7th - 9th March 2014

Sunday, 9th March: A lovely sunny spring day with a light southerly breeze; perfect conditions for a spot of gardening, so yours truly took the risk of missing some early migrants, and may just have got away with it.... fingers crossed!? Afraid not...missed the first Wheatears! (OM) 

 

Selsey Bill 06.30 to 09.15hrs: Sunny, dry, wind light S 3.   (Obs: JA/ SH/PB/IP/SR)
Red-throated Diver - 13E, 2W, 1 os

Great Northern Diver - 1os

Diver sp - 1W

Great Crested Grebe - 1E

Fulmar - 4E, 2W

Brent Goose - 28E

Common Scoter - 21E, 7 os

R/b Merganser - 3E, 3W, 6 os
Long-tailed Duck - 1E

Shoveler - 11E

Razorbill - 3W

Auk sp - 1W
Sandwich Tern - 1E
Kittiwake - 1E

 

Church Norton: S & SaH, IP & PB claimed the laurels for the first Wheatear of the spring, with a smart male on the Peregrine's Island this morning.

This afternoon the Peregrine had returned (and hopefully the Wheatear had already moved on!). Not much else to report, except what sadly looks like the third moribund adult Glaucous Gull to turn up in the harbour this winter. This individual was looking very sorry for itself and was already receiving the unwanted attentions of a couple of Great Black-backed Gulls as it drifted up the harbour on the rising tide. (AH) A Spotted Redshank was also present (B. Ives)

Very bad pic of the Glaucous Gull and Great Black-backs in the harbour. (AH)

 

North Wall: A lovely Spring morning but very quiet along the Wall. A notable decrease in Curlew and Wigeon numbers. It was a Cetti's Warbler morning, 3 calling along the Wall, one at the top end of Owl Copse and one by the wooden bridge over Bremere Rife. A Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming in Owl Copse. There seem to be a lot of Magpies around, I counted 14 this morning. (JW)
Ferry Pool: Six Avocets on the pool this morning (B. Ives).
 

Medmerry Bank: This afternoon there was a Wheatear (2nd of the day!), 6 Yellowhammers, 20 Fieldfares, 5 Meadow Pipits, a Kestrel and 4 Buzzards along the banks along with a Hare and 8 Roe Deer. Also there were 3 Sanderling on the beach and 5 Eider offshore. (S&SaH)

 

Wheatear & (colour-ringed) Sanderlings at Medmerry (SH)

 

Pagham North Wall: A lovely Spring morning but very quiet along the Wall. A notable decrease in Curlew and Wigeon numbers. It was a Cetti's Warbler morning, 3 calling along the Wall, one at the top end of Owl Copse and one by the wooden bridge over Bremere Rife. A Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming in Owl Copse. There seem to be a lot of Magpies around, I counted 14 this morning. (JW)

Saturday, 8th March: A sunny morning after some hazy overnight mist, and with a light SE breeze.

Selsey Bill (0630-0900hrs): Hazy, wind fresh SE 4 (JA, SH, IP & AH)

Great Northern Diver - 2 os

Red-throated Diver - 2 E

Great Crested Grebe - 1 E & 1 os

Fulmar - 1 W

Gannet - 1 E

Brent Goose - 22 E

Shelduck - 1 E

Teal - 32 E

Shoveler  - 6 E

Pintail - 2 E

Wigeon - 3 E

Common Scoter - 3 os

Red-breasted Merganser - 6 E, 6 W & 5 os

Little Gull - 1 E

Mediterranean Gull - 1 W

Kittiwake - 1 W

Sandwich Tern - 1 E
Guillemot - 1 E
auk sp 1 W
Sparrowhawk  -  obs
Skylark - 1 N

 

Ferry Pool: Four Avocets on here this morning along with usual Shoveler, Shelduck and a big flock of Brent Geese. (AH)

Avocets on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: The walk from Selsey to Church Norton this morning produced 1 Stonechat, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 2 Buzzard, 1 Yellowhammer & 1 Reed Bunting (S&SH)

Medmerry Bank: The walk from Easton Lane to Bracklesham produced 2 Avocet, 5-6 Lapwing, 50+ Teal, 4 Gadwall, 10 Tufted Duck, 20+ Shelduck, 5 Little Egret, 2 Grey Heron, 2 Buzzard, 1 Sparrowhawk, 6 Reed Buntings, 2 Yellowhammers, 2-3 Meadow Pipits and about 50 Fieldfares that flew in and settled in the tall trees late in the afternoon.(AH with S&SaH)

Part of the Fieldfare flock at Medmerry (AH)

  

Friday, 7th March: A grey, cold morning with a brisk SSW wind and not much evidence of migration.....somehow three hours was put in at the Bill with little reward and after an hour or so of sunshine, an irritating sea mist rolled in seriously reducing visibility.

 

Selsey Bill (0800-1100hrs): Sunny, then misty and cool, wind fresh SSW 4-5.

(Obs: AH/OM/SR/JA).

Great Northern Diver - 1 os

Red-throated Diver - 1E

Great Crested Grebe - 3W, 1 os

Fulmar - 2W

Brent Goose - 3E, 3W (different birds...!)

Common Scoter - 12E, 8 os

R/b Merganser - 4W, 9 os

Kittiwake - 1E

Our dedicated Selsey Bill Log-keeper Justin Atkinson appeared for a short while this morning, so why is Andy House furtively spying on him? Well, as shown below, he wasn't really, it's all to do with the different levels on the Wall. The rose between two thorns is Sarah Russell, scoping intently. (OM)

 

 

Church Norton: Little on show this morning - 2 calling Cetti's Warblers and a few Linnets along the Severals, and the usual wader suspects in the harbour.(AH)

Ferry Pool: Still around 60 Shoveler and 75 Shelducks along the banks and a half dozen Tufted Ducks on the water. The Brent Goose flock had relocated to the arable fields between the Centre and Sidlesham village. (AH)