Saturday,12th September: A change in the weather; some overnight rain, then cloud and sunny spells but with a fresh-strong WSW wind....
Selsey Bill: (0630-0900hrs) (JA/SH/SR/AH/GB)
Gannet - 128E, 49W, 20os
Shag - 1E
Brent Goose - 22W
Common Scoter - 27E, 3W, 2os
Mediterranean Gull - 5W, 1E
Kittiwake - 1E
Sandwich Tern - 24E, 2W
Little Tern - 1E
Swallow - 19S
Brent Geese (above) & Gannet past the Bill (AH)
(1555-1700) (SH/JA)
Gannet - 26E, 5W
Shag - 1os
Kestrel - 1p
Mediterranean Gull - 1W
Sandwich Tern - 5W, 3E, 18os
Common tern - 1W
Ferry Pool: The Pectoral Sandpiper resurfaced briefly down near the road mid-morning before vanishing again. There were also three Common Sandpipers, three Ringed Plovers, eight Avocets and c20 Dunlin present, along with the regular 30+ Black-tailed Godwits, 20Lapwings, 12 Shoveler and 100+ Teal. (AH) The Pectoral Sandpiper showed again in the same area - again briefly - mid-afternoon. (IL)
Pectoral Sandpiper (above) & Common Sandpiper at the Ferry (AH)
Church Norton: There were at least 25 Sandwich Terns in the harbour, with probably another dozen well offshore - the highest count here for some weeks, and the adult and juvenile Common Terns were still present, too. There was a very probable Curlew Sandpiper among several hundred Dunlin, but it disappeared across the harbour into the sun before it could be confirmed. There were also two Whimbrel and a few Grey Plovers in the harbour, and a Kingfisher flew into the creek by the horse field.
There was a single Wheatear on the beach, a few Whitethroats along the Severals and a couple of Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps along the sheltered hedges, plus a few House Martins, with a the odd Swallow and Sand Martin among them, moving overhead. (AH/BI)
Wheatear (above), Chiffchaff, Whimbrel & Sandwich Tern at Church Norton (AH)
Around the Park Farm area at midday there was a Garden Warbler, two Whitethroats, a Yellow Wagtail and a Reed Bunting, whilst along the beach at Church Norton there were four Wheatears and a steady trickle of Swallows heading out to sea. There were also two Gannets, four Common Terns and a dozen Sandwich Terns offshore, and a Pintail, 30+ Wigeon and eour Brent Geese were in the harbour. (S&SaH)
There was a moulting adult Curlew Sandpiper in the harbour late afternoon in with the numerous Dunlin and Ringed Plovers. (BFF/AH)
Curlew Sandpiper at Church Norton (AH)
Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - There were ten Wheatears around the Easton viewpoint and Marsh Barn area, and two more further down by the Stilt pools. The Stilt pools themselves were quiet for waders with just a single Common Sandpiper and twenty Dunlin on show. The two Bar-headed Geese & the white goose were present along with a couple of hundred Canada Geese, a few Teal and just a few hirundines over the pools. (BI)
Wheatear at Medmerry (BI)
North Wall: There were up to 200 Yellow Wagtails coming into roost on the Breech Pool, but the people and the wind made them very flighty and that number is a very rough estimate. There were also two Greenshanks and a Kingfsher in White's Creek, a dozen Yellow-legged Gulls in the harbour and up to three Snipe, a Sedge Warbler and a dozen or more Reed Buntings around the reeds in the pool. (BI/BFF/IB/AH)
Yellow Wagtails (above) (BI), Greenshank & Snipe (AH) from the North Wall
Friday, 11th September: A fine start, with sunshine and cloud, but a brisk easterly wind keeping it cool....
Selsey Bill (0620-1000hrs): Sunny, wind E4 (Obs: JA/C&ME/SR) A bit of variety today although nothing exceptional, and some detailed hirundine counts!
Gannet - 381E, 8W
Brent Goose - 1E, 9W
Shelduck - 3E
Common Scoter - 30E
Wigeon - 4E
Arctic Skua - 2W
Sandwich Tern - 33E, 3W
Mediterranean Gull - 14E
Guillemot - 1E
Auk sp - 1W
Sand Martin - 182E
House Martin - 1114E
Swallow - 3053E
Yellow Wagtail - 28E
Grey Wagtail - 3W
Pied Wagtail - 2E
Chiffchaff - 2 gardens
Siskin - 90E
Additional Watch (1000-1130hrs): (C&ME)
Gannet - 110E, 1W
Brent Goose - 1E
Wigeon - 2E
Arctic Skua - 1E
Razorbill - 1E
House Martin - 63E
Swallow - 454E
Ferry Pool: There were at least five Green Sandpipers present this morning, along with two Common Sandpipers, three Dunlin, eight Avocet and a dozen Black-tailed Godwits. A Kingfisher went over and there were 50+ Sand Martins and similar of Swallows feeding over the pool. There were also about a dozen Shoveler, c150 Teal and five young Shelduck present. (AH) It had changed a little by 1300hrs, with just two Green and three Common Sandpipers present, but also eight Dunlin, 12 Black-tailed Godwits and seven Avocets. A couple of Yellow Wagtails were seen and heard around the cattle, though I suspect there were more unseen (OM).
Green Sandpiper (above) & Common Sandpiper on the Ferry (AH)
Avocets on the Ferry (OM)
North Wall: Nine Spotted Redshanks were on the Breech Pool this morning in company with 66 Black-tailed Godwits and three Common Snipe, and there were at least six Yellow Wagtails amongst the cattle in Honer 2 field. Elsewhere there was no sign of an overnight migration fall. A Hobby was amongst hirundines at Marsh Farm and a Green Sandpiper was in the muddy pool just west of Bremere bridge. (JDW)
Yellow Wagtail (above) & Spotted Redshank from North Wall (JDW)
Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - There were four Green Sandpipers, a dozen Gadwall and a few Teal around the small pool opposite the poplars, a Kingfisher went through, and a Wheatear was on the bank.
There were a further three Wheatears along the banks, and there were at least 50 Meadow Pipits coming and going, as well as a few Reed Buntings and Yellowhammers. There were three Whinchats and half a dozen Yellow Wagtails around Marsh Farm, but the only other migrants seen were a couple of Whitethroats and a Reed Warbler.
There was less wader activity on the pool than of late, though there was still a Ruff, at least six Common Sandpipers and a dozen Dunlin, and there were two or three Greenshank out on the reserve. There were a couple of hundred mixed hirundines still about, most of which were House Martins. Eight Pintail and 17 Shoveler dropped in, and the Black Swan and three Greylags were in with the Canada Goose flock - around 400 in number. (AH)
A late start for me today and I made the long trek from the Eastons car park to the Stilt pool for little reward...the only additions to AH's report are a Hobby, a Little Ringed Plover and a juvenile Avocet on the pools and a couple of Whinchats nearby. The Hobby was actively hunting and showed well around the barn - sadly always a bit too far or fast for my limited photographic abilities! (OM)
Whinchats (above), Ruff, Green Sandpiper, Dunlins, Pintail and Shoveler & Gadwall at Medmerry (AH)
Hobby hunting at Medmerry and Whinchat near the pools (OM)
Church Norton: A look this morning didn't produce much with the easterly wind presumably keeping the birds down - indeed there was not a bird to be seen in the churchyard or behind the hide other than a few Goldfinches mid morning. In the harbour, plenty of Redshanks, Dunlin and Little Egrets but not much else of note. There were reasonable numbers of hirundines over. (BI)
Thursday, 10th September: A day set fair; dry and mainly sunny with only light cloud and a moderate easterly breeze....
Selsey Bill: (0745-0930hrs) (C&ME)
Fulmar - 1W
Gannet - 27E, 4W
Wigeon - 9W
Common Scoter - 15E, losGrey Plover - 1E
Sandwich Tern - 4os
Hirundines 40+E
Ferry Pool: Two Spotted Redshanks were here this morning, including the juvenile, before flying into the harbour, along with four Green Sandpipers, two Common Sandpipers, seven Avocets, c40 Black-tailed Godwits and 30 Lapwing, plus at least 120 Teal. Nearby, there was a Spotted Flycatcher in the Discovery Area. (AH/BFF/DM)
Spotted Redshank (above) & Teal on the Ferry (AH)
Spotted Flycatcher near the Ferry (DM)
North Wall: There were six Spotted Redshanks on the Breech Pool this morning, along with similar of Snipe and c80 Black-tailed Godwits. There were also two Water Rails that showed briefly and probably another two squealing in the reeds. A Whinchat and a wide selection of warblers were seen - namely Reed, Sedge and Cetti's Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat, Blackcap and Chiffchaff - but there were no more than one or two of any species. There were, however, up to 20 Reed Buntings along the reeds and hedges, and similar of Yellow Wagtails among the cattle, though there may have been many more, and at least one Kingfisher was seen. There were also still quite a few hirundines about (of all three species), though nothing like the numbers present earlier in the week.(AH/BFF/DM)
Spotted Redshanks (above), Snipe, Lesser Whitethroat, Cetti's Warbler & Reed Bunting from North Wall (AH)
East Side: There were another two Spotted Redshank in White's Creek, along with 21Pintail, 250 Wigeon and 100+ Lapwing, whilst out in the harbour there were at least five Greenshank, 43 Knot and 60 Grey Plover. (AH/BFF/DM)
Greenshank (above) Knot and Grey Plovers & Pintail in Pagham Harbour (AH)
Church Norton: There were very few passerines about, and in the harbour there were eight Great Crested Grebes and nine Sandwich Terns, whilst a Peregrine was on the small island, and on the falling tide a single Little Stint was found within a large flock of Dunlin seen from off the hide. . (BFF/DM)
Fishbourne Creek: Around the Apuldram horse paddock there were four Spotted Flycatchers, a Garden Warbler, a Blackcap and six Yellowhammer, whilst in the creek there were four Greenshank, 260 Mediterranean Gulls and a single Yellow-legged Gull. (BFF/DM)
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