10th December 2025

Thursday, 11th December: Another fairly warm and pleasant morning of sunshine and white cloud in a moderate south-westerly, though clouding up later on.....

Selsey Bill: The first-winter Little Gull was about again this morning, and a dozen Sandwich Terns were seen, but otherwise it was just small numbers of a reasonable spread of species seen. Full log below. (SH/PB/AH/IP/RJS/MG)

(0730-1000hrs) (SW, F4)

Great Northern Diver - 1W, 1os

Red-throated Diver - 3E, 3W

Great Crested Grebe - 1W, 1os

Gannet - 1W

Shag - 1E, 2os

Brent Goose - 2W

Common Scoter - 3W, 60os

Red-breasted Merganser - 4W

Oystercatcher - 1E

Turnstone - 4

Little Gull - 1os

Mediterranean Gull - 2W, 1os

Common Gull - 1W

Great Black-backed Gull - 2W, 1os

Kittiwake - 7E, 8W

Sandwich Tern - 12W

Razorbill - 11W, 1os

auk sp - 28E, 1W

Pied Wagtail - 1

Little Gull at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There was not a bird on the pool, with the digger active in the field behind, though a Greenshank dropped in on the creek opposite, where there were half a dozen Redshanks and c30 Teal. (AH)

Greenshank and Redshank in Ferry Channel (AH)

North Wall: There were still at least 15 Yellowhammers along the bushes this morning, together with eight Reed Buntings and a few Greenfinches, a Marsh Harrier was in the trees behind the Breech Pool, and a Rock Pipit was along the wall.

All the usual species were out in the harbour, but the main focus of the morning was in clearing a large amount of the plastic debris that had accumulated along the rocks. (LP/SP/IH/CT/TRH)

And well done to the above for their efforts in clearing up some more of this terrible mess! (Eds)

Yellowhammer (above) & Reed Bunting at the North Wall (LP)

The North Wall crew doing there bit to help clear the debris in the harbour (LP)

Pagham Lagoon: The Black-necked Grebe was showing well again this morning, along with at least 15 Little Grebes, a Great Crested Grebe, two Pochard, half a dozen Tufted Ducks and 50+ Coots, plus a Kingfisher. 

(AH/LP/SP/IH/TRH/CT/AWi et al)

Black-necked Grebe (above) & Little Grebe on Pagham Lagoon (AH)

East side: There were vast numbers of birds along the side of the harbour this morning, including two Spotted Redshanks in White's Creek and c300 Black-tailed Godwits, c100 Grey Plovers, c500 Knot, c100 Dunlin and c15 Lapwings out on the mud, along with c400 Brent Geese, c80 Pintail, c150 Teal c300 Wigeon and a dozen Common Gulls. (AH/AWi et al)

Pintail (above), Common Gull and Wigeon, Knot & Brent Geese, Pintail and Black-tailed Godwits along the Est side (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - Two Dartford Warblers, two Cetti's Warblers, nine Stonechats, a Reed Bunting, 14 Yellowhammers, c20 Skylarks, c30 Linnets and c40 Meadow Pipits were along the banks this morning, with a Greenshank and c500 Brent Geese on the reserve and two Marsh Harriers, a Buzzard and a Kestrel over. (SH/PB)

Wednesday, 10th December: An unseasonably mild morning of sun and cloud in a moderate south-westerly breeze.......

Selsey Bill: The first-winter Little Gull re-appeared offshore again this morning and six Sandwich Terns were feeding near the Mile Basket, but it remains slow.

Encouragingly, the beach around the Bill, at least, is looking much better, with most of the plastic having been removed, though a lot of black bananas remain. Full log below. (IP/AH)

(0800-0900hrs) (SW, F4)

Great Northern Diver - 1W

Great Crested Grebe - 1os

Gannet - 2E, 14W

Shag - 2E

Red-breasted Merganser - 2E

Turnstone - 1

Little Gull - 1os

Kittiwake - 2W

Sandwich Tern - 6os

auk sp - 1E, 1W

Little Gull at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: The digger was in the field this morning, having laid shingle on the new islands, making it quiet, with just three Lapwings and c30 Teal present. (AH)

Teal (above), Lapwings, the digger and the new look at the Ferry (AH)

Pagham Lagoon: The Black-necked Grebe was still present and showing well at the south end of the lagoon early this afternoon. (MRe/LP)

Black-necked Grebe on Pagham Lagoon (LP)

North Wall: It was busier along the hedgerows this morning, with 12 Yellowhammers, ten Reed Buntings, a Goldcrest, a Meadow Pipit, a Song Thrush, four Greenfinches and a few Goldfinches, Blue Tits and Great Tits about, whilst around the fields were 14 Snipe, 17 Curlews, including one tagged bird, A7, seven Skylarks, a Kestrel, and both male and female Marsh Harriers.

Two Rock Pipits were along the rocks, a Grey Wagtail was by the sluice, and in the paddock there were two Pied Wagtails and two Stonechats. whilst over the harbour c1000 Lapwings and c500 Brent Geese were moving between there and the fields.

Also, disappointingly, the container debris is now spread all around the harbour with lots of plastic crates and sheeting all along the wall, down the east side, and out on the saltmarsh. (LP/AW/MJa)

Snipe (above), Marsh Harrier, tagged Curlew (AW), Brent Geese, Kestrel, Meadow Pipit, Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting & Skylark (LP) at the North Wall

Medmerry: A Pale-bellied Brent Goose was among c250 Dark-bellied Brent Geese on the west side of the reserve this afternoon. (HB )

Medmerry: Easton Lane to Wilson's Farm - At least 60 Yellowhammers were in the cover crops by Wilson's Farm, along with a handful of Reed Buntings and Chaffinches, whilst there were c20 Linnets and Skylarks, half a dozen Meadow Pipits, a pair of Stonechats and c50 Stock Doves around the fields south of the bank, and a dozen Egyptian geese were in one of the flooded fields along Easton Lane. (AH)

Yellowhammers (above) & Skylark at Medmerry (AH)

7th - 9th December 2025

Tuesday, 9th December: A fairly mild morning, mostly overcast and with the breeze moderate and from the south-west.....

Selsey Bill: It was very quiet offshore, with all the activity on the beach, where the sheer scale of the mess created by the containers becoming more apparent, with bananas everywhere, and, more significantly, huge amounts of plastic bags, broken plastic crates and expanded foam, and nobody but the local Selsey Beach Litter Ninjas seemingly attempting to clean it it up. Full log below. (AH/IP)

(0800-0900hrs) (SW, F6)

Great Northern Diver - 1W

Great Crested Grebe - 1os

Gannet - 1E, 2W

Brent Goose - 2E, 1W

Common Scoter - 3W

Red-breasted Merganser - 4E

Oystercatcher - 1E

Mediterranean Gull - 6W

Great Black-backed Gull - 2W

Kittiwake - 1W

Common Scoters (above), Mediterranean Gull & beach-cleaners and the scale of the problem at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There was a digger in the middle of the pool this morning, but next to no birds, with just half a dozen Shelducks and c30 Teal at the back and a lone Lapwing and a Grey Wagtail flying about, whilst a Great Crested Grebe and a couple of Redshanks was it for the channel opposite. (AH)

Shelducks and Teal (above) & Great Crested Grebe at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: Just one Greenshank was around this morning, though there were vast numbers of Knot, Dunlin and Grey Plovers about, and at least 800 Brent Geese were spread about the harbour, along with c40 Shelducks and c100 Wigeon, plus half a dozen Mediterranean Gulls, whilst a Peregrine went over, very high up. (AH)

Greenshank and Curlew (above) & Knot, Dunlin and Grey Plovers at Church Norton (AH)

Monday, 8th December: A fairly mild morning, mostly overcast and with the breeze moderate and from the south-west.....

Selsey Bill: A first-winter Little Gull was lingering offshore for a while early on, and a couple of Sandwich Terns went west, but it was generally vey quiet. Also, there were three containers of fruit washed up just east of the Bill, and two more towards East Beach. Full log below. (P&LH/IP/AH/AW)

(0745-0945hrs) (SW, 4)

Great Northern Diver - 2W, 1os

Red-throated Diver - 2W

Great Crested Grebe - 1W, 1os

Common Scoter - 3os

Oystercatcher - 2E, 1W

Turnstone - 2

Little Gull - 1os

Mediterranean Gull - 1W

Common Gull - 1W

Great Black-backed Gull - 6W

Sandwich Tern - 2W

Pied Wagtail - 2E

Little Gull (AW, top, AH lower two) (above), Great Northern Diver, Sandwich Tern, Common Gull, beach-clean volunteers & washed-up containers (AH) at the Bill

The containers not faring so well at high tide at the Bill (LH)

Ferry Pool: There were c80 Lapwings about, but otherwise it was just wildfowl, comprising c50 Shovelers, c200 Teal, c300 Wigeon, c20 Mallards and c40 Canada Geese. (AH)

Later, on the high tide, there were 250 Black-tailed Godwits present - possibly some of those seen earlier at the North Wall, as well as three Snipe, 16 Avocets, 60 Golden Plovers and six Gadwall. (AWi) 

Teal (above) & Shovelers at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: The three Greenshanks were again present this morning, along with an Avocet, a flagged Curlew (5V) and large numbers of Knot, Dunlin and Grey Plovers, whilst 500+ Brent Geese were commuting between the harbour and the adjacent fields.

Also, a Raven and a Sparrowhawk went over the harbour, a huge flock of Lapwings and Golden Plovers came up from the far end, a few Common and Mediterranean Gulls were about and a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers were offshore.

Unfortunately, two more containers had come ashore along the spit, apparently containing cut flowers, but also a lot of spilt plastic and foam. (AH/AW et al)

Greenshanks (above), Curlew, Sparrowhawk (AW), Avocet, Brent Geese & washed up containers (AH) at Church Norton

Pagham Lagoon and Spit: Tjhe Black-necked Grebe was on Pagham Lagoon this afternoon, together with 15 Little Grebes, five Pochard, four Tufted Ducks, and c80 Coots, but out in the harbour around high tide there were just a few Wigeon and Pintail.

Three Rock Pipits were by the car park, and offshore on the shingle banks there were several hundred roosting waders made up of Grey Plovers, Knot, Dunlin, Ringed Plovers, Oystercatchers, and a couple of Turnstones. (LP)

Black-necked Grebe (TG top, LP lower two) & Pochard (LP) on Pagham Lagoon, Grey Plovers, Dunlin and Knot & Ringed Plovers and Dunlin on Pagham Spit (LP)

North Wall: Two Spotted Redshanks were along White’s Creek this morning and six Rock Pipits, a Grey Wagtail and a Kingfisher were around the sluice, while in the paddock there were two Pied Wagtails, two Stonechats and a Little Egret.

Five Yellowhammers, two Reed Buntings and a Song Thrush were along the bushes, and c800 Lapwing were up over the harbour. (LP/CT)

There was a big increase in Black-tailed Godwit numbers on the high tide today, with 485 counted in addition to the birds noted above. (AWi)

Spotted Redshanks and Wigeon (above), Grey Wagtail & Rock Pipt at the North Wall (LP)

Medmerry: Medmery Trail to Ham - A Dartford Warbler, five Stonechats, 25 Meadow Pipits, a couple of Skylarks, a Yellowhammer, a Reed Bunting and a Corn Bunting were seen along the Trail. along with c400 Jackdaws, c500 Stock Doves and c600 Lapwings.

Also, nine Tufted Ducks were on the pond at Ham and c80 Brent Geese, c50 Wigeon, 20 Black-tailed Godwits and a dozen Redshanks were out on the reserve and a Marsh Harrier and a Buzzard went over. (P&LH)

Sunday, 7th December: A really miserable day to be out, with almost continuous fine drizzle, interspersed by spells of heavier rain, in a fresh and blustery south-westerly, freshening as the morning progressed......

Selsey Bill: There was almost nothing moving this morning, with most of the interest generated by helping the Coastguards locate some of the 15 containers full of bananas that fell off a boat last night - we managed to spot eight of them, drifting east! Full log below. (SH/BI/PB/MRB/AH/IP)

(0730-0930hrs) (SSW, F5-6)

Great Crested Grebe - 1os

Gannet - 2E

Brent Goose - 2W

Common Scoter - 20E, 1W

Red-breasted Merganser - 2E, 6W

Oystercatcher - 1E

Curlew - 3W

Great Black-backed Gull - 1E, 2W, 7os

Kittiwake - 1E

(1415-1530hrs) (SH/AW)

Gannet - 1E, 8W

Common Scoter - 2W

Red-breasted Merganser - 3W

Great Black-backed Gull - 2W

Kittiwake - 3W

Great Black-backed Gull (above) & two containers full of bananas at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were an Avocet, c60 Black-tailed Godwits and c300 Lapwings present this morning, along with c60 Shovelers, c150 Teal, c300 Wigeon and c80 Canada Geese. (AH)

Also, a Barn Owl was seen over the road here after dusk. (per SH)

Avocet, Lapwings, Shelduck and Shovelers on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: An Avocet, a Greenshank and, unusually, a Snipe were in the harbour this morning, along with c100 Grey Plovers, c500 Knot, c1000 Dunlin and the usual Curlews, Redshanks and Oystercatchers, but beyond c25 Shelducks, wildfowl was restricted to jut a few Wigeon and Teal, plus a Great Crested Grebe, two Little Grebes and ten Mediterranean Gulls.

Also, a Green Woodpecker flew across the harbour and a couple of Goldcrests were in the hedges. (PB/MRB/AH)

Greenshank (above), Avocet, Knot & Mediterranean Gull at Church Norton (AH)

North Wall: There wasn’t much about beyond all the usual species this morning, in the wet and windy conditions, but there was a Water Rail in the paddock, a Spotted Redshank along White’s Creek, three Rock Pipits along the wall, and a pair of Gadwall were with a few Wigeon and Teal in the now flooded Honer fields. (LP)

Later, there were also a Kingfisher, two Avocets, three Snipe, two Reed Buntings, four Rock Pipits and c20 Meadow Pipits seen. (SH)

Spotted Redshank and Wigeon (above), Grey Plover & Rock Pipit along the North Wall (LP)