Birding the Selsey Peninsula

Tuesday, 29th April: After another cool start, an increasingly warm, if still very hazy, morning in a moderate south-easterly breeze....

Selsey Bill: After a flurry of early waders east, including a flock of summer-plumage Knot and a few Grey Plovers, it was fairly slow but steady, with a Hobby and half a dozen Swifts in off the sea and a Bonxie, three Arctic Skuas, five Little Gulls and a few Whimbrel, Bar-tailed Godwits and Sanderling on the move and plenty of terns offshore.

Full log below. (PB/PM/KT/JDa/IP/AH/JDW/SR/SHo/JFi et al)

(0530-1300hrs) (NE, then SE, F2-3)

Great Northern Diver - 7os
Red-throated Diver - 1E
Fulmar - 3W
Gannet - 11E, 4W
Shag - 1E
Shelduck 2E
Common Scoter - 33E, 4os
Red-breasted Merganser - 1E
Hobby - 1N
Oystercatcher - 11E, 6W
Grey Plover - 12E
Sanderling - 26E
Knot - 16E
Whimbrel - 47E
Bar-tailed Godwit - 11E
Great Skua - 1E
Arctic Skua - 4E
Mediterranean Gull - 2E
Little Gull - 5E
Kittiwake - 3E
Sandwich Tern - 120E, 30os
Common Tern - 16E, 14os
Little Tern - 18E, 12os
Swift - 6N
Swallow - 17N
House Martin - 1N
Rook - 1

Little Gulls (above), Arctic Skuas, Common Scoter, Red-breasted Merganser & Swallow at the Bill (AH)

(1620-1720hrs) (SH)
Great Northern Diver - 2os
Mediterranean Gull - 3os
Sandwich Tern - 22os
Common Tern - 3E
Little Tern - 12os

Remarkably, and out of no-where, a flock of 14 Pomarine Skuas went east just inside the Mile Basket at 1816hrs, though absolutely nothing else was moving. Full log below. (AH)
(1810-1855hrs)
Great Northern Diver - 2os
Pomarine Skua - 14E
Sandwich Tern - c40os
Common Tern - c20os

Pomarine Skuas at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were three Common Sandpipers on the pool early on, rising to five later, whilst five Greenshank dropped and flew off again, with the two Little Ringed Plovers still about, along with 16 Avocets, c30 Black-tailed Godwits, six Shovelers and c40 Shelducks.

Also, the Redstart was heard, but not seen, near Red Barn Ditch and a Lesser Whitethroat was in the hedge by the Small Pool. (AH/KT/PB)

Common Sandpipers (above) & Avocets at the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: Thois morning, a Barn Owl was out a Halsey's Farm early on, a Kingfisher was again around Owl Water and a Wheatear was along the wall, whilst the Grey Herons in Owl Copse now have two chicks, a Peregrine, a Red Kite and the male Marsh Harrier were about and at least 30 Cattle Egrets were split between Owl Copse and Halsey's Farm.

Also, a couple of Lesser Whitethroats and Whitethroats were along the hedges and plenty of Reed, Sedge and Cetti's Warblers were making their presence known, whilst a couple of Whimbrel were in the fields, a Common Sandpiper was in White's Creek, and four Bar-tailed Godwits, c40 Grey Plovers and a couple of Dunlin were in the harbour. (AD/MJa/LP/CT/AH et al)

Barn Owl (AD) (above), Wheatear, Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler, Reed Bunting (LP), Peregrine, Grey Plovers, Cattle Egret & Grey Heron (AH) at the North Wall

Church Norton: It was very quiet in the harbour this evening, with not a gull or tern in sight, with ten Bar-tailed Godwits, eight Whimbrel and a flock of c30 Dunlin and c20 Ringed Plovers the only birds present. (AH)

Bar-tailed Godwit (above) & Whimbrel at Church Norton (AH)

Sidlesham: A Red Kite was over the village at lunchtime today. (LL)

Medmerry: Stilt Pool area - The Least Sandpiper was again present early this morning and two Short-eared Owls were in the vicinity. (PA)

Medmerry: Windmill area - Two Little Terns were fishing in the bay this morning, while a Great Northern Diver was offshore and a flock of Whimbrels flew east. (AW)

Great Northern Diver (above), Little Tern &Bar-tailed Godwits at Medmerry (AW)

Monday, 28th April: After a cool start, a warm and hazily sunny morning in a very light south-easterly breeze......

Selsey Bill: A predictably quiet morning for passage, given the conditions, though brightened up considerably by two fairly close Pomarine Skuas heading east at 0923hrs, and there were also six Arctic Skuas, three Velvet Scoters and a few Bar-tailed Godwits and Whimbrel east and a Wheatear on the beach.

Full log below. (JF/PB/PM/IP/PA/MRe/OM/AH/CRJ/ABi/SR/BFF/AW et al)

(0530-1300hrs) SE, F1-2)

Great Northern Diver -6os
Red-throated Diver - 2E
Great Crested Grebe - 1E, 2W
Fulmar - 2W
Gannet - 22E, 9W
Grey Heron 1E
Brent Goose - 1W
Shelduck - 4E, 4W
Velvet Scoter - 3E
Common Scoter - 56E
Red-breasted Merganser - 2os
Oystercatcher - 18E, 5W

Avocet - 2E
Sanderling - 2E
Whimbrel - 12E
Bar-tailed Godwit - 8E
Turnstone - 4
Pomarine Skua - 2E (0923hrs)
Arctic Skua - 6E
Mediterranean Gull - 2os
Common Gull - 4os
Kittiwake - 1E
Sandwich Tern - 100E
Common Tern - 4E,12os
Little Tern - 20os
auk sp - 1W
Swallow - 31N
House Martin - 2N
Yellow Wagtail - 4N
Meadow Pipit - 1N
Wheatear - 1
Rook - 1

(1315-1545hrs) (MRe)

Red-throated Diver - 1E

Gannet - 3W

Shag - 1os

Common Scoter - 20E

Whimbrel - 2W

Arctic Skua - 2E

Sandwich Tern - 10os

Little Tern - 1os

Swallow - 6N

(1630-1730hrs) (SH/SR)

Great Northern Diver - 5os

Red-breasted Merganser - 1os

Oystercatcher - 1W

Grey Plover - 2E

Sandwich Tern - 14os
Common Tern - 1E
Little Tern - 4os

Swallow - 2N

Pomarine Skua (top two PM, lower AH) (above) , Arctic Skuas (OM), Bar-tailed Godwits, Wheatear, Kittiwake, Gannet, Common Scoters, Little Tern, Common Terns (AH), Avocets & Sanderlings (AW) at the Bill

Sea-watchers at the Bill this morning (CRJ)

Ferry Pool: There were just a Little Ringed Plover, a Snipe, six Redshank, 11 Avocets and c30 Black-tailed Godwits around the pool this morning, along with three Gadwall, six Shovelers and c25 Shelducks. (AH/PA/ABi et al)

There was also a Redstart in the hedges between the Visitor Centre and Red Barn Ditch. (JDa)

Little Ringed Plover (above) & Gadwall on the Ferry (AH)

Selsey: This afternoon, a Swift went over the house. (AW)

Swift over Selsey (AW)

Long Pool: A Yellowhammer was in the hedges of the adjacent fields this morning, but otherwise there were just a few Whitethroats and Reed and Sedge Warblers about. (ABi)

East side: A Common Sandpiper was along the east side of the harbour. (IP)

North Wall: The Short-eared Owl was behind the Breech Pool this evening before settling in bushes in Honer 3 field, and a Barn Owl was out at Halsey's Farm. (LP)

Short-eared Owl at the North Wall (LP)

Church Norton: Ten Whimbrel, 22 Bar-tailed Godwits, four Curlews, a Grey Plover and c20 Oystercatchers were the only waders on the rising tide, with two pairs of Sandwich Terns and a dozen or so Black-headed Gulls and Shelducks the only other birds in the harbour.

The hedges were equally quiet, with a Lesser Whitethroat, two or three Whitethroats and a dozen Linnets, plus a Mistle Thrush in Rectory Lane, being about it. (AH)