out early having had a look through the moths that had accrued overnight! There were a good 20+ new species for my list which I will collate when I return home.

The first port of call was to nail the Semipalmated Sandpiper that had recently moved to Siddlesham Ferry. The bird was easily located in close proximity to a Little Stint which gave a good comparison. The bird was larger and bulkier but looking more compact than its counterpart. The primary projection was noticeably shorter. My shots were distant and fuzzy! A Spotted Redshank joined the duo as it fed along the backwater!

Common and Green Sandpiper were added to the shorebird total. Species present included Avocet, lapwing and the only sighting of the day of Black-tailed Godwit. Ducks were represented by a flock of Teal and the resident mix of Mallards.

Once the star bird had been nailed we moved swiftly on to east wall to cover the rising tide. A mixed flock of Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Redshank, Grey Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit, Knot, Oystercatcher, Sanderling, Turnstone and Whimbrel were our reward with a Great Egret briefly present before it moved further around the harbour.

An adult Yellow-legged Gull was a bonus for the day list with fly over Yellow Wagtails. A low flying calling Tree Pipit was also a nice addition whilst we searched the mudflats. A walk to another pond added a few passerines including Willow Warbler to the tally.

A shift in location re-located the Great Egret with a mix of Cattle and Little Egret at a roost and out on the mudflats.

A visit to Church Norton added more passerines including a couple of Spotted Flycatchers to a tally that ended on 90 species for the day!

Sunday morning we returned for a couple of spells at Church Norton covering this area early morning and late afternoon up until dusk. A couple of Yellow Wagtail flocks were noted flying over the churchyard in the evening. A Marsh Harrier was added over the back of the harbour late evening.

The return to Mill Lane secured the Wood Sandpiper on a pool and a fly through Kingfisher, Jay and fly over Mistle Thrush on the adjacent pond. These species managed to avoid us the day before therefore were a welcome addition as we approached the 100 species mark!

By the end of the weekend we had scraped through with 100 species which was not a bad effort considering we had breaks in birding over both days. 

I have been to Pagham Harbour numerous times over the years but having been shown the hotspots have realized I was just scraping the surface on this vital staging post for migratory birds!