22nd - 24th November 2014

Monday, 24th November: Weather this morning that we haven't been used to of late - a sharp frost followed by bright sunshine... what a welcome change!

Selsey Bill (0745-0930hrs): Sunny, wind light NE2 (Obs: OM/AH} A few Gannets moving mostly east, a couple of Great Northern Divers on the sea and a couple of Chiffchaffs in the bushes were the highlights. Log below.....
Great Northern Diver - 1W, 2 os
Gannet - 48E, 6W
Brent Goose - 3W
Red-breasted Merganser - 7W
Common Scoter - 4 os
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1 os
Sparrowhawk - 1 gardens
Chiffchaff - 2 gardens

 

Distant Gannets over the Nab at Selsey (AH)

 

Selsey area: Drift Lane Marsh/Warner Lane paddocks: A Woodcock was near the sallows on the marsh this morning, along with 11 Snipe and a Grey Wagtail, whilst nearby at the paddocks there was a group of 4 Common Buzzards spiralling together; also 2 or 3 Song Thrushes and a Stonechat.(OM).

Northcommon Farm: A Chiffchaff and 6 Goldcrests were in the trees and 3 Song Thrushes in the hedgerows; the latter seemingly rather darker/colder grey above so presumably of the nominate continental form. Four Med Gulls were amongst a gathering of Black-headed Gulls on the wet meadows and flooded playing field, together with 22 Curlews (OM}.
East beach & Pond: Not very productive; nothing of interest on the pond and not much either in the surrounding vegetation bar a couple of Goldcrests, a Song Thrush and plenty of Blackbirds. A walk eastwards as far as the oak copse was very pleasant but similarly unproductive, again just a couple of Goldcrests put in an appearance plus a flock of c.10 Long-tailed Tits (OM}.

 

Grey Wagtail in an unusual pose on wires at Drift Lane marsh, and below, Curlews feeding on a frosty and flooded playing field (OM} 

 

North Wall: One of the Spoonbills was at this end of the harbour this morning, a Rock Pipit was on the wall and a Spotted Redshank was heard but not seen. (PC/TG)
There were 2 Rock Pipits and a Kingfisher along the Wall this morning, but very little was happening on the Breach Pool. The footpath to Honer is only passable with wellington boots, but in the fields there were 280 Wigeon, 370 Lapwing, 85 Curlew, 62 Black-tailed Godwits and 2 Common Snipe, a single Redwing was in Owl Copse and 2 Green Woodpeckers were close to the wooden bridge leading to Sidlesham. (JDW)

 

East Side: Nothing very unusual, but I was reminded just how many birds use the harbour in the winter. Among birds seen on the rising tide were a Greenshank, one of the Ruddy Shelducks, 50 Common Shelduck, 3-400 Golden Plover, maybe 2000 Lapwing, 500 Dunlin, 100+ Grey Plover and Knot, 2-300 Teal and Wigeon and smaller numbers of Pintail, Redshank, Black-tailed Godwits and Curlew. There were also 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 20 Common Gulls. (AH)

 

Greenshank (above), Ruddy Shelduck, two views of Golden Plover & Common and Black-headed Gulls in Pagham Harbour (AH)

 

Pagham Lagoon: A quick look revealed one of the Goldeneye and a Pochard amongst 30+ Tufted Duck and Little Grebe. (AH)
A very late Swallow was over the spit today. (TG)

 

Goldeneye (above) & Pochard on Pagham Lagoon (AH)

 

Sunday, 23rd November: Not a good forecast; another really gloomy late November day, with continuous rain predicted to last for much of the time, and perhaps until evening. At least it is still comparatively mild, though now with a moderate northerly breeze taking the edge off things....

So not the most enticing of conditions for birding then, but if you look at the list of species seen today, it's surprising just what a little perseverance (and suffering) can produce!

Selsey Bill (0730-0930hrs): (Obs: JA/SH/AH)
Great Northern Diver - 3os
Red-throated Diver - 1os
Slavonian Grebe - 1os
Great Crested Grebe - 2os
Gannet - 4W
Brent Goose - 9W
Greylag Goose - 2E
Teal - 1E
Common Scoter - 1W, 5E
Eider - 1os
Red-breasted Merganser - 3W, 11E, 3os
Grey Plover - 1ob
Ringed Plover - 1E

Pomarine Skua - juvenile flew east at 0850, settled on the sea near mile basket, then flew off east at 0900 before flying back west much closer at 0910

(additional 1430-1530hrs): (SH)
Great Northern Diver - 4os
Slavonian Grebe - 1os
Gannet - 2W
Common Scoter - 1W
Eider - 1os
Red-breasted Merganser - 1W 

Also, yesterday evening there was a lot of evidence of Redwings and a few Fieldfares passing over Selsey, calling but unseen, before the weather deteriorated, though there was no sign of any today. (JA)

Selsey Coastguard's: A Black Redstart here today. (BI) 

Medmerry: West Sands to the breach - The Great Northern Diver was still on its regular pool today, along with 2 Pintail, and there were still 2 Black Redstarts and 2 Stonechats around the rocks and a Grey Wagtail nearby. (BI)

 

Grey Wagtail at Medmerry (BI)

 

Church Norton: The two Spoonbills were on Tern Island, the Whimbrel was along the near edge and 7 Bar-tailed Godwits were in the harbour. Also present as the tide rose were a Red-breasted Merganser, 4 Great Crested Grebes, 4 Pintail, 80 Wigeon, 20 Teal, 100+ Knot and 30 Grey Plover. (AH/DM/DS)

There was also a drake Goldeneye in the harbour - the first of the autumn, and a Blackcap still at Park Farm, Selsey. (S&SaH)

Spoonbills (above), Knot & Wigeon at Church Norton (AH)

East side of the harbour: A pair of Goldeneye and a Mediterranean Gull were on the Lagoon, a Short-eared Owl was flushed from Pagham Spit and there were 4 Rock Pipits along the North Wall. (JW)

Ferry Pool: A single Ruddy Shelduck was present with 25 Common Shelduck this morning. There were also c30 Shoveler and Teal on the water, and c100 Wigeon with a couple of Black-tailed Godwit and c400 Lapwing on the field. (AH)

Late this afternoon the pair of Ruddy Shelducks were re-united, and there were 13 Avocets on the pool. Something spooked the Lapwings, and I reckon there were nearly double my earlier estimate - 6-800 birds as a conservative count. (AH)

 

Ruddy Shelduck (above) & Avocets on the Ferry (AH)

  

Saturday, 22nd November: Another gloomy and overcast day with periods of rain and a S/SE wind F3-4, but still comparatively mild.

Selsey Bill (0730-0900hrs) (Obs: JA/SH/PB/AH)
Gannet - 5W
Wigeon - 8W
Eider - 1os
Common Scoter - 3E
Red-breasted Merganser 4E, 5W
Turnstone - 2E
Mediterranean Gull - 1os
Pied Wagtail - 2p

Selsey: Coastguard's Field: Two Stonechats were present this afternoon. (SR)

Church Norton: The two Spoonbills were still present this morning on Tern Island and there were 3 Red-breasted Mergansers and 5 Great Crested Grebes in the harbour, and 3 Mediterranean Gulls offshore.

There were c50 each of Pied Wagtail and Meadow Pipit in the fields between Park Farm and the Severals, and there were a Redwing, 4 Song Thrushes, 2 Jays and a dozen or so each of Goldcrest and Long-tailed Tit in the churchyard/car park area. (S&SaH/AH)

Red-breasted Mergansers (above) & Spoonbills at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane westwards - I did the long walk to the Bracklesham side this morning and was rewarded with a very late Wheatear (presumably the one seen earlier in the week) on the rocks by the beach. Also about were a smart male Black Redstart - that got shooed off by a Meadow Pipit and vanished - along with a Grey Wagtail at Marsh Farm, plus c20 Yellowhammers, a couple of Reed Buntings and Skylarks and a pair of Stonechats.
Very few waders were present despite the high tide - just half a dozen Curlew and 3-400 Lapwings that came up a couple of times from the middle of the reserve, but a few more wildfowl were about, including 20+ Gadwall, 16 Shelduck, 200 Teal and 60 Brent Geese, whilst the only raptors were a Sparrowhawk and a rather bedraggled Buzzard. (AH)

Wheatear (above), Grey Wagtail & Buzzard at Medmerry (AH)

 

Medmerry: West Sands to the breach - There were still 3 Black Redstarts along the sea-defence rocks this afternoon, in the company of a pair of Stonechats, all jumping up and down after insects, like displaying Mannekins.

Otherwise, the Great Northern Diver was still on the far pool, there were 4 Pintail and 20 Teal on the nearer one, and 40+ Ringed Plover, 80 Lapwing and 20 Dunlins were on the mud. (AH)

 

Black Redstarts at Medmerry (AH)