Brutal morning at Church Norton!!

 Ok one man's brutal morning is another man's walk on a shingle beach but it was windy and I done 12000+ steps!!!!😀 Yesterday I had a birding free day, had to paint the shed, you remember the shed the one where I was promised if we bought a new one all our shed woes would be over?? Turns out got to paint the bloody thing every year so it don't fall down!! We also had a nice trip to the cinema, The Depot in Lewes which was surprisingly small for a cinema but very nice, we worked out that I hadn't been to the cinema since 2004 so it made a change!!!😃 Anyway taking full advantage of my absence no less than three Wrynecks decided to appear in Sussex, one at Tidemills, one at Sheepcote and a further bird at Church Norton, I feel I've removed any of the guesswork out of which one I went for in the title of this blog!!😀 Tidemills is mostly dog poop and I've tried to find Wrynecks there before without success, I'm not sure where Sheepcote is or once I found it where to start looking and reports of Osprey at Church Norton tipped the scales!!!

I beat the alarm and was out the door at 4.45 Margie opting to stay home, twitching is her least favourite form of birding and Wrynecks usually involve a long wait staring at bushes!!, I arrived in good time and was out the car at 5.45, I even strapped on the scope with a view to scanning the harbour after filling my boots with Wryneck goodness!!! One thing I hadn't bargained on was the wind, it was breezy to say the least, not conducive to finding highly camouflaged birds, who need no excuse to keep their heads down, on a wide expanse of beach!! The track to the harbour was devoid of action although it was still pretty dark so no surprise, a few Redshanks and Curlew in the harbour were shunned as I hot-footed it around to the Severals, (I do not know why it is called this?) couple of Wheatears on the beach but little else as I began to search!!

Bright Moon in a break in the clouds

Gloomy, Grey Sky

Another birder turned up and I was able to refine the search as he new where it had been the day before, Hurrah!! I was beginning to worry when a movement caught my eye as a bird flew into a bush and promptly disappeared!! I scanned the bush intently and about 5 minutes later was rewarded with brief views of an extremely shy Wryneck!! However to say it was difficult viewing was an understatement with the bird using every trick in the book to avoid being photographed, every twig, every blade of grass was utilised in it's desire to deny me a picture!!

Reticent Wryneck!!

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!! The bird did actually appear on top of the bush, but the other side from where I was standing, Denied!!! Again!!!😠😡😢 Although a couple of late arrivals lucked in big time!!! I was very pleased for them, Grrrrrr!!!😆

Suddenly the bird flew out of the bush and into the reed bed!!! At this point I decided to stretch my legs and walk to the breach, god knows why and he ain't telling!! Vowing to return I set off against the increasing wind, couple more Wheatears blew past me and a couple of Skylarks flushed up, I had a distant Peregrine being mobbed by Gulls, a few Curlew and a Turnstone in the harbour and a nice group of Great Black-backed Gulls of various ages at the outflow, but was generally quiet. Although a few groups of Swallows headed east past me as I walked along!! 

Peregrine

Turnstone

Curlew

So I retraced my steps and arrived back at the Wryneck bush, and hour or so had passed, there were 2 hardy birders remaining, who glumly reported no sign, which wasn't a surprise as the bird had flown? 

I headed on up the beach threading through the bramble patches when low and behold 30 yards down the beach the Wryneck flushed up in front of me, landing between a couple of small bushes where for a minute or so it gave reasonable views, though of course still managing to hide behind the slightest obstruction!!! 

Wryneck, not perfect, but considering the subject and the conditions not bad!!!

Having grabbed a few shots, I gave a shout out to the other birders, but unfortunately as they arrived on scene with one hop the Wryneck disappeared into a small patch of bramble and when I left half an hour later had not reappeared!! 😢 They must have had a few black cats cross their paths because they didn't see it first time either, mind we've all had days like that!! 

So I headed to the harbour having lugged the scope around all morning I felt a scan from the benches would be good, rumours had been heard about a Little Stint on the mud!! Got to be said the Stint should have a word with the Wryneck first bird I got my scope onto? Little Stint, Hurrah😃!!!

Little Stint distant but nice to see!

Little Stint

There were plenty of Curlew and Redshank in the harbour and running about on the mud with the Stint were several Ringed Plover and Dunlin, had a couple of Grey Plover, very distant, in the strong wind with Curlew and Redshank calling all round felt very wintery rather than August, very enjoyable scanning for Waders though!! Couple of Whimbrel close by were probably the highlight!!

Whimbrel and friend

Flyby Curlew

Battered by the wind I gave it up and headed for the car, I stopped off at RSPB Pagham Harbour, on rumours of some Spotted Redshanks, eventually tracked them down to the Ferry Channel, where there was a nice close Great Crested Grebe, Black-tailed Godwits, Common Redshank and a couple of Dunlin, a few Avocet were on Ferry Pool with more Dunlin and some Lapwings, someone had reported a Curlew Sandpiper on the pool but I couldn't find it although there are quite a few areas you can't see!!

A few pics of the main protagonists below, shame about the grey conditions birds were quite close could have been some decent shots with a bit of Sunshine!!

Spotted Redshank

Comparison Shot with a Common Redshank

Great Crested Grebe

Spotshank

Dunlin

Black-tailed Godwit

BTG

Common Redshank

Waderfest

That was about that, on the way home I got stuck behind a car, that was stuck behind a tractor which was stuck behind 2 cyclists, which was annoying but couldn't spoil an excellent if challenging morning!!!