13th - 14th June

Friday, 14th June: Firstly, many thanks to all those correspondents who supply information, but please note that due to my various forthcoming commitments and holidays, could you also forward a copy of your news to Andy House  as well as me, with immediate effect. I'm very grateful to Andy who is going to keep the blog going when I'm absent, which will be on-and-off until the last week of July! I'm sure he'll do a great job. Andy's email address is:- andrewhouse9@btinternet.com 

 

Right, on with the day's bird news. Following on from yesterday's strong winds and  sea activity, it had to be worth  a look this morning, so I arrived at 0630hrs together with New Zealand birder Phil Hammond, hoping that a petrel or shearwater would be lingering in the Channel. It seemed very quiet at first but gradually a few species were added and a couple of the regulars appeared - then at 0723hrs a STORM PETREL passed W at a range of c.6-700m, giving brief flashes of the white rump. This is the second Stormie in two days - surely there's a good chance more will appear? Other highlights included a flock of 8 Manx Shearwaters W (0910hrs) and 2 Arctic Skuas E. Further update (evening):  another Storm Petrel lingering offshore.

Selsey Bill (0630-1100hrs): Dry, cloudy then sunny. Wind fresh SW4. (Obs: OM/PH/GH/SR).
Great Crested Grebe - 1 os
Fulmar - 5W
Gannet - 20E, 8W
Manx Shearwater - 8W (one flock, 0910hrs)
Storm Petrel - 1W (0723hrs)
Common Scoter - 48E
Razorbill - 6W
Auk sp - 2E, 12W
Common Tern - 16W, 20os
Sandwich Tern - 20o
Little Tern - 3W
Evening sea-watch 1945-2015hrs: Storm Petrel - 1 lingering os (JA/SH)

PENINSULA: Church Norton: Four Bar-tailed Godwits, a Curlew and several Ringed Plovers and Turnstones were the only waders visible on the mudflats on the low tide (though possibly others were out of view in the channels). On Tern Island there were 8 Med Gulls loafing, together with about a dozen Common and c.20 Sandwich Terns, plus several pairs of Black-headed Gulls active in the nesting area inside the fencing.


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 Thursday, 13th June: The predicted strong south-westerly duly arrived - just the day then not to be committed like me to a pre-planned day of shopping! A message from Bob Self at Seaford, telling of early morning skuas and shearwaters there, didn't do anything to calm the uneasy feelings I had that I was bound to miss something decent....it wasn't too bad though as a later call from GH at the Bill told of c.50 Manx Shearwaters and three Arctic Skuas but nothing too scary. Further update: An evening sea-watch gave three observers the bird of the day - a STORM PETREL W at 1800hrs and not too distant either.

Selsey Bill. 1715-1900hrs: Wind SW 5-6.  (Obs: GH/SH/AB)
Fulmar - 1W
Gannet - 9E, 36W

Manx Shearwater - 1W

Storm Petrel - 1W (1800hrs)

Razorbill - 1W
Kittiwake - 5W