23rd December 2024

Monday, 23rd December: The north-westerly breeze had eased overnight, leaving a cold and hazily sunny morning, before it slowly clouded over later.....

Selsey Bill: Two Slavonian Grebes dropped in offshore and half a dozen Great Northern Divers were about, but little was on the move this morning. Full log below. (PB/P&LH/BI/AH/IP/SR)

(0745-0915hs) (NW, F4)

Great Northern Diver - 3E, 3os

Red-throated Diver - 1E, 5W

Slavonian Grebe - 2os

Great Crested Grebe - 2E, 1os

Gannet - 1W

Shag - 2E

Brent Goose - 2E, 1W

Common Scoter - 3os

Red-breasted Merganser - 4E

Turnstone - 7

Sandwich Tern - 1os

auk sp - 12E, 76W

Sandwich Tern (above) & Great Northern Divers at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were 26 Avocets on the pool this morning, along with c40 Black-tailed Godwits, c75 Shovelers, c100 Teal and c50 Mallards, with c80 Lapwings and c150 Wigeon on the fields. (AH)

Avocets and Black-tailed Godwits at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: At first light, six Marsh Harriers - an adult male, a sub-adult male and four females - flew out of the Severals, with two Cetti's Warblers calling there, too. (SH)

Later, at least 1000 Brent Geese were still behind the churchyard, but there wasn't too much of note in the harbour, though the Whimbrel was about, along with two Avocets, c50 Grey Plovers, c50 Golden Plovers, c150 Lapwings and c60 Wigeon. (P&LH)

North Wall: There was a bit more variety about this morning, with two Ravens flying across the harbour and heading north over the wall, a Peregrine, two Marsh Harriers, a Sparrowhawk, a Buzzard and a Kestrel in and around the fields, and an Avocet along White’s Creek, together with the usual Wigeon, Teal, Pintail, Redshanks and Black-tailed Godwits. Also, on the mud were the large flocks of Lapwing and Golden Plover and further out there were good numbers of Grey Plovers, Knot and Dunlin.

A Kingfisher flew out from the Halsey’s Outfall and a Greenshank was in the harbour nearby, while along the Rife a Common Gull was with 150 Wigeon along the banks. and 34 Curlews were in the fields.

It was again busy in the Paddock, too, with two Stonechats, five Meadow Pipits, a Song Thrush, two Pied Wagtails, a Collared Dove, a Greenfinch, a Reed Bunting, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and 20 Goldfinches present, as well as a few Blue Tits, Great Tits, Robins and Blackbirds. (CT/LP)

Sparrowhawk(above), Grey Plover & Collared Dove at the North Wall (LP)

Sidlesham Common: There were just two Cattle Egrets in the fields on Lockgate Road this morning, along with c50 Stock Doves. (P&LH)

Fishbourne Creek: A Slavonian Grebe was on the water south of Dell Quay, but there wasn't much else of note there, though the main channel held c800 Brent Geese, 40 Wigeon, 10 Grey Plovers, 35 Lapwings, 15 Black-tailed Godwits and 150 Dunlin.

Also, a good flock of 154 Common Gulls were in the fields along the road to Dell Quay. (P&LH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - It was fairly quiet this afternoon, with a Chiffchaff, two Goldcrests, four Stonechats, four Yellowhammers, three Reed Buntings and a Pied Wagtail seen along the banks, and a Marsh Harrier, a Sparrowhawk, two Kestrels and four Buzzards over. (S&SaH)

Marsh and Chalder Farms, Sidlesham: Six Cattle Egrets among the sheep at Marsh Farm were the only ones seen late this morning, with a passing Marsh Harrier, a pair of Stonechats and a few Chaffinches and Pied Wagtails the only other birds of note in the vicinity.

There were also a few more of the latter two, plus a Grey Wagtail and a pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers around Chalder Farm, with c40 Curlews and c100 Stock Doves in the fields there, but that really was about it. (AH)

Grey Wagtail (above), Stonechat, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Marsh Harrier & Cattle Egret at Marsh Farm, Sidlesham (AH)

20th - 22nd December 2024

Sunday, 22nd December: A bright, but cold, morning in a fresh and blustery north-westerly breeze.........

Selsey Bill: A Bonxie went east early on, a Merlin came in off the sea and a few Kittiwakes and a few Gannets went west this morning. Full log below. (SH/BI/IP/AH/SR)

(0735-0935hrs) (WNW, F6)

Great Northern Diver - 1E, 1os

Red-throated Diver - 9E, 1W

Great Crested Grebe - 1E, 1os

Gannet - 5E, 45W

Common Scoter - 2W

Merlin - 1N

Turnstone - 12

Great Skua - 1E

Mediterranean Gull - 3os

Kittiwake - 29W

Sandwich Tern - 2W

Razorbill - 3W

auk sp - 6E, 81W

Rock Pipit - 1

Common Scoters (above), Sandwich Tern & Mediterranean Gull at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: Two Egyptian Geese were on the field this morning, along with c500 Lapwings and c200 Wigeon, whilst there were 23 Avocets, c40 Black-tailed Godwits, c60 Shovelers, c150 Teal and c40 Mallards around the pool. (AH)

Egyptian Geese, Wigeon and Lapwings (above), Black-tailed Godwits and Teal, Avocets and Shoveler & Lapwings at the Ferry (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - There wasn't much doing this morning in the strong winds, with just four Yellowhammers, three Reed Buntings, a Goldcrest and c30 Chaffinches along the banks, plus a Buzzard and a Kestrel over. (S&SaH)

Church Norton: There wasn't much beyond the regular here, with c400 Knot, c750 Dunlin and c50 Grey Plovers out on the mud, along with the Whimbrel, and a few Curlews, Redshanks and Wigeon, with two Chiffchaffs and a dozen Long-tailed Tits in the sheltered hedges and c1000 Brent Geese behind the churchyard. (AH)

Chiffchaff (above), Grey Plover, Bernt Geese & Knot and Dunlin at Church Norton (AH)

Saturday, 21st December: The winter solstice brought a thoroughly miserable morning of fresh westerlies pushing through belts of persistent drizzly rain under leaden skies......

I have kept annual birding diaries since the year 1975 until the present (2024), this year marking my 50^th consecutive year of these birding compilations, but I have now decided that this will be the last year. Amongst all the entries in these dusty pages there are some that show what it was like in earlier times, at the Bill and on the Peninsula.

Since the inception of the blog, there has been a great deal of data gathered, stored and documented in respect of the Peninsula's birds from 2013 to the present time. Prior to that however, from 2012 right back to 1975, this was not really the case. Certainly there are records for that period in the Sussex Bird Reports, published annually by the Sussex Ornithological Society (SOS) but that doesn't often capture the 'flavour' of the day. 

So, I wondered if it would be of interest to add some selected sightings reports from the diaries for this period, starting from year 1975 and slowly moving up to 2012. I don't envisage a whole mass of data, but perhaps a selected couple of pages or so of interest from the relevant year, thus filling a data gap to some degree. This would be on an occasional basis, with updates as time and commitments allow. The first instalment (for 1975) is now available by clicking the relevant heading 'Diary notes: Pre-blog years (1975-2012)' on the title bar. Future updates will be advised. (OM)

 

Selsey Bill: A Slavonian Grebe dropped in offshore and a few Red-throated divers went west, but it was mostly quiet. Full log later. (SH/PB/IP/AH/SR)

(0750-0935hrs) (W, F4-5)

Great Northern Diver - 3os

Red-throated Diver - 3E, 12W

diver sp - 2E

Slavonian Grebe - 1os

Great Crested Grebe - 3W, 2os

Gannet - 7E, 14W, 20os

Common Scoer - 3os

Red-breasted Merganser - 1W

Grey Plover - 1W

Turnstone - 2

Mediterranean Gull - 5W

Razorbill - 8W

auk sp - 40W

(1200-1300hrs) (SH)

Red-throated Diver - 1W

Great Crested Grebe - 2os

Gannet - 37W

Great Northern Diver (above) & Red-throated Divers at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were 11 Avocets on the pool this morning, along with c50 Lapwings, c180 Teal, c80 Wigeon and just c40 Shovelers, whilst a Kingfisher was in the channel opposite. (AH)

Kingfisher (above), Avocet & Teal at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: An Avocet and a Bar-tailed Godwit were in the harbour this morning, along with c400 Knot and Dunlin, c50 Grey Plovers and Redshanks and  c40 Wigeon, with at least 2000 Brent Geese behind the churchyard. (AH)

This afternoon the male and two female Marsh Harriers came in before the rain started. (S&SaH)

Bar-tailed Godwit (above), Knot & Brent Geese at Church Norton (AH)

Friday, 20th December: A fairly cold morning, bright early on but clouding over later in a moderate westerly breeze.......

Selsey Bill: There was an unexpectedly good westward movement of 91 Red-throated Divers this morning, with ten Great Northern Divers about, too. Full log below. (AH/SR/IP)

(0750-0935hrs) (WSW, F4-5)

Great Northern Diver - 6E, 4os

Red-throated Diver - 4E, 91W

Great Crested Grebe - 2W, 1os

Gannet - 17E, 5W

Shag - 1os

Red-breasted Merganser - 1W, 4E, 3os

Turnstone - 4

Sandwich Tern - 7os

auk sp - 38E, 5W

Red-throated Divers (above), Great Northern Diver & Sandwich Tern at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: Three Egyptian Geese were at the back this morning, with 44 Black-tailed Godwits and c75 Lapwing around the field and pool, along with c200 Wigeon, c150 Teal and c60 Shovelers. (AH)

Egyptian Geese (above) & Wigeon at the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: Two Bearded Tits flew across the Breech Pool and dropped into the reeds, and six Canada Geese were on the water with the usual Mallards and Teal.

Out in the harbour there were the usual large flocks of Lapwing and Golden Plover and in Honer 1 two Pale-bellied Brent Geese were amongst a group of 1200 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, along with 65 Curlews, 23 Black-tailed Godwits and 12 Meadow Pipits.

Also, a Cetti’s Warbler and two Reed Buntings were along the bushes and a Kingfisher was by the Halsey’s Outfall, whilst in and around the paddock were ten Meadow Pipits, two Stonechats, two Pied Wagtails, a Grey Wagtail, a Song Thrush, a Chiffchaff and a Great Spotted Woodpecker, with two Marsh Harriers further back over the reeds. (LP/SP/TRH/CT).

Pale-bellied Brent Goose (above), Marsh Harrier, Reed Bunting, Meadow Pipit, Grey Wagtail & Song Thrush at the North Wall (LP)

Church Norton: This afternoon a Greenshank and the Whimbrel were among the few waders in the harbour at high tide, though at least 2000 Brent Geese were back behind the churchyard. (AH)

Greenshank (above) & Whimbrel at Church Norton (AH)

Chichester GPs: A Great White Egret flew north over the A27 from the direction of Ivy Lake this morning. (IP)

Fishbourne Creek: Highlights in the upper creek this morning were three Greenshanks, an Avocet, a Shoveler and 33 Pintail, with 36 Black-tailed Godwits by the pontoon.

Opposite Dell Quay there was a second Avocet and a Knot, whilst downstream were 14 Great Crested Grebes, four Little Grebes and two Red-breasted Mergansers. (RW)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to Marsh Barn - There were a Peregrine, a Marsh Harrier, a Buzzard and three Kestrels about this afternoon, with c500 Golden Plovers and Lapwings coming up from the reserve, too.

On the reserve itself, there were four Egyptian Geese, a Snipe and c20 Black-tailed Godwits, but three Yellowhammers were all that could be found on the banks. (S&SaH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to Wilson's Farm - There were at least 80 Skylarks, 200 stock Doves and 500+ Jackdaws and Rooks in the stubble fields this morning, whilst a Raven and a Buzzard went over.

Also, a Stonechat and a couple of Meadow Pipits were along the banks and c50 Yellowhammers and c30 Reed Buntings were in the cover crop field at Wilson's Farm, along with c30 Linnets and a handful of Chaffinches and Greenfinches. (AH)

Yellowhammer (above), Reed Bunting, Skylark & Stonechat at Medmerry (AH)