3rd - 8th MARCH 2013

SUNDAY, 3^rd MARCH

Dry and cloudy, with a brisk, cold E wind 4-5. Sunny by afternoon.

Selsey Bill (08.10 - 10.40 hrs):

Sandwich Tern -   12E
Common Scoter - 70E & 4W
Gannet - 35E & 12W

Kittiwake – c.100E

Red-breasted Merganser - 12E & 14o/s

Auk sp c.300E

Razorbill - 15E

Fulmar - 1E & 2W

Diver sp - 3E & 4W

Great Northern Diver – 3 o/s

Red-throated Diver - 45E

Wigeon - 27E

Black-throated Diver - 1E

Great Crested Grebe - 2E

Slavonian Grebe – 2 o/s                                          

 Justin and a gathering of the usual suspects started about 0700 and had logged a fair bit before I arrived, including an early Arctic Skua. The early movement of Sandwich Terns was also noteworthy; at first we assumed they must just be local wintering birds but it soon became clear that some at least were migrants, so looks like spring has started early.

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MONDAY, 4th MARCH

Dry but cold all day due to a persistent wind, E 4-5. Cloudy with some haziness

all morning, then sunny by afternoon. 

Selsey Bill (0745-1300hrs)

After the early passage at the Bill yesterday I was interested to see if there would be further activity today. There was some; this included 6 Sandwich Terns E, which added to yesterday's 12 indicates it is passage as they surely can't all be over-wintering birds - that's my theory anyway! Other sightings were: Red-throated Diver 26E, Great Northern Diver 1 o/s, R/b Merganser 32E & 4 o/s, Pintail 4E, Shoveler 4E, Wigeon 30E, Brent Goose 85E, Common Scoter 4E & 4 o/s, Sanderling 1 o/b, Slavonian Grebe 1 o/s, Great Crested Grebe 1E, Curlew 1E, Fulmar 1W, Gannet 1E and Alba/Pied Wagtail 3N. _____________________________________________________________

TUESDAY, 5^th MARCH

A fine sunny day at last, with the temperature rising to well into double figures (centigrade), but again with a persistent cool breeze E/SE 2-3.

Selsey Bill (0755-1230hrs): A warm spring-like day along the sea-wall, but visibility only a mile at most:- Brent Goose – 259 E Eider 7 E – all cracking males Common Scoter – 14 E, 1 W & 30 o/s R/B Merganser – 15 E, 6 W & 8 o/s Shelduck – 2 E Great Northern Diver – 3 o/s Red- throated Diver – 7 E Diver sp –  2 E Great Crested Grebe –  1 o/s Slavonian Grebe – 1 E & 1 o/s Fulmar –  1E Common Gull – 16 E Sandwich Tern – 1 E Turnstone – 10 along shore Sanderling –  1 o/b Meadow Pipit – 3 N

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WEDNESDAY, 6^th MARCH

Cloudy, grey and rather chilly but remaining dry. Wind E/NE 3

Selsey Bill (0750-1150hrs):

Notably slower seawatching at the Bill this morning, four hours being enough for me. A single Sandwich Tern pottered E close inshore, even finding time to rest up on a 'green triangle' marker post but perhaps the best were 3 Black-throated Divers E and 3 Great Northerns o/s. Four Gadwall flew E and a drake Eider W, but otherwise it was standard fare in small numbers today:- Brent Goose – 13E, R/b Merganser – 22E, 10W and 10 o/s, Common Scoter – 1E, 5W and 30 o/s, Gannet – 3E and  Curlew - 8 E.    

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FRIDAY, 8th MARCH

Gloomy and misty with persistent light rain all day. Calm with a faint SE breeze. 

Selsey Bill (0740-0910hrs): A fairly dire morning really, with visibility offshore restricted to just a few hundred metres due to sea fog. I watched from the car throughout, sheltering under the tailgate, but in an hour and a half all I had seen were 17 Brent Geese E and 2 R/b Mergansers W! Eventually I decided to pack it in as a waste of time, so went and did some domestic stuff instead.

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