Exciting news came through just before midday of the first-ever Little Swift for Sussex at Sovereign Harbour in Eastbourne. Infuriatingly, I had just got back home to Worthing, having been in Eastbourne during the morning! But there was nothing else for it besides heading back east.
Despite being a swift, something about it felt like a dead-cert. Perhaps it was New Year optimism. As it turned out, the bird had vanished about an hour before I got there, and it didn't return by dusk, when the crowd gave up for the day.
However, it was lovely watching several Harbour Seals living up to this better name (rather than the alternative, bland name of 'Common Seal'), hauled out on the mud in the outer harbour. A Kittiwake performed a welcome fly-by too.
