26th - 28th August 2026

Friday, 28th August: A surprisingly warm morning in a mix of sun and cloud in a freshening north-westerly breeze............

Selsey Bill: It was another quite busy morning, with a bit of visible migration occurring, along with a Fulmar west, a Common Sandpiper on the beach and later flying over, with a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull and a few terns offshore. Full log below. (BI/IP/AH/OM + 18 Surrey Bird Club ssp)

(0600-0900hrs) (NW, F3-4)

Fulmar - 1W

Gannet - 23E, 59W, 14os

Grey Heron - 1W

Sparrowhawk - 1

Kestrel -  1

Oystercatcher - 1W

Ringed Plover - 1W

Common Sandpiper - 1

Turnstone - 36

Mediterranean Gull - 540os

Yellow-legged Gull - 1os (juv)

Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1W, 3os

Great Black-backed Gull - 6os

Sandwich Tern - 29E, 3os

Common Tern - 20E, 10W, 1os

Swift - 1

Great Spotted Woodpecker - 1

Skylark - 1N

Swallow - 12E

Sand Martin - 3E

House Martin - 23

Yellow Wagtail - 8E

Grey Wagtail - 4W

Pied Wagtail - 4W

Clouded Yellow - 2

Sandwich Tern (above) & Common Tern at the Bill (AH)

Later, a Black Tern went west. Full log below. (P&LH)
(1115-1230hrs) (P&LH)
Gannet - 30os
Common Scoter - 1E
Sparrowhawk - 1
Turnstone - 9
Mediterranean Gull - 150os
Great Black-backed Gull - 1os
Sandwich Tern - 26os
Common Tern - 12os
Black Tern - 1W
Swallow - 7
Sand Martin - 1
Wheatear - 1

This afternoon a Balearic Shearwater went west at 1530hrs and four Black Terns went west, too. Full log below. (SH)
(1500-1600hrs)
Balearic Shearwater - 1W (1530hrs)
Gannet - 2E, 8W, 6os
Turnstone - 36
Mediterranean Gull - 1E, 8W
Great Black-backed Gull - 1W
Sandwich Tern - 2W
Common Tern - 1E
Black Tern - 4W

Another Balearic Shearwater went west at 1710hrs, with an Arctic Tern west noteworthy, too. Full log below. (JA/SH)
(1640-1740hrs)
Balearic Shearwater - 1W (1710hrs)
Gannet - 3E, 6W
Turnstone - 5
Mediterranean Gull - 2E, 70W
Black-headed Gull - 116W
Common Gull - 2W
Great Black-backed Gull - 1W
Sandwich Tern - 25W
Common Tern - 26W
Arctic Tern - 1W

Wheatear at the Bill (LH)

Ferry Pool: There was nothing on the pool again this morning, whilst the channel opposite just held three Oystercatchers and half a dozen Redshanks and Teal. (AH)

Teal at the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: Two Redstarts, two Whinchats, two Lesser Whitethroats and a few Whitethroats were along the bushes at Halsey’s Farm and two Wheatears were on the mud by the rife this morning, whilst 18 Cattle Egrets dropped into the fields, six Teal were on the water, and a Kingfisher flew through.
It was quieter along the wall, though, with just six Reed Buntings, two Whitethroats, a Reed Warbler and a Sedge Warbler along the bushes, 37 Lapwings and six Gadwall flew over, and a Kestrel and two Buzzards were also about, whilst along White’s Creek there were two Spotted Redshanks, three Black-tailed Godwits and a Whimbrel. (LP/TRH/GHi/CRN/HR et al)

Early this afternoon, there was also a Pied Flycatcher at Halsey's Farm. (SaH)

Redstart (above), Wheatear, Reed Bunting & Spotted Redshank at the North Wall (LP)

Church Norton: The Little Stint was again in the harbour this morning, along with a couple of Whimbrel and c50 Dunlin and Ringed Plovers, and there were seven Wheatears on Tern Island.

There was a good selection of scarcer migrants this morning, with three more Wheatears and two Whinchats in the horse field, three Spotted Flycatchers and two Redstarts seen behind the hide and in the churchyard, though there was a distinct lack of the more expected migrants.. (HR/DMe/TS/AH/P&LH/AT/JDa/JC et al)

Redstart (LH top two, AH lower two) (above) & Whinchat (AH) at Church Norton

This afternoon the three Spotted Flycatchers were still in the field behind the hide, whilst at least half a dozen Wheatears and a dozen Yellow Wagtails were on Tern Island.
There were c200 Dunlin and c50 Ringed Plovers about on the falling tide, but two Sanderlings and half a dozen Grey Plovers were the only things with them, and there were also two Whimbrel and four Pintail present. (AH/KT/ABi et al)

Spotted Flycatchers (above), Grey Plover, Whimbrel, Sanderling and Ringed Plover & Pintail at Church Norton (AH)

Fishbourne Creek: An Osprey was fishing over the creek mid-morning (MWr), whilst there were also a Spotted Redshank, an early Pintail, 17 Turnstones and a dozen Greenshanks between Dell Quay and Fishbourne (RW).

East Head: Three Curlew Sandpipers and two Ruff were in Snowhill Creek this morning, whilst an adult Yellow-legged Gull and c460 Mediterranean Gulls were among the roost on the grass by the car-park. (PH/HR/DMe)

Thursday, 27th August: The forecast heavy overnight rain largely failed to materialise, though it was very grey and muggy early on in a moderate south-easterly breeze, brightening up later as the breeze picked up........

Selsey Bill: There was some quite noticeable activity this morning, including a Great White Egret east early on, and then a continuous eastward passage of gulls, including an impressive 826 Mediterranean Gulls, along with an adult Little Gull, a Black Tern and 164 Common Terns. Full log below. (SH/AH)  

(0615-0900hrs) (SE, F3-4)

Gannet - 21E, 41W, 8os

Great White Egret - 1E

Little Egret - 1E

Wigeon - 2E

Common Scoter - 1E

Sanderling - 1W

Dunlin - 10E

Turnstone - 1

Mediterranean Gull - 826E

Little Gull - 1E

Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1W, 1os

Great Black-backed Gull - 2W, 2os

Kittiwake - 1W

Sandwich Tern - 4E, 2W

Common Tern - 164E, 3W

Black Tern - 1E

Swallow - 23E

Sand Martin - 8E

House Martin - 2E

Yellow Wagtail - 3E

Pied Wagtail - 1E

(1600-1700hrs) (SH)

Gannet - 4E, 2W

Mediterranean Gull - 44W

Great Black-backed Gull - 3os

Sandwich Tern - 7W

Common Tern - 17W

House Martin - 3

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

Ferry Pool: There was nothing on the pool this morning, whilst in the channel opposite there were a pair of Gadwall, a juvenile Ringed Plover, two Curlews and half a dozen Redshanks, plus a fly-through Kingfisher. (AH)

Ringed Plover (above) & Gadwall at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: A couple of Spotted Flycatchers were behind the hide this morning and a Wheatear was on the concrete blocks, but the hedges were very quiet, with just the odd skulking Blackcap and Whitethroat seen, though c40 Swallows, c20 Sand Martins and a handful of House Martins, plus a Yellow Wagtail and a Raven, went over the harbour, going east.

There were 100+ Dunlin and 50+ Ringed Plovers in the harbour on the rising tide, but never near enough to see if there was anything else among them, though a Greenshank and a couple of Whimbrel were about, whilst also of note, 22 Common Terns - mainly juveniles, flew through the harbour and off over the spit, and there were also a dozen Wigeon and a Pintail flying about. (AH/KT et al)

Spotted Flycatcher (above), Blackcap, Raven, Swallow, Greenshank, Common Terns & Wigeon and Pintail at Church Norton (AH)

This evening a Black Tern and a first-winter Yellow-legged Gull were off the beach, the Little Stint was again in the harbour, three Spotted Flycatchers were around the hide and there were also four Wheatears and c50 Yellow Wagtails about. (PA/I Jones)

Black Tern at Church Norton (PA)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - There were dozens of Mediterranean Gulls heading east offshore this morning, with 18 Sandwich Terns and six Common Terns among them, but the Stilt Pool just held a Greenshank of note, with two more and two Pintail near the poplars.
A good count of c50 Yellow Wagtails were around the fields, along with five Meadow Pipits, whilst along the banks there were two Whinchats, 11 Stonechats, a Dartford Warbler, three Willow Warblers, eight Whitethroats and five Yellowhammers, whilst c100 Swallows, c50 Sand Martins, a Buzzard and three Kestrels went over. (SH)

Wednesday, 26th August: A very warm and muggy morning under mainly grey skies and in just a light north-easterly breeze.....

Selsey Bill: A pretty quiet morning, with the big gull flock having mostly moved off east, though a few Common and Sandwich Terns, a Kittiwake and a few hirundines were about. Full log below. (AH)

(0650-0805hrs) (NE, F2-3)

Gannet - 3E, 1W

Mediterranean Gull - 250os

Kittiwake - 1E

Sandwich Tern - 4E, 2W

Common Tern - 1E, 6W

Swallow - 8E

Sand Martin - 7E

House Martin - 11E

Common Tern at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: The juvenile Ruff was on the remnants of the pool early this morning, along with a Redshank and a juvenile Shelduck, whilst in the channel opposite there were a Common Sandpiper, three Curlews, c60 Redshanks and eight Teal, plus a Kingfisher. (AH)

Ruff at the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool: This evening there were three Whinchats, four Wheatears, 15 Yellow Wagtails, a Spotted Flycatcher and three Willow Warblers seen from the path, p-lus c100 Sand Martins and c150 Swallows over.

Also, a Greenshank, two Spotted Redshanks, two Common sandpipers, a snipe, two Lapwings and three Teal were along Ferry Channel. (PA)

Mill Pond Marsh: There was a good selection of warblers along Mill Lane this morning, including four Lesser Whitethroats, a Sedge Warbler, a Cetti's Warbler, two Willow Warblers and half a dozen Whitethroats and Blackcaps. (AH)

Cetti's Warbler (above), Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat & Blackcap at Mill Pond Marsh (AH)

Church Norton: A juvenile Osprey was hunting the harbour at high tide this morning, whilst an incredible 138 Yellow Wagtail with 118 counted on the deck, along with a a Golden Plover, in the fields along Rectory Lane at dawn, and four Wheatears, three Spotted Flycatchers, a Garden Warbler, 15 Blackcaps, 12 Whitethroats, three Willow Warblers were around the Severals area later on.

Also, a Green Sandpiper flew over Greenlease Farm, whilst out on the mud there was the autumn's first juvenile Curlew Sandpiper, the juvenile Little Stint again, 12 Knot, and three Greenshanks, a Bar-tailed Godwit, the first pair of returning Wigeon, three Pintail and six Teal were in the harbour. (PA/AJW)

Osprey (AJW top two, PA lower)  (above), Golden Plover, Yellow Wagtail & Pintails (PA) at Church Norton

This afternoon the Osprey came up the harbour from the Ferry, hovered a few times, and flew mostly over the east side towards Pagham Beach, whilst the Curlew Sandpiper and Little Stint were still out on the mudflats along with a Sanderling, 60+ Dunlin, six Pintail and ten Wigeon.

Also, on Tern Island there were at least 20 Yellow Wagtails, at least three Wheatears and a flock of 80 Linnets. (CRJ/KT/AT/ARK et al)

Little Stint at Church Norton (KT)

North Wall: The Osprey was seen over the harbour from the wall, too, whilst the bushes held a mix of migrants, including a dozen Whitethroats, three or four Lesser Whitethroats, Reed, Sedge and Willow Warblers, along with two Wheatears in the Owl Point field and c50 Swallows over.

There were also a couple of Kingfishers about, a Snipe and a Lapwing in Bremere Rife, along with half a dozen Cattle Egrets, and 16 Little Egrets and ten Grey Herons were in the harbour. (LP/CT/MJa/AH/KU et al)

Osprey (above), Wheatear, Swallow, Snipe, Cattle Egrets & Little Egrets at the North Wall (AH)

Sidlesham: The Osprey re-appeared over Cow Lane this afternoon, heading for the harbour, with a Swift, a big juvenile female Sparrowhawk and a few Yellow wagtails and hirundines.going over, too, (PA)

Pagham Beach: It was also seen over here, having visited the harbour in-between. (TG-P)