25th - 27th April 2016

Wednesday, 27th April: Less windy than yesterday, but a frost to start with and still chilly out of the sun. Cloud building during the day with the odd few spots of rain but remaining annoyingly cool due to the fresh NW wind.....

Selsey Bill: Once again the most interesting thing offshore was the gathering of Little and Common Terns feeding over the bar, though they were further out this morning. A couple of Bonxies lingered far out then moved east, a few Gannets and Fulmars went west, several Whimbrels dropped in and a couple of Great Northern Divers were on the sea, but that was about it. A female Redstart, 3 Chiffchaffs and a couple of Willow Warblers in the Bill House garden hinted at migration, but further evidence was hard to find! Full log below....

0545-1100hrs: (Obs: JF/ML/C&ME/OM/AH)

Red-throated Diver - 1E

Great Northern Diver - 2os

Fulmar - 3W

Gannet - 5E, 51W

Common Scoter - 9E

Sanderling - 1E

Whimbrel -3E, 5W

Little Tern - 48 fishing os, later drifted away mainly E

Common Tern - 15E, 32 fishing os, later drifted E

Sandwich Tern - 19E

Great Skua - 2E

Swift - 3N

Yellow Wagtail - 1N

Chiffchaff - 4 gardens

Willow Warbler - 2 gardens

Whitethroat - 1 gardens

Redstart - 1 gardens

Redstart (above), Willow Warbler, Whimbrel & Little Tern at the Bill (AH)

  

Also 1600-1700hrs: (SH)  An hour this afternoon produced just the following.....

Gannet - 8E, 9W

Little Tern - 3os

Sandwich Tern - 2 os

Great Skua - 1E

Dell Quay: A picture on the 'Mad About Dogs' Facebook page shows a Hoopoe on the lawn of their property, opposite the Dell Quay turning on the A286, with a request for identification. One that got away! (AH)

Hoopoe at Dell Quay (Anon)

Church Norton: Again very quiet, though there were three Lesser Whitethroats spread along the front, a couple of Reed Warblers and more Sedge Warblers in the Severals, one or two Chiffchaffs about and half a dozen Blackcaps around the hawthorn blossom by the Mound. Save a handful of Whimbrel and Shelduck, the harbour was devoid of life, though a pair of Gadwall sat on the beach by the first Several was unusual. Also the Sparrowhawks were displaying over Priory Wood, a family of Coots was on the second Several and a couple of Mediterranean Gulls passed through. (AH)

Blackcap (above), Gadwall, Mediterranean Gull & family of Coots at Church Norton (AH)

Ferry Pool/Long Pool: The Barn Owl was at Ferry Corner again at 5.30am. (SH)

Just a Shelduck and a Redshank on the Ferry, but along the channel there were still a Spotted Redshank, a Common Sandpiper, eight Greenshank and a dozen Whimbrel.

No change along the Long Pool, with plenty of warblers, including two Lesser Whitethroats, in song. (AH)

Lesser Whitethroat (above), Whitethroat, Common Sandpiper & Greenshanks from the Long Pool (AH)

  

North Wall: Not much happening along the Wall today but still vastly better than the last few days, though apart from a Little Egret there were no birds on White's Creek! Water levels are low on the Breech Pool where there were a few Mallard and eight Teal plus 86 Black-tailed Godwits and a lone Common Sandpiper. The 86 Godwits have been there since Friday and are, I guess, reluctant to set off for Iceland into a northerly wind. Reed and Sedge Warblers were singing and displaying this morning and there were 3 Whitethroats along the Wall, plus seven  Whimbrel on the mud in front of Owl Copse. Reed Warblers are now all the way along Pagham Rife up to the pumping station, whilst Mute Swans are nesting on the Breech Pool and the harbour end of Bremere Rife. Sadly, a Fox was seen carrying what looked like a Moorhen. (JDW)

 Suspect-in-chief the Fox at the North Wall, minus its prey... Moorhens beware! (JDW)

East side: Arriving at the North Wall around noon, I was unable to add to JDW's report in any meaningful way, so decided to walk down the East side. Unfortunately it was also quiet, with little of interest, the only birds of any note being 10 Whimbrel with a Curlew, two Great Crested Grebes in the channel and 5 Whitethroats, a Lesser Whitethroat and several Chiffchaffs in the hedgerows. (OM)

Warner Lane Paddocks: Just a Linnet and two Whitethroats to report. (AH)

Northcommon Farm to Chainbridge: Very quiet here, too, with just single Lesser Whitethroat and Sedge Warbler, a few Whitethroats and Chiffchaffs, and a handful of Linnets and Reed Buntings to be found. (AH)

Ivy Lake: A quick tea-time look produced c35 Common Terns, many hudreds of Swallows and lesser numbers of House Martins and Sand Martins, whilst a Sedge Warbler and a Cett's Warbler made their presence known near the road. (AH)

Swallow over Ivy Lake (AH)

Medmerry: Porthole Farm - The pair of Grey Partridges were in exactly the same roadside site as last week, keeping low and motionless in the crop, and they had scarcely moved forty minutes later. A pair of Red-legged Partridges and a pair of Pheasants in the same small field completed the set, but there wasn't much else beyond 100 or so Swallows and a few House Martins low over the fields and half a dozen Stock Doves. (AH)

Grey Partridges at Medmerry (AH)

Tuesday, 26th April: A cool, bright and breezy morning with some cloud and a fresh to strong NW wind - never usually a recipe for a good sea-watch on the South Coast - with the prospect of heavy showers by afternoon. Generally changeable conditions with a cold wind from the NW quarter look set to dominate until the weekend at least, on what should be one of the prime birding weeks of the year, so we can only hope that a window of opportunity for some decent passage will appear soon......

Selsey Bill: Nothing really moving again, but there was a notable feeding flock of 50+ Little Terns and similar of Common Terns close off the beach, along with a few lingering Sandwich Terns, a Bonxie, a Great Northern Diver and a few Gannets were further offshore and three Yellow Wagtails flew in. Full log below.....

0615-1015hrs:  (Obs: C&ME/AH/TR/C&JM et al)
Great Northern Diver - 2E, 1os
Gannet - 23E, 16W
Shelduck - 2E, 3W
Common Scoter - 3E
Curlew - 1W
Whimbrel - 3E, 4W
Bar-tailed Godwit - 4W
Little Tern - 56 os fishing, later drifted E
Common Tern - 48 os fishing, later drifted E
Commic Tern - 10E
Sandwich Tern - 9E
Great Skua - 1W
Yellow Wagtail - 3N  

       

Little Terns (above), Sandwich Tern & Common Tern at the Bill (AH)

Also 1640 to 1800: (SH)
Gannet - 40E, 1W
Hobby - 1N (1740)
Little Tern - 3os
Commic Tern - 2E
Common Tern - 3E
Sandwich Tern - 2E
Great Skua - 2E
Auk sp - 3E  

Ferry Pool: Just three Avocets on the pool this morning. (AH) 
The Nightingale was singing intermittently and even briefly showed along the cycleway early this morning. (TR)
A Barn Owl was at Ferry corner at 0530 (SH) and 0605 (C&ME)    

Medmerry (west side): On the Stilt pools this afternoon there were 12 Little Terns roosting, a single Yellow Wagtail and a Wheatear on the beach.(PH)

Long Pool: There were two Common Sandpipers and a total of twelve Greenshank along Ferry Channel this morning, along with 30+ Whimbrel and similar of Redshank. Along the hedges and reeds the usual selection of warblers were singing, including the two Lesser Whitethroats and several Whitethroats, whilst there were three drake Gadwall on the water. (AH)

Greenshanks (above), Common Sandpiper, Sedge Warbler & Chiffchaff from Long Pool (AH)

Whitethroat (above) & Roe Deer from Long Pool (M. Rose)

This evening a Spotted Redshank was in Ferry Channel, along with most of this mornings birds. (AH)

Spotted Redshank and Greenshank (above), Spotted Redshank, Greenshank and Redshank, Greenshank and Redshank, Greenshank & Common Sandpiper along Ferry Channel (AH)

Church Norton: Still dead! A few Whimbrel, Shelduck and Oystercatchers were in the harbour, along with six Dunlin and the two Peregrines on their island, the Cuckoo called occasionally, as did the odd Chiffchaff, Whitethroat and Blackcap. (AH)

Whitethroat at Church Norton (AH)


 

Monday, 25th April: A really cold, grey and miserable day, with a strong westerly and the odd heavy shower....

Selsey Bill: Nothing was moving eastwards, though a Merlin in from far out to sea was an unexpected bonus. A Bonxie, seven Fulmars and a steady flow of Gannets went west, two Great Northern Divers and the odd Little, Common and Sandwich Tern were offshore, but just a Whitethroat and a couple of Chiffchaffs were in the gardens. Full log below...
0600-1000hrs: (Obs: CN/OM/AH et al)
Great Northern Diver - 2os
Fulmar - 7W
Gannet - 21E, 102W
Manx Shearwater - 1W
Brent Goose - 47E
Common Scoter - 8E
Turnstone - 17W
Oystercatcher - 4E
auk sp - 1E, 13W
Little Tern - 1E, 2os
Sandwich Tern - 8E, 3W
Great Skua - 1os later flew W
Merlin - 1N (0810hrs)
Pied Wagtail - 1p
Yellow Wagtail - 2N
Sand Martin - 1N
Swift - 1N
Chiffchaff - 2 gardens
Willow Warbler - 2 gardens
Whitethroat - 1 gardens
Linnet - 5N

Great Northern Diver (above), Gannet & Whitethroat at the Bill (AH)

Little Tern at the Bill (BI)

Also: 1000-1400hrs: (IL)

Red-throated Diver - 2E

Great Northern Diver - 1W
Gannet - 27E, 44W

Fulmar - 1E, 1W
Common Scoter - 13E
Dunlin - 100W
Bar-tailed Godwit - 1W
Turnstone - 14ob, 30W
auk sp - 2E, 4W
Little Tern - 6E, 30W, 2os
Common Tern - 5W
Sandwich Tern - 10E, 14W
Common Gull - 1W
Arctic Skua - 1E (d/p)
Great Skua - 2E, 3W (probably 2-3 os)
Swift - 2N
Swallow - 4N
Linnet - 22N

(1400-1500hrs) No sea passage to speak of, but a Hobby in off the sea at 1440, and also a swift in. (CN) 

Long Pool: A typically frustrating male Pied Flycatcher was along the hedges this morning, but quickly disappeared. There was plenty of song, including a Reed Warbler and several Sedge Warblers, two Lesser Whitethroats and a Willow Warbler, whilst in Ferry Channel there was a Common Sandpiper, at least six Greenshank and 25 Whimbrel, but no Spotted Redshanks this morning. There were also a pair of Gadwall, two pairs of Shoveler and two pairs of Teal present. (AH/OM)

Greenshank (above), Greenshank, Common Sandpiper and Redshank, Linnet & Wren from Long Pool (AH)

Medmerry: Stilt Pools - The first-summer Little Gull was still present and there were also five Little Terns present. (PH)

Ivy Lake complex: There were hundreds of hirundines surface-feeding on the lakes, mainly House Martins and Swallows with the occasional Sand Martin. Around 20 Swifts were at Copse Lake, the male Red-crested Pochard was out in the middle of West Lake and Ivy Lake held 12 Common Terns and a Black Swan. Blackcaps were plentiful, a handful of Whitethroats were about and Sedge Warblers were heard. (SR)

Ferry Pool: Just two Avocets and a Shelduck early on, and later not a bird! (AH/OM)

Church Norton: A Cuckoo was calling well from Priory Wood, but otherwise just the odd Blackcap, Chiffchaff or Wren broke the quiet, whilst in the harbour there was not much more than a dozen scattered Whimbrel and Shelduck. (AH)

Quite a number of Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps around the blossom near the mound this afternoon, six Brent Geese still in the harbour, also at least seven Whimbrel along the shoreline. (BI)

Whimbrel at Church Norton (AH)

Selsey - Warner Lane: Two Lesser Whitethroats and a Common Whitethroat were the only migrants, with a pair of Red-legged Partridges and 2 Pied Wagtails in the paddocks.(OM)

Chichester Marina: Not much to report; on the marsh there were single pairs of Teal and Shelduck, two singing Reed Warblers, two Cetti's Warblers and a few Swallows, whilst a couple of Blackcaps, and two each of Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler were singing from the hedgerows where a pair of Long-tailed Tits were nesting. Also a flock of 10 adult Mediterranean Gulls circled high over the marsh, calling loudly before drifting away. (OM)

Birdham Pool: Nothing unusual on the pool, where four pairs of Tufted Duck, a pair of Gadwall and a pair of Shelduck were accompanied by several nesting Coots and Moorhens, 6 Little Grebes and a single Great Crested Grebe. In the trees and hedges a Blackcap, a Willow Warbler and a Chiffchaff were singing and a Great Spotted Woodpecker was present. (OM)

Des. res. for a nesting Coot on Birdham Pool (OM)