10th - 12th June 2016

Sunday, 12th June: Mainly cloudy with rain through much of the morning - including the risk of some heavy downpours - and a fresh S/SW wind, marking a change from the warm, dry and fairly humid conditions of the last week or so....

Selsey Bill: The change in weather conditions failed to produce much on the birding front in a two and a half hour watch early this morning.... a dozen Common Scoter and the usual small numbers of feeding terns offshore being the highlights!
0600-0830hrs:  (Obs: SH/AH)
Fulmar - 2W
Gannet - 12E, 12W
Common Scoter - 12W
Little Tern - 3os

Common Tern - 12os
Sandwich Tern - 17os
Swift - 3p
House Martin - 12p

Common Tern (above) & Sandwich Tern past the Bill (AH)

(1545-1800hrs) (SR/SH)

Fulmar - 1E, 2W
Gannet - 11E, 1W

Kestrel - 1p

Arctic Skua  1E (d/p)

Kittiwake - 3W
Sandwich Tern - 2E, 2W, 4os
Common Tern - 2W, 5os

Ferry Pool: The rain brought a few more birds onto the pool, including the first two fledged young Avocets, along with two adults, eight Redshank, eight Shelduck and a couple of Lapwing. (AH)

Juvenile Avocet (above), Avocet and Redshanks & Shelducks on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: Not much to report in the wind and rain, though a Blackcap, a Chiffchaff and a Song Thrush were all singing enthusiastically around the car-park, but in the harbour there were just four Curlew, half a dozen Ringed Plovers and one or two Little and Common Terns around the island. (AH)

Blackcap (above), Song Thrush & Curlew at Church Norton (AH)

Later on a Buzzard and a Cuckoo were in Priory Wood, at least a dozen Little and Common Terns were busy around Tern Island, a few Sandwich Terns were offshore and a Hobby was at Park Farm, Selsey. (S&SaH)

Halsey's Farm to the North Wall: Just one Spotted Redshank was roosting on the Breech Pool this evening, along with 15 Black-tailed Godwits and four Teal. A couple of Common Terns were feeding along the pool and Owl Water, and a few Reed Warblers, Sedge Warblers and Whitethroats were about but keeping low.

There was not too much around Halsey's Farm bar a Chiffchaff and a couple of Whitethroats, plus a distantly calling Cuckoo. (AH)

Spotted Redshank and Black-tailed Godwit (above), with Black-headed Gull, Black-tailed Godwit & Common Terns from North Wall (AH)

Saturday, 11th June: Another pleasant and fairly warm, if dull, day after a drizzly start.....

Selsey Bill: A big surprise on a quiet morning was a Long-tailed Duck (probably a first-summer drake) on the sea before going off west. Not much else though, with just a few Gannets and terns offshore. Full log below.... (SH)
(0630-0800hrs):
Fulmar - 1E, 1W
Gannet - 4E, 2W
Long-tailed Duck - 1os then W
Sandwich Tern - 12os
Common Tern - 1os
Little Tern - 1os
Swallow - 1p
Swift - 8p
House Martin - 12p

Long-tailed Duck off the Bill (SH)

Bill gardens: 1 Pied Wagtail E, 1 Little Egret E, 6 Sandwich Terns os, a pair of House Martins nest building in Marine Gardens, 16 Swifts overhead, 2 families of Herring Gull nearby and this curious Herring Gull with a missing foot. (SR)

One-legged Herring Gull at the Bill (SR)

Ferry Pool: Just two Avocets, two Redshank and a Lapwing on the pool this morning as the water level continues to drop. (AH)

North Wall: "Yesterday's posting on the Selsey blog of one [Spotted Redshank] sent me today down to the Breech Pool, Pagham Harbour where, at 10 am, I found two Spotted Redshanks roosting alongside 13 Black-tailed Godwits. The Spotted Redshanks were both as black as ink from head to tail with silver chequerdot on mantle and wings, their legs black-red and their bills black and red and quite frankly they were fantastic! They had gone by my return at midday. (I have read in the Collins guide that females come S from their breeding grounds as early as June, so guess they were both females, pic attached). Otherwise here were 10 Teal and a Cuckoo singing non-stop." (ARK per SOS website)

Two Spotted Redshanks with Black-tailed Godwit at the Breech Pool (ARK - per SOS website)

Medmerry (Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool): A Cuckoo was near Easton Farm, there were plenty of Reed Warblers along the ditches and plenty of Yellowhammers, Skylarks, Swallows and several Reed Buntings and Whitethroats along the banks, plus a few Stock Doves and a Green Woodpecker, whilst a Greenshank was calling out on the reserve.

At the Stilt Pool there were still 10+ Avocet chicks, with more on the reserve, at least half a dozen Little Ringed Plovers, a pair of Redshank and a single Dunlin, with a few scattered Lapwing present, too. There were two families of Canada Geese and one of Mute Swan, and Meadow Pipits were seen carrying food., but as a reminder of how quickly the seasons turn for the birds, two Sand Martins went over east. (AH)

Yellowhammers (above), Skylark, Reed Bunting, Swallow, Cuckoo, Little Ringed Plover & Avocets at Medmerry (AH)

Church Norton: There were newly fledged Whitethroats and Long-tailed Tits at Park Farm, and 25 Swifts were overhead. There were two Cuckoos around the Severals and a few Little and Common Terns around the island and four Kestrels were in the area. (S&SaH)
A Gadwall was on the second Several this evening. (IP)

Whitethroat (above), Starling & Peacock caterpillars at Church Norton (SH)

Sidlesham: concrete road from the Church - towards Marsh Farm - (S&SaH)

Buzzard - 3

Kestrel - 1

Reed Warbler - 5 singing

Whitethroat - 10+

Blackcap - 1

Chiffchaff - 1
Yellowhammer - 6

Reed Bunting - 6
(also 5 Brown Hares)

 Nice habitat along the concrete road from Sidlesham church, and Common Buzzard (SH)

Friday, 10th June: Not a bad day, but cooler and greyer than of late, with an easterly breeze.....

Selsey Bill: A morning which felt like the summer doldrums were beginning, with not much moving offshore - just a few Gannets, Common Scoter, Sandwich and Common Terns, though there were quite a few Swifts about over the houses. Full log below.....

(0700-1030hrs):   (Obs: C&ME/OM/JA/SR/AH)
Fulmar - 2W
Gannet - 13E, 8W
Little Egret - 1os
Common Scoter - 3E
Sparrowhawk - 1 gardens/beach
Little Tern - 1os
Common Tern - 5os
Sandwich Tern - 12os
Swift - 16+ area (presumed some local breeders)
House Martin - 12+ still mud collecting (thanks to SR topping up their dried puddle!)

Sandwich Tern (above) & Common Scoter at the Bill (AH)

East Beach: I put some mango out for the Seychelles Black Parrot and it came down for it. The bird is still in the alley at East Beach, and this is the first time I've seen it come down for food and it was fairly close. (SR)

Seychelles Black Parrot at Selsey (SR)

Halsey's Farm to the North Wall: Best bird of the morning was a summer-plumaged Spotted Redshank on the Breech Pool - probably the first returning migrant of the year. Also on the pool were a Little Ringed Plover, a dozen Black-tailed Godwits, eight Teal, four Shelduck and eight Tufted Ducks, a few Swifts and Swallows were overhead, and a Curlew was in White's Creek. There were plenty of Reed Warblers and a couple of Sedge Warblers in the reeds and a few Linnets and a couple of Reed Buntings were in the bushes, plus a Cuckoo was calling at the back..
Also, a couple of Reed Buntings, a Lesser Whitethroat and a couple of Reed Warblers and Whitethroats were along the hedges and ditches of Halseys Farm. (AH/PC/OM)
Additionally, around White's Creek/East side there were 3 Stock Doves and 55 Lapwings on the mud... the latter presumably post-breeding or perhaps failed breeding birds? (OM)

Spotted Redshank (above), Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Black-tailed Godwits, Teal and Black-tailed Godwit, Curlew & Whitethroat around North Wall (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were four Avocets, two Redshank and a Lapwing on the pool, though the hedges around the Tramway were quiet, with little song early on, though a Lesser Whitethroat and the odd Whitethroat, Blackcap and Chiffchaff piped up occasionally, as did a distant Cuckoo. (AH/OM)

Lapwing (above) & Avocet on Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: Despite the gloom this evening, a Cuckoo was calling and a Blackcap and a Chiffchaff were singing near the Mound, whilst in the harbour there were a dozen Little and Common Terns around the island , plus half a dozen Sandwich Terns ands eight Turnstones in the vicinity. (AH)

Blackcap (above) & Grey Heron at Church Norton (AH)