Tuesday, 30th June: A real taste of summer, with warm sunny conditions and a light E/SE coastal breeze... and temperatures set to soar over the next couple of days.
Selsey Bill (0745-1045hrs): Sunny, SW2. (Obs: C&ME/OM/AH) Several small flocks of Common Scoter were, perhaps surprisingly, moving east, whilst a first-summer and then a near-adult Mediterranean Gull went west. This apart, there was no movement to speak of, but the small band of observers (well, the first three of the aforementioned anyway!) put in a good shift for the time of year, covering three hours. Alas, no petrels have appeared thus far, but it's always worth a look....
Church Norton: The Hudsonian Whimbrel was still present 11.30am at least (per RBA), and there were two or three Whimbrel and a dozen Curlew present.. Otherwise it had gone really quiet, with just odd snatches of warbler song and the Cuckoos have finally fallen silent (or left!). There was a family of freshly-fledged Whitethroats along the beach, and a pair of Ringed Plover with a very young chick along the strandline, whilst a few Common and Sandwich Terns came and went from the harbour. Also, the two Black-headed Gull chicks had decamped into the harbour. (AH/CRJ)
Sunday, 28th June: Warm and fairly humid after a brisk start, with the wind from the south....
Church Norton: The Hudsonian Whimbrel was still present at 0935 (per RBA)....it has now been generally faithful to this site for three weeks, having originally been discovered on 9th, so it will be interesting to see just how much longer it remains. Time will tell if it decides to spend the summer here....
Ferry Pool: The Spotted Redshank was still showing well, and there were also 20 Avocets, 75 Redshank, just 15 Black-tailed Godwits, half a dozen Teal and the Shelduck family present. Also the Barn Owl hunted briefly over Ferry Field before crossing the road towards the Visitor Centre. (AH)
Spotted Redshank (above), Avocet, juvenile Shelduck & Barn Owl on the Ferry (AH)
Pagham Spit/Lagoon: The Little Tern colony was busy this morning, with at least twenty birds taking to the air to ward off a low-flying Herring Gull, and plenty of fish being brought ashore. Otherwise it was fairly quiet, with a couple of pairs of Ringed Plovers looking like they had chicks, a few Common and Sandwich Terns over, several singing Skylarks and a couple of Greenfinch families. Also a Cuckoo was seen and heard this morning. (per TG)
On the Lagoon there were four Great Crested Grebes, including a pair with a nest, and at least 20 Tufted Ducks. (AH)
Little Terns (above), Ringed Plover, Greenfinches & Yellow Horned Poppy and Viper's Bugloss on Pagham Spit (AH)
North Wall: A Spotted Redshank flew around calling briefly, but didn't settle as the water was far too high on the Breech Pool. In the harbour there were a handful of Curlew and 20+ Lapwings, but the reed-beds were fairly quiet, bar a couple of singing Reed Buntings. (AH)
Curlew and Lapwing in White's Creek (AH)
Monday, 29th June: A real summer's morning - bright and still and warm...with a gentle SW breeze.Selsey Bill (0745-1045hrs): Sunny, SW2. (Obs: C&ME/OM/AH) Several small flocks of Common Scoter were, perhaps surprisingly, moving east, whilst a first-summer and then a near-adult Mediterranean Gull went west. This apart, there was no movement to speak of, but the small band of observers (well, the first three of the aforementioned anyway!) put in a good shift for the time of year, covering three hours. Alas, no petrels have appeared thus far, but it's always worth a look....
Gannet - 8E, 5W
Common Scoter - 46E
Common Tern - 12 os/fishing
Sandwich Tern - 23W/fishing (some carrying fish; most went west close; a few were later noted distantly moving E, so presumed fishing movements.. but where are they heading?)
Mediterranean Gull - 2W
Swift - 2p
House Martin - 10+ feeding/mud-collecting (also a new nest near Bill House)
Mediterranean Gull (above), Cormorant, House Martin & bathing House Sparrows at the Bill (AH)
In case you don't recognise him due to his different jizz, this is in fact Andy House sporting a smart, brand-new cap (blagged from work of course!) - the old one we are used to apparently fell apart! (OM).
Northcommon Farm (Selsey): There was a gathering of c.100 Swifts late morning, with a few Swallows and House Martins, plus 2 Common Buzzards. A pair of Stock Doves was active, calling and displaying, whilst an agitated Green Woodpecker was presumably nesting nearby and young Rooks from the rookery seemed to be everywhere (OM).
Ferry Pool: The summer-plumaged Spotted Redshank was still showing well, in the company of a Green Sandpiper, 22 Avocets including seven juveniles, 80 Redshank and 110 Black-tailed Godwits, plus half a dozen Teal and the Shelduck family (AH/CRJ/GM/OM)
Spotted Redshank (above), Black-tailed Godwit & Avocets on the Ferry (AH)
Wildebeest at the watering-hole on the plains? Hardly... just the local cattle enjoying themselves amongst the Avocets and Shelduck on Ferry Pool (OM)
Church Norton: The Hudsonian Whimbrel was still present 11.30am at least (per RBA), and there were two or three Whimbrel and a dozen Curlew present.. Otherwise it had gone really quiet, with just odd snatches of warbler song and the Cuckoos have finally fallen silent (or left!). There was a family of freshly-fledged Whitethroats along the beach, and a pair of Ringed Plover with a very young chick along the strandline, whilst a few Common and Sandwich Terns came and went from the harbour. Also, the two Black-headed Gull chicks had decamped into the harbour. (AH/CRJ)
Juvenile Whitethroat (above), Blackcap & Common Tern at Church Norton (AH)
North Wall: A Cuckoo was calling along Pagham Rife (also heard by PC). There was a Kingfisher on the sluice gates and 40 Mute Swans were along White's Creek, whilst the Reed Warblers were busy along the Wall and Rife. Cetti's Warblers were noisy with two along the Wall, three along the Rife and two in Owl Copse. Not a thing on Honer reservoir, though there were Whitethroats and a Greenfinch family along Honer Lane.
It is very frustrating for we North Wallers to read about all the waders on Ferry Pool when we haven't recorded a wader on the Breech Pool for three weeks! (JDW)
Greenfinch (above) & Mute Swans from North Wall (JDW)
Chichester GPs - Drayton Pits: The summering drake Wigeon was still present, along with at least 15 Gadwall. The female Pochard with four now well-grown young was also still there, plus six other adults, and a female Tufted Duck with a recent brood of five was also logged. Other breeders included two pairs of Great Crested Grebes each with young and several pairs of Little Grebe. A Hobby was hunting insects over one pit and other species noted included several singing Reed Warblers, a pair of Stock Doves, a pair of Jays and the first four returning Lapwings (OM).
Drake Wigeon, pair of Gadwall and female Pochard with four well-grown young (OM).
Selsey Bill: (0720-0830) (SH/PB/AH/IP)
Gannet - 6E, 5W
Common Scoter - 7E
Kestrel - 1p
Sandwich Tern - 12os
Common Tern - 4osauk sp -1E, 2W
Swift - 6p
House Martin - 10p
Common Terns (above) & Sandwich Tern at the Bill (AH)
Church Norton: The Hudsonian Whimbrel still present this morning (per Birdguides). It as showing well late afternoon near the hide and giving good views to a couple of visiting birders. Apart from that there were c25 Ringed Plovers, 22 Black-tailed Godwits, 5 Curlew (including the pale bird), 7 Dunlin, a Cetti's Warbler and a Chiffchaff calling from the Priory and a few Common Terns. 'Seasonably quiet' would be a good way of describing it. (SR/IP).
Chichester: A pair of Lesser Black-backed Gulls with three young today in Terminus Road, right on the edge but just off the Peninsula, are possibly the first successful breeding pair in the area. (GH)
Ferry Pool: The Barn Owl was present briefly early on. (SR)
Just one Spotted Redshank on the pool this morning, along with a Little Ringed Plover, a Green Sandpiper, 16 Avocets, including seven youngsters, c80 Black-tailed Godwits and (early on only) over 100 Redshank, plus half a dozen Teal, the Shelduck family and a couple of Reed Warblers. The Avocets were very fired up this morning, chasing off the godwits and then fighting amongst themselves - presumably because of the number of young about. (AH/SH/PB)
A Hobby went over at 9.50am (PH)
Spotted Redshank (above), squabbling Avocets & Reed Warbler on the Ferry (AH)
Medmerry: From the Breach Viewpoint this morning 0830-0930 there were about 40 Black-tailed Godwits, 2 Oystercatchers and 3 Curlews feeding on the mud on the eastern side of Medmerry, and 4 Sandwich Terns and 4 Little Terns briefly came in over the lagoons, and 2 Sand Martins went over. (PH)
Medmerry: Porthole Farm to Ham Farm - There were still a few singing Yellowhammers along Ham Lane and Porthole Farm, plus several Whitethroats, Linnets and Skylarks.
At least three Corn Buntings were singing along the bank at Ham Farm, though rather fewer Skylarks than expected, and there were a couple of families of Swallows along the fences, plus a few Stock Doves about. Around the farm there was singing Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Whitethroat, plus a Sedge Warbler singing from the marshy area to the north where I hadn't heard one before this summer.
There was not much out on the reserve - just a couple of Curlews and a lone Black-tailed Godwit towards the breach and several hundred very noisy Rooks, including many young ones. (AH)
Yellowhammer (above), Swallows & Rooks at Medmerry (AH)
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