25th - 27th November 2015

Friday, 27th November: Cloudy, grey and damp with a blustery SW wind and periods of rain, though still comparatively mild for the time of year.....

Selsey Bill (0815-1030hrs): There was a good westward movement early on, including a Bonxie, 7 Red-throated Divers, 92 Kittiwakes and 55 Gannets, but as the wind went round more westerly the Gannets and Kittiwakes started moving east again. Full log below.(AH/BI/JA)

Great Northern Diver - 3 os

Red-throated Diver - 7W

Gannet - 10E, 55W
Common Scoter - 7W
Red-breasted Merganser - 2W

Oystercatcher - 12p

Turnstone - 15p
Great Skua - 1W (0905)
Kittiwake - 16E, 92W
Mediterranean Gull - 5W, 5os
Common Gull 3W, 2os
auk sp - 12E, 16W

Red-throated Diver (above), Kittiwakes & Gannet at the Bill (AH)

Church Norton: A Firecrest and two Chiffchaffs were in with about a dozen Goldcrests feeding in the sedge in front of the hide this morning. There were a couple of Jays and Green Woodpeckers in the churchyard, but there were not too many other small birds about.
Two Goldeneye flew around the harbour before retreating east, and there were plenty of Brent Geese, Wigeon and roosting commoner waders on the high tide. 
Also, they have finished relaying the car-park, which looks a very great improvement on the previous 'ploughed field' finish! (AH)

Firecrest (above), Chiffchaffs, Grey Plovers and Dunlin & the newly relaid car-park at Church Norton (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were two Avocets, 12 Black-tailed Godwits and 20 Redshank among 10+ roosting Lapwing, and there were 60 Shoveler on the water, and 22 Shelduck and 50+ Wigeon and Teal along the edges. (AH)

A later visit around lunch-time produced a Greenshank, a Green Sandpiper, 5 Avocets, 30 Golden Plover, 15 Snipe, 5 Dunlin - and a first for me - a Red Breasted Merganser (IL).

 

Nearby, on Yeoman’s field, a Short-Eared Owl was present.(IL)

Sidlesham - St Mary's churchyard: Two Redwings, a Song Thrush, a Mistle Thrush and about 30 very flighty Blackbirds were around the churchyard today, mainly feeding on the large Ilex tree. (BI)

 

Thursday, 26th November: Another mild day, with a light north-westerly breeze and the odd bit of sunshine....

Selsey Bill (0815-0930hrs): (SR/PC/AH)

Great Northern Diver - 4 os

Red-throated Diver - 2E, 4W

Great Crested Grebe - 5W

Brent Goose - 3W

Mallard - 2W

Common Scoter - 3E, 15W

Red-breasted Merganser - 8W

Oystercatcher - 12p

Turntone - 8p

Razorbill - 4E

auk sp - 5E

Great Northern Diver (above), Great Crested Grebes, Red-breasted Mergansers & Turnstone at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: The grey Wagtail dropped into the rife, and a Green Sandpiper was present again on the pool today, along with a dozen Black-tailed Godwits and 300+ Lapwing. There were 150 Wigeon feeding on the grass, and 50+ Shoveler and Teal and 25 Shelducks also about. (AH)

Medmerry: west side - A Merlin was hunting near Marsh Barn at 12.00 today and about 75 Golden Plover came up from somewhere out in the middle of the site. (PH)

East side: There were four Great Northern Divers and a single Red-throated Diver offshore, along with 12 Common Scoter and two Guillemots, whilst along the rock groynes there was a Black Redstart and two Stonechats. (BFF)

Ham Farm to Chainbridge - One Corn Bunting was present along the banks this morning, along with 20+ Skylarks and Meadow Pipits, whilst there was a pair of Stonechats near the farm and another near the Chainbridge, and several hundred Pied Wagtails on a recently ploughed field.

On the tidal pools there were c120 Pintail, along with slightly lesser numbers of Wigeon and Teal, a few dozen Brent Geese, and 30+ Grey Plovers and Lapwings, plus a flock of nine Golden Plover went over. (AH)

Corn Bunting (above), Pintail, Pintail and Teal, Stonechats & Pied Wagtail at Medmerry (AH)

Pagham Spit/ Lagoon: The five Pale-bellied Brent Geese were in the same spot as yesterday by the bench at the south end of Pagham Lagoon accompanied by plenty of Dark-bellied Brents, Teal, Wigeon, Redshank and Turnstones. On the Lagoon itself were plenty of Tufted Ducks, Coots and Little Grebes., whilst the three Goldeneye, (two males and a female) were on on the Little Lagoon on the spit.

Along the Spit there were a large mixed flock of Greenfinches & Linnets, six or seven Stonechats and two Chiffchaffs. In the harbour there were thirty Pintail and in the roost to the back of Tern Island were good numbers of Knot and Grey Plover. (BI)

Pale-bellied Brent Geese (above), Goldeneyes, Wigeon & Grey Plover and Dunlin from Pagham Spit (BI)

East Head/Snowhill Marsh: It was not as windy as forecast, although little in the way of sunshine, making it a fairly pleasant day. Very little noted offshore in the channels except a few Great Crested Grebes and nine Red-breasted Mergansers. From the northern end of the head I scoped two Short-eared Owls hunting over Pilsey Island with another 2 hunting in the dunes and salt-marsh around the head. Nice flock of 25 Greenfinch feeding along the tide line with 20 Skylarks and 4 Stonechats. 

On Snowhill Marsh there was another Short eared Owl (put up by a dog) hunting around the southern edge of the bushes. Single Water Rail, 20 Common Snipe, 30 Golden Plover and 2 Greenshank were the highlights. (BFF)

Wednesday, 25th November: A reasonably mild and largely dry day, mainly cloudy but with some hints of the sun and a light-moderate NW wind....

Selsey Bill (0740-1150hrs): There were a minimum of eight Great Northern Divers offshore this morning, including six together on the sea when a couple of others went over west. Otherwise it was quieter than yesterday, with a few Brent Geese, Common Scoters and Red-breasted Mergansers going west and a few Gannets and auks going east. Full log below. (C&ME/AH)

Great Northern Diver - 8 os       

Gannet - 14E, 5W

Great Crested Grebe - 7E, 4W 

Brent Goose - 19W

Common Scoter - 9E, 11W, 8os

Red-breasted Merganser - 11E, 4W

Razorbill - 10E, 3W

Guillemot - 2W

Auk sp - 15E, 6W

Mediterranean Gull  - 3W                       
Goldfinch - 21W                         
 

Great Northern Divers (above) & Common Scoters at the Bill (AH)

St Mary's churchyard, Sidlesham: The Lesser Redpoll was back, feeding in the Alder along with 2 Siskins and 15 Goldfinches. Also 2 Redwings, 2 Jays, c25 Goldcrests and a vocal Mistle Thrush present. (SR)

East Beach Pond: While the locals were marvelling over the Mute Swans a highly vocal Green Woodpecker flew in and then out again. Another patch tick for me, this is a rare bird for East Beach. (SR) 

Chalder and Marsh Farms: There were 2 Grey Wagtails, a Green Sandpiper (in wet area next to the muck heaps), c30 Curlews including our friend 'milky', 3 Chiffchaffs, 12 Long-tailed Tits, c20 Chaffinches, c40 Pied Wagtails, c20 Goldfinches, another Jay, an impressive flock of c200 Starlings and a Brown Hare around the farms. (SR)

Ferry Pool: There were arond 20 Black-tailed Godwits on the pool this morning, plus at least 400 Lapwing and the usual Teal, Shoveler and Wigeon numbers, plus a few Shelduck. (AH)

Long Pool: There was a drake Gadwall on the pool itself, whilst a Kingfisher and a Grey Heron were in the rifes, and there were a dozen or more Goldcrests, a couple of Wrens and a few Reed Buntings along the bushes. (AH)

Gadwall (above), Goldcrest & Grey Heron along Long Pool (AH)

Pagham Spit/Lagoon: This morning there was, as well as a handful of our usual Dark-bellied Brent Geese, Wigeons, Teal, 1000 Dunlin and some other waders, most interestingly, a close-knit family of five Pale-bellied Brent Geese on the massive high tide in the Lagoon-corner of Pagham Harbour. The Pale-bellied Brent Geese kept close as a family - both parents and three juveniles - to begin with swim-feeding, but getting out sometimes along the tideline, then back in the water, fairly unfazed by passers-by.
There were three Goldeneye on Pagham Lagoon, two males and a redhead, presumed female. (ARK per SOS)