10th - 12th April 2016

Tuesday, 12th April: A beautiful, bright and sunny day after a very foggy start....with hardly a breath of wind at first and only a gentle SSE breeze later.

Selsey Bill: Bird of the day was undoubtedly a Hooded Crow, found by OM, on the spit off Hillfield Road as the tide dropped this morning, before later departing when the tide covered the shingle bar. There was also a male Redstart, two Blackcaps and a couple of Wheatears along the gardens, but slow offshore, with approximate totals of 90+ Common Scoter, 150+ Sandwich Terns, 20+ Commic Terns, four Whimbrel and two Arctic Skuas, plus ten Great Northern Divers offshore. (AH) Full log below....

0630-1230hrs: Calm-SSE1-2, sun. (Obs: JF/ML/OM/C&ME/AH et al)

Red-throated Diver - 1E

Great Northern Diver - 10os

Diver sp - 3E

Gannet - 7E, 5W

Grey Heron - 1 os, 1 gardens

Brent Goose - 11E

Shelduck - 2E

Red-breasted Merganser - 3E, 3os
Common Scoter - 98E
Sanderling - 1E

Oystercatcher - 5E, 3W

Whimbrel - 4E

Curlew - 2E

Buzzard - 1 over gardens

Common Tern - 13E

Commic Tern - 25E

Sandwich Tern - 153E

Mediterranean Gull - 8E, 2W

Arctic Skua - 2E (l/p & d/p)

Swallow - 12N

Meadow Pipit - 6N

Wheatear - 2 gardens

Redstart - 1 (male) gardens

Blackcap - 2 gardens

Linnet - 5 area

Hooded Crow - 1 on shingle spit ('the bar') at low tide with Carrion Crows

Hooded Crow (above), Wheatear & Sandwich Tern at the Bill (AH)

Buzzard over the gardens at the Bill (DM)

Also 12.30 to 14.00 (IL)
Diver sp - 1E
Gannet - 6E
Brent Goose - 30E
Common Scoter - 4E
Red-breasted Merganser - 2E, 1os
Curlew - 1E
Sandwich Tern - 15E
Commic Tern - 2E
Mediterranean Gull - 1E
Swallow - 1N
Meadow Pipit - 3N

(1715-1830hrs) (SH)

Great Northern Diver - 1os

Gannet - 1E, 1W

Dunlin - 12E

Common Gull - 10E

Sandwich Tern - 11E

Common Tern - 24E, inc a flock of 21

Commic Tern - 6E

Northcommon Farm: A male Redstart was present this morning, plus a couple of Chiffchaffs, a singing Willow Warbler and a pair of Green Woodpeckers. (C&ME/OM)

Late this afternoon there were two Redstarts - male and female, plus plenty of Willow Warblers and one or two Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps. (AH)

Redstart (above), Willow Warbler & Blackcap at Northcommon Farm (AH)

Selsey: Warner Lane/area: A Redstart was present near the horse paddocks (JD/DF/DS) whilst two Ring Ouzels were reported by visiting birders on the adjacent holiday camp field (per DS/DF/DS and BFF).

Ferry Pool: On a foggy Ferry this morning were four Avocets, eight Shoveler and a few Redshanks, whilst the Greenshank was still in the channel opposite. (OM/AH) Later there were also two Green Sandpipers (CRJ), and early this evening the Spotted Redshank was on the pool. (AH)

Spotted Redshank on Ferry Pool (AH)

Long Pool: Three Willow Warblers at least singing - probably more present. (CRJ)

Greenshank in Ferry Channel (AH)

Church Norton: Quiet for migrants in the fog this morning, though a Lesser Whitethroat was calling between the Severals and a Wheatear was on the beach. (A&YF) There were still a few Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers and Blackcaps about, plus a few Linnets, but not much in the harbour beyond a dozen roosting Sandwich Terns and c150 Black-tailed Godwits. (AH)

However, later a Spoonbill appeared over the harbour before circling off high (per JD/DS/DF) and an Osprey drifted in from the sea, passing over the harbour then heading off north (seen by several observers; per BFF/JD et al)

Black-tailed Godwits (above) & Linnets at Church Norton (AH)

 

Medmerry (west side): This morning on the stilt pools there were ca.280 Black-headed Gulls, at least 22 Mediterranean Gulls, 9 or 10 Little Ringed Plovers, 32 Avocets, 2 Oystercatchers, 3 Dunlin, 3 Redshank, 1 Common Sandpiper, a Sandwich Tern, 2 Teal, 2 Gadwall, 4 Mallard and a pair of Moorhens with at least 3 just-hatched young. Offshore – 2 Common Terns and a Great Crested Grebe. (PH)

Runcton: At Runcton Manor late afternoon, there was a double whammy of a Nuthatch calling from the southern end and a well observed Treecreeper at the northern edge, also 3 Buzzards over. (CRJ).
 
 Monday, 11th April: In distinct contrast to yesterday, a real dank and gloomy, if still, day after a wet and windy night.....

O, TO be in England
Now that April 's there,
And whoever wakes in England
Sees, some morning, unaware,
That the lowest boughs and the brushwood sheaf
Round the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf,
While the chaffinch sings on the orchard bough
In England—now!
(Robert Browning: from 'Home thoughts, from Abroad').  Has it ever been said better? OM 

Selsey Bill: I watched from the car on and off when conditions allowed, with a limited view, rain and mist. There was a fair bit of activity early on with Gannets heading east in small flocks and a super large flock of 200 Scoter passing along the mile basket line. (SR)

(0815-1015hrs): (SR) F2E Rain and mist

Great Northern Diver - 7os
Red-throated Diver - 1E
Gannet - 48E, 11W
Brent Goose - 10E
Common Scoter - 243E

Red-breasted Merganser - 4E

Commic Tern - 11E

Sandwich Tern - 16E, 3W

Swallow - 2N
Chiffchaff - 1 Gardens

(1715-1830) (SH)
Great Northern Diver - 6os
Gannet - 18E, 8W
Common Scoter - 1E
Red-breasted Merganser - 4os
Little Gull - 3E
Common Tern - 19E
Sandwich Tern - 6E, 5os
Razorbill - 1os

Ferry Pool: Just the six Avocets, six Redshank, four Teal and 22 Shoveler on the pool this morning early on. (AH)

Long Pool/West side: There were several Sedge Warblers singing early this morning in the reeds, and a few Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs singing in the hedges, plus at least 20 Linnets and half a dozen Reed Buntings present as well.

Several Whimbrel were calling out on the saltmarsh, and a Wheatear popped up out in the harbour, too, whilst a Greenshank and 40 Redshank were in Ferry Channel. Also four Gadwall were flying about and several Redshank and Shelduck were prospecting the ploughed fields.(AH)

Greenshank (above), Reed Bunting, Linnet & Shelduck along the Long Pool (AH)

Church Norton: A female Common Redstart was still along the beach path, a few Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers in the bushes, three Sedge Warblers and two Cetti's Warblers singing around the rushes, Great Spotted & Green Woodpeckers by the car park. and 24 Sandwich Terns and 1 Common Tern in the harbour. (BI)

Sandwich Terns (above) and Common Tern at Church Norton (BI)

This evening the pair of Peregrines were mating on their island - presumably they will be departing shortly. Also two (presumably migrating) Avocets were by the old harbour mouth, and all the terns were still present nearby before departing over the spit as the tide dropped. (AH)

Mating Peregrines at Church Norton (AH)

Ivy Lake: There were four Common Terns feeding on the lake early this evening, and a Sedge Warbler was singing from the brambles near the road. (AH)

Common Terns over Ivy Lake (AH)

Sunday, 10th April: Dry with sunshine and some cloud and a brisk SSE wind, going round to a full but distinctly cool SE later.....needless to say this wind direction was the trigger for a full early morning turn-out of observers at the Bill, with a peak count of over 35 birders present at one time!

Selsey Bill: A predictably large gallery of observers this morning and some reasonably good passage for the first few hours before it died away. Sandwich Terns (200+), Common Scoter (400+) and six Arctic Skuas were notable, though there was nothing exceptional and only little in the way of migrants coming in off the sea. Full log below......

0550-1430hrs: sun/cloud, SSE- SE4  (Obs: Many obs, starting with GH/JA/SH/PB et al).

Red-throated Diver - 5E

Great Northern Diver - 5os

diver sp - 3E

Fulmar - 2W

Gannet - 46E, 2W

Brent Goose - 7E

Shelduck - 2E

Red-breasted Merganser - 3E, 1W, 4os

Common Scoter - 464E

Teal - 5E

Oystercatcher - 5E

Curlew - 1E

Redshank - 9E

Turnstone - 14E, 20ob

Sanderling - 1E, 1os

Auk sp - 1W

Arctic Skua - 6E (all d/p)

Common Tern - 28E

Commic Tern - 2E

Sandwich Tern - 233E

Black-headed Gull - 20E

Common Gull - 3E

Mediterranean Gull - 14E

Herring Gull - 483 ob

Red-legged Partridge - 2 gardens

Sand Martin - 2N

Swallow - 5N

Pied Wagtail - 1N

Wheatear - 2N

Meadow Pipit - 2N

Goldfinch - 9N

Linnet - 25N, 3S

Chiffchaff - 1 gardens

 Brent Geese (above) and Common Scoters (below) passing the Bill (OM)

 Views of some of the observers gathered at the 'south-east corner' this morning (OM)

(1600-1730) (JA/GH/SH/AH)

Great Northern Diver - 2os

Great Crested Grebe - 1W

Gannet - 14E, 1W

Common Scoter - 56E
Whimbrel - 16E
Sandwich Tern - 4E

Swallow - 2N

Common Scoters (above) & Gannets past the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: An adult Little Gull was on the pool early this morning, along with two Green Sandpipers, six Avocets, four Redshank and 25 Shovelers. (AH/OM)

Little Gull (above), Green Sandpiper & Avocets on the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool: Not much in the blustery conditions, though a Sedge Warbler was singing, as were Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers and Cetti's Warblers, and a pair of Gadwall were on the water. (AH)

Gadwall on the Long Pool (AH)

Church Norton: A Hooded Crow was present on Norton Spit late morning at least. (IL).

Otherwise fairly quiet, but there was a Common Redstart by the Severals and a flock of Linnets at the start of the beach path. (BI)

Redstart (above) & Linnet at Church Norton (BI)

Chi GPs: Ivy Lake: Not much on the water but along the path was a Sedge Warbler in full voice; also nine Chiffchaffs, a Willow Warbler, four Blackcaps (three male & a female), five Cetti's Warblers and a Speckled Wood butterfly. (BI)

 Blackcap and Chiffchaff at Ivy Lake (BI)

Medmerry: East side - This afternoon there were 24 Brent Geese, a Great Crested Grebe and a Bar-tailed Godwit present. (PH)

West Side - Around the Stilt Pool his afternoon there were a Little Gull, six adult Mediterranean Gulls, a Common Tern, seven Sandwich Tern, the over-wintered Common Sandpiper, 11 Little Ringed Plovers, a Ringed Plover and two Dunlin. (PH)