4th - 6th October 2013

Sunday, 6th October: Well it's that time of year again...and it's very frustrating on the Peninsula right now where passerines are concerned! Yellow-broweds are appearing with regularity just to the east and west; Ring Ouzels too, not to mention things even rarer, yet our little patch steadfastly refuses to deliver where these are concerned at present. It must happen soon, surely, so don't despair and keep looking through those Chiffchaffs and Blackbirds, but meanwhile I share the anguish felt by all you regulars and visitors alike. Today's news follows:

Pagham Hbr: Church Norton: Still seemed pretty quiet - doubtless I will have missed a major rarity somewhere! - most notable thing was the number of Blackcaps, 30+ in 2 big flocks, along with about a dozen Chiffchaffs, but I couldn't find much else bar a flyover Grey Wagtail and a few Meadow Pipits (AH). Apart from numerous Chiffchaffs, few migrants around today. 2 Wheatears on beach. Lots of hirundines still and Short-eared Owl briefly over the Severals (Chris Northwood).North Wall: White's Creek was alive with birds on the rising tide - including 5 Curlew Sandpipers, 4 Spotted Redshanks, all feeding together at one point, a Greenshank, a Grey Wagtail and 200 Wigeon - until a fisherman appeared and marched out to the point, scattering everything far and wide. Disappointingly, there is not much that can be done except try to educate them, if they'll listen. The Breech Pool held the Ruff, over 100 Black-tailed Godwits, 4 Snipe and one each of Reed and Sedge Warbler, along with a dozen or more Reed Buntings (AH). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Views from White's Creek: Curlew Sandpipers, Spotted Redshanks, Wigeon, Fisherman disturbing the peace, and Ruff (photos; Andy House).

Selsey Bill 0800-0900hrs:  Calm and sunny. Very mild. (Obs: SH et al)
Gannet - 1E, 13W
Brent Goose - 5E, 8W
Turnstone - 17W
Sparrowhawk - 1 over beach
Little Gull - 1 os
Med Gull - 6W
(1 "Iceland type" gull sat on sea , flew off west and landed on a fishing boat. No black in wing tips at all but wings and mantle looked too dark for an Iceland, probably some sort of hybrid).
Sandwich Tern - 3 os
Wheatear - 9 ob
Yellow Wagtail - 2 ob
Pied wagtail - 7 ob
Swallow - 50 S
House Martin - 20 S

Selsey to Church Norton: 09.30hrs (S&SaH)

Merlin female showing nicely at rear of Severals

Yellow Wagtail - 2

Grey Wagtail - 1

Stonechat - 1 male

Wheatear - 2

150+ each of Swallow and House Martin

 

 

 

Swallows and House Martins above, and Yellow Wagtail; Selsey-Church Norton (photo: S. Hill)

Sarah Russell reports " Such a lovely day I took a walk from the coastguard station along Medmerry beach, bumping into Beryl (James) along the way.  As the workmen were having a day off we walked up one of the escarpments by the caravan park and had our first good views of the new reserve.  Very impressive!  At the moment you get good open views of a series of pools, farmland beyond and the downs in the distance.  Not that many birds as yet, but they'll come:  46 Wigeon, 2 Little Egrets, c100 Canada Geese, 4 Mute Swans, a couple of Grey Herons, 55 Lapwings, a Kestrel, Cormorants and assorted gulls.  A Kingfisher was seen at the sluice yesterday.  Along the escarpment were 7 Wheatears and a flock of c25 Meadow Pipits, 7 Pied Wagtails, c30 Linnets (over), 22 Goldfinches, c60 Swallows, c40 House Martins and 13 Brent heading west, and a further Wheatear amongst the caravans. I walked along the shingle spit (not supposed to but everyone was); the gap where the sea enters seems small but I understand eventually the shingle bank (see photo, people area walking along)  will be washed away and the boulders in the foreground mark the true edge.  I imagine Sunday would be the only chance of getting along there as nobody was working" (SR). 

 

 

Medmerry views 6.10.13 (photos: Sarah Russell)

 

Saturday, 5th October: Still mild for the time of year, with much lighter winds than yesterday. Nothing exceptional recorded today, so far at least...

Selsey Bill 0700-0800hrs: Dry, mild, wind SW2 (Obs: SH et al)
Gannet - 1E, 8W
Brent Goose - 11E, 11W
Common Scoter - 3W
Whimbrel - 1W
Med Gull - 26W
Sandwich Tern - 8 os
Chiffchaff 5 in gardens
Meadow Pipit - 8W
Pied Wagtail - 5 ob, 10W

Swallow - 7

I checked the copse at the end of Pagham Lagoon this morning, 10 Chiffchaffs but nothing rarer (CRJ).

Pagham Hbr: Ferry Pool: Dead! Church Norton: 2 Spotted Flycatchers (per C&ME), 20+ Chiffchaffs and a dozen Blackcaps, but otherwise quiet.
North Wall: 4 Curlew Sandpipers and 2 Spotted Redshanks in White's Creek, a Greenshank, a few Golden Plovers and at least 8 Yellow-legged Gulls in the harbour, and up to 6 Snipe and 80 Black-tailed Godwits in the Breech Pool, along with a couple of unseen, squealing Water Rails. Around the horse paddocks, at least one Stonechat and one Whinchat, along with 4 Yellow Wagtails, half a dozen Reed Buntings and up to a dozen Chiffchaffs. Also 12 Skylarks over, along with a few Meadow Pipits and Swallows (AH).
 

 

Juv Curlew Sandpipers in White's Creek, and Whinchat and Stonechat in the horse paddocks (photos: A. House)

Selsey to Church Norton: 08.30 and 1515hrs:  (S&SaH):
(am) Sandwich Tern 5, Redwing 4, Siskin 20, Redpoll 5, Chiffchaff 30+, Willow Warbler 1,
Wheatear 2, Whitethroat 1, Swallow 50+ and House Martin 50+
(pm) Hobby 1 over Severals, Wheatear 2, Swallow 200+

South Mundham,   2 Hobby, 1 Buzzard, 1 Yellow-legged Gull, 5 Chiffchaff

Honer Reservoir    5 Tufted Duck

Weedy Field          3 Reed Bunting, 2 Stonechat, 1 Wheatear,  2 Kestrel.  (late afternoon: CRJ)

 

Friday, 4th October: Dry but mainly overcast and blustery; wind strong SW 5-6. Sunny later. Midday update: The first strong south-westerly in a while looked promising for a sea-watch, but I and the few other regulars there quickly realised it wouldn't deliver on its promise and most including me had left by 0930. A quick look in the churchyard at Church Norton failed to produce a single bird of interest despite some berry-laden trees, whilst the Pagham North wall bore the brunt of the windy conditions. No sign of the Great White Egret or the Jack Snipe so far; otherwise much the same birds as yesterday. Afternoon update - the Jack Snipe has now been relocated.

Pagham Hbr: North Wall / Breech Pool / White's Creek: Still 4 Curlew Sandpipers present, plus 3 Spotted Redshanks and a single Ruff. Also a flock of c.120 Black-tailed Godwits commuting between the harbour and the pool and at least 2 Common Snipe. Numbers of Wigeon and Pintail are steadily building up, but no count made - the windy conditions being my excuse. The flock of c.40 Yellow Wagtails was still present, spread around the North fields near the pool with a similar number of Meadow Pipits, whilst a small trickle of Swallows and a few House Martins continues. No sign of the G W Egret so far (CRJ/AH/OM et al).

 

Ruff (centre) with 2 Black-tailed Godwits, Breech Pool (photo: Andy House)

 

A walk down the East side was a waste of time in the conditions, and Pagham Lagoon held nothing exciting - just 30 Little Grebes (inc 1 still being fed by parent), 4 Great Crested Grebes, a handful of Tufted Ducks and 8 Med Gulls (OM).

Late updates: Jack Snipe relocated at the Breech Pool. Also Wheatear 3, Stonechat 1, Snipe 6
Swallow 20+ and the Yellow Wagtail flock (AB/S&SaH). Bike ride to Honer Reservoir, 2 Little Grebe, Honer Lane still 1 Hobby in the fields, ; Fisher Lane, 1 Wheatear, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Buzzard (CRJ).

 

 

 

 Jack Snipe (front) with Common Snipe (photo: Ads Bowley)

 

 Jack Snipe on Breech Pool (photos: top - Ads Bowley, lower - Sam Hill)

 

Selsey Bill (0815-0930hrs) Dry, cloudy, windy; SW5-6.  (Obs: GH/JD/OM/SR/AH)

Gannet - 3E, 12W

Shag - 1 os, flew off E

Razorbill - 1 os

Med Gull - c.20 os, slowly drifted W

Common Tern - 2W

C/A Tern - 3E, 2os drifted W

Sandwich Tern - 1E, 4W

Swallow - 15 out S/SE