better light and was able to crack the window open to get better quality pics of the blackcap today

over in westest sussex today... starting with the whoopers at barnham (possibly a sussex tick, can't remember), blanking on the dusky warbler, then up for the iping ggshrike which was seen swallowing a wing and head of its prey in one go, then lastly westdean woods where small groups of hawfinches were seen well.

impaled prey to the left of the shrike

still a bit too much water at west rise. in a quick visit i saw a water pipit, 2 marsh harriers (one is a new bird, 3rd of the winter) and two flocks of bearded tits each remaining faithful to their own strip of reeds.

my garden apples are still getting frequent visits by a female blackcap but I was surprised to spot no less than five birds in my neighbours tree yesterday - 3 males & 2 females. in winter i don't get enough time to spend in the garden to get a proper idea of what's about

got some feedback on that colour-ringed gbbg in the cuckmere on 21 december. it was ringed in le havre and this was the first sighting in the uk but more remarkable was the fact that its sibling was seen at dungeness the same day and again that was the first uk sighting of that bird. nothing else to report lately, saw a merg and 7 razorbills in sovereign harbour on xmas eve.

recently there have been two blackcaps in neighbours' gardens so i put some apples out and they were very quickly found. pics taken through kitchen window

still poor on the gull front; down the cuckmere today there were 5 yellow-legs (4 1st-winters which is a good count) and what was surely a herring x lbbg hybrid. the highlight of the day was seeing a delightful group of 6 razorbills at sovereign harbour - i saw a report of these birds yesterday but wasn't expecting them to be inside the marina, i actually heard them before i saw them which was funny (calling to each other lots when the group split up amongst the yachts). there was also a kingfisher in the marina and a common seal in the outer harbour as well as a black redstart on the rooftops

the gull below looked like an argie but had way too much black in the primaries (head/bill not right either), in flight there was also a touch of lbbg jizz. the ringed gbbg also in these pics is from normandy, note also the 1st-winter ylg in the background

a comparison of upper primary pattern between caspian and yellow-legged