Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 20th

Sunday, 22nd May: Fairly pleasant with hazy cloud and sun, and a light mainly westerly breeze...

Selsey Bill: They think it's all over.....well maybe, or maybe not, but other than an Arctic Skua going east and a late Black Redstart in Bill House garden, there wasn't much to suggest any passage was going on. A good search of the aforementioned garden and surrounding area (and a seed top-up) again failed to find any sight nor sound of the Serin..... could it have gone, or is it still lurking around in a Selsey garden somewhere? Time will tell. Full log below........

0530-1030hrs: (Obs: SH/AH/OM/IP et al)

Great Northern Diver -1os

Fulmar - 1E, 1W

Gannet - 15E, 8W

Little Egret - 1W

Shelduck - 7E

Whimbrel - 1E

Sanderling - 13E

Sparrowhawk - 1 gardens/beach

Little Tern - 17os

Common Tern - 35os

Sandwich Tern - 15os

Arctic Skua - 1E (l/p)

Swift - 8 area

Swallow - 2 area

House Martin - c.20 Bill House area, collecting mud/nest building in Solent Way

Black Redstart - 1 Bill House garden

Common (above) and Little Terns on the beach at the Bill and Black Redstart Bill House area (SH)

Common Terns (above), House Martin & something strange in Grafton Road (AH)

Ferry Pool: This morning there were two Avocets, four Black-tailed Godwits, four Redshank, two Gadwall and ten Shelduck on the pool. (AH/OM)

Gadwall on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: In the harbour there was a mix of Ringed Plover, Dunlin and Sanderling on the rising tide, plus a few Little and Common Terns, and a flock of around ten Whimbrel came up and went back down at the far end of the harbour. A Cuckoo was calling from beyond the Severals, where a few Reed and Sedge Warblers, plus a couple of Reed Buntings were singing, a few singing Blackcaps, Whitethroats and Chiffchaffs were widely spread and half a dozen Sandwich Terns and a couple of Great Crested Grebes were offshore.

At Park Farm, Selsey, the Lesser Whitethroat was singing well, a Sparrowhawk went over and up to a dozen Swallows and House Martins were around the buildings. (AH/IP/S&SaH)

Blackcap (above) & Whitethroat at Church Norton (SH)

Sandwich Terns at Church Norton (above) & Sparrowhawk over Park Farm (AH)

North Wall: A Short-eared Owl hunting around the Breach Pool area at 5.30pm this evening. (D. Hiller per SOS)
Medmerry (west): This afternoon there were at least 20 Avocet chicks about the Stilt Pool, along with a family of 10+ Shelduck-lings, around half a dozen Little Ringed Plovers, two Redshank, two Gadwall and two Little Terns, whilst on the big pool opposite there was a single, smart summer-plumaged Grey Plover. There were plenty of Skylarks along the banks, a few Swallows over, and several newly fledged Meadow Pipits about, too. (S&SaH/AH)

Avocet chicks (top SH) (above),Grey Plover & Shelduck family at Medmerry (AH)

Saturday, 21st May: A grey, if mild day, with a strong southerly bringing the threat of rain......

Selsey Bill: Not much on the move offshore - though a Pomarine Skua on the sea was a surprise, but otherwise just the usual Gannets, a few terns offshore and a Great Northern Diver offshore.

(0515-0800hrs) (SH/JA/IP/AH)

Great Northern Diver - 1os

Fulmar - 2W
Gannet - 36E, 44W
Little Egret - 2E, 1W

Common Scoter - 5E

Ringed Plover - 2W

Pomarine Skua - 1os (seen at 0618 & 0635hrs)

Kittiwake - 1E

Sandwich Tern - 6os
Little Tern - 6os
Common Tern - 3os
auk sp - 3W

Swallow - 1N

Also two Whitethroats and a Red-legged Partridge were in the gardens (CRJ)

Fulmar (above), Gannets & Sandwich Tern at the Bill (AH)

(1515-1700) (SH)

Great Northern Diver - 1os
Gannet - 19E, 3W

Little Egret 2ob

Eider 1os

Sparrowhawk - 1 in Bill House garden (so beware of putting seed out for the Serin!)
Sandwich Tern - 13os
Common Tern - 8os

Ferry Pool: Two Gadwall, two Shelduck and two Redshank were on the pool, whilst around the cycleway a Nightingale was singing intermittently and there were plenty of Whitethroats and a couple of Chiffchaffs singing as well. Up to five Whimbrel were out in the channel, too. (AH)

Whitethroat near Ferry (AH)

This afternoon there were five Avocets, three Black-tailed Godwits, the two Gadwall, four Redshank and eight Shelduck on the pool. (AH)

Avocet and Shelduck (above), Redshank & Gadwall on the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool: A Yellowhammer was on the cultivated fields, as were a couple of Lapwings, a couple of Gadwall flew about, the usual selection of Reed and sedge Warblers and Whitethroats were singing along the pool and an Avocet and and a new family of Mute Swans were in ferry Channel. (AH)

Yellowhammer (above), Avocet & Mute Swan family from Long Pool (AH)

North Wall: Two Little Ringed Plovers and (briefly) an Avocet were on the Breech Pool. this morning. (P&JW)

Church Norton: There were plenty of Little Terns in the harbour - including eleven together on the island at one point, with more offshore, and similar of Common and Sandwich Tern, too. Also in the harbour were three or four Sanderling in with 50+ Ringed Plover and 20+ Dunlin, a couple of Mediterranean Gulls and a Peregrine was on the island before departing again, seemingly fed up with being harried by Oystercatchers.

There were at least four Gannets offshore, but passerines were thin on the ground, though at least one Cuckoo was calling regularly, mostly from the Priory Wood area. (AH)

Little Tern & Mediterranean Gull (above), Ringed Plover, Peregrine & Sandwich and Common Terns at Church Norton (AH)

Friday, 20th May: Mainly dry and cloudy at first, with a moderate W/SW wind and sunny intervals developing through the morning.....

Selsey Bill: Frustratingly, after yesterday's show, there was no sign of the Serin in the Bill House garden this morning up till 10.35am at least. A Reed Warbler there was unusual, but sea-passage was slight, with just a few Gannets, Sandwich and Common Terns and a couple of Great Northern Divers. Full log below......
0630-1015hrs: (C&ME/AH/BI et al)

Great Northern Diver - 1W, 2os
Great Crested Grebe - 2W
Fulmar - 2W

Gannet - 38E, 19W

Common Scoter - 3E

Sanderling - 4W

auk sp - 2E

Little Tern - 3os

Common Tern - 2E

Commic Tern - 3E

Sandwich Tern- 17os

Kittiwake - 2W

Swallow - 5N
Reed Warbler - 1 in Bill House garden

Ferry Pool: Just three Black-tailed Godwits, two Redshank and a Shelduck this morning. (AH)

Black-tailed Godwits on the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: A Little Ringed Plover was on the Breach Pool this morning. (PC)

Church Norton: There were still at least ten Little Terns around the island, with similar of Common Tern at high tide, whilst earlier on a mixed flock of c80 Ringed Plover, 30 Dunlin and six Sanderling were out on the mud.

There was a big flock of c40 Sandwich Terns, c20 Common Terns, with the odd Little Tern passing through, off the beach by the second Several, and at one point three or four Gannets joined them, barely fifty yards off the beach. Also, there were two Great Crested Grebes on the sea.

Two Cuckoos were calling, one by the Severals and one along the west side, and a Lesser Whitethroat was singing near the hide but generally it was quiet. (AH)