Littlehampton to Climping in search of Spring!

 Spoiler alert!! We didn't find it!!!😱😲😀

With nothing much of interest on the Birdguides, (within striking distance anyway) we decided on a coastal walk to look for arriving Avian migrants, dreams of beaches heaving under the weight of Wheatears and Black Redstart were fairly quickly crushed. We arrived  at Littlehampton West Beach, and  decided to walk the shoreline to Climping! 

Was a grey old day and a bit nippy, from the the carpark, Margie disputed my claims that I'd taken her to yet another Castle by pointing out A) it wasn't a real Castle and B) there was a river between us and it!! I defo think it should count as one of her yearly quota, but she's not having it!

Looks like a real castle to me, got a flag n everything!!

We walked along the boardwalk through the Dunes a couple of Linnets and a Meadow Pipit both seen briefly as was a  Kestrel over the Golf Course!

We headed on to the beach, Margie immediately disappeared in search of the unusual, I think beachcombing is one of her favourite things! She was soon photographing the waves any other old bits and bobs she found!

Margie in action

Close up! At least she managed to stay out of the sea today😏😂

Couple of her pics below.

Think she managed to capture the grey nature of today's proceedings!!!

The Sea was quite flat which meant the waves stood out well!!

More waves!

I meanwhile was scouring the beach and dunes to little effect, when I noticed a Turnstone on the foreshore and then another and another, kin loads of em and then even better a Sanderling amongst them!! Most birds look better in Breeding Plumage, donning dull plumage for the winter months, though for me the Sanderling is the other way round, looking far more fetching in winter garb!! Turns out there were loads, with a high count of 30 Sanderling, didn't bother counting the Turnstones, but there were more Turnstones than Sanderling at least twice as many, were also four Oystercatcher and several Ringed Plovers along the beach! a few pics below!

Sanderling

Turnstones

Ringed Plover

Oystercatchers

Sanderling in Flight, small groups relocated when disturbed by people or dogs

Yes I know I said a few, but you should know by now that everything is relative!!😁😁😁😁

With it being high tide the birds were mainly resting or feeding between the pebbles and as such were quite approachable, only really flushed when a dog got too close and a bloke walked right through them oblivious!! We didn't see that many dogs today and most were on leads or under close control which was good! 

I scoured the sea with the bins regularly during the walk, with little result, only birds seen were a single Great Crested Grebe a couple of Black-headed Gulls, a few Common Gulls and some big mainly sub-adult Herring gulls. Zero evidence of migration at all, I heard one Chiffchaff in the otherwise deserted Tamarisk bushes, one Sandwich Tern which didn't hang around and one Meadow Pipit that did one half-hearted display flight before sitting in a bush!! A Peregrine flew high out to sea and then 10 minutes later flew back equally high, both times I only spotted it when it was too late for a pic!!!😢

Meadow Pipit. Could of turned round, decided not to!😢

1st Winter Common Gull

Common Gull

I can do waves as well!

Great Crested Grebe

Margie can do Turnstones as well!!

Beach curving towards Climping by Margie

We reached Climping, was a lot further than I remembered and walking on a shingle beach was harder than I remembered!! Can't remember the last time I was here, before Covid so probably 3 years at least fair to say the weather and sea has battered it somewhat!! The road which I seem to remember running behind the beach has completely gone and the sea defences look like they ain't gonna last much longer!!! There was a board explaining  the plan, which seemed basically to defend til the money runs out then runaway!! Some of Margie's pics below!

Some sort of plant might be some kind of Kale

Some broken sea defences

Some broken concrete Sea Defences!

She's showing off now, framing stuff and getting all arty!😂

Think there was a road here last time I came!

Think they are losing the battle

Concerned our parking ticket would run out, a bizarre system that let's you book one or two hours then it's 10 quid for the whole day!! A bit of a piss take all round really if you charging a tenner to park you should at least fill in a few of the potholes!! 

We headed back, more of the same really, Margie found a dead fish, there were more Gulls and Waders. More people now, the Waders seemed more grouped together, we could see a dog walker in the distance, about to reach the group so I braced myself fingers crossed they would flush my way, so I could try for a few flight shots and they did, Hurrah!! Though the pics are fairly poor but I enjoyed myself even if the birds didn't, obviously if the dog owner had been a bit closer I might have said something, but I doubt it would have made much difference!! 

Ringed Plover

Sanderling and Turnstones

Pretty sure this is a 2nd winter Common Gull

Waves rolling in!

Final Turnstone

Turnstones heading towards Littlehampton

Dead Fish by Margie (obviously 😏)

No clue what this is by Margie

Final wave pics by Margie

That was about it, as Spring walks go it was a complete waste of time😢 as Winter walks go it was excellent!!😂 We got back to the car park, the ticket was 10 minutes over, the wardens turned up as we were leaving!! Phew!!! Think there should be a 5hr option!!!