4th - 6th June 2015

Saturday, 6th June: A dry, bright and mainly sunny day, with scattered cloud and a moderate W/SW breeze.

Selsey Bill: (0550-0800) (SH/JA/IP/AH)
Gannet - 14E, 36W
Eider - 5E (2 adult drakes, 1 first-year drake, 2 ducks)
Common Tern - 65os
Sandwich Tern - 12os
Little Tern - 6os
Razorbill - 1W
auk sp - 2E
Swallow - 3p
House Martin - 12p

Five Eider (above), House Martin, JA and a very tame Wood Pigeon & the Selsey lifeboat at the Bill (AH)

Church Norton: Biggest surprise was a very late Merlin that flew purposefully right across the harbour eastwards and disappeared over Pagham Spit at around 10am. Otherwise it was usual fare for the time of year - the Cuckoo, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, Whitethroats and Sedge and Reed Warblers were all singing, a few Skylarks, Reed Buntings and Linnets were along the Severals and the spit, as was a Green Woodpecker, but the harbour was all but devoid of waders - just a Curlew and a couple of Ringed Plovers. Unusually, a Lesser Black-backed Gull was on the mud, whilst there were also a handful of Common and Sandwich Terns present. Also, there were a dozen House Martins with the Swallows around Park Farm, Selsey (AH/IP)

Skylarks (above) & Reed Bunting at Church Norton (AH)

Ferry Pool: The Black-winged Stilt was still at the back, and there was a Little Ringed Plover, 16 Avocets and c120 Black-tailed Godwits about, too. There were half a dozen Redshank along the edges, with several busy displaying. (AH)

Displaying Redshank on the Ferry (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool: Pretty quiet in the strong wind this afernoon - highlights were 12Avocets, plus 2 young (the first we've seen this year), 2 Little Ringed Plovers, 4 Yellowhammers and 10 Whitethroat. (S&SaH) 

Friday, 5th June: A morning that began still and close, then some spotty rain and ending with a brisk south-westerly, though still a little warmer than of late.....but not the heat wave the weatherman told us to expect...!

Ferry Pool: The Black-winged Stilt was still present this morning, along with a dozen Avocets and 52 Black-tailed Godwits, plus a couple of Lapwing and Redshank, the Shelduck family and a Great Tit feeding young. (AH/SR)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - Fairly quiet, with all the summer residents appearing to be in place. There were at least six Little Ringed Plovers over several pools, at least 25 adult and six young Avocets, six Redshank and around 40 Black-tailed Godwits on the tidal area by the poplars.

There were around 30 Skylarks and Linnets and half a dozen each of Yellowhammer, Whitethroat and Meadow Pipit along the banks, several pairs of Reed Warblers were in the ditch beside the beach and five Stock Doves were around Marsh Farm.

The banks are a picture at the moment, with vetches and other plants in flower, and attracting many bees, plus several Common Blue butterflies as well as a Painted Lady and a Red Admiral. (AH)

Little Ringed Plover (above), Skylark, Meadow Pipit and the flower-rich bank at Medmerry (AH)

Church Norton: Quiet on a quick look, though the pair of Cuckoos were active again, but otherwise just half a dozen Common Terns and Ringed Plover in the harbour, both Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers calling, and a group of Goldfinches were taking a bath in the car-park. (AH)

Bathing Goldfinches at Church Norton (AH)

Sidlesham: A Stock Dove was on our lawn this morning early on. (AH)

Stock Dove in a Sidlesham garden (AH)

Thursday 4th June: It almost feels like summer, with a light south-easterly and a bit of sunshine....

Ferry Pool: The Black-winged Stilt was still present early on, with twelve Avocets, four Redshank and c120 Black-tailed Godwits. A nice surprise was a Barn Owl hunting over the fields to the south of the pool (Ferry Farm), and there were also a couple of Lapwings, a Reed Bunting and a Skylark in the area. (AH/OM)

Barn Owl (above), Black-winged Stilt & Skylark around the Ferry (AH)

Selsey Bill:  (0700-1200hrs): Not much moving apart from a few Common Scoter, though a group of three Arctic Skuas going east together quickened the pulse somewhat, especially as the one pale morph amongst the two dark forms initially appeared to be much larger and Pom-like, until the reality could be established! There was also a gathering of at least 120 Common Terns, 6 Little Terns and 10 Sandwich Terns feeding offshore. Also, at least 10 House Martins were busy making the most of the puddles on Grafton Road again, largely oblivious to cars, dogs and people.  Full log below.... (AH/OM/C&ME/SR/PC/SHo)
Great Crested Grebe - 1 os
Fulmar - 1W
Gannet - 8E, 2os
Common Scoter - 48E
Sanderling - 9W
Arctic Skua - 3E (0816, 2d/p, 1l/p)
Little Tern - 6 os
Common Tern - c.120 os
Sandwich Tern - 6E, 10os
House Martin - 10+ present (as above)

Sandwich Terns (above) & House Martins at the Bill (AH)

Selsey - Northcommon Farm was very quiet, an agitated pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers with young calling being the only birds of note (OM).

Church Norton: The Cuckoo was still in Priory Wood, though it was generally quiet - a few Reed and Sedge Warblers, Reed Buntings and Linnets along the Severals and four Sandwich Terns, a Curlew and two Grey Plovers in the harbour being about it. (AH)

Reed Warbler (above) & Reed Bunting at Church Norton (AH)

North Wall: there were two Whitethroats and a Cuckoo along Church Lane, and I was welcomed by Sparrows to the North Wall. With the wind having dropped there was a lot of birdsong along the wall, with Goldfinches, Reed Buntings joining the usual Reed, Sedge and Cetti's Warblers. The last of the white farmyard geese has not been seen this week and is presumed to have joined his four previous companions. Tufted Ducks were moving in six packs this morning, six on the Breech Pool, six at Owl Water and six on Pagham Rife. Honer reservoir was devoid of birds apart from a Pied Wagtail and two Yellowhammers, whilst a Little Owl and three Stock Doves were in the Bramber Farm area and a Song Thrush was living up to its name at Welbourne. (JDW)

House Sparrow (above), Cuckoo, Song Thrush & Song Thrush at the North Wall (JDW)

Medmerry: Porthole Farm -  A pair of Grey Partridges were in the maize field and another single bird was in the uncropped area nearby this evening, and around half a dozen Yellowhammers, Skylarks and Whitethroats were also in the vicinity, whilst at least 50 Swifts, 100 Swallows and 200 House Martins were over the settling tanks. (AH)

Grey Partridge (above), Swift & Yellowhammer at Medmerry (AH)