December had little of note and only two Red Admirals on the 8th, the odd Buff-tailed Bumblebees and a single Eristalis spp representing insects. The three eagles at Pulborough put on a good show in two visits and a single obliging Firecrest along Green Lane was nice. Twenty-five or so Lesser Redpolls along the zigzag were best-of-the-rest.
The most recent and best day of weather (albeit with a couple of sharp showers) saw a few hours at WWT in the company of a friend not seen for some years, 40 or so Cattle Egrets and yet again a fine, obliging Firecrest.
January has started off as grim as 2023 ended and yesterday, unsurprisingly, both the Arun and Stor were overtopping into the south and north Brooks respectively. With so much water most wildfowl were well scattered, the eagles were absent and the two White-fronted Geese yet again eluded Pete and I. The trees and bushes were almost totally birdless and sadly the highlight of the visit was the lunchtime Sausage Roll!!
With just 6-7 hours birding this year the total stands at a paltry 61 spp.
On the bright side it seems as if colder, drier conditions are arriving next week. Time will tell whether it proves to be a short interruption or a longer spell of 'proper' winter weather. Maybe its not too late for some local Waxwings - fingers crossed.
