Razor Bill and the rest of the gang

After a dark and very wet day yesterday, today dawned bright, clear and rather cold. Dressed as warmly as we could manage we set off with a few birding aims in mind.

The first stop was a visit to Widewater Lagoon in the hope of finding the Snow Buntings but although my mentor and his wife had seen them a few days before, I was once again disappointedly singing my "There's no Bunting like Snow Bunting...No Bunting at all" song.

After a stroll up along the side of Widewater to Lancing and then a walk back along the beach we stopped for lunch, while watching a number of Dabchicks diving in front of us.





In the meantime we had seen several Wagtails, a Meadow Pipit some Sanderlings at their antics on the edge of the water, some Turnstones, Swans, Cormorants and Little Egrets including one looking rather uncomfortable as he uncharacteristically perched on a rail and another doing his strange leg trembling shuffle to stir up food. No sign of the legendary Kingfisher as usual but still plenty of activity and lots of aeroplanes taking off and landing from nearby Shoreham Airport.

After lunch we set off to Brighton Marina and along the Eastern breakwater. Once again we had specific goals in mind but this time we achieved them, with excellent views looking down on a number of (around fourteen in fact) Purple Sandpipers. While we were there we also saw a Razorbill, although he did not make it easy for us with his prolonged dives.

Flushed with success we headed back to the small beach beyond the Eastern side of the Marina in search of another quarry and were successful once more. This time the goal was the Black Redstart and we found a male and two females popping in and out of the jumble of concrete shapes acting as protection to the sea wall of the Marina.

Along the side of the wall we also had very good close views of a number of Turnstones and on our journey round the arm we had also come across a lone Kittiwake. The sun having disappeared and the cold beginning to seep into our bones it seemed like time to call it a day but a very enjoyable and successful day this time.

Among other birds seen were a Common Buzzard which flew over the car on the outward journey,  Sparrows, several Wagtails and Pipits (Meadow and Rock), a Common Gull and Kittiwake.