Thursday, 18th June: A grey, murky and rather gloomy start with a very light SE breeze, then becoming very misty with poor visibility for quite a while. Gradually clearing and brightening by late morning with the breeze increasing a little, then becoming more humid, with heavy grey cloud and showers, with the risk of thunder.......
Selsey Bill: A very quiet morning, soon curtailed by the poor conditions, the best being 60 Sandwich Terns feeding offshore. Full log below. (AH)
(0630-0730hrs) (SE, F2)
Oystercatcher - 1W
Mediterranean Gull - 6os
Great Black-backed Gull - 3os
Sandwich Tern - 60os
Common Tern - 1os
Little Tern - 2os
Swift - 2
Sandwich Tern (above) & Mediterranean and Black-headed Gulls at the Bill (AH)
Ferry Pool: The pool was covered in Avocets of all sizes again early this morning, though 25 youngsters was a conservative count, with several adults clearly sitting on young chicks, but beyond the 35 adults present there were just an Oystercatcher and seven Shelducks. (AH)
Avocets on the Ferry (AH)
East side & White's creek: I planned to spend a while on the East side checking out any waders that were present on the mud flats - but unfortunately the visibility was dropping all the time and after an hour viewing conditions became impossible, so it was time to go.
The highlight was five Bar-tailed Godwits, including a full summer-plumaged bird, but there was a selection of species, albeit in small numbers, as follows: 12 Black-tailed Godwits, eight Oystercatchers, three Knot, six Redshank, two Dunlin, four Ringed Plovers, ten Curlew, two Whimbrel, a Greenshank, six Lapwings and eight Grey Plover.
Also, four Great Crested Grebes were in the channel, a Chiffchaff was singing frequently along the hedgerows and a Whitethroat was giving constant alarm calls from nearby. (OM)
Bar-tailed Godwit along the East side (OM)
North Wall: Two Linnets, a Pied Wagtail, four Swallows and a Green Woodpecker were in the paddock, and a Blackcap was singing in the nearby trees, whilst three Mediterranean Gulls passed overhead. A Whimbrel, a Curlew, a Little Egret, a Bar-tailed godwit, two Black-tailed Godwits and a Lapwing were along White’s Creek and a few Grey Plovers were much further out on the mud.
Eleven more Black-tailed Godwits were on the Breech Pool, as well the pair of Tufted Ducks, a Great Crested Grebe and the usual Mallards and Coots. Along the reeds there were lots of Reed Warblers and Sedge Warblers, plus two heard only cuckoos, a Green Woodpecker and a couple of Whitethroats as well as a Lesser Whitethroat were in the bushes.
At Halsey’s Farm, a Kingfisher was by the sluice and another was along the rife, where there was also an Avocet and a Lapwing, while a few Skylarks and a Great Spotted Woodpecker were over the fields. (LP/TRH/SP/P Gomersall)
This afternoon a female Marsh Harrier was sat unseen, but heard in the bushes before flying towards Owl copse. (P Gomersall)
Kingfisher (above), Avocet, Black-tailed Godwits, Reed Warbler, Swallow, Pied Wagtail, Green Woodpecker & Little Egret at the North Wall (LP)
Church Norton: There were a continuous stream of Sandwich Terns going out to feed in the bay and returning, carrying fish back to the island this evening, with just the odd Common and Little Tern, plus a few Mediterranean and Black-headed Gulls with them, but there was very little else in the harbour on the high, if dropping, tide. (AH)
Sandwich Terns at Church Norton (AH)
Wednesday, 17th June: A cool, grey and blustery day, with the odd bit of drizzle, too, pushed through in the freshening south-westerly breeze....
Selsey Bill: There was not a lot going on this morning. Full log below. (AH)
(0645-0745hrs) (SW, f4-5)
Gannet - 1W
Oystercatcher - 1E
Curlew - 1W
Mediterranean Gull - 1W
Great Black-backed Gull - 12os
Sandwich Tern - 80os
Common Tern - 5os
Little Tern - 4os
Swift - 2
Sandwich Terns (above) & Common Tern at the Bill (AH)
Ferry Pool: It was basically all Avocets this morning, with a minimum of 25 young bi8rds again, including the first two which are now fledged juveniles, along with 33 adults, but a pair of Oystercatchers and six Shelducks were the only other birds present. (AH)
Avocets at the Ferry (AH)
Mill Pond Marsh: There were plenty of ducks on the flooded field this morning, comprising a female Gadwall and three well-grown young, a pair of Shovelers, a female Teal, six Tufted Ducks and c20 Mallards of various ages, along with a Little Grebe, a Grey Heron and a couple of Reed Warblers. (AH)
Shoveler (above) & Gadwall family at Mill Pond Marsh (AH)
Church Norton: There was still a constant flow of Sandwich Terns in and out from Tern Island this morning, with half a dozen Common Terns among them and a dozen Little Terns feeding in various locations around the harbour.
There were a few more waders in evidence, too, with a Greenshank, a Turnstone, a Ringed Plover, eight Grey Plovers, 15 Curlews, six Oystercatchers and 28 Black-tailed Godwits noted, but a couple of Whitethroats and Blackcaps and a few young Blue and Long-tailed Tits, plus a couple of Swifts and Swallows over, was it for the hedges, (AH)
Little Terns (above), Greenshank, Ringed Plover, Whitethroat & Blue Tit at Church Norton (AH)
North Wall: A look around the harbour this morning produced all the regular species, along with a lone Grey Plover, a Whimbrel and two Great Black-backed Gulls on the mud, whilst along the lower path there were a Whitethroat, a Skylark a Goldfinch and a pair of Linnets, and around the stables there were the usual Swallows and two more Linnets. (P Gomersall)
Also, a Kingfisher was near Owl Copse. (EB)
Kingfisher at the North Wall (EB)
Tuesday, 16th June: The morning started cool and grey in a light to moderate westerly, slowly brightening and warming up as the breeze freshened.....
Selsey Bill: A redhead Goosander west, high over the beach, was an unseasonal surprise this morning, whilst seven Sand Martins west together over the sea may well be returning birds, and there was also a big build-up of terns feeding off Hillfield Road. Full log below. (AH/IP)
(0645-0845hrs) (WNW, F3-4)
Gannet - 3E, 1W
Goosander - 1W
Oystercatcher - 1E, 2W
Curlew - 3W
Mediterranean Gull - 3W, 28os
Great Black-backed Gull - 3os
Sandwich Tern - 100os
Common Tern - 18os
Little Tern - 15os
Swift - 4
Sand Martin - 7W
House Martin - 15
Goosander (above), Sand Martins, House Martin, Little Tern, Common Terns, Sandwich Terns & Little and Sandwich Terns at the Bill (AH)
Ferry Pool: There were still at least 25 young Avocets on the pool, along withy 32 adults, but the only other birds present again were the Little Ringed Plover and an Oystercatcher. (AH)
Avocet chick (above) & Little Ringed Plover at the Ferry (AH)
Long Pool: There were still a few Reed and Sedge Warblers, plus a Cetti's Warbler and half a dozen Whitethroats singing along the hedges, with a handful of Reed Buntings and Linnets and a dozen young Long-tailed Tits about, too, plus a Swallow over.
A Little Grebe and a Great Crested Grebe were on the pool, though there was no sign of any young, whilst Ferry Channel held nine Lapwings, six Redshanks and a couple of Black-tailed Godwits.
Also, at least 50 Painted Ladies were along the hedges, together with a Marbled White, a Small Tortoiseshell and a Large Skipper.(AH)
Reed Warbler (above), Sedge Warbler, Reed Bunting, Painted Lady & Large Skipper at the Long Pool (AH)
Church Norton: A Roseate Tern was roosting out on the mud again this morning. (RAI)
Pagham Spit: On the rising tide around the harbour entrance there were a Common Sandpiper, nine Dunlin, six Ringed Plovers, and an Oystercatcher, plus all three tern species, with Skylarks and Linnets seen and heard, whilst a male Grey Seal was in the harbour and on the lagoon there were eight Great Crested Grebes. (P Gomersall)
North Wall: A look early this morning produced a Great Crested Grebe, two Grey Herons, three Little Egrets, four Shelducks, four drake Gadwall, two pairs of Tufted Ducks and numerous Mallards on the Breech Pool, whilst in the harbour on the falling tide there were a number of Black-tailed Godwits, Redshanks, Oystercatchers, Curlews, another Great Crested Grebe and three Mute Swans.
Four Lesser Whitethroats, a few Reed, Sedge and Cettis Warblers and two calling Cuckoos were along the wall, whilst a Kingfisher flew along the hedgerows towards Little Welbourne and another was at Halsey's Farm, where a Raven was heard, and there were also four Grey Herons, an Avocet and a male Sparrowhawk carrying prey flew towards Owl Copse, two Common Seals were hauled out on the mud. (P Gomersall)
Also, later, in addition to the above, two Sand Martins went over the Breech Pool, five Cattle Egrets were in the fields, three Buzzards went over and two Knot, two Grey Plovers, two Ringed Plovers, a Whimbrel and a Little Tern were in the harbour. (PB/EB)
Reed Warblers (above), Little Tern, Oystercatcher & Black-tailed Godwits at the North Wall (EB)
Medmerry: Medmerry Trail - A Cuckoo was seen and heard along the concrete road near the sewage works this morning. (GR)
Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - a good selection along the banks this morning included two Dartford Warblers, a sedge Warbler, a dozen Reed Warblers, two Cetti's Warblers, three Chiffchaffs, c40 Whitethroats, five Reed Buntings and c30 Yellowhammers, whilst a Greenshank was on the Stilt Pool, 14 Common Terns were around the rafts, a Curlew and four Lapwings were on the reserve and four Kestrels and four Buzzards went over,. (S&SaH)
