Saturday, 9th May: A pleasant, hazily sunny morning, quite warm despite the moderate, if freshening, north-easterly breeze..............
Selsey Bill: There were just the slightest hints of migration this morning, including a Yellow Wagtail in off the sea and two Arctic Skuas, 11 Kittiwakes, two Tufted Ducks and a few waders east. Full log below. (JA/SH/PB/BI/PA/IP/AH)
(0445-0900hrs) (NE, F3-4)
Great Northern Diver - 1os
Fulmar - 1E, 1W
Gannet - 12E, 15W
Shag - 1E
Shelduck - 1E
Tufted Duck - 2E
Common Scoter - 11E
Oystercatcher - 14E
Ringed Plover - 1E
Sanderling - 3E
Whimbrel - 4E
Arctic Skua - 2E
Great Black-backed Gull - 5E, 6os
Kittiwake - 11E
Sandwich Tern - 66os
Common Tern - 10E, 10os
Little Tern - 4os
Razorbill - 2E, 1W
auk sp - 2W
Stock Dove - 7E
Swallow - 6N
Yellow Wagtail - 1N
(1620-1800hrs) (JA)
Gannet - 5E
Mediterranean Gull - 37os
Great Black-backed Gull - 13os
Sandwich Tern - 80os
Common Tern - 30os
Sandwich Tern (above) & Fulmar at the Bill (AH)
Ferry Pool: There were a Common Sandpiper, a Little Ringed Plover and two Redshanks on the pool, with 30 Avocets and c60 Black-tailed Godwits moving between the pool and the channel, where there was also a Greenshank, but four Gadwall and a dozen or so Mallard and Shelducks were the only wildfowl present.
Also, two Red Kites were drifting slowly west.(AH/PA)
Little Ringed Plover (above), Gadwall, Red Kite & Avocets and Black-tailed Godwits at the Ferry (AH)
Mill Pond Marsh: A Common Sandpiper was on the flooded field this morning. (ML)
North Wall: A Cuckoo and a Kingfisher were along the wall, together with half a dozen Reed and Sedge Warblers and four Reed Buntings, whilst a Whimbrel was in the harbour and c25 Cattle Egrets were in the fields..
There was also a good selection of raptors about, comprising two Marsh Harriers, two Red Kites, a Sparrowhawk, nine Buzzards and a Kestrel.. (S&SaH)
Church Norton: A Roseate Tern dropped in among the Sandwich Terns in the harbour and then flew in and landed on Tern Island this evening.
There were still a couple of Common Terns, c30 Little Terns and many Sandwich Terns about, but the only waders were two Whimbrel, two Grey Plovers and a few Oystercatchers.
Also, a dozen Swallows and c50 House Martins were feeding over the fields in Rectory Lane. (AH)
Later 72 Little Terns were on the mud, with more flying around. (MB)
Roseate Tern (above), Little and Sandwich Terns & Grey Plover at Church Norton ((AH)
Medmerry: Porthole Farm to Ham Farm - Remarkably this morning, there were two singing Nightingales along the Medmerry Trail - one just to the south-east of the sewage works and the other just north of the junction with the bank, near Ham, where one was reported a couple of weeks ago.
There wasn't too much else about, though, beyond what looked like the same two Red Kites seen earlier over the Ferry at Porthole Farm, where was also still the Stonechat family, a distantly calling Cuckoo and a few Whitethroats and Yellowhammers, with more of the latter two along the Trail and at Ham.
Also, at Ham there were a Sedge Warbler, several Reed Warblers and Reed Buntings and half a dozen Swallows, Linnets and Skylarks, plus a Sparrowhawk. (AH/BI)
A look from Chainbridge to Ham this evening produced the Nightingale still singing well, just north of the bank, with a calling Cuckoo, a male Whinchat, three stonechats, two Corn Buntings, four Reed Buntings, a Yellowhammer, a Lesser Whitethroat, ten Whitethroats, a sedge Warbler, c25 Reed Warblers and seven swallows also noted. (S&SaH)
Sedge Warbler (above), Whitethroat, Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting & Sparrowhawk at Medmerry (AH)
Friday, 8th May: It was very murky early on, with some drizzly rain, too, though brightening up slowly, whilst the breeze remained moderate and from the south-east throughout...........
Selsey Bill: A Great White Egret came in from the north and headed west early on and there was a modest, but steady amount of eastward passage this morning, including four Arctic Skuas, 38 Arctic Terns, two Little Gulls, 80 Common Terns, 31 Little Terns, 87 Common Scoters, seven Whimbrel and eight Bar-tailed Godwits. Full log below.
(JA/PB/PM/IP/PA/AH/OM/BFF)
(0500-1400hrs) (SE, F4)
Great Northern Diver - 2os
diver sp - 1E
Fulmar - 1W
Gannet - 35E, 21W, 6os
Great White Egret - 1W
Shoveler - 1E
Common Scoter - 87E
Oystercatcher - 3E, 1W
Sanderling - 14E
Whimbrel - 7E
Bar-tailed Godwit - 8E
Arctic Skua - 4E
Little Gull - 2E
Mediterranean Gull - 3E
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 3E
Great Black-backed Gull - 12E, 6W, 5os
Kittiwake - 17E
Sandwich Tern - 110E, 45os
Common Tern - 80E
Arctic Tern - 38E
'Commic' Tern - 24E
Little Tern - 31E, 7os
Razorbill - 2E
Swallow - 9N
(1530-1800hrs) (SH/JA/CRJ)
Gannet - 13E, 2W
Arctic Skua - 2E, 10s
Mediterranean Gull - 13E
Common Gull - 1E
Kittiwake - 4E, 1os
Sandwich Tern - 32E, 40os
Common Tern - 3E, 20os
Sandwich Tern (above), Arctic Terns & Common Scoters at the Bill (AH)
This morning's gallery of regular observers, (being photo-bombed by Max, the local dog looking for his usual treats!) (OM)
Ferry Pool: There was an increase to 24 Avocets on the pool, and there were still c60 Black-tailed Godwits around, but otherwise there were just a Little Ringed Plover, two Redshanks, five Gadwall and c30 Shelducks on the pool with a Greenshank and five Whimbrel in the channel opposite. (AH)
Later, an Osprey flew across the harbour, viewable from the Tramway. (AB)
Little Ringed Plover (above), Whimbrel & Greenshank at the Ferry (AH)
Mill Pond Marsh: A female Marsh Harrier and a Red Kite went over this morning, and there was also a calling Cuckoo in the vicinity. (BFF)
North Wall: A pair of Garganey were showing well on the Breech Pool this morning, as well as four Tufted Ducks, two Shelducks, two Gadwall, a Great Crested Grebe and the nesting Mute Swans, whilst four Marsh Harriers were over the reeds, and eight Buzzards, six Red Kites, a Raven, two Cuckoos, and a Kestrel were also about..
A Kingfisher was by Owl Copse, where one of the young Grey Herons was exploring around the nest, and along the reeds there were plenty of Sedge Warblers, Reed Warblers, Reed Buntings, plus a Lesser Whitethroat, about, whilst a Chiffchaff and a Mistle Thrush carrying food were at Halsey's Farm and a Yellow Wagtail was in the paddock, where the Swallows were busy around the stables.
There were also handful of scattered Cattle Egrets in the fields with five more and 70 Mediterranean Gulls following a plough in the fields along Church Farm Lane...(LP/MJa/AH/BFF)
Garganey (top 3 LP, lower 3 AH) (above), Cuckoo, Marsh Harrier, (AH) Yellow Wagtail, Kingfisher, Sedge Warbler (LP), Mistle Thrush & Chiffchaff (AH) at the North Wall
West Itchenor: A Nuthatch was still in Chalkdock Copse today. (PH)
Thursday, 7th May: It slowly warmed and brightened up after a cold and hazily grey start, with the breeze initially light and from the north, veering to south-east and freshening during the morning.......
Selsey Bill: The swing to the south-east for the breeze came too late to stir up much activity this morning, though a Black-throated Diver, an Arctic Skua and a few Kittiwakes and waders went east. Full log below.
(PB/SH/JA/PA/PM/LP/SP//IH/AH/OM/CRJ)
(0515-1230hrs) (N, F3, later SE, F4)
Great Northern Diver - 1os
Black-throated Diver - 1E
Red-throated Diver - 2E
Gannet - 41E, 18W
Mallard - 2
Common Scoter - 46E, 5W
Oystercatcher - 6E
Grey Plover - 2E
Whimbrel - 11E
Bar-tailed Godwit - 10E
Arctic Skua - 1E
Great Black-backed Gull - 7os
Kittiwake - 20E
Sandwich Tern - 65E, 65os
Common Tern - 30E, 43os
'Commic' Tern - 21E
Little Tern - 6E, 15os
Swallow - 14N
House Martin - 2
Willow Warbler - 1
(1600-1800hrs) (JA/SH)
Gannet - 2E
Mallard - 2os
Common Scoter - 5E, 9os
Mediterranean Gull - 3E
Sandwich Tern - 50os
Common Tern - 40os
Little Tern - 16os
Sandwich Terns (above), Bar-tailed Godwits and Whimbrel, Black-throated Diver, Kittiwake & Common Gull at the Bill (AH)
Ferry Pool: The Wood Sandpiper, the Common Sandpiper, two Little Ringed Plovers, two Redshanks, 14 Avocets, 63 Black-tailed Godwits, two Shovelers, five Gadwall and 14 Shelducks were present, whilst the two Greenshanks were still in the channel opposite and a Marsh Harrier went over. (AH/PA)
Wood Sandpiper (above), Common Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper and Common Sandpiper, & Black-tailed Godwits at the Ferry (AH)
Church Norton: The only waders seen this morning in a quick look were three Bar-tailed Godwits, a Curlew and a dozen Oystercatchers, though there were still vast numbers of birds around the islands, including two Common Terns, c25 Little Terns and c250 Sandwich Terns and Mediterranean Gulls. (AH)
Mediterranean Gull (above) & Sandwich Terns at Church Norton (AH)
East side: There was a surprisingly good total of 105 Whimbrel along the side of the harbour this afternoon, though, otherwise there were only three ~Bar-tailed Godwits, seven Dunlin and 13 Grey Plovers to be seen, whilst three Red Kites went over with 14 Buzzards. (PA)
Whimbrel along the East side (PA)
Honer Reservoir: There were just a pair of Coots and two Gadwall on the water this morning, whilst in the surrounding fields two Cuckoos were very mobile and along the rife there were six Whitethroats, four Goldfinches, eight Sedge Warblers, one Chiffchaff, two Linnets and one Wren.
Also, near to Honer Farm there were ten Shelducks, four Cattle Egrets and one Marsh Harrier with another near the sewage farm along with two Grey Wagtails. (GHi)
Cuckoo (above), Grey Wagtail, Marsh Harrier, Sedge Warbler, Whitethroat & Linnet at Honer Reservoir (GHi)
Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - Along the banks this morning there were c25 Whitethroats, four Chiffchaffs, a Blackcap, three Sedge Warblers, nine Reed Warblers, four Cetti's Warblers, a Stonechat, a Reed Bunting and half a dozen Yellowhammers, plus six Swallows over, with a Common Tern, a cattle Egret and five Buzzards on/over the reserve. (S&SaH)
