6th - 7th September 2013

Saturday, 7th September: A few surprises today; firstly a quiet(ish) sea-watch at the Bill produced one small flurry when JA/PM called a small wader passing, just as I called a Black Tern. I stuck with watching the tern whilst eventually the wader was ID'd as a Little Stint - and so a potential Bill tick passed me by! Then I headed to Medmerry, where I was surprised to see that the low-key breach has actually taken place, with sea-water flooding through a sluice and well into the hinterland. Best was saved to last though as I decided to give the Ferry a quick check before taking lunch - and was pleased to discover that at last there was something decent on the pool - a Pectoral Sandpiper. The bird was spooked by something for a short while but soon returned, allowing the locals to see it (thanks to Andy House for first pics).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Medmerry: looking north from the beach - that's all sea-water!

 

 The sluice pipes letting the sea in - yes it's now happened!

 

Some of the flock of 220 Canada Geese enjoying their new habitat

 

 

 View along one of the rifes towards the breach site with seaweed floating to the right.

 

Selsey Bill (0600-1100hrs) Cloud and showers, becoming sunny later. Wind SSW 3-4 becoming more W/SW later. (Obs: JA/SH/PM/OM/DF et al)

Gannet - 33E, 124W

Fulmar - 1E, 4W

Wigeon - 14W

Common Scoter - 1E

Whimbrel - 1W

Little Stint - 1W (obs JA/PM only!)

Arctic Skua - 1W

Black Tern - 1W

Common Tern - 25W

Sandwich Tern - 41W (some os fishing before eventually moving off)

Med Gull - 5 os moved W

Swallow - 70 moving S or W

Yellow Wagtail - 5 S

Meadow Pipit - 3W

Wheatear - 1 ob

Evening watch 1715-1830hrs (SH)
Gannet - 13E, 2W
Fulmar - 1W
Curlew - 2W
Arctic Skua - 1 d/p os
Med Gull - 2W
Sandwich Tern - 17 os, 6W
Common Tern - 1 os
 

Medmerry: Canada Goose - c.220 (inc 2 Barnacle hybrids), Teal - 12, Dunlin - 11, Ringed Plover - 2, Little Ringed Plover - 2, Wheatear - 3 (OM)

Park farm, Selsey: Whinchat - 1 (SH).

 

Pagham Hbr: Sidlesham Ferry pool: Pectoral Sandpiper - 1 juv, Greenshank - 2, Green Sandpiper - 2, Dunlin - 2, Redshank - 10, Black-tailed Godwit - 9 (OM).

North Wall/Whites Creek: 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Greenshank, 11 Black-tailed Godwits and 41 Redshanks. Breech Pool. 45 Black-tailed Godwits, 3 Spotted Redshanks, 4 Common Snipe, 2 Common Sandpipers, 2 Whinchats and 1 Wheatear (JW).

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Friday, 6th September: The forecast was correct with welcome rain and cooler temperatures arriving this morning, so I decided it was a good time to try and catch up with my birding paperwork! First report today is from JA; I expected to hear a long list of stuff I'd just missed, but no, it was dead, as the following very short summary indicates...! Also, at last news on Medmerry - see below - looks like it won't be too long now.



Selsey Bill (0630-0800hrs): Dry at first, then rain. Wind light E2-3 becoming more S. (Obs: JA)

Gannet - 12E

Sandwich Tern - 5W

Pied wagtail - 1 ob

(the end!)

Pagham Hbr: Luckily I was safely ensconced in the Church Norton hide when the worst of the rain hit around 7.20 this morning.  A female/juvenile Redstart, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 3 Blackcaps (2 male, 1 female), and 2 Chiffchaffs were in the hedge behind the hide.  In the harbour 2 summer plumaged Grey Plover, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 51 Wigeon, 1 Teal, 2 Turnstones, 12 Ringed Plover, 9 Dunlin, 9 Little Egrets, 7 Curlew and c100 distant hirundines feeding over the water (Sarah R).

Sidlesham Ferry: (mid to late morning): 1 Green Sandpiper, 4 Dunlin and 1 Buzzard.

From Church Norton hide: 110 Wigeon, 9 Pintail, 40 Dunlin, and a lot of sylvia-type warblers hiding in the bushes ! (CRJ). Two Whinchat on the weedy sunflower field east of the Honer Lane reservoir this evening, a female Tufted and immature Little Grebe on the reservoir (CRJ). On the  Breech Pool at high tide, 81 Black-tailed Godwits (1 colour-ringed), 2 Spotted Redshanks and 4 Snipe;  also 27 Little Egrets in the harbour (JW).

Medmerry: For info, an update from JW, (via Ivan Lang RSPB):

"They have removed the sluice from the broad rife so the sea can come in and out. They are presently lowering the shingle bank so as the tide increases in size, as it approaches spring, it will breach - so unknown date on that. It will be a slow procedure"