4th-6th October 2014

Monday, 6th October: What a difference a day makes! Yesterday's still and sunny weather has given way to torrential rain and a driving south-easterly wind. As consolation there were a few skuas past the Bill and the Spoonbill was still in the harbour.....

Selsey Bill (0740-1000) S to SSE 5-6 (CRJ/AH)
Gannet - 30E, 22W  
Brent - 16W 
Eider - 1 os
Arctic Skua - 2W 
Mediterranean Gull - 12W, 2E,  7ob
Kittiwake -  1E 
Sandwich Tern  -1E 
Grey Plover - 12E
Ringed Plover - 1ob 
Turnstone 50ob 

1500-1700 (SH)
Great Crested Grebe - 1os
Gannet - 103E
Common Scoter - 32E
Bonxie - 3E (one of which landed on sea and looked oiled, but took off again and went east)
Arctic Skua - 10E, including 3 through together
Kittiwake - 5E
Mediterranean Gull - 15W, 1E
Auk sp - 1E
(All bar a few Gannet and Mediterranean Gulls in the first hour, including 8 Arctic Skuas in the first 20 minutes!)

Mediterranean Gull with Black-headed Gull (above) Mediterranean Gull, Ringed Plover & Turnstones at the Bill (AH)

 

Long Pool/Ferry Channel: This evening (almost at dusk) the Spoonbill was feeding at the east end of Ferry Channel, along with a Whimbrel and 200 Teal, and 15+ 'released' Grey Partridges were in the adjacent fields with 50+ Red-legged Partridges. (AH)

 

Ferry Pool: One Green Sandpiper this morning, along with a Common Sandpiper, 3 Dunlin, 6 Black-tailed Godwits and 35 Lapwing. (AH)

 

Church Norton: The tide was very high this morning, but a quick look before the heavens fully emptied produced the Whimbrel and 6 Curlews on the little spit, and 5 Pintail, 90 Wigeon, 25 Brent Geese and 15 Teal on the water nearby. Also at least 3 Jays were in the churchyard. (AH)

 

Whimbrel (above), Curlew and Wigeon at Church Norton (AH)

Sunday, 5th October: A glorious, bright and still autumn morning before the weather really does break....

 Pagham Spit: There was a Spoonbill present this afternoon/evening, seen during a day trip by the Surrey Bird Club. It was asleep on the north-eastern side of the main channel, on the water's edge in front of the holiday park. It appeared to have coloured rings on it right leg. Light blue above dark blue - the upper ring may have been a flag. (Mark Elsoffer, Surrey Bird Club)

Selsey Bill: 0700-0900hrs (SH/PB/AGB/CN)
Gannet - 7W, 4E
Brent Goose - 35W, 3E
Common Scoter - 4W, 2E, 4os
Eider - 1W
Sparrowhawk - 2os
Mediterranean Gull - 104W
Sandwich Tern - 1osSkylark - 2E
Meadow Pipit - 12E
Grey Wagtail - 2W
Pied Wagtail - 7W
Swallow - 20W
Wheatear - 1ob
Mistle Thrush - 2ob
Chiffchaff - 5ob

East Beach: This afternoon from the park 132 Brent Geese were seen heading west, including one flock of 73 birds. Also a single Wigeon west. (SH)

Ferry Pool: Present this morning were 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Snipe, 5 Avocet, 1 Golden Plover, 17 Black-tailed Godwits, 10 Lapwing, 29 Teal and 2 Stock Doves. (AH/PB/AGB/CN)

Golden Plover (above), Avocets (PB), Common Sandpiper on Ferry (AH)

A view of the smoke from the huge fire in Portsmouth, some dozen miles away (AH)

 

North Wall: Quite a bit of activity along the wall at high tide this morning - highlights being the first Rock Pipit of the autumn, a Sedge Warbler, 20+ Chiffchaffs (and 10+ more around Halsey's Farm), 2+ Stonechats, 10+ Reed Buntings and 20 Swallows, 20 Meadow Pipits and a couple of Jays over.

On the Breach Pool there were 5 Greenshank (plus at least one more in the harbour), 6+ Snipe, at least 3 squealing Water Rails and 80 Black-tailed Godwits.

Not much in the harbour on the high tide, though there was a Yellow-legged Gull and 30 Golden Plovers amongst the roosting flocks. (AH/SHo/A&YF/RJS)  

 



Rock Pipit (above), Sedge Warbler, Greenshanks & Reed Bunting from the North Wall (AH)

 

Yvette and Alan Ford and Dick Senior, pacing themselves on their morning out! (AH)

 

Church Norton:
Totals this morning included -
Sparrowhawk 3
Buzzard 2
Peregrine 1
50+ Brent Geese west
Kingfisher 1
Skylark 10 over fields, newly arrived
Wheatear 6+
Stonechat 4
Swallow 100+ west
House Martin 1 over garden
Chiffchaff 20+ several singing
Blackcap 3 (2 male and a female)
Jay 2
(S&SaH/PB/AGB)
This afternoon it was very quiet, but 30+ Brent Geese were moving west offshore in small flocks. (AH)

Wheatear (above) & Chiffchaff at Church Norton (SH)

Marsh Farm, Sidlesham: This afternoon there were Pied Wagtails just about everywhere, with a minimum count of 30 around the cattle and a small flock descending into the reeds to roost. Also 1 Wheatear, 3 Stonechats, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 3 Chiffchaffs, 5 Buzzards, 1 Kestrel, 1 Green Woodpecker, 42 Linnets, and 9 Chaffinches in with the Wagtails. (SR)

Saturday, 4th October: Apologies for the late report today, but we (like a good chunk of the peninsula) were without power for several hours, meaning there was nothing for it but to go back out bird-watching! A mixed day, weather-wise, with rain and strong winds for much of the day, before and bright and still close....

Selsey Bill: 0700-1000hrs (SH/AH)
Gannet - 90W, 24E, 58 feeding o/s
Brent Goose - 105W
Pintail - 5W
Wigeon - 6W
Common Scoter - 17W
Eider - 3W, 2E
Mediterranean Gull - 17W
Kittiwake - 2W
Razorbill -  2W
Meadow Pipit - 6W, 4 present
Swallow - 36W

North Wall: There was a juvenile Gannet on the breach pool (!) which flew into the field behind and landed in a bit of a heap, picked itself up and settled down in the grass; still there when I left.

Also 3 Whinchats on the fence line, a few Snipe and Black-tailed Godwits on the breach pool  and 200 Wigeon in White's Creek. (BI)

Juvenile Gannet on the Breach Pool (BI)

 

 Chichester Gravel Pits: The (presumably returning) female Red-crested Pochard was on the pits around the Ivy Lake complex. (BI)

Red-crested Pochard on Chichester Pits (BI)

Church Norton: The highlight of the walk from Selsey this morning was a Hobby chasing a Meadow Pipit around the Severals. Othe sightings included 20+ Brent Geese, 30+ Mediterranean Gulls, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 5 Stonechats, 11 Swallows, 10+ Chiffchaffs and a Peregrine. (S&SaH)

Also seen this morning was a Merlin, briefly on a post on the spit before dashing off west, 35 Brent Geese that flew into the harbour, 16 Pintail, 6 Jays and a Whimbrel, that has been around for a long time and may hopefully stay the winter. (AH)

Brent Geese from Church Norton (AH)

 

Ferry Pool: The Little Stint was still present this morning, along with a Common Sandpiper, 2 Green Sandpipers, 6 Avocets, 3 Dunlin and 40 Lapwings. (AH)

 

Avocets on the Ferry (AH)

 

Medmerry: West Sands to the Breach - There was a Common Sandpiper in the breach today, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits, 8 Grey Plover, 40+ Dunlin and 30+ Ringed Plovers were on the pools, and at least 6 Wheatears and about 200 each of Meadow Pipit and Linnet were by the viewpoint. (AH)

 

Common Sandpiper (above), Wheatears & Linnet at Medmerry (AH)

 

 Easton Lane westwards - There was a Whinchat and 8 Stonechats, plus a Wheatear near the first pool (with another one on the beach), and a Grey Wagtail, 10 Yellowhammers, 100+ Meadow Pipits and 500+ Linnets were around the reserve. Very few waders were about - just a couple of Greenshanks on the Stilt Pool being of note, a Peregrine went over, and an adult Arctic Tern was feeding offshore, where there was a steady stream of Mediterranean Gulls going west. (S&SaH/AH)

Meadow Pipit (above), Greenshank & Arctic Tern at Medmerry (AH)