Tuesday, 18th November: A cold and grey morning, with the odd spell of light drizzle, though the re was only a slight northerly breeze..........
Selsey Bill: There was another decent bit of variety this morning, including the Black-necked Grebe, a Long-tailed Duck, a Velvet Scoter, the pair of Eider again and six Great Northern Divers. Full log below. (SH/AH/P&LH)
(0710-0910hrs) (N, F1-2)
Great Northern Diver - 2W, 4os
Black-necked Grebe - 1os
Great Crested Grebe - 2os
Gannet - 5E, 76W
Shag - 10E
Little Egret- 2W
Brent Goose - 2W
Shelduck - 3E, 6W
Eider - 2W
Long-tailed Duck - 1W
Velvet Scoter - 1W
Common Scoter - 1E, 9W, 15os
Red-breasted Merganser - 3E, 7W
Oystercatcher - 1E
Turnstone - 6
Mediterranean Gull - 2W
Great Black-backed Gull - 1W, 12os
Sandwich Tern - 2E
Razorbill - 10W
auk sp - 11E, 104W
Wood Pigeon - 19W
Grey Wagtail - 1W
Pied Wagtail - 4W
Meadow Pipit - 4N
Goldfinch - 30
There was a bit of variety this afternoon, too, including the Black-necked Grebe offshore again, two different Eiders west - a sub-adult male and a female, and two Velvet Scoters among a flock of 19 Common Scoters, also going west. Full log below. (P&LH)
(1350-1520hrs)
Great Northern Diver - 1W, 1os
Red-throated Diver - 3W
Black-necked Grebe - 1os
Gannet - 4W, 7os
Shag - 3W
Shoveler - 5W
Eider - 2W
Velvet Scoter - 2W
Common Scoter - 7E, 20W, 1os
Red-breasted Merganser - 1W
Sanderling - 1W
Dunlin - 1W
Mediterranean Gull - 5W
Common Gull - 2W
Great Black-backed Gull - 8os
Sandwiich Tern - 1W
Kittiwake - 1W
auk sp - 1W
Grey Wagtail - 1
Pied Wagtail - 1
Eider (above), Great Northern Diver, Red-breasted Mergansers, Sandwich Tern, Shag & Gannet at the Bill (AH)
Ferry Pool: There were just three Lapwings and a Teal on the pool late this morning. (AH)
North Wall: Four Redwings, two Stonechats, a Chiffchaff and five Goldcrests were in the hedges at Halsey's Farm this morning, with a Kingfisher and a Snipe around the creek.
Also 15 Avocets were in the harbour, along with c100 Brent Geese, with a Marsh Harrier, 11 Snipe and a Cattle Egret also seen, whilst along the wall there were nine Rock Pipits, a Chiffchaff, five Yellowhammers and c20 Reed Buntings, along with two Water Rails. (SH)
Church Norton: The harbour was dominated at high tide by at least 400 Brent Geese, plus the Pale-bellied Brent Goose, along with c25 Shelducks and a few Wigeon and Teal, whilst the two Greenshanks were present again, along with c50 Redshanks, and a large flock of Knot, Dunlin and Grey Plovers were roosting near the harbour mouth.
Also, c300 Brent Geese were feeding in the fields at Greenlease Farm and two Red-throated Divers went west together offshore, but four Great Crested Grebes were all that could be found on the sea.
The trees between the Severals were busy again, with a couple of Firecests and half a dozen Chiffchaffs present, along with two or three Siskins and a dozen Goldfinches, whilst up to three elusive Dartford Warblers were along the beach, with a Reed Bunting and three Meadow Pipits about, too, whilst there were also a couple of Chiffchaffs in the churchyard and a couple of Goldcrests along the path to the harbour. (AH/RBe et al)
Pale-bellied and Dark-bellied Brent Geese (above), Brent Geese, Red-throated Divers, Siskin & Firecrest at Church Norton (AH)
Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - A look just before dusk didn't produce too much, with seven Egyptian Geese, a Buzzard, two Kestrels, a Cetti's Warbler, two Goldcrests, two Meadow Pipits and ten Pied Wagtails about it. (SH)
Medmerry: Medmerry Trail to Ham - There was quite a good selection of birds along the Trail, and particularly around Ham, today, with four Corn Buntings, 15 Yellowhammers, two Reed Buntings, two Stonechats, 25 Meadow Pipits, a dozen Song Thrushes and 20 Blackbirds noted along the track, with two Marsh Harriers and a Raven going over.
There was quite a bit of activity elsewhere, too, with at least 1000 Stock Doves and 800 Wood Pigeons, plus c200 Brent Geese and c100 Canada Geese on the fields, 13 Tufted Ducks on the ponds and two Pintail, a Teal, two Snipe, a Grey Plover, nine Golden Plovers and c40 Lapwings and Redshanks oaound the tidal areas. (P&LH)
Corn Bunting and Goldfinch (above) & Stock Doves at Medmerry (LH)
Monday, 17th November: A very sunny, but cold morning, especially early on, in a fresh northerly breeze..........
Selsey Bill: There was a fair selection again this morning, including a Velvet Scoter west, five sub-adult Eider west and an adult pair east, along with 22 Red-breasted Mergansers, five Shovelers and five Sandwich Terns. Full log below. (PA/AH/IP)
(0725-0940hrs) (NNE, F4)
Red-throated Diver - 2W
Great Crested Grebe - 1W
Gannet - 4E, 6W, 5os
Shag - 7E
Brent Goose - 16E, 5W
Shelduck - 1E, 3W
Wigeon - 40W
Shoveler - 5E
Eider - 2E, 5W
Velvet Scoter - 1W
Common Scoter - 5E, 9W
Red-breasted Merganser - 8E, 14W
Oystercatcher - 1W
Turnstone - 3
Mediterranean Gull - 1E, 4W, 5os
Kittiwake - 4E, 4W
Great Black-backed Gull - 3os
Sandwich Tern - 5os
Razorbill - 2W
auk sp - 5E, 418W
Pied Wagtail - 2W
Meadow Pipit - 1W
Eider (above), Sandwich Tern, Shag, Red-breasted Mergansers & Gannet at the Bill (AH)
Ferry Pool: The pool was busy this morning, with a pair of Egyptian Geese and over 100 Canada Geese present early on, and later a flock of 20 Avocets - the best count since the spring, were roosting, with c60 Lapwings, 25 Shelducks, c60 Wigeon, c30 Shovelers and c50 Teal also about.
Also, the Grey Wagtail was around, again, feeding by the door to the hide, and even going inside on occasions! (PA/AH)
Avocets (above), Lapwings & Grey Wagtail at the Ferry (AH)
Park Farm, Selsey: There was a Firecrest in Park Lane this morning. (MRe)
North Wall: Around 200 Brent Geese were in Honer 1 field this morning, as well as 42 Curlews and two Cattle Egrets, whilst further back a Marsh Harrier and a Buzzard were around the trees. and a Red Kite went over.
A Sandwich Tern was feeding in White's Creek as the tide fell, with a Spotted Redshank, five Bar-tailed Godwits, a dozen Black-tailed Godwits and c50 Knot and Golden Plovers also about.
At least six Rock Pipits were along the wall and at Owl Copse, a Kingfisher was in the bushes and a Water Rail was along the banks, with a couple more heard, but the hedgerows were quiet with just a couple of Reed Buntings seen, while at Halsey’s Farm three Kestrels were in the trees, and a pair of Shelducks were along the rife. (PA/MJa/LP/CT/PB)
Kingfisher (above), Water Rail, Reed Bunting, Rock Pipit & Brent Geese at the North Wall (LP)
Pagham Spit and Lagoon: A redhead Goldeneye was on the Lagoon this morning - the first back this autumn, along with a dozen Little Grebes.
From the spit and the east side, there were very large numbers of wildfowl and waders, including 600 Brnt Geese, 200 Wigeon, 150 Teal, 75 Pintail, 47 Shelducks, a Spotted Redshank, a Greenshank, c200 Golden Plovers, c1000 Lapwings, 500 Knot and 1200 Dunlin, with a Sandwich Tern and a Marsh Harrier about, too.
There were also a Dartford Warbler, five Stonechats and a Rock Pipit along the Spit and up to ten Chiffchaffs along the east side, plus a very late Clouded Yellow.. (PA)
Goldeneye on Pagham Lagoon (above), Dartford Warbler on Pagham Spit, Spotted Redshank, Redshanks and Lapwing & Clouded Yellow along the East side (PA)
Church Norton: A Pale-bellied Brent Goose was among at least 500 Brent Geese in the harbour this morning, with a handful of Great Crested Grebes, Wigeon and Teal about it on the water at high tide, whilst two Greenshanks, c80 Redshanks and a dozen Grey Plovers and Curlews were the only roosting waders on this side of the harbour.
A Kingfisher over the harbour, two Chiffchaffs in the churchyard and a couple of noisy Jays were about it, otherwise. (AH/P&JW)
Pale-bellied Brent Goose (above), Brent Geese, Greenshanks, Grey Plover and Redshanks & Chiffchaff at Church Norton (AH)
Sunday, 16th November: A much cooler morning under leaden skies as the breeze freshened and backed to the north-east......
Selsey Bill: There was a long list of species recorded this morning, including the first Goosanders of the year on the Peninsula - a pair going east, over 100 Brent Geese going mostly west, a Bonxie lingering offshore and small amount of visible migration, including a Crossbill and a Brambling among a varied selection. Full log below. (SH/JA/BI/IP/MO-W/AH)
(0700-0930hrs) (NE, F4)
Great Northern Diver - 1E, 1os
Red-throated Diver - 1E, 2W
Gannet - 6E, 20W, 9os
Shag - 9E
Brent Goose - 27E, 84W
Egyptian Goose - 2W
Teal - 19W
Common Scoter - 1E, 24W
Goosander - 2E (pair)
Red-breasted Merganser - 1E, 1W
Oystercatcher - 1E, 1W
Sanderling - 1W
Dunlin - 1W
Turnstone - 2E, 2W
Great Skua - 1os
Mediterranean Gull - 12E, 20W, 12os
Black-headed Gull - 200os
Great Black-backed Gull - 2E, 1W, 10os
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1os
Kittiwake - 52E
Sandwich Tern - 1os
Razorbill - 15E, 29W, 4os
auk sp - 31E, 1055W
Wood Pigeon - 6E
Skylark - 1W
Pied Wagtail - 7E
Meadow Pipit - 2N
Song Thrush - 1E
Starling - 212N
Brambling - 1E
Crossbill - 1E
Redpoll - 5E
Linnet - 20W
Goldfinch - 13
Kittiwake (above), Gannet, Red-throated Diver & Shags at the Bill (AH)
Ferry Pool: The Green Sandpiper was present again on the roadside pool this morning, along with two Snipe, whilst the main pool held five Avocets, c30 Lapwings, 14 Shelducks, c30 Shovelers, c50 Wigeon and c75 Teal, all put up by a low-flying Marsh Harrier. (AH)
Green Sandpiper (above), Avocets, Shelduck, Lapwings and Avocet & Wigeon at the Ferry (AH)
Mill Pond Marsh: There was nothing bar a Coot on the flooded field, though a drake Gadwall was on the Mill Pond (IP) and a Marsh Harrier went over Rookery Lane (SH)
North Wall: Six Rock Pipits and four Yellowhammers were along the wall this morning, along with a Jay carrying acorns, whilst a Kingfisher was along the creek at Halsey's Farm, with a Black-tailed Godwit among the Wigeon there, too, and a Cattle Egret flew out from Owl Copse. (IP)
Also, a Marsh Harrier and three Egyptian Geese went over Halsey's Farm, and two Stonechats were in the fields there. (SH),
It was busier in the harbour later on, on the falling tide, with c800 Lapwings, c500 Golden Plovers, c300 Brent Geese, c500 Wigeon, c500 Dunlin and a few Grey Plovers, Shelducks, Teal and Pintails about.
Seven Rock Pipits were along the wall and a Chiffchaff, eight Reed Buntings and three Yellowhammers were in the bushes, with two male Marsh Harriers about, and 22 Cattle Egrets flew out from the harbour.
At Halsey’s Farm, a pair of Ravens and a Mistle Thrush flew over, a Stonechat, 16 Curlews and a couple of Meadow Pipits were in the fields, a Song Thrush and four Linnets were in the trees, and two Kingfishers were by the outfall. (MJa/DHi/LP/MRi/IP/S&SaH/EB/JDW)
Golden Plovers and Lapwing (above), Brent Geese, Wigeon, Curlew, Stonechat, Rock Pipit & Meadow Pipit at the North Wall (LP)
Church Norton: There were at least 500 Brent Geese spread around the harbour this morning, with a steady flow of new arrivals from the east constantly dropping in, but otherwise there was little to see on the high tide beyond a few Great Crested Grebes, Wigeon and Teal and the odd Redshank and Curlew, with most of the waders, apart from c40 Turnstones on the beach, roosting over by the harbour mouth. (AH et al)
Brent Geese (above) & Turnstones at Church Norton (AH)
Chichester GPs: There wasn't too much to report this morning, with 42 Pochard the best count, but, otherwise two Egyptian Geese, two Shovelers, 39 Tufted Ducks and ten Great Crested Grebes on the water, along with two Kingfishers and a Little Egret.
Also, a male Blackcap was along the hedges, together with nine Chiffchaffs, four Cetti's Warblers, ten Goldcrests, 27 Long-tailed Tits, two Song Thrushes and three Redwings. (MRe)
Sidlesham: A Bar-tailed Godwit, 31 Dunlin and 170 Golden Plovers were unexpected birds over Cow Lane early this morning, presumably displaced from the harbour.
There was also a bit of visible migration overhead, including four Fieldfares, two Redwings, a Redpoll, two Linnets, four Yellowhammers, two Grey Wagtails, seven Meadow Pipits, two Egyptian Geese and 269 Stock Doves (PA)
Fishbourne Creek: Along the creek at high tide this morning there were 30 Brent Geese, 150 Wigeon, ten Grey Plovers, 15 Lapwings, c30 Dunlin and Turnstones and 70 Black-tailed Godwits, plus c50 Common Gulls, with a Marsh Harrier over.
Five Rock Pipits were along the edge, with a couple of Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests and three Yellowhammers and Reed Buntings, whilst around Apuldram churchyard there were two Tree-creepers, a Coal Tit, a Firecrest, four Goldcrests and a Mistle Thrush. (MRe)
Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - Two Dartford Warblers were along the banks this afternoon, along with a Stonechat, five Goldcrests, five Meadow Pipits, a song Thrush, a Chaffinch, ten Long-tailed Tits and c20 Goldfinches.
There were also c50 Brent Geese, four Egyptian Geese, 100 Lapwings, c200 Golden Plovers on the reserve and four Kestrels went over. (SH)
