16th - 18th August 2015

Tuesday, 18th August: A grey, cool but still morning, with a little hazy brightness though with the light NW breeze freshening as the day progressed.....

North Wall: The Little Stint was apparently on the Breech Pool early on, though it was not present mid-morning; however at about 1100hrs more than adequate compensation was delivered in the form of a Pectoral Sandpiper (OM/IB) This apparently adult bird was showing well to an increasing number of observers by early afternoon and at a reasonably close range too. Apologies for being a bit slow with getting the news out initially... I was having some mobile phone trouble! (OM). Also present on the pool were no less than nine Spotted Redshanks - and a tenth bird was in White's Creek - plus 70 Black-tailed Godwits. At one time a Peregrine and a Hobby duelled above the pool, scattering the waders in all directions, but fortunately the latter including the Pec all returned, and a Yellow Wagtail flew over. Nearby the single Wigeon was again present, plus two Greenshank and a Whimbrel, whilst 3+ Yellow-legged Gulls were in the gull roost on the mudflats (OM/IB/JD/DF et al)

Pectoral Sandpiper on the Breech Pool just after discovery - though doubtless there will soon be better pics! (OM)
Ah, that's better....three more pics of the Pec by a proper photographer (DM).

This evening the Pectoral Sandpiper was still present, along with 144 Black-tailed Godwits, 4 Spotted Redshank, a Snipe, a Little Ringed Plover, 31 Little Egrets and 5 Grey Herons, and there were also a Wheatear and a Cetti's Warbler present. (PB)

Pectoral Sandpiper on Breach Pool (PB)

Ferry Pool: Just a Common Sandpiper (with another in the channel), a single Black-tailed Godwit, two Avocets, half a dozen juvenile Shelducks and 20 Teal present this morning. (AH/DF)

Common Sandpiper on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: Quiet again, though there was a Wheatear in Rectory Lane and a Spotted Flycatcher and a Garden Warbler behind the hide. There were five Green Woodpeckers in the churchyard and another four along the Severals, where there were also a dozen Whitethroats and a few Willow Warblers, whilst a couple of Sandwich Terns flew over. Not much to report in the harbour bar a couple of Whimbrel and a few Black-tailed Godwits. (AH/DF/JD)
Later in the morning as things warmed up, there was a good deal more activity.... at least two Spotted Flycatchers, two Garden Warblers and three Redstarts were located, plus around 30 Whitethroats, several Lesser Whitethroats, four Blackcaps and 15 Willow Warblers. A Marsh Harrier was also seen over the harbour (BFF/DIS/DM/JD/DF).

Spotted Flycatcher (above) & Green Woodpecker at Church Norton (AH)

 

Redstart at Church Norton, juv Swallow at the North Wall and Spotted Flycatcher around Norton churchyard (DM)

Medmerry: Ham Lane and Ham Farm - There was a big mixed flock of c200 Swallow, 100 Sand Martins and a few House Martins around the wires by Oakhurst Farm this morning, and along the lane there were two Wheatears and a few Whitethroats and Willow Warblers in the hedges.

It was quiet around Ham Farm and the adjacent banks, though two Common Sandpipers flew out of one of the little pools and a family of four Avocets were in one of the tidal pools. Otherwise there were plenty of hirundines over the breach, but few other passerines on show. (AH)

Breach area - Around the breach this morning there were the following present. (C&ME)
Sparrowhawk - 1
Peregrine - 1
Kestrel - 4
Grey Plover - 37
Ringed Plover - 20+
Avocet - 3
Dunlin - 60+
Knot - 5
Mediterranean Gull - 3
Swallows - 200+ all going west
Wheatear - 3

Easton lane to Stilt pool - this evening: (SH)
Buzzard - 4
Marsh Harrier -  juv
Kestrel - 2
Avocet - 8
Green Sandpiper - 1
Common Sandpiper - 4
Greenshank - 1
Wheatear - 1

Yellow wagtail - 12 with cattle
Yellowhammer - 6
Swallow - 100+
Sand Martin - 100+

Swallow, House Martin and Sand Martin (above), mixed hirundines, Sand Martin, Wheatear, Willow Warbler & Goldfinches at Medmerry (AH)

Monday, 17th August: Another beautiful, still day, but seemingly with many fewer birds to be found......

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the poplars - A quick look early on was fairly unproductive, with just a few Willow Warblers and Whitethroats in the hedges, and the only birds of note were a couple of Common Sandpipers and five Gadwall that flew over. (AH)

Common Sandpiper (above) & Gadwall at Medmerry (AH)

Stilt Pools - The two Ruff were showing well along with 13 Avocet, 2 Green Sandpipers, 1 Common Sandpiper, 2 Little Ringed Plover, a Tufted Duck with 6 chicks, 7 Gadwall, c25 Teal, 17 Shelduck, c50 Sand Martins, c20 House Martins and Swallows, and in this protected area the Mute Swans have managed to keep all 7 of their well grown cygnets. 

On the mudflats there was a Yellow-legged Gull and a Whimbrel, with 3 Wheatears nearby. Breach Viewpoint - High tide so not much about - 4 Wheatears, 16 Linnets, c35 Swallows, c75 Grey Plover flushed by a Sparrowhawk, c60 Dunlin, 10 Ringed Plover and 2 Sandwich Terns. 

 In the caravan park the windmill sails were alive with noisy Starlings. (SR)

Ferry Pool: A Wheatear and a Common Sandpiper were briefly present, but otherwise it was the usual c60 Black-tailed Godwits and a couple of roosting Avocets, though Teal numbers had risen to 18.

There were at least half a dozen Blackcaps and a couple of Willow Warblers around the Discovery Area, but otherwise it was quiet. (AH)

Black-tailed Godwit (above), Teal & Blackcap around the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: No sign of the Wryneck or any flycatchers by 10.30am, though there was still a Whinchat, a Garden Warbler and one or two Lesser Whitethroats to be found, along with the usual Willow Warblers and Whitethroats. Two Yellow Wagtails flew east, and a dozen or so Whitethroats were located. A Raven flew over the oak copse being mobbed by crows and then a Buzzard, but otherwise it was quiet in the harbour, with no terns about, though a Greenshank flew through and there were still one or two Whimbrels about. Also a Clouded Yellow butterfly put in a brief appearance. (AH/OM/TR/C&ME/SR et al)

This evening there was a Greenshank and a Peregrine in the harbour, two yellow Wagtails went over, four Wheatears were along the beach/concrete slab area, and a Common Tern, a Sandwich Tern and c50 Mediterranean Gulls were with at least 500 Black-headed Gulls moving slowly along the beach, presumably after flying ants. (S&SaH/AH)

Sidlesham: There were at least ten Painted Lady butterflies on the Buddleia in our garden this morning - the most I have seen together so far this summer, and there were also a Comma and several each of Red Admiral, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell and Large White present, too. (AH)

Painted Ladies (above) & Comma in Sidlesham (AH)

North Wall: On the Breech Pool there were 105 Black-tailed Godwits, 30 Lapwing, a Spotted Redshanks, a Snipe, a Common Sandpiper, 2 Great Crested Grebes, a Kingfisher and 6 Teal. In the harbour and along White's Creek there were c.25 Yellow-legged Gulls of varying ages, 6 Spotted Redshank, 4 Greenshank, about 100 Dunlin and 20+ Grey Plover. Raptors reported were a Marsh Harrier, a Hobby and a Peregrine, whilst a drake Wigeon was likely the first returning bird of the autumn (TR/ARK/OM).

Later, at about high tide, the Black-tailed Godwit count on the Breech pool had risen to about 165, and a juv Little Stint appeared (ARK per SOS). 

Sunday, 16th August: A beautiful late summer's day, with intermittent sunshine and hardly a breath of breeze.....

Church Norton: A Wryneck was along the hedges at the start of the beach, before going onto the brambles at the start of the spit and finally re-appearing in the first Several. It showed brilliantly to start with but was generally frustratingly elusive.

Also, two Short-eared Owls came in off the sea late morning and dropped in somewhere behind the Severals. 

There were also two Whinchats around the horse field area, and another in the second Several, as well as a couple of Lesser Whitethroats and plenty of Whitethroats, whilst there were at least ten Wheatears along the beach and the start of the spit, and a Kingfisher flew through and into the Severals. There was no sign of yesterday's Redstarts, but a male was between the Severals, whilst there was still a Spotted Flycatcher behind the hide and a dozen or more Willow Warblers in the churchyard.

Not much in the harbour of note, though there were a couple of Whimbrel and some summer-plumaged Grey Plovers, and there were a dozen Common Terns offshore. (AH/IP/S&SaH/AB/BI et al)

Wryneck (above), Whinchat & Wheatear at Church Norton (top - IP, others AH)

This afternoon there were two Pied Flycatchers and a couple of Spotted Flycatchers, plus a Garden Warbler among the commoner warblers in the churchyard, and the Wryneck was showing well at times along the front of the first Several. Also, one of the Short-eared Owls flew across the harbour and disappeared off east, and five Swifts went over. (AB/S&SaH)

Wryneck (above), Pied Flycatchers, Short-eared Owl, Garden Warbler & Spotted Flycatcher at Church Norton (AB)

One Pied Flycatcher was on still show this evening, as were two Whinchats in the horse field, and a 6.30pm one of the Short-eared Owls came up from the back of the Severals and drifted off eastwards along the spit, where it appeared to land again. (AH)

Short-eared Owl (above), Pied Flycatcher & Whinchat at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry: There were three Curlew Sandpipers this morning, along with a Green Sandpiper, two Wheatears, a Raven and 500+ Sand Martins. There were also lots of Common Blues, plus a Clouded Yellow and a Painted Lady (A&YF)

During the WeBS count today the following were seen - 

Breach viewpoint 12.30

Ca.40 Ringed Plover, 20 Dunlin, 1 Greenshank, 1 Whimbrel.

Stilts pools 13.00

2 juv Ruff, 2 Common Sandpipers, 1 Little Ringed Plover, plus the usual suspects of Tufted Duck, Canada Goose, Avocet, Black-headed Gulls etc. Huge numbers (perhaps 400-500) of Sand Martins feeding/resting over the pools and nearby seawall. Also a few Sandwich Terns were fishing offshore.

Easton viewpoint 14.30

1 Whimbrel, 1 Green Sandpiper, 3 Mediterranean Gulls and at least one Yellow-legged Gull in with large flock of roosting Back-headed and Herring Gulls. (PH)

Ferry Pool: Still quiet - there were just 60 or so Black-tailed Godwits, an even dozen Teal and five juvenile Shelducks on the pool this morning, plus a Common Sandpiper in the channel. There was not a lot around the Tramway/Visitor Centre bar a few Blackcaps, Whitehroats and Willow Warblers, though one of the latter was singing enthusiastically near the car-park, and there were a few Reed Warblers in the creek.. (AH)

Reed Warbler (above) & Willow Warbler around Tramway (AH)