22nd - 23rd September 2026

Wednesday, 23rd September: The warm and sunny spells continues, though with a bit of white cloud and a modest southerly breeze this morning.....

Selsey Bill: Three Razorbills and seven Wigeon west were the only things of note offshore, whilst there was a big reduction in hirundine activity overhead. Full log below. (AH/JFi)

(0710-0840hrs) (S, F2-3)

Gannet - 24W

Shag - 2E

Wigeon - 7W

Oystercatcher - 1W

Turnstone - 6

Mediterranean Gull - 1W

Sandwich Tern - 1E, 10W

Razorbill - 3W

Swallow - 112W

House Martin - 78W

Meadow Pipit - 2W

Bottle-nosed Dolphin - 2E

Shag (above), Razorbill, Gannets & Bottle-nosed Dolphin at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were 36 Lapwings, two Redshanks, four Teal and three juvenile Shelducks on the pool this morning, with a Whimbrel, a Snipe and a Kingfisher, plus half a dozen Redshanks and c20 Teal in the channel opposite and a Whinchat was in the fields. (AH/PA/MRe)

Shelducks at the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool: Two Spotted Redshanks flew in to the pool, but disappeared from view, whilst along the path there were five Stonechats, a Whitethroat, a couple of Chiffchaffs and half a dozen Blackcaps, with a flock of c250 Swallows, including at least one Sand Martin, feeding low overhead.

There was also a Marsh Harrier over the harbour and a Common Sandpiper was along Ferry Channel, together with c40 Redshanks. (AH)

Whitethroat, Blackcap and Whitethroat, Stonechat, Swallow & Common Sandpiper at the Long Pool (AH)

Church Norton: Both a Merlin and a Hobby were about this morning, along with three Marsh Harriers, a Sparrowhawk, two Kestrel, four Buzzards and two Ravens, with 1525 Swallows and 670 House Martins, plus two Sand Martins, three Yellow Wagtails, three Grey Wagtails, 30 Skylarks and 44 Meadow Pipits, counted going over.

The hedges held a Spotted Flycatcher, two Firecrests, six Goldcrests, three Whitethroats, 18 Blackcaps, three Whitethroats, two Willow Warblers, 17 Chiffchaffs and a Stonechat, but the harbour was quiet, with just three Sandwich Terns, two Golden Plovers, seven Black-tailed Godwits and 15 Pintail of note. (PA/MRe)

Firecrest (above) & Spotted Flycatcher at Church Norton (PA)

North Wall: At Owl Water this morning, there were four Little Grebes and a Kingfisher, with four Chiffchaffs around the bushes, whilst along the rife there were three Little Egrets, three Grey Herons, four Black tailed Godwits and a colour tagged Curlew, and on the Breech Pool there were a Grey Wagtail and a Redshank..

Also, a male and a female Marsh Harrier were in the area, with another seen further over the harbour, and c30 Swallows and similar of House Martins were over the reeds. (P Gomersall)

East side: A look along the east side produced plenty of Wigeon, Mallard and Tea,l with just a few Pintail among them, whilst waders included an Avocet, eight Greenshanks, a Grey Plover, 50 Turnstones and a few Redshank, Lapwing, Dunlin and Knot. (P Gomersall)

Honer Reservoir: Two Greenshanks were the only waders on the reservoir, whilst the hedges just held a pair of Stonechats and a handful of Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps, though at least 300 Swallows were feeding over the fields. (AH)

Greenshanks (above), Swallow & Stonechat at Honer Reservoir (AH)

Fishbourne Creek: At high tide this morning there were 18 Greenshanks in the wader roost off Dell Quay. (RW)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Ham Viewpoint - A late morning walk produced a Sparrowhawk and family of Stonechats near Wilson’s Far, a juvenile Marsh Harrier and a Peregrine near Ham and a Cattle Egret with the cows at Ham Farm. (JC)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to Marsh Barn - A look along the banks this evening produced three Dartford Warblers, two Cetti's Warblers, eight Chiffchaffs, a Whinchat, 13 Stonechats, two Meadow Pipits and half a dozen Yellowhammers, with c100 Swallows, a Peregrine, a Kestrel, two Marsh Harriers and two Buzzards going over. (S&SaH)

Tuesday, 22nd September: Another very warm morning, with unbroken sunshine in just the lightest north-easterly breeze.....

Selsey Bill: The main interest again this morning was hirundines - with a lot of Swallows moving through early on, then later a huge build-up of House Martins. Full log below. (AH/IP et al)

(0700-0830hrs) (NE, F1-2)

Gannet - 1E, 2W

Shag - 4E

Common Scoter - 3W

Oystercatcher - 5W

Mediterranean Gull - 3W

Great Black-backed Gull - 2os

Sandwich Tern - 1W

Swallow - 666E

House Martin - 850

Yellow Wagtail - 1E

Grey Wagtail - 1E

Pied Wagtail - 2E

Meadow Pipit - 7E

Linnet - 11E

Shag and Cormorant (above), Common Scoter, Swallow & House Martins at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were 92 Lapwings roosting on the pool this morning, but otherwise there were just a Redshank and a juvenile Shelduck present. (AH)

Lapwings at the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: A Great White Egret was out in the middle of the harbour this morning, and there were good numbers of Pintail, Wigeon and Teal about, plus a few Shelducks, along with a Spotted Redshank, four Greenshanks, c20 Black-tailed Godwits and 50+ Redshanks, whilst 11 Common seals were hauled out at the far end.

Also, a juvenile Marsh Harrier went over, ten Cattle Egrets were in the fields, four Little Grebes were on Owl Water and, unusually, two Bar-tailed Godwits were in the creek at Halsey's Farm, along with another half a dozen Black-tailed Godwits.

A Spotted Flycatcher and a couple of Stonechats were at Halsey's Farm, whilst at least another four of the latter, a Lesser Whitethroat, a Reed Warbler, three Blackcaps, five Willow Warblers, ten Chiffchaffs, four Cetti's Warblers and up to ten Reed Buntings were along the wall, with a dozen Meadow Pipits, c30 Swallows and c50 House Martins going over. (PB/LP/MJa/AH/EB/P Gomersall et al)

This evening a Tawny Owl and a Barn Owl were at Halsey's Farm, with an Osprey high over the reserve and two Marsh Harriers, including the adult male, going to roost in their usual area, and there were also a Buzzard and a Sparrowhawk about, too.

Also, seen from along the wall were  a Yellow Wagtail, a Stonechat, three Meadow Pipits, two Cetti's Warblers, c30 Swallows, four Snipe and nine Cattle Egrets. (S&SaH)

Great White Egret (above), Spotted Flycatcher, Lesser Whitethroat, Cetti's Warbler (AH), Blackcap, Meadow Pipit, Stonechats (LP), Bar-tailed Godwit (AH) & Black-tailed Godwits (LP) at the North Wall

East side and Pagham Spit: A Spotted Redshank was among the Redshanks in White's Creek this morning, with three Knot, 40 Dunlin, 20 Grey Plovers, 40 Ringed Plovers, 50 Turnstones, five Great Black-backed Gulls and good numbers of Pintail and Wigeon out in the harbour.

Also, a Marsh Harrier and a Sparrowhawk went over, a Jay and a dozen Chiffchaffs were in the hedges along the Slipe Field and a Wheatear, c20 Meadow Pipits and c100 Linnets were around the Spit and six Little Grebes and two Great Crested Grebes were on the Lagoon. (DHo/P Gomersall)

Pintails (above), Knot, Dunlin, Grey and Ringed Plovers, Ringed Plover and Turnstone, Turnstones, Lapwing & Jay along the East side (DHo)

Medmerry: Breach area and Ham Farm - There was a Spoonbill among the Little Egrets at the Breach this morning, with a Greenshank, two  Bar-tailed Godwits, half a dozen Dunlin, ten Ringed Plovers and a few Curlews in the vicinity, too

Also, two Whinchats and three Wheatears were along the fences between the breach and Ham Farm, with a Reed Warbler, one or two Stonechats and a few Linnets about, too, whilst a Hobby, a juvenile Marsh Harrier, four Red Kites, a Sparrowhawk, two Buzzards and two Kestrels went over went over.. (KT)

Whinchat at Medmerry (KT)

19th - 21st September 2026

Monday, 21st September: The breeze finally abated overnight, leaving a fine and bright morning, cool early on and very warm for the time of year later, in just a light northerly breeze.......

Selsey Bill: The sea was as quiet as would be expected, though good numbers of Swallows and House Martins wsent over, and a loose flock of ten Chiffchaffs moved througfh the bushes. Full log below. (IP/AH)

(0700-0830hrs) (N, F2)

Gannet - 3W

Shag - 1E

Oystercatcher - 4

Turnstone - 9

Mediterranean Gull - 1W

Great Black-backed Gull - 3W

Sandwich Tern - 1E

Great Spotted Woodpecker - 2

Swallow - 428W

House Martin - 317W

Yellow  Wagtail - 1W

Grey Wagtail - 1W

Pied Wagtail - 5E, 1W

Meadow Pipit - 4W

Chiffchaff - 10

Jay - 1

Linnet - 25E, 7W

Shag (above), Chiffchaff, Swallow & House Martin at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were just a Redshank and a handful of Lapwings on the pool, whilst a Whimbrel was in the channel opposite, along with half a dozen Redshank and Teal. (AH)

Also, a Redstart was along the Tramway. (LL)

Whimbrel at the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool: There were three Stonechats along the path late this morning, along with a Whitethroat, a Reed Warbler, two Cetti's Warblers and half a dozen very flighty Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps, whilst eight Swallows went over, but Ferry Channel was completely empty. (AH)

Later, there were five Stonechats together, with a Reed Warbler, a Yellow Wagtail, ten Meadow Pipits, three Snipe and a Marsh Harrier also seen. (PA)

Stonechat (above) & Blackcap at the Long Pool (AH)

Church Norton: The two Spotted Flycatchers were behind the hide again this morning. (RWi)

This afternoon there were at least ten Wheatears spread along the length of the spit. (RS)

North Wall: Two Grey Wagtails were by the sluice, and in the bushes along the wall there were c20 Chiffchaffs, 12 Reed Buntings, two Blackcaps, two Willow Warblers and a Reed Warbler.

Also, a Marsh Harrier flew across the harbour, a Kingfisher was along Owl Water, and a Water Rail was in its usual spot at Halsey’s Farm, whist six Meadow Pipits were in the field at Owl Point. (MJa/LP/CT/KU).

A look along the wall later produced three Buzzards, two Redshanks, a Moorhen and a Little Egret, whilst two Mute Swans, eight Meadow Pipits, eight House Martins and 19 Swallows flew over. (P Gomersall)

This evening there were a Yellow-legged Gull, an Avocet, four Stotted Redshanks, a Peregrine and two Marsh Harriers seen from the wall. (AWi)

Chiffchaff (above) & Willow Warbler at the North Wall (LP)

East Side: At high tide there was a good selection of waders along the East Side including Grey Plovers, Ringed Plovers, Dunlin, Knot, Turnstones, Redshanks, Oystercatchers, Curlews, and a Bar-tailed Godwit, whilst on the water were Teal, Wigeon, Pintail, Shelducks and Great Crested Grebes. (LP/PA)

Knot (above), Bar-tailed Godwit, Grey Plovers & Ringed Plovers along the East side (LP)

Pagham Spit: There were hundreds of House Martins on the power lines by the houses along the beach this morning. (AWr)

Later, around the entrance to the harbour there were three Wheatears, four Stonechats and two Meadow Pipits, whilst four Kingfishers were up and down the channel and around the metal work,

There were also a good number of House Martins coming across from the west. (GHi)

Kingfishers (above), Wheatear & Stonechats at Pagham Spit (GHi)

Sunday, 20th September: A morning of fast-moving grey cloud and some warm, sunny spells in a fresh westerly breeze.......

Selsey Bill: A first-winter Little Gull went west this morning, but not too much else offshore, whilst four Yellow Wagtails, five Grey Wagtails, 186 Meadow Pipits and 158 Swallows went west overhead. Full log below. (SH/BI/IP/AT/AH/P&LH/AWi)

(0630-1015hrs) (W, F4-5)

Gannet - 65W, 60os

Shag - 1E

Common Scoter - 1W

Sparrowhawk - 1

Oystercatcher - 2E

Turnstone - 6

Little Gull - 1W

Mediterranean Gull - 1E, 55W

Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1os

Great Black-backed Gull - 3W, 4os

Kittiwake - 1W

Sandwich Tern - 1E, 45W, 9os

Guillemot - 2W

Swallow - 158W

House Martin - 5W

Yellow  Wagtail - 4W

Grey Wagtail - 5W

Pied Wagtail - 2W

Meadow Pipit - 186W

Linnet - 9

Little Gull (above), Sandwich Tern & Gannet at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There was no sign of the Grey Phalarope this morning, with just an Avocet, a Redshank, 65 Lapwings, four Teal and a juvenile Shelduck on the pool and just a Black-tailed Godwit, a few Redshanks and 31 Teal in the channel opposite. 

There were also a few Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps, plus a Cetti's Warbler in the adjacent hedges and a dozen Swallows went over (AH/BI/JC)

Avocet and Teal (above) & Lapwings at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: An Osprey and two female-type Marsh Harriers were over the harbour at various times this morning, whilst on the mud there were a Greenshank, three Whimbrel, two Bar-tailed Godwits, a dozen Curlews and 40+ Oystercatchers, with c60 Dunlin and a few Grey Plovers flying about, and there were also c20 Pintail and similar of Wigeon and Teal about and a Sandwich Tern was offshore.

Two Spotted Flycatchers were behind the hide, a Firecrest was nearby and two Wheatears were on the concrete blocks, but a couple of Blackcaps, a Willow Warbler and half a dozen Chiffchaffs, plus c20 House Martins, c30 Swallows, a couple of Yellow Wagtails and a dozen Meadow Pipits over was about it for migrants. 

(AH/IP/P&LH/JC/AWi/MB/DB/GK et al)

This evening a Curlew Sandpiper was out on the mud, with three Greenshanks, two Bar-tailed and two Black-tailed Godwits, two Knot and seven Dunlin. (PA)

Osprey (above), Marsh Harrier, Spotted Flycatcher, Chiffchaff & Whimbrel at Church Norton (AH)

North Wall: There wasn't too much to report this afternoon, with just two Reed Buntings and three Chiffchaffs along the wall, though 32 Cattle Egrets were in the fields and ten Sand Martins, 54 Swallows, a Kestrel and four Buzzards went over. (S&SaH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - A Wheatear, eight Stonechats, seven Chiffchaffs, three Cetti's Warblers and six Yellowhammers were along the banks this morning, with seven Yellow Wagtails and c100 Meadow Pipits in the fields and c50 Swallows going over.

Also, a Greenshank was on the Stilt Pool and a Kestrel and eight Buzzards were overhead, whilst two Common Lizards and a dozen Clouded Yellows were along the banks. (S&SaH)

East Head: A look at Snowhill Creek this afternoon produced two Ruffs, 11 Greenshanks, a Snipe, ten Lapwings, four Dunlin, c50 Black-tailed Godwits, c60 Teal, a Stonechat, a Chiffchaff and a swallow. (PA)

Saturday, 19th September: A very grey and blustery, if quite mild, morning in a strong south-westerly breeze.....

Sadly, I've recently learned of the passing of Colin Eames, yet another of our Peninsula birding friends. Colin, invariably accompanied by his wife who was always known as 'Mich' came to birding rather later in life. This dynamic duo were always keen to learn and if I recall correctly, became frequent visitors to the Bill and Peninsula from around 2010. Colin's sense of humour soon came to the fore and I recall a number of lively banter sessions enlivening a slow sea-watch! Regrettably though, ill-health eventually began to creep up and take it's toll, and Colin passed peacefully away at the end of August.

On a personal note, it is perhaps ironic that my best memory of Colin was not from the Peninsula, but on a certain day in mid-November 2015. To cut the story short, Colin and Mich knew I wanted to try for a long-staying Crag Martin in Chesterfield, but had been unable to go, suffering badly as my father was nearing his end. A window of opportunity arose for me as other family members were able to cover, and the dynamic duo picked me up, drove me to Chesterfield, waited all day as the bird was a no-show, then shared my joy as it briefly flew around the football stadium allowing a brief record shot, before it flew off never to appear again. They drove me back again and it is a great kindness I have never forgotten.

I'm sure all that knew Colin will join me in sending condolences to Mich and the family members - and I'm sure Colin's jokes will be noticed in heaven!   (OM/Eds)

Colin Eames (white cap) with Mich, Spring 2017 and (below) seated with the gallery of observers (OM)

Selsey Bill: Highlights this morning were a Hobby and an Arctic Skua west, along with153 Gannets and 214 Swallows. Full log below. (SH/PB/AGB/MRB/JBo/BI/IP/AH)

(0630-0900hrs) (SW, F6)

Gannet - 1E, 153W

Shag - 2E

Little Egret - 2W

Hobby - 1W

Oystercatcher - 3W

Dunlin - 9W

Turnstone - 7

Arctic Skua - 1W

Mediterranean Gull - 6W

Great Black-backed Gull - 9W

Kittiwake - 1E, 1W

Sandwich Tern - 3E, 5W

Swallow - 3E, 214W

Meadow Pipit - 3W

(1430-1600hrs) (SH)

Gannet - 1E, 6W

Common Scoter - 7E, 1os

Turnstone - 5

Mediterranean Gull - 2W

Sandwich Tern - 10W

Swallow - 1E

Gannets (above) & Sandwich Terns at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: A Grey Phalarope was on the muddy pools by the new fence late this morning, well found by Jacob Bowley, though otherwise there were just a juvenile Shelduck, four Teal, a Redshank and c20 Lapwings, plus a Grey Wagtail, present. (JBo/AGB/MRB/PB/IP/S&SaH/AH/BI et al)

Grey Phalarope (above), Grey Wagtail & Teal on the Ferry (AH)

Sidlesham: A Hobby went over Cow Lane early this morning. (PA)

Church Norton: A Greenshank, two Whimbrel, three Bar-tailed Godwits, two Knot, five Turnstones, ten Ringed Plovers and c100 Dunlin were in the harbour, along with 21 Pintail, whilst two Marsh Harriers and a Peregrine were out and about and two Gannets were offshore.

The hedges were quiet, with just a Whitethroat, a Willow Warbler and a dozen or so Chiffchaffs seen, whilst two Wheatears were along the concrete blocks, two Stonechats were along the Severals and a Grey Wagtail, eight Yellow Wagtails, five Meadow Pipits and a dozen Swallows went over. (IP/PB/AGB/MRB/JBo/AH/KB et al)

Greenshank (above), Whimbrel, Grey Plover & Chiffchaff at Church Norton (AH)