Hants -> Sussex trawl (09/03/2014)

First stop was Budds Farm/Broadmarsh where initially I thought I had found the Red-necked Grebe but on good views it was a juvenile Slavonian Grebe - should have guessed really - it was with two adult winter Slavonian Grebes.

Eventually I picked up the drake Long-tailed Duck which hadn't yet acquired its tail - got a bad picture of it.

I then went around to Hayling Oyster Beds where the higlight was the congregation of gulls on the oyster bed islands.  Lots of Black-headed Gulls but the main highlight was at least 110 Mediterranean Gulls.  Some of them were, what I would term,display flighting.

No sign of the Red-necked Grebe here either, just 2 Black-necked Grebes and another Slavonian Grebe.

Another birder present told me that the Red-necked Grebe had been seen from Budds area again so back I went but with no luck.

Next onto Pagham area where nothing at Chichester GP's, Church Norton and Selsey, just 4 Avocets on the Sidlesham Ferry pool.

Final stop was Littlehampton where I spent ages walking up and down West Beach road with the only highlight being another adult Mediterranean Gull and lots of Turnstones on the jetty.

While scanning for any gulls I suddenly saw my quarry distantly along the river so I quick marched in that direction and saw 2 other birders with camera's had also seen it.

The Kumlein's Gull seen close up in flight feeding on bread and fish and chip remains.  At one point it perched on some railings where I managed to get some shots.