My first stop was the sewage works at Budds Farm to see if the Iceland Gull was there, however, there were little or no larger gulls. Next over to Hayling Oyster Beds where this time the Shore Lark was feeding between posts B & C. Then down to Sandy Point on Hayling Island, where after much faffing around trying to park, I went to the lifeguard station and saw all 4 Snow Buntings really close.
Next over to Thorney Island where I was told the Great White Egret was feeding in a ditch and was currently out of view. In the meantime I saw a Kingfisher perched on a shed near the reeds and finally the egret sneaked out of the reeds and was eventually chased in flight by a Grey Heron giving a good view of the size comparison, i.e. they were similar in size. The two birds went their separate ways and the egret flew off into the distance.
Next tio Pagham Harbour where the Paddyfield Warbler failed to show even though I was told it had been seen at about midday. Some recompense came in the shape of 2 Marsh Harriers and quite a few Knot in the harbour. One of the local water rails was seen to run along the top of the bank and eventually flew around the birders and into the reed beds in front of us. This is the first time I have ever seen a Water Rail in flight.
My final stop was Petworth Park where I eventually pinned down a single Brambling (although I did hear a couple of others) in the top of a tree until it flew off with Chaffinches. A bonus here was a Raven calling in the distance and then it was seen to chase off a Buzzard croaking as it did so.
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