Saturday 20 May 2017

20th - 22nd May 2017

Monday, 22nd May: The breeze veered round to the east, but there was still some sunshine between the thin cloud, and warming up as the day progressed.....

Selsey Bill:  Another 100+ Common Scoters went east this morning, along with two dark-phase Arctic Skuas and 29 Sanderlings, plus a few Kittiwakes, a couple of Fulmars and a few Sandwich Terns. Full log below. (C&ME/AH/DF/CRJ/SR) 
(0630-1130hrs):
Diver sp - 1W
Fulmar - 2E, 3W
Gannet - 77E, 2W
Mute Swan - 1os
Common Scoter - 168E
Sanderling - 70E, 10W
Oystercatcher - 8E, 5W
Whimbrel - 2E
Arctic Skua (dark phase) - 2E
Kittiwake - 4E
Common Tern - 3E, 1W
Commic Tern - 8os
Sandwich Tern - 45os
Little Tern - 1E
Razorbill - 1E, 1W
Swallow - 4N


Kittiwake (above), Fulmar, Common Scoters & Sandwich Tern past the Bill (AH)




Ferry Pool: There were just a Lapwing a Redshank, ten Black-tailed Godwits and eight Shelduck on the pool this morning. (AH)


Black-tailed Godwit and Redshank (above) & Lapwing on the Ferry (AH)


Medmerry: Breach area - There were a surprising number of waders on the pools this morning, including a Whimbrel, six Bar-tailed Godwits, c80 Grey Plover, c50 Dunlin and c12 Ringed Plovers.
A Whinchat was briefly present near the viewpoint (but could not be re-found), and there were two Corn Buntings, four Meadow Pipits and a few Skylarks and Linnets between there and the start of the caravans, and offshore, half a dozen sandwich Terns went east. (AH)


Whimbrel, Bar-tailed Godwits, Grey Plovers and Dunlin (above), Ringed Plover, Grey Plovers, Corn Buntings & Meadow Pipit at Medmerry (AH)







Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - Nothing much of note was along the banks, though there were three Brown Hares and several Common Blue butterflies.
On the Stilt Pool there was a minimum of 25 Avocet chicks including two newly hatched ones, and the adults have set up their no-fly zone, attacking anything flying over, including the poor Redshank!
There were also a couple of Whimbrels, six Little Ringed Plovers and 20+ Sweallows present. (S&SaH)

Avocet family (above), Whimbrel, Brown Hare & Common Blue at Medmerry (SH)



Church Norton: A look on the beach on a beautiful flat calm produced the two long-staying first-summer Eiders, and 10+ Little and Sandwich Terns and 40+ Common Terns, whilst two Mediterranean Gulls flew into the harbour. (AH)

Eiders (above), Common Tern & Mediterranean Gull at Church Norton (AH)


Ivy Lake: A quick look at lunchtime produced seven Common Terns sat on buoys, a Gadwall, 12 Great Crested Grebes and singing Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Sedge Warbler. (AH)

Chiffchaff at Ivy Lake (AH)

Snowhill Creek: There were up to 30 Black-tailed Godwits feeding in the creek this evening. (MR)

Black-tailed Godwits in Snowhill Creek (MR)

Sunday, 21st May: After a fairly cool start, the temperature rose quite quickly, as did the sea-breeze, though there was plenty of sunshine.....

Selsey Bill:  The most notable features were the first-summer Little Gull feeding offshore before drifting off west and over 200 Common Scoters heading east, but beyond that it was the usual terns and Gannets moving locally, plus a couple of Fulmars. Full log later. (SH/PB/JA/IP/SR)
(0500-0930hrs)
Great Northern Diver - 1os
Great Crested Grebe - 3W
Fulmar - 2E, 2W, 
Gannet - 58E, 33W
Wigeon - 1E
Gadwall - 1E
Common Scoter - 249E
Turnstone - 4E
Little Gull - 1os (1st summer)
Kittiwake - 1E, 4W
Common Tern - 4os
Sandwich Tern - 27os
Razorbill - 1W
Guilemot - 1E
auk sp - 1E
Swallow - 1N, 5p
House Martin - 6p

Common Scoters, with (presumably) Wigeon, with Guillemot, Fulmar, House Martins & Herring Gulls at the Bill (AH)







PB and IP catching up on messages during the slow sea-watching at the Bill (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: A female Redstart was behind the buildings this morning, and there were at least ten House Martins and Swallows about, plus a couple of Swifts and Whitethroats, with a pair of Lapwings still on the lettuce field. (S&SaH/PB/IP/AH)


Swallows (above) & Whitethroat at Park Farm, Selsey (AH)


Medmerry: Breach area -  A Whinchat was present this morning. (BO'D)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool: Two Reed Warblers were in the ditches near Marsh Farm and there were two Whitethroats around the gorse near the Easton viewpoint . A few Yellowhammers, Reed Buntings and Linnets were around the banks and there were plenty of Skylarks singing on the way down to the pools. On the pools were the Avocet families, four Little Ringed Plovers, two Ringed Plovers and there were a few Swallows and a lone House Martin feeding over the water. Lots of Common Blue butterflies out along the banks. (BI)

Ferry Pool: There were eight Black-tailed Godwits, a Redshank and 11 Shelduck on the pool this morning, plus a couple of reed Warblers at the front. (AH)
Also, there was at least one Tawny Owlet with the mother in the box in the Discovery Area this morning. (PB)


Black-tailed Godwits on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: A Wheatear was by the concrete blocks this morning, but there was no other indication of migrants arriving, though the usual Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, Whitethroats, Sedge and Reed Warblers were all singing, and there were a couple of Skylarks and a few Linnets along the beach. Also, a big flock of at least 20 juvenile Long-tailed Tits was roaming around the Bluebell Wood.
In the harbour there was a Gadwall, at least eight Turnstones, a couple of Grey Plovers and plenty of Little, Common and Sandwich Terns, whilst a couple of Great Crested Grebes and Mediterranean Gulls were offshore. (AH/IP/S&SaH/PB)
The only addition in a quick look this evening was an unusually elusive Spotted Flycatcher feeding on either side of the hedge between the churchyard and the Mound. (AH)


Wheatear (above), Skylark, Sedge Warbler, juvenile Long-tailed Tit & Common Terns at Church Norton (AH)







Saturday, 20th May: After a fairly still start, it was another typically English bright and breezy late-spring morning.....

Selsey Bill:  Not too much was on the move, but there was the usual varied selection. Full log below. (JA/SR et al)
(0600-0800hrs)
Fulmar - 2W
Gannet - 44E, 7W
Mute Swan - 2N
Common Scoter - 23E
Sanderling - 6E
Kittiwake - 3W
Sandwich Tern - 8E, 8os
Common Tern - 2E, 14os
auk sp - 1W 
Swallow - 1N
House Martin - 7p


Sanderlings at the Bill (SR)

(1600-1730hrs) (SH/JA)
Great Northern Diver - 1os
Fulmar - 4E
Gannet - 62E, 11W
Common Scoter - 6E
Whimbrel - 1E
Kittiwake - 4W
auk sp - 5E


Ferry Pool: There were c75 Black-tailed Godwits, four Redshank and four Shelduck on the pool, with a couple of Reed Warblers singing well along the reeds at the front. The Tawny Owl was still in its box in the Discovery Area, but the Tramway was pretty quiet, with just a couple each of Blackcap, Whitethroat and Chiffchaff singing, just a Whimbrel and a Curlew in the channel, and a couple of Swifts and a Sparrowhawk over. (AH)


Reed Warblers (above), Blackcap & Black-tailed Godwits around the Ferry (AH)




Long Pool: Reed Warblers were more conspicuous than Sedge Warblers along the pool, though there were good numbers of both, plus a couple of Whitethroats and Linnets, whilst a pair of Gadwall and a pair of Little Grebes were on the water and couple of Common Terns were feeding along Ferry Channel. (AH)


Reed Warbler (above), Common Tern & Little Grebe along Long Pool (AH)




Church Norton: The first-summer Little Gull reappeared this morning, showing well in the harbour and briefly offshore, and there were plenty of Little and Common Terns about, too, with displaying and fish-passing taking place. Sandwich Terns were less obvious, as they seem to have moved on to actual nesting, and the only waders seen were a flock of  14 Ringed Plovers (presumably migrant birds) in the harbour, and a resident pair looking like they were trying to nest right by the path to the beach. (AH/IP/EL)


Little Gull (above), with Black-headed Gull, Little Terns & Ringed Plovers at Church Norton (AH)






The Little Gull was still present early this evening, and there were at least 20 Little Terns in the harbour. (AH)






Little Gull (above) & Little Tern at Church Norton (AH)




Drayton Pit: A fair bit activity today with at least 40 House Martins and a dozen Swifts hawking insects over the water and six Reed Warblers, a Cetti's Warbler and two Reed Buntings along the reeds. On the water were a pair of Pochards, a Little Grebe, numerous Tufted Ducks and Canada Geese and a Greylag Goose. A Brown Argus butterfly was along the banks which unfortunately have been mown back, hopefully the meadow will grow back. (BI)


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