Birding from Gatwick

Last Friday, I met Gillian and Janis for a London Gatwick Birding Big Day covering Surrey and Sussex. This tour option is a brilliant choice for a budget-friendly day full of birding if you're staying in London (the pick-up point being just over half-an-hour from central London by train), or on a layover at Gatwick.

Our first official ‘tick’ of the day was a Mute Swan on Boldermere Lake as we drove past on the A3.

Gillan and Janis enjoyed a varied day of birding heathland, lakesides and tidal mudflats

Our first stop was the glorious Thursley Common National Nature Reserve, and the first birds we saw there were Mallard, Tufted Ducks and Coots on the Moat Pond, with a glorious symphony of birdsong including Wren, Robin, Blue Tit, Great Tit and Blackcap in the surrounding woodland. We found a Redstart singing in the pines by the pond and admired a very obliging Chiffchaff nearby.  

Out on the impressive boardwalk, we were treated to the song flights of bubbling Skylarks and yodelling Woodlarks directly above us. On the water, along with a few Greylag Goose, many Canada Geese were seen including one sitting on a nest. Two Little Grebes skeetered across the water, with their occasional giggling calls. Moorhens and more Tufted Ducks were also seen, and a distant Reed Bunting heard buzzing in the reeds across the water.  

Leaving the valley mire habitat and making our way into the dry sandy heath, we found a Dartford Warbler in scrub beside the path, singing its scratchy song. It perched briefly in a birch sapling, allowing for some fleeting views, before skulking away into gorse.  

A beautiful Goldfinch posed in a tree nearby, and further out into the dry heathland and more Skylark and woodlark were heard singing around us. A small flock of Linnet bounced through the pines, joined by twittering Goldfinches.  

We stopped to look at a very obliging juvenile Common Lizard on the boardwalk, as a Grey Heron gracefully flew over the bog.  

On our journey to our next destination, we spotted a few day-ticks from the car! Along the major roads, Buzzards and a Red Kite were seen overhead, as well as countless Woodpigeons and the odd Starling. Driving through farmland near Chichester, many Rooks were seen at close quarters, and as we neared the coast, Herring Gulls became more and more numerous. 

Arriving at the RSPB Pagham Harbour visitor centre, we enjoyed the hive of activity of the bird feeding stations. Dunnocks crept along the bases of the feeders, and cheery Robins alighted on adjacent foliage. House Sparrows chattered in the hedges, Jackdaws perched on treetops, and Blue Tits posed in the branches, with a fleeting glimpse of a Long-tailed Tit moving through. 

The wheezing songs of Greenfinches were all around, and several males and females showed well at the feeders opposite the hide, joined by stunning male Chaffinches. Blackbirds also flew across the paths to and from the thickets here and there. 

Settling in at the bird hide, we immediately feasted our eyes on the wonderful scene of Shelduck and Avocets feeding in the Ferry Pool. Several parties of Black-tailed Godwit were dotted around, many beginning to look resplendent in their rusty plumage. Several pairs of Teal floated around the edges of the pool, and a small handful of Shoveler were seen. A small flock of Black-headed Gulls roosted on a spit of sand.  A Green Sandpiper was very active at the far end of the pool, and two Snipe were huddled at the water’s edge, with a couple of Lapwings feeding in the adjacent wet grassland.

Two busy Little Ringed Plovers were energetically scuttling to and fro closer in view.  

When all of the wildfowl and waders suddenly took flight, we knew a raptor must surely have arrived! Lo and behold, a Marsh Harrier was quartering nearby, as well as a Buzzard, which promptly settled on a mast to survey the ground. On our short walk back to the car, a Cetti’s Warbler shouted its abrupt burst of song to us.  

Arriving at the Church Norton end of Pagham Harbour, we saw a Kestrel hovering close to the car. A Pheasant’s abrupt squawk startled us as we gathered our optics, and the path from the car park to the harbour yielded the songs of Chiffchaff and Wren, with the occasional distant scratching song of a Whitethroat.

Reaching the open vistas of Pagham Harbour, we saw numerous Oystercatcher, and had awesome views of the Sandwich Terns in flight and at rest. We had a lovely close view of a feeding Curlew, and a brief view of a shy Whimbrel skulking in the saltmarsh.  

Numerous Redshank fed among the oystercatchers, and several Great Black-backed Gulls were seen at roost among Herring Gulls, with Black-headed Gulls feeding closer by. A Little Egret flew low over the saltmarsh, and we heard a Cetti’s Warbler from the scrubby edge on the way back to car. 

After moving on from the harbour, we stopped for a brief sea-watch at Selsey Bill, where we gathered with some other birders. With the wind now picking up and a fine mist on the horizon, viewing wasn’t easy, and all the birds were distant. We saw two or three beautiful Gannets, a couple of Common Scoter, and most distant of all were the Arctic Skuas.

Fortunately the Sandwich Terns made a much closer appearance, flying past right by the shingle edge, past Black-headed and Herring Gulls. The usual House Sparrows and Starlings busied themselves in the hedgerow.  

We made time for one last stop off en route back to Gatwick, at Swanbourne Lake in beautiful Arundel. The first bird we heard on getting out of the car was a Firecrest singing by the road, followed by a Cetti’s Warbler from the Arundel WWT reserve.

Many pairs of Gadwall and Pochard along with Mallars and Tufted Duck made for a busy lake scene and at least four pairs of Mandarin Duck were a real treat; some were very obliging indeed! A distant Little Grebe was also seen, along with a small gathering of Herring and Black-headed Gulls.  

In spite of the inclement weather in the afternoon, overall we had a decidedly eclectic mixture of birds seen and heard throughout the day, with some wonderful avian spectacles enjoyed, all among the beautiful backdrop of the South Downs and coast.

We took in a diverse range of habitats, from the dramatic lowland heathland of Thursley, to the wide open saltmarsh vistas of Pagham Harbour, with lots of stunning chalk downland scenery inbetween!