4th - 6th November 2015

Friday, 6th November: A dismal November morning, with rain off and on, heavy cloud and a brisk south-westerly......

An update: Just to brighten the day (well, my day anyway), following some research, I have received comments from experienced observers concerning the odd 'Reed-type' Warbler with the aberrant pale wing panel that was present in Bill House garden on 20th October. As a result I am now satisfied that this bird was in fact a Marsh Warbler and a full and detailed submission has been prepared for SOSRC (OM).

Selsey Bill (0710-0820hrs): SW4-5, rain  (Obs: JA)
Great Northern Diver - 1os
Gannet - 13W
Shag - 1E
Red-breasted Merganser - 2W
Curlew - 1W
Guillemot - 1W
Kestrel - 1 area
Chaffinch - 7E
Goldfinch - 15E, 22 p

Ferry Pool: Once again, all the interest was in in the back corner, with the Little Stint, a Spotted Redshank, a Green Sandpiper and three Snipe all in the vicinity. There were also three Avocets on the pool, both Grey and Pied Wagtails passed through and there were still a couple of hundred roosting Lapwings. (AH)

If you look very closely, there are a Little Stint, a Spotted Redshank, a Green Sandpiper and three Snipe on the Ferry! (AH)

North Wall/Pagham Lagoon: The Breach Pool held just three Teal, six Mallards and single Coot and Moorhen, plus a couple of Reed Buntings, while the harbour seemed devoid of birds on the high tide, save a few Wigeon.

The Lagoon held four Pochard, and about twenty each of Tufted Duck and Little Grebe. (AH)

Pochards (above) & Little Grebe on Pagham Lagoon (AH)

Chichester GPs: Ivy lake complex: the usual flotilla was present consisting of gulls and a few Tufted Ducks, Pochards and Great Crested Grebes. A Kingfisher flew over Copse lake and there were a few more Pochard on New lake. The Trout lakes were quiet with just a small flock of Canada Geese on East and three Mute Swans and two Tufted Ducks on West. A Little Grebe was on Nunnery lake. In the lakeside scrub were a small flock of mixed tits and two Goldcrests heard rather than seen. Two Green Woodpeckers were on the field to the back of nunnery. (BI)


West Wittering: Autumn is always interesting in our garden, and a Treecreeper was a first today, having not seen one in this part of the world before. Also a Nuthatch and a Coal Tit were on the feeders, both of which are not that common locally, and therefore all the more welcome. (G Michelmore per SOS)

Thursday, 5th November: Another rather gloomy November day; overcast and damp, though the predicted heavy morning rain now seems set to arrive a bit later, driven on by a fresh southerly wind....

Selsey Bill: Not much doing at the Bill this morning - just a few Gannets going west and the odd Red-breasted Merganser moving about. Full log below...

0730 - 1100hrs:   (Obs: C&ME/AH/PC/SR).
Great Northern Diver - 2 os                     
Gannet - 2E, 68W
Shag - 1E                                  
Brent Goose - 7E  
Red-breasted Merganser - 3E, 1W
Sparrowhawk - 1 gardens                            
Common Gull - 3W
Mediterranean Gull  - 1E                                  

Ferry Pool: Surprisingly interesting early on when the tide was high, with the Little Stint back again, along with two Greenshanks, four Spotted Redshanks, two Green Sandpipers, three Snipe, five Dunlin, ten Common Redshank, six Black-tailed Godwits and at least 300 Lapwing. (AH)

Greenshanks and Snipe (above) & Spotted Redshanks and Lapwings on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: A Peregrine was out upsetting the birds on the far side, including 100+ Golden Plover and probably 500 Lapwing. A Red-breasted Merganser was in the harbour, along with 3-400 Brent Geese and the regular waders, there were two Stonechats and a couple of Meadow Pipits along the beach and a few Goldcrests in the bushes, but that was about the lot. (AH)

Peregrine (above), Stonechat & Brent Geese at Church Norton (AH)

Wednesday, 4th November: A still but grey day after a rainy start.....and rain never far away through the day.

Selsey Bill: Three Great Northern Divers and a Slavonian Grebe were offshore, and there were a few other bits and pieces though the Snow Bunting wasn't about by mid-morning. Full log below........
0740-1045hrs: sea flat calm, little or no wind (Obs: OM/C&ME/AH)
Great Northern Diver - 3 os
Red-throated Diver - 1E
Diver sp - 1E
Slavonian Grebe - 1 os
Shag - 5E
Gannet - 3E, 1W
Brent Goose - 2E, 28W
Eider - 1E (drake)
Mediterranean Gull - 1E
Pied Wagtail - 3 ob
Long-tailed Tit - 12 (Oval field)
Goldcrest - 5
Goldfinch - 20 area

 Brent Geese passing the Bill, Long-tailed Tit on the Oval field trees and AH in his element (OM)

Selsey East Beach: Just a couple of Chiffchaffs and a dozen Goldcrests were around the pond this morning. (AH)

Chiffchaff at East Beach (AH)

Warner Lane area: There were half a dozen Snipe on the wet margins and 3 Chiffchaffs and 2 Stonechats around the fields and hedges. (OM)

Medmerry: Breach Viewpoint -  A Marsh Harrier was over the east side this morning. Also a Black Redstart briefly on the rocks near the breach (PH)

Ferry Pool: The only waders on the pool were a single Dunlin and about 400 Lapwing, and there were also 20+ Shoveler and 40+ Teal present. (AH)

Lapwings on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: A Merlin went west well out into the bay this morning, and a flock of 18 Brent Geese dropped in before going off west again, whilst another flock of 25 birds went straight on through. There were a pair of Stonechats on the first Several and a few Reed Buntings and Goldfinches about, and a couple of Grey Plovers and half a dozen Redshanks on  the foreshore, but generally it was very quiet. (AH)

Brent Geese (above), Grey Plover & Redshank at Church Norton (AH)

Pagham churchyard: There were still 25+ Goldcrests in the trees but no sign of any Firecrests today; also single Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers and 15 Long-tailed Tits. (OM)