Ten members met at RSPB Pagham Harbour in initially cloudy conditions.  The feeders outside the visitors centre were already busy with a gang of House Sparrows with a Greenfinch, Chaffinches, Goldfinches, Great, Blue And Long-tailed Tits, a Dunnock and Robins competing to share the bounty. Towards the new hide a Goldcrest flitted around and a pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers were displaying to each other in a dead tree. At Ferry Pool there were groups of Avocets and Black-tailed Godwits feeding actively and Black-headed Gulls standing around.  Wildfowl were represented by Wigeon, Teal, and Shovelers while a Buzzard was perched on a post in the field surveying the area.

The tide was almost fully in as the tramp along the path out to the sea began. The sound of Skylarks could be heard in the fields to the right, occasionally taking to the air.  A Stonechat sat on top of some grasses.  Some movement in the gorse bushes by the path drew attention to a small bird which after some scanning turned out to be an unexpected but elusive Dartford warbler. By the time a viewing point along a channel in the marsh was reached the sun had come out and the wonderful light was illuminating the assembled birds. Tufted Duck, Mallards, Coots, Little Grebes and Little Egrets were observed. Quite a few Curlew and Snipe were also flying around, the latter eventually providing good views of through telescopes.  Further out on the open water there were large numbers of Shelduck and one or two Pintail.  Occasional Redshank and Grey Plover were dotted around and a couple of Great Black-backed Gulls were evident in the distance.

At Church Norton there was a group of Mediterranean Gulls on the water in varying degrees of breeding plumage.  Some smart Brent Geese bobbed around and out on the island were Cormorants and Oystercatchers. Huge numbers of Dunlin and Grey Plover were on the metalwork that jutted out of the water.  Some Turnstones and Knots were also picked out while three Ringed Plover rested on the shingle.  Lunch was accompanied by the spectacle of the masses of waders swirling in the air while further study of the waders revealed two Bar-tailed Godwits among them.

Continuation of the walk produced views of a Sparrowhawk perched on a wall. From the beach the initial sightings were of Great Crested Grebes and a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers. Trumping them were two Slavonian Grebes that offered excellent views despite the distance. Then even better another pair of birds came into view which were clearly Long-tailed Ducks, one particularly dark in colour probably an immature male.

On the return walk the receding tide afforded closer views of waders on the mud, allowing the differences between the Dunlin, Knot and Grey Plover to be picked out, while a Grey Wagtail was seen close to the new boardwalk. Back at the channel opposite the Ferry Pool splendid views were obtained of a Spotted Redshank that obligingly posed well in the afternoon sun, even standing in front of a common Redshank to allow comparison.  A final bonus was a Green Sandpiper in the Ferry Pool bringing the total for the day to a splendid 65 species identified.