Serin and Rose-coloured Starling

Today's impromptu outing was due to the Serin being reported at Tidemills again. Two previous visits , one lasting a bone chilling six hours, had resulted in a disappointing dip. When we arrived just a few hopeful birders scanning the skies and the walls of the ruins. After a wait of only about fifteen minutes we were treated to a fly by, the bird calling as it circled us. After a short period it landed on one of the walls and was duly recorded - a UK and Sussex tick simultaneously. The pattern was repeated with the bird feeding and then posing, with quite a crowd the gathering the bird disappeared. We took our leave of the assembled birders and took a stroll along the East Pier, with the tide at almost dead low there were no Purplies to be found so we returned to the car for lunch.

Where next was the question and Martin came up with the Rose-coloured Starling. After a 35 minute journey we were parking in Beachy Road Crawley and just one minute later we spotted the bird - makes a change from our recent dipping episodes. A bit of a difficult subject as it seemed that the Starling was always partially obscured by the many branches of its favourite tree. At least we had good light and we made the most of it.