7th - 9th June 2016

Thursday, 9th June: A lovely bright and breezy day, after a surprisingly cold and foggy start....

Selsey Bill: Quiet again, though a Red-throated Diver offshore was an unseasonal surprise, but otherwise there were just the odd Gannet east and a few Sandwich Terns offshore. Full log below.... (C&ME/PC)
0700-1100hrs:  (the first hour wasted by murky conditions!)  (Obs: C&ME/PC)
Red-throated Diver - 1 os   
Great Crested Grebe - 1W
Fulmar - 2W
Gannet - 28E, 3W
Little Egret - 2E
Little Tern - 5os
Common Tern - 2os                       
Sandwich Tern - 12os                   
Swallow - 2p
Swift - 1 over

 moulting summer-plumaged Red-throated Diver at the Bill (CE)

Ivy Lake: What is presumably the pair of Egyptian Geese that were around earlier in the spring re-surfaced this morning with four well-grown youngsters in tow in the water-skiers area by the Selsey Road. Where they have been hiding is not known, but this is almost certainly the first time the species has bred on the peninsula. (AB)
This evening a Hobby was overhead. (SH)

Egyptian Goose family (above) & juvenile at Ivy Lake (AB)

Church Norton: It was hard to see a lot in the murk early on, but a couple of Mediterranean Gulls were upsetting the Little and Common Terns on the island as they repeatedly tried to land. There were a couple more on the beach, along with another unseasonal bird in the form of a drake Teal, and c20 Common Terns feeding offshore, but the only waders present were a few Ringed Plovers. A Cuckoo was calling well behind the Severals, but it was quiet otherwise, save a Chiffchaff and a Blackcap singing occasionally. (AH)

Teal (above) & Mediterranean Gull at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry (East): A walk from Northcommon Farm to Chainbridge and the Breach was fairly unproductive, though there were plenty of Skylarks and a few Linnets, Reed Buntings and Whitethroats along the way, plus a few Swallows and a couple of Swifts over. There was very little around the Breach, with a single Grey Plover being the only wader evident. (AH)

Skylarks (above), Grey Plover, Linnet, Reed Bunting & Whitethroat at Medmerry (AH)

Wednesday, 8th June: Humid and warm again, with sunny periods and a light variable breeze, but also with thundery cloud and the risk of an odd downpour.....

Selsey Bill (0700-1000hrs): (Obs: SR/C&ME).  A very slow morning with low tide and poor visibility. It's that time of year when things often go awfully quiet and observer interest drops off, though at least some coverage was achieved today by a valiant trio of observers..... Log below: 
Gannet - 10E, 3W
Little Egret - 1ob
Little Tern - 1os
Common Tern - 3os
Sandwich Tern - 12os
Swift - 6os
House Martin - c20 local birds
Whitethroat - 1gardens
Greenfinch - a family present in garden

Church Norton: A 45-minute visit produced nothing out of the ordinary, but there were 20 Shelduck, 3 Little Egrets, 14 Ringed Plover, 5 Curlew and 6 Dunlin around the harbour, plus a few Little, Common and Sandwich Terns. Around the bushes 3 Chiffchaffs and a Song Thrush were singing and a Great Spotted Woodpecker was calling. (C&ME) 

There was not much to add this evening, though there were six Mediterranean Gulls along the beach, and a few Linnets, Reed Warblers, a Sedge Warbler and a Reed Bunting along the Severals. (AH)

Mediterranean Gulls (above) & Linnet at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry (west side): A Greenshank was on the stilt pool this morning (where yesterday two Bar-headed Geese were with eight Canada Geese), whilst further out into the site were a Whimbrel, two Teal and two Shoveler. (PH)

North Wall: This morning there was a Little Ringed Plover, 19 Lapwings and 12 Black-tailed Godwits on the Breech Pool, a Sparrowhawk went over and a Cuckoo was calling continuously nearby. (PC)

Ferry Pool: Just a Lapwing, a Redshank and two Shelducks on the pool early this morning, and fairly quiet around the Tramway, save one or two Whitethroats, Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs. (AH)

Whitethroat (above), Chiffchaff & Lapwing around Ferry (AH)

Tuesday, 7th June: Sunny, warm and quite sultry, with a light and variable breeze, but the risk of heavy thundery downpours later.....

Selsey Bill: Quiet again, though 30 Common Scoter and a few Gannets went east and the odd Little, Common and Sandwich Tern were feeding offshore, with a few Swifts and the usual House Martins also about. (C&ME/DF/JD/DS/AH)
0730-1000:  (Obs: DF/AH/C&ME/SR et al)
Gannet - 19E,4W
Little Egret  - 1W
Common Scoter -  30E
Little Tern - 4os
Common Tern - 5os
Sandwich Tern - 12os
Swift - 9os                 
House Martin - 12p, local birds   
   

House Martin (above) & a very low tide at the Bill (AH)

East Beach: The Seychelles Black Parrot was perched in a small Ash tree in the alley this evening, happily chomping its way through the leaves, littering the path with broken stems. Along the beach 12 Little Terns flew west close in and 4 House Martins were overhead. (SR)

North Wall: Still very quiet along the Wall. On White's Creek were a pair of Mute Swans and 4 cygnets but very little else. The Breech Pool held 9 Black-tailed Godwits, 4 Lapwing, 6 Tufted Ducks, 3 Teal, 2 Gadwall and 20 plus Mallard, whilst Cetti's, Reed and Sedge Warblers were all very vocal. Cuckoos were busy along Pagham Rife; there were 2 males (possibly 3) and a female - bad news for the local warblers! The Buzzards now have at least 2 very downy chicks in the nest and the adults were busy seeing off the crows. Not a thing on Honer reservoir, but Whitethroats were feeding young all along Honer Lane. Painted Lady butterflies were very apparent this morning. The hedgerows are filling up with Red Campion and Ox Eye Daisies. (JDW)

 North Wall: Black-tailed Godwit, Painted Lady and Red Campion (JDW)

Church Norton: There was still plenty of Little, Sandwich and Common Tern activity both in the harbour and offshore, but not much else to report. A dozen Ringed Plovers, a Curlew and c30 Shelduck were in the harbour, four Mediterranean Gulls went over, a Cuckoo was by the concrete wall and a Lesser Whitethroat, a couple of Blackcaps and a couple of Chiffchaffs were in the hedges, and a Song Thrush was busy smashing up a snail in the car-park. (AH)

Little Tern (above), Little, Sandwich and Common Terns, Cuckoo, Shelducks & a Song Thrush with a snail at Church Norton (AH)

Long Pool: Early this evening there were a pair of Great Crested Grebes with three very young chicks on the pool, along with the two families of Gadwall, plus the usual assortment of singing Reed, Sedge and Cetti's Warblers and up to ten Redshank in the channel. (AH)

Great Crested Grebes (above) & Gadwall ducklings on the Long Pool (AH)