13th - 15th March 2014

Saturday, 15th March: Much clearer this morning after yesterday's persistent fog. We start with a late update from Pagham Hbr for yesterday......

14th March: Adult Spoonbill at the back of Ferry pool 12.30 till at least 13.30; also a pair of Grey Partridges in fields on west side of harbour and a Treecreeper in front of Norton Priory (Iain and Dave Elliot). 

Selsey Bill (06.15 to 09.00hrs):           (Obs: JA, SH et al)
Great Northern Diver - 5 os
Red-throated Diver - 1W, 1 os
Diver sp - 1E
Great Crested Grebe - 1 os
Brent Goose - 3E
Wigeon - 8 os
R/b Merganser - 4E, 16W, 3 os
Common Scoter - 19E, 2 os
Velvet Scoter - 1E
Gannet - 4W
Fulmar - 1W
Redshank - 1W
Auk sp - 1W
Turnstone - 9E, 1W
Sandwich Tern - 1E, 2 os 
Meadow Pipit - 6N

Pair of Common Scoter off Selsey Bill (S. Hill)

Pagham Lagoon: The Iceland Gull and one Siberian Chiffchaff were again present this morning. (B. Ives)

Iceland Gull on Pagham Lagoon again (B. Ives)

 

Church Norton: Walk from Selsey to Church Norton: (S&SaH, IP)

1 Arctic Skua dark phase bird offshore

4 Chiffchaff

1 Yellowhammer (at Park Farm)
1 Buzzard
1 Sparrowhawk
1 Kestrel
1 Goldeneye
10 Red-Breasted Mergansers

Sidlesham: A male Bullfinch in our lane on the west of the village - the first one here since last spring! (AH)

Medmerry Banks: Earnley to Bracklesham (16.00hrs) (S & SaH)
Shoveler - 4,  Gadwall - 5,  Tufted Duck - 16, Merlin - 1,  Buzzard - 3,

Chiffchaff - 2,  Fieldfare - 1,  Reed Bunting - 4,  Yellowhammer - 3.

 

 

 

Merlin at Medmerry (S. Hill)

 

Friday, 14th March: Thick coastal fog overnight and into the morning.    

 

Pagham Lagoon/Spit: The dense fog kept yesterday's goodies hidden, but I did track down a pair of Goldeneye and 20 Wigeon on the Lagoon, and 20+ Meadow Pipits and half a dozen Linnets on the Spit. I could hear Brent Geese, Mediterranean Gulls and Skylarks but never saw them! (AH)

 

Goldeneye on Pagham Lagoon (AH)

Meadow Pipit on Pagham Spit (AH)

 

Ferry Pool: Six Avocets this morning, plus at least 50 Shoveler and Shelduck. (AH)

 

Thursday, 13th March: Sunny and bright after early morning haze and fog, then fog returning later. Ads Bowley reports that 3 Spoonbills have just dropped into Medmerry mid-morning - further details below. Meanwhile there was a big scramble in West Sussex this morning with news of a Savannah Sparrow at Lancing... but apparently this has now turned out to be a hoax!

 

Medmerry: The 3 Spoonbills found by AB were still settled on the new pools NW of the caravan park late morning - a handsome adult pair and a first-year bird. Three Wheatears (2 males & a female) around the rubble heaps, but no sign of the Black Redstart. Also several Linnets and Meadow Pipits were about, a Spotted Redshank briefly, 20 Dunlin & 4 Ringed Plover on the pools along with 100 Brent Geese, a Peregrine briefly disturbed the peace and there were 5 Shoveler sat on the sea. (AH)

 

Spoonbills at Medmerry (AH above & AB below) 

 

 

Wheatear at Medmerry (AB)

  

North Wall: Two Spotted Redshanks were on the Breech Pool this morning, along with 3 Snipe, a Water Rail and 174 Teal, whilst there were a couple Linnets and Reed Buntings along the hedges. There were two Avocets in White's Creek early on, along with a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers and 40 Black-tailed Godwits (some in summer plumage). (AH & JW)

 

Spotted Redshank (above) & Red-breasted Merganser from the North Wall (AH)

 
Pagham Lagoon: At 12.20 the first-winter Iceland Gull was here again, before it flew seawards at 12.36. Not a single Mediterranean Gull today, but three Goldeneye still and further along the Spit by the hide a male Black Redstart was stunning for sure.From 10.30 to 11.00, at the east end, in bushes particularly the isolated gorse bush, there were two Siberian Chiffchaffs. One of them was singing a lot both in this halfhour and on my return at 12.20 - remarkable song, not like our Chiffchaffs but sort of sooee sooee sooee then odd chif chaffs and so on. They need be heard to be believed, but proof to me that this is Phylloscopus tristis rather than a race of collybita. (ARK per SOS)

Ferry Pool: Four Avocets and two Black-tailed Godwits today. (AB)

Ivy Lake: No sign of the Scaup this morning first thing, though I did catch up with the pair of Bullfinches, and a Cetti's Warbler and 3 or 4 Chiffchaffs were making their presence heard. (AH)

The 2 Bullfinches, 2 Mediterranean Gulls and a Kingfisher this afternoon (AB)