22nd - 24th November 2015

Tuesday, 24th November: A return to milder but changeable weather; wet and windy overnight, giving way to drier but cloudy conditions by morning with some occasional brightness, accompanied by a strong W/NW wind and the risk of a heavy shower....

Selsey Bill (0800-1200hrs): Despite the brisk north-westerly there was a bit of movement again, including three Red-necked Grebes reported heading west before 8am (JD/DS/DF). Among other species noted were 25+ Great Crested Grebes and a Slavonian Grebe west, a couple of Red-throated Divers east, at least four Great Northern Divers in the area, a few Common Scoter and Red-breasted Mergansers going in both directions and there were 50+ auks going mostly east, of which all, bar a couple of Razorbills, were Guillemots among those positively identified. Also, a dark phase/morph Arctic Skua was offshore for several minutes before eventually drifting off.   (Obs: JD/DS/DF/AH/C&ME/BFF/DIS). Log below....
Red-throated Diver - 3E
Great Northern Diver - 3os
diver sp - 2E
Slavonian Grebe - 3W
Great Crested Grebe - 7E, 57W
Red-necked Grebe - 3W
Gannet - 11E, 1W
Shag - 1E
Brent Goose - 9W
Shelduck - 2W
Goldeneye - 1os (drake)
Common Scoter - 32E, 8W
Red-breasted Merganser - 15E, 22W
Arctic Skua - 1 os (d/p)       
Kittiwake - 11W
Mediterranean Gull - 2os
Razorbill - 4W                
Guillemot - 62E, 11W    
auk sp - 174E, 7W 
                       

Great Northern Diver (above), Common Scoters, Shag & Mediterranean Gull at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There was a Green Sandpiper again this morning, along with three Avocets, half a dozen Black-tailed Godwits and 100+ Lapwing. The Shoveler count had risen to 90, with lesser numbers of Wigeon and Teal also present. (AH/BFF/DIS)

Avocets, Shelduck, Black-tailed Godwit and Lapwings on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: Pretty quiet on the big tide, with the Whimbrel present again among large numbers of roosting waders, including 30+ Knot and 100+ Grey Plovers. There were three Red-breasted Mergansers in the harbour and another offshore, where the only other birds present were up to 22 Great Crested Grebes.

Very few small birds around again, with just small parties of Goldfinch and Chaffinch evident. (AH/BFF/DIS)

Whimbrel and Brent Geese (above), pair of Brent Geese & Redshank and Wigeon at Church Norton (AH)

Runcton: After a couple of sightings in our neighbours garden a few days ago, a Treecreeper made it’s way to our back garden early afternoon (only second record). Also present 2 Coal Tits, 3 Great Tits, 4 Blue Tits, a Chaffinch and a Robin. (CRJ)
 

Medmerry Beach: There were 10 female/immature Common Scoters offshore this morning. (BFF/DIS)  

Fishbourne Creek/Apuldram:There were two Firecrests in the church car park, 12 Yellowhammers around the horse paddocks, and five Rock Pipit and three Goldeneye along the creek this morning. (BFF/DIS) .


Monday, 23rd November: Another still and cold morning with a frosty start and a light northerly breeze, followed by pleasant sunny spells and some cloud....

Selsey Bill: (0745-0845hrs) (AH)
Great Northern Diver - 4os
Red-throated Diver - 1E
Slavonian Grebe - 1os
Great Crested Grebe - 1os
Gannet - 1E
Brent Goose - 3W
Common Scoter - 10E, 4W
Red-breasted Merganser - 2E
Turnstone - 25obs
Common Gull - 2os
Guillemot - 1os

Common Gull at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were a Spotted Redshank, five Common Redshanks, two Green Sandpipers, five Snipe and a Dunlin on the pool this morning, alongside 20 or so Black-tailed Godwits and c200 Lapwings. There were also 40+ Shoveler and Teal and as many as 200 Wigeon, plus 24 Canada Geese. (AH)
Also a Short-eared Owl was hunting the grassland/scrub between the visitor centre and tramway/harbour wall at 12.45 today. (PH)

Green Sandpiper (above) & Snipe on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: There were four Slavonian Grebes offshore this morning, along with half a dozen Great Crested Grebes, plus another three of the latter in the harbour, as well as at least 50 Pintail and numerous Teal, Wigeon and Brent Geese. There were at least 20 Knot among the roosting Dunlin and Grey Plover, and the Whimbrel was showing well near the bench. 

It was very quiet for small birds, with the Dartford Warbler along the Severals only showing briefly, a Meadow Pipit over and c20 Skylarks, plus similar of Linnet and Goldfinch and a Green Woodpecker along the spit. (AH)

Slavonian Grebes (above), Whimbrel, Skylark, Pintail & Knot, Dunlin and Grey Plover at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry, Breach Viewpoint: Low tide midday and the highlight was a Short-eared Owl hunting along the banks. There was also a hunting Kestrel, a Peregrine in the centre of the reserve and c200 Woodpigeons flew over.  Not much out on the mudflats; c50 Wigeon and 16 Grey Plover were about the best, whilst the remaining rough ground behind the viewpoint held a pair of Stonechats, 5 Linnets and 4 Meadow Pipits (and sadly a number of surveyors!)  The reeds around the sluice held a pair of Reed Buntings and the only Black Redstart I could find was along the fence separating the caravans from the beach. (SR)

Sunday, 22nd November: A beautiful autumn day, with a crisp and still start followed by a light northerly breeze and sunshine and cloud....

Selsey Bill (0715-1315hrs): Sunny, N/NW2. (Obs: JA/SH/AH/SR/OM/RJS et al). Despite the near still conditions, there was a good sea-watch this morning, with the highlight being four Velvet Scoter and two Sandwich Terns east, and a steady movement west, including two Black-throated and some Red-throated Divers, a couple of Eider, 150+ Brent Geese and 50 Red-breasted Mergansers, several flocks of Wigeon and a few auks and Common Scoter, whilst there were five Great Northern Divers and a Slavonian Grebe on the sea. Also, there was a Chiffchaff and a flock of Long-tailed Tits (rare at the Bill tip) around Bill House garden. Full log below....
Red-throated Diver - 2E, 23W, 2os
Black-throated Diver - 2W
Great Northern Diver - 5os
Diver sp - 13W
Slavonian Grebe - 1os
Great Crested Grebe - 4E, 8W, 1os
Little Egret - 1W
Grey Heron - 1W
Shag - 2E
Brent Goose - 5E, 235W
Eider - 2W
Shelduck - 1E, 13W
Common Scoter - 34E, 38W, 8os
Velvet Scoter - 4W
Red-breasted Merganser - 8E, 50W, 4os
Wigeon - 15E, 83W
Teal - 2W
Pintail - 5W
Dunlin - 25W
Sanderling - 1W
Turnstone - 30 ob
Oystercatcher - 19 ob
Razorbill - 1W, 1os
Guillemot - 3W
Auk sp - 6E, 16W, 4os
Stock Dove - 2W
Woodpigeon - 301W
Sandwich Tern - 2E
Kittiwake - 5W
Mediterranean Gull - 3W, 3os
Skylark - 1N
Pied Wagtail - 3W, 2ob
Long-tailed Tit - 9 gardens
Chiffchaff - 1 gardens
Goldfinch - 80W
Also a Red Admiral on the wing and a Grey Seal offshore

Eiders (above) & Great Northern Diver off the Bill (AH)

 Oystercatchers on the beach at the Bill, Red Admiral and panoramic view of the Bill House area (OM)

North Wall: The White-fronted Goose was with a Greylag and 100+ Canada Geese on the Breech Pool this morning at 8.15am, and there were a pair of Stonechats nearby. (PC)

Ferry Pool: Plenty of Wigeon and Shoveler on the largely frozen pool, but not many waders - just a few Black-tailed Godwits and Lapwing. (AH)

Lapwings and Black-tailed Godwits (above) & Wigeon on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: There was a Dartford Warbler on the first Several this morning - a female, so different to the one here a couple of weeks ago which was male. Also there were two Stonechats and two Chiffchaffs around the horse field, 60+ Shelduck, 36 Wigeon and 6 Pintail went west offshore, there were three Bar-tailed Godwits and 50+ Knot on the winkle beds, two Avocets and a Kingfisher in the harbour and a Buzzard and a Sparrowhawk were in the vicinity. (S&SaH)

Dartford Warbler at Church Norton (SH)

The two Dartford Warblers were still present at the end of Reedy Marsh. Also a Firecrest in the churchyard with a few Goldcrests this morning, half a dozen Redwings flew out and a Siskin went over. There was a female Goldeneye and three Red-breasted Mergansers, plus a couple of Peregrines in the harbour. (BI/C&ME/C&JM)

Long Pool: There was possibly a fourth Dartford Warbler at the end of the Long Pool this morning around the same time the others were being reported. Also there was a Spotted Redshank in the creek just beyond the end of the pool, four Little Grebes on the water and at least a dozen Reed Buntings about. (AH)

Spotted Redshank (above) & Little Grebe from the Long Pool (AH)

St Mary's Churchyard, Sidlesham: This afternoon a Firecrest was in the bushes along with four Goldcrests, and six Redwings were feeding on holly berries alongside the many Blackbirds and a Song Thrush. There was also a Buzzard, a Jay, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, five Pied Wagtails and a flock of 12 Goldfinches in the area. (SR)

East Beach Pond: Late afternoon there was a Kingfisher, a Chiffchaff and a flock of 14 Long-tailed Tits around the pond. (SR)

Medmerry: Breach area - A Black Redstart was showing well at the very end of the caravans this morning, though otherwise there were just a few Meadow Pipits and Starlings. A Kingfisher was by the sluice, a couple of hundred Brent Geese were on the water with 50+ Wigeon, before flying off west, and there were at least a dozen Grey Plovers and Dunlin on the pools, plus a Peregrine and a Buzzard went over. (AH/RJS)

Black Redstart (above) & Grey Plover at Medmerry (AH)

Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - The White-fronted Goose was on the Stilt Pools later on this morning, with a few Teal and Wigeon, a dozen Canada Geese and three Gadwall, plus a lone Black-tailed Godwit. A Peregrine was out in the middle of the reserve, and two small flocks of Yellowhammers, two Song Thrushes and four Stonechats were along the banks. (BI)

White-fronted Goose (above) & Yellowhammer at Medmerry (BI)

Porthole Farm - Late this afternoon there was a Grey Wagtail among a couple of hundred Pied Wagtails on the settling tanks and a couple of Chiffchaffs, a couple of Song Thrushes and a couple of Yellowhammers along the hedges. (AH)