The Male Desert Wheatear at Climping, West Sussex.

On Sunday November 9, 2003 2 visiting birders were on the beach at Climping in West Sussex where they discovered a fine 1st winter male Desert Wheatear Oenanthe deserti. They took some photographs of the bird and later phoned the news of their find in to Birdline Southeast, they also e-mailed some of their pictures confirming the identification. News of the find filtered out to some local Sussex birders but not until dusk and to late for anybody look for the bird.
At dawn the following morning, November 10, 2003 5 birders gathered in the car park. As soon as it was light enough they moved out towards the beach to start searching. The Desert Wheatear was found immediately, at 6:50, as it sat on the sea wall at the southern end of the car park. The bird flicked down on to the beach and lingered around a large rock for the next hour giving extremely close views to those gathered. A total of about 20 birders managed to see it at such close range.

The bird looked a bit bedraggled with the plumage being very wet. The remiges and retrices were very worn and the greater coverts showed broad buff fringes all pointing towards a first calendar year male.The bird fed actively but continued to return to the rock close to the southern end of the car park.
As the sun rose it became more active and began to move further flying up to 100 yards to the west. It then returned to the rock before flying off to the east settling for the next hour on the third groyne along where it continued to give excellent views in the warm glow of the sun.

The warm sun allowed the birds plumage to dry and as it preened the plumage began to look much tidier.

The warm sunlight gave an orange glow to the birds plumage but cloud cover then obscured the sun giving the plumage a more natural sandy colour.

The beach area was becoming much more disturbed as the army of dog walkers began to appear and the bird moved to a cultivated field directly to the north of the beach. Here it remained actively feeding, sometimes giving close views, until dusk pleasing a steady stream of visiting admirers

Despite searching the following morning the bird could not be relocated.
Another 3 Desert Wheatears were in the country at this time with 2 in Norfolk and 1 in Fife.

This record constituted the fifth to be recorded in Sussex with the other records listed below.

1960 A female at Selsey Bill from 28 October to 8 November.
1966 A male on the beach below Cow Gap, Beachy Head from 17 to 21 April.
1989 A first-winter or female at Selsey Bill from 1 to 6 November.
1997 A first winter male on the beach at Cow Gap, Beachy Head from 30 November to 5 December.