12th March 2005 Beachy Seawatch 7am – 8am, then area until 12.15pm. Sunny Light NW3 strengthening to NW5

Red-throated Diver 5E, 1W

Diver sp. 1W
Great Crested Grebe 1W
Fulmar c.20
Gannet 4E, 1W
Cormorant 1ad W, 1ad E
Brent Goose 1E and 1W off Cow Gap
Shelduck 1 flew north over top fields – prospecting?
Wigeon c.50 Cuckmere
Teal c.10 Cuckmere
Scoter 16E
Red-breasted Merganser 2E
Peregrine 2 pair
Pheasant 1
Oystercatcher 7E, 5W Cow Gap
Black-headed Gull c.10
Common Gull c.5
Herring Gull c.15
Kittiwake 4E, 7W
Auk sp. 30E, 2W
Wood Pigeon c.25 including a flock of c.18 north through Hollow
Green Woodpecker 2
Skylark c.5 including singing individuals
Meadow Pipit c.6 coasting west
Alba Wagtail c.3 in flight
Grey Wagtail 1 north west
Wren c.3
Dunnock c.6
Robin c.12
Song Thrush 5
Blackbird c.15
Goldcrest 1
Long-tailed Tit 2
Jackdaw c.25
Carrion Crow 3 in off sea
House Sparrow c.5
Chaffinch c.8
Linnet c.40
Goldfinch 1

Bedelands Farm, Burgess Hill 2.00pm – 4.00pm Mainly overcast.

Buzzard 1
Kestrel 2
Moorhen 1
Stock Dove 2 displaying
Great Spotted Woodpecker 2
Grey Wagtail 1
Song Thrush c.3
Redwing c.20
Mistle Thrush 2
Goldcrest 3
Bullfinch 1

9th March 2005 Triangle Leisure Centre, Burgess Hill 7.00am – 8.30am Cold and overcast

Waxwing 6

6th March 2005 Bluebell Wood near Ditchling Common 7.45am – 9.30am, Ditchling Common 11.00am – 12.00pm. Snow at first then brighter though cold

Canada Goose c.8

Sparrowhawk 1
Moorhen c.10
Black-headed Gull c.10
Tawny Owl h
Great Spotted Woodpecker 2
Mistle Thrush 2
Goldcrest 2
Great Tit c.6
Coal Tit 2
Blue Tit c.10
Marsh Tit 1 allowed close views in response to playback – small black bib and lacked a pale panel in the secondaries

Long-tailed Tit c.6

Nuthatch 1
Treecreeper 2
Magpie 2

5th March 2005 Roedean Pitch and Putt Course 8.00am – 9.30am, St. Georges, Ditchling Common 10.30am – 12.00pm. Cold with light north wind

Great Crested Grebe 2 on sea off Marina

Cormorant 2 Marina
Mute Swan 1 1w
European White-fronted Goose 1 St. Georges prob 1w as although it had a well developed white flank line and white blaze it lacked any black patches to the belly. Bill pink with a vague orange tinge when viewed head-on. Dark head and upper neck with vertical dark scars to neck. Breast pale. Pale wavy lines across mantle and scapulars. Tail with broad white tip and white rump. Orange legs. Smaller than the accompanying Greylags. Raised wings revealing narrow grey bar across greater coverts broadening across primary coverts. Dark orbital ring!
Greylag Goose 112
Canada Goose c.60
Mallard 2
Kestrel 2 St. Georges
Pheasant 1 St. Georges
Moorhen 10 St. Georges
Lapwing 14 St. Georges
Black-headed Gull c.50 Roedean
Herring Gull c.10
Kumlien’s Gull 1 2w Roedean
Guillemot 1 Marina
Razorbill 1 off Marina
Auk sp. C.20W off Marina
Great Spotted Woodpecker 2 St. Georges
Song Thrush 2 St. Georges
Redwing c.20 St. Georges
Mistle Thrush 2 St. Georges
Goldcrest 1 St. Georges
Long-tailed Tit 2 St. Georges
Nuthatch 1 St. Georges
Treecreeper 1 St. Georges
Jay 1 St. Georges

1st March 2005 Roedean Pitch and Putt Course 3.00pm – 5.00pm. Cold south wind

Mute Swan 1 1w

Kumlien’s Gull 1 2w Roedean Pitch and Putt Course. Tiny pale greenish tip to bill with broad black subterminal band and pale green base. Bill appeared quite small and narrow. Eye often looked dark but scrutiny in strong light revealed a pale yellowish iris. Head small and rounded primarily white but with some feint narrow brownish streaks. Head somewhat suggestive of Ring-billed Gull at times. Neck white contrasting with brown-washed underparts. Mantle grey with just one dark strek seen and hence advanced for a 2w. Wing coverts bleached white with brown centers to the coverts. Upper tertials bleached white but covered tertial barred brown with wavy lines. Primaries principally white but with subtle grey centers to what appeared P8 to P10. Appeared very long winged with projection beyond tail considerably longer than bill. Upper surface of tail appeared unbleached and quite brown. In flight the most striking feature was the dark upper surface to the tail that was easily the darkest area of the bird – appeared as a very broad dark tail band with the entire tail feathers dark. At times the tail appeared silvery and sometimes the darkness was ‘lost’. Rump pale and appeared white-centred. Upperwings appeared quite white but with a subtle grey wash to the secondaries and outermost four primaries contrasting with the whiter inner primaries. Ex.
Starling c.300

26th February 2005 West Dean Woods 9.00am – 5.00pm. Cold and overcast

Hen Harrier 1 ringtail

Buzzard c.8 including 5 in the air together
Sparrowhawk 3
Kestrel 1
Pheasant c.3
Stock Dove c.3
Wood Pigeon c.1000
Collared Dove c.5
Tawny Owl h
Grey Wagtail 1
Redwing c.25
Goldcrest c.3
Great Tit c.3
Coal Tit 2
Blue Tit 2
Long-tailed Tit 5
Nuthatch 2
Chaffinch 20
Redpoll c.20
Goldfinch c.25
Greenfinch c.20
Siskin1
Bullfinch 1
Reed Bunting 1

20th February 2005 West Dean Woods 2.30pm – 5.00pm. Cold and overcast

Pheasant 1

Tawny Owl h
Jay 1
Chaffinch 1
Brambling 1