21st - 23rd February 2014

Sunday, 23rd February: Overcast with a fresh SSW wind. A little more was happening off the Bill this morning, including three species of diver and a Bonxie.

Selsey Bill  0650 to 1015hrs:  Cloudy, cool SSW 4-5: (Obs: SH/PB/IP/AH/CRJ et al)
Red-throated Diver - 1W, 1 os

Black-throated Diver - 1W

Great Northern Diver - 1W, 2 os

Fulmar - 1E, 7W

Gannet - 6E, 15W

Brent Goose - 1E

Common Scoter - 2 os

R/b Merganser - 7E, 5W, 10 os
Razorbill - 1E, 4W, 1 os

Auk sp - 3E, 7W
Kittiwake  - 1E, 21W, 2 os 

Med Gull - 3W
Great Skua - 1W
Sandwich Tern - 1 os

 

 

 

 

 

Resting Kittiwake, and dead and alive Razorbills at the Bill (S. Hill)

Pagham Hbr: A very blustery morning. At the North Wall the 2 Whooper Swans were present at first in the fields at Honer farm. In the flooded field north of Welbourne stables were 1100 Brent Geese, 15 Shelduck and 12 Curlew. During the last two weeks there has never been less than a 1000 Lapwing at this location, but today there were only 21 and these were the only ones recorded this morning. The 2 Whooper Swans  later moved to the same area as the Brent Geese. Otherwise it was generally quiet, though a bright Yellowhammer on the North Wall was a surprise. Pagham Lagoon was equally quiet - a handful of Med Gulls, 26 Tufted Duck, 128 Black-headed Gulls and singles of Goldeneye and Red-breasted Merganser (JW).

 

 

 

 Whooper Swans, Pagham North Fields (J. Weston)

 

 

 

Saturday, 22nd February: Another dry and sunny morning to lift the spirits. It was also the day the decision was made to amend and shorten the title of this blog. It's not that the Bill is considered any less important, but it's to more accurately reflect the way things have evolved and the nature of the news now provided, i.e. the whole of the Peninsula. We hope all, or at least most of you, will approve.

 

Selsey Bill: 06.50-09.00hrs: Bright. dry. Wind SW F4 (Obs: SH, IP & PM)
Great Northern Diver  -  o/s
Red-throated Diver - 3 W
Diver sp - 1 E
Slavonian Grebe - 1 W & 2 o/s
Great Crested Grebe - 1 o/s
Fulmar  - 1 W
Common Scoter  - 3 E & 3 o/s
Red-breasted Merganser - 8 o/s
Turnstone - 7 W
Curlew  - 1 W
Mediterranean Gull - 1 E
Kittiwake - 4 o/s
Sandwich Tern - 2 E
Razorbill - 1 o/s
auk sp - 1 E, 1 o/s

Ferry Pool: Much as yesterday - though now 86 Shovelers present, plus 6 Tufted Ducks and still at least 500 Brent Geese. (AH)
 

Brent Goose (above) & Shovelers on the Ferry (AH)

 

Sidlesham SF & Porthole Farm: Pretty quiet here - 1 Reed Bunting, 1 Grey Wagtail, 20 Pied Wagtails, 2 Stock Doves & 3 Buzzards was about it. (AH)

 

Medmerry Bank from Earnley:

40+ Skylark
40+ Yellowhammer
6 Reed Bunting
1 Stonechat
5 Buzzard
1 Kestrel
1 Green Sandpiper

(SH & IP)

 

Church Norton: The only bird of note on the high tide was a Spotted Redshank by the concrete spit, obviously not invited into the Redshank flock - see pic! Not much else - just a couple of Red-breasted Mergansers and Little Grebes in the harbour. (AH)

 

Spotted Redshank and a flock of Common Redshank in the harbour (AH)

 

East Head: Not much for us - too sunny, tide too low and too many dogs and their minders - but 2 Great Northern Divers, a Spotted Redshank and a Sandwich Tern. (Alan Kitson & Miou Helps per SOS) 

 

 

 

 

Friday, 21st February: A fairly cool, crisp and sunny morning. Cloudier later with a couple of odd showers.
Chichester Gravel Pits: A look round the pits this morning, but not much to report with wildfowl numbers being very low - spoilt for choice, I suppose!
Drayton Pits: 40 Shoveler, 30 Pochard, 80+ Tufted Ducks, 6 Great Crested Grebes and a Common Buzzard  was about it.
Ivy Lake Complex: 30+ Pochard, 50 Tufted Duck, 10 Gadwall, 16 Greylag Geese and 30 Canada Geese, 4 Great Crested Grebes and a very half-hearted Cetti's Warbler were the highlights.(AH)
 

Pochard (above) and Gadwall on Ivy Lake (AH)

 

Ferry Pool: Approximate counts this morning included 75 Shoveler, 40 Shelduck, 600 Brent Geese, 80 Wigeon, 30 Teal, 40 Lapwing, 25 Curlew and 8 Mediterranean Gulls amongst the Black-headed Gulls. (AH)

 

Part of the Shoveler flock on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: A late afternoon walk produced little of note - the best bird was an adult Little Gull feeding along the strandline, and there were a few Mediterranean Gulls amongst hundreds of Black-headed Gulls in the harbour on the high tide. (AH)
 

Little Gull from Church Norton Beach (AH)

East Head: A windy day but good birding. We had a brief view of the Snow Bunting in flight plus another brief view of a Kingfisher. In the harbour we picked up three Slavonian Grebes, four pairs of Red-breasted Mergansers and a Great Northern Diver. There were a lot of waders flying around, mostly Dunlin but we did see 27 Golden Plover, 25+ Grey Plovers and six Ringed Plovers along with a handful of Knot.
On Snowhill marsh we found three Spotted Redshank and two Snipe and at Ella Nore there were three roosting Greenshanks. (D & J Killick per SOS)