30th-31st August 2014

Sunday, 31st August: August goes out on a high, with warm sunshine and the wind dropping to a brisk breeze, and lots of birds! Birds of the day were two Pied Flycatchers at the appropriately named Flycatcher Corner, but there was evidently a huge movement/fall of many of the commoner migrants.

Selsey Bill: 06.15 to 09.00hrs (JA/SH)
Fulmar - 1W
Gannet - 69W, 9E
Little egret - 1E
Eider - 3os
Sparrowhawk - 1W
Kestrel - 1W
Greenshank - 1 on beach
Turnstone - 12ob
Sandwich Tern - 2W, 6os
Common tern - 6W
Tree Pipit - 1W
Grey Wagtail - 6W
Yellow Wagtail - 49W, 20 ob
Swallow - 739W
Sand Martin - 38W
House Martin - 17W
Wheatear - 20 ob
Willow Warbler - 30+ in gardens
Chiffchaff - 5 in gardens

 

Northcommon Farm:
There were two Pied Flycatchers this afternoon, well found by GH, and showing well at Flycatcher Corner..Also a Spotted Flycatcher, a Sedge Warbler and a few Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs in the hedges, plus 4 Yellow Wagtails over. There were 500-1000 Sand Martins over the adjacent fields, and similar of Swallows over the fields in Warner Lane. (AH)  A Whinchat was also there later on. (SR) And a male Redstart, too. (IP)

 

 

 

Pied Flycatcher (above) & with Spotted Flycatcher at Northcommon Farm (AH)

 

Spotted Flycatcher (above) & Willow Warber at Northcommon Farm (AH)

 

Horse Paddocks, Warner Lane: 3 Whinchats, 2 Whitethroast, 3 Willow Warblers, 1 Kestrel, c150 Swallows and House Martins, and just as I was climbing the stile to leave a male Redstart popped up on the fence. (SR)
Church Norton: On the walk from Selsey there were 22 Wheatear, 20+ Whitethroat, 50+ Willow Warbler, 2 Blackcap, 1 Grey Wagtail, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 200+ Swallow, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 4 Sparrowhawks and 4 Buzzards (S&SaH)
There was also a Whinchat on the beach and 2 Redstarts and 2 Spotted Flycatchers at Greenlease Farm (IP)
Around the hide there were still 2 Redstarts, 5+ Spotted Flycatchers, a couple of Lesser Whitethroats and a Garden Warbler, plus a total of 41 Yellow Wagtails went over west and 3 Whimbrels were in the harbour. (AH et al)
A Merlin flew low over the harbour and there were a total of 14 Buzzards over the west side. (DIS/RI/DM)

 

Redstart (above) & Whimbrel at Church Norton (AH)

 

This evening, in addition to the above, there were 100+ Mediterranean Gulls, 400+ Black-headed Gulls, 12 Gannets, a Fulmar, 6 Sandwich Terns and 2 Common Terns offshore, a Swift over and still 13 Wheatears on the beach. (S&SaH)

Medmerry: Around the viewpoint to the breach there were 12 Wheatear, 3 Whinchats and 25 Yellow Wagtails this morning. (RJS)

 

Easton Lane westwards this afternoon - 4 Wheatears, 2 Whinchat, Yellowhammer and a Green Sandpiper, plus hundreds of hirundines, mainly Swallows & Sand Martins. (IP)

 

Porthole Farm: A brief look along the sparse hedges and stubble this evening produced at least 12 Whinchats and a conservative estimate of 40+ Wheatears, along with 2 Redstarts, 20+ Yellow Wagtails and 200+ Linnets. (AH)

Whinchats at Porthole Farm (AH)

Ferry Pool: Just 2 Little Ringed Plovers, 4 Black-tailed Godwits and 40 Lapwing this morning. Along the hedges there were 30+ Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs, with 5+ Blackcaps and Whitethroats and 100+ Goldfinches. (AH)

Blackcap (above) & Goldfinches on the pond near the Visitor Centre (AH)

 

Saturday, 30th August: Cloudy after overnight rain with a moderate westerly breeze, but the prospect of a brighter and drier day ahead. As this weekend slips away into autumn proper - the start of September - the forecast is for high pressure to build.........interesting!

 

Selsey Bill 06.30 - 09.00hrs:  Cloud, W4    (Obs: SH/JA)
Gannet  - 13E, 84W

Fulmar - 5W

Eider - 9 os

Common Scoter - 3W

Little Egret - 1W

Turnstone - 3W
Arctic Skua - 1W (juv)  

Common Tern - 4W, 8os

Sandwich tern - 8W
Swallow - 206SW

Sand Martin - 5W

Yellow Wagtail - 3W

 

16.30-18.00hrs (JA/SH)

Great Crested Grebe - 1os

Fulmar - 1W

Gannet - 16W, 13E

Mediterranean Gull - 4W
'Commic' Tern - 3W
Common tern - 25W including a very white bird

Arctic tern - 2W
Sandwich Tern - 6W
Swift - 2S, 2W
Grey Wagtail - 1W
Yellow Wagtail - 3W

 

Church Norton: Possibly the rarest bird on the peninsula this year was seen by S&SaH this morning, between the Severals - a Marsh Tit! A common and even garden bird in most of the country, this is the first record at the south end of the peninsula in a dozen years or more.

Otherwise it was more of the same, really - between 6 and 8 Spotted Flycatchers, a Redstart, a Lesser Whitethroat, a Garden Warbler, a Reed Warbler and a few Blackcaps, Whitethroats and Willow Warblers around the hide area, and several Whimbrel and a couple of Sandwich Terns in the harbour. (AH)

 

Garden Warbler (above) & Redstart at Church Norton (AH)

 

To add to the above list - we saw a Grey Wagtail, a Peregrine, 4 Sparrowhawks and 4 Buzzards, plus a Bar-tailed Godwit in the harbour and 3 Gannets, 3 Sandwich Terns and 10 Common Terns offshore. (S& SaH)

 

Medmerry: Breach area - A Marsh Harrier drifted westwards over the reserve early on, then flew way out to sea, before turning back and flying towards East Head. Also there were up to 8 Wheatears, a Grey Wagtail, 2 Meadow Pipits and 30 Linnets around the rubble heaps, and in the pools there were 2 Bar-tailed Godwits, 2 Sandwich Terns and 50+ Ringed Plover and Dunlin. (AH)

 

Marsh Harrier (above), Wheatear, Bar-tailed Godwit & Meadow Pipit at Medmerry (AH)

 

 

 

Easton Lane to the pools: Very quiet, only bird of note was the Barnacle Goose with roughly 400 Canada Geese. (BI)

 

Ferry Pool: Almost no waders again with the water level still very high - just a single Green Sandpiper, 2 Black-tailed Godwits and 7 Avocets present, along with 23 Shelduck and 14 Teal. (AH)

 

Spot the odd one out! A Shelduck and 4 Avocets on the Ferry (AH)
 

Marsh Farm, Sidlesham: Three Wheatears in the dairy field and a Redstart by the sunflowers this morning. (BI)

North Wall: It was very windy sthis afternoon, so keeping the birds down - but birds of note were as follows:
2 Whinchat by the horse paddocks
Marsh Harrier flew over Owl copse and headed out over the saltings
c40 Sand Martin
c20 Swallow
c20 Black-tailed Godwit on Breach Pool with another 30+ on the saltings
c16 Little Egret
c7 Grey Heron
c40 Lapwing (PB)