Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 20th

Friday, 22nd July: Warm and rather humid, with sunshine and cloud and a light W/SW breeze, but also the risk of some thundery downpours later.....

A quick note from our score-keeper (IP) tells us that the total number of species seen at the halfway point of the year (ie until the end of June) is 196 - ahead of last year, but the count hasn't improved since!

Ferry Pool: There were two Common Sandpipers, the adult and juvenile Avocet, two Little Ringed Plovers, a single Black-tailed Godwit, the adult and six juvenile Shelduck and eight Teal present this morning. (AH)

Avocets (above), Little Ringed Plover & Common Sandpiper at the Ferry (AH)

Ferry Channel: The very 'spotted' moulting Spotted Redshank and a Greenshank were present again early on, plus at least five Common Sandpipers and c75 Redshank. (AH)

Spotted Redshank in Ferry Channel (AH)

Church Norton: The usual noisy gathering of Sandwich, Little and Common Terns were still in the harbour and offshore, but not much else of note beyond half a dozen Mediterranean Gulls and Whimbrel on the mud, a Great Spotted Woodpecker in the churchyard, a few Linnets by the first Several and 60+ Curlews on the beach. (AH)

Sandwich Terns (above), Sandwich Tern and Mediterranean Gulls, Common Tern, Linnet & Great Spotted Woodpecker at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane area - A quick look around the hedges failed to find any evidence of migration, though there were a couple of families of Whitethroats and a couple of singing Yellowhammers. (AH)

Whitethroat (above) & Yellowhammer at Medmerry (AH)

Sidlesham: Our garden still has two singing Chiffchaffs - one either side of the house, and around 30 Swifts went over this morning, with similar of Swallows about. (AH)

Chiffchaff in a Sidlesham garden (AH)

North Wall: On the rising tide this morning, seven Yellow-legged Gulls, all adults or near-adults, standing and lying far out from the Old Jetty in the estuarine vegetation, and a juvenile gull with them may well have been this species too, and on the central plateau there were some 50 Mediterranean Gulls. (ARK per SOS)

A fairly brief tea-time visit didn't produce a lot, but there were 28 Black-tailed Godwits and four Teal on the Breech Pool, a Common Sandpiper, a juvenile Redshank and c40 Lapwing in White's Creek and four Sand Martins and 20 Swallows over. (AH)

Black-tailed Godwit (above), with Starling & Lapwing from the North Wall (AH)

Thursday, 21st July: Still pleasantly warm, though not as hot as in recent days, but staying fine with sunshine, cloud and a moderate mainly westerly wind.....

Just a short note here to thank AH for holding the fort blog-wise during my second absence this month. We are not far off the three and a half year mark with the blog and still haven't missed a single daily posting - a feat due in no small part to my co-editor's dogged determination throughout. There will doubtless be a time in the future when we are both away and cannot meet this fairly arduous commitment....so we are beginning to scout around and consider the option of a third person to join the team in order to cover such contingencies. If you are moderately capable and want a daily commitment for no pay whatever....look out! (OM)

Ferry Channel: The Spotted Redshank and two Greenshank were in the channel this morning, early on, along with at least five Common Sandpipers and c60 Redshank. (AH)

Greenshank (above), Spotted Redshank & Common Sandpipers in Ferry Channel (AH)

Ferry Pool: Just two Common Sandpipers, two Avocets, six juvenile Shelducks and eight Teal on the pool this morning. (AH)

Later on there were also an adult with the six juvenile Shelduck, a Green Sandpiper, a Lapwing, a Black-headed Gull and singing Reed Warblers and a Blackcap. (SR)
Nearby, excitement at the Visitor centre when a Latin Moth was trapped overnight - a rare immigrant into the country (IL)

Common Sandpiper (above) & Teal on the Ferry (AH)

Latin Moth at the Visitor Centre (IL)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - Generally quite quiet in the cool westerly breeze, though there were still a few birds about, including two Green Sandpipers - one by the second sluice and one over the Stilt Pool, a scattering of Yellowhammers and Reed Buntings, and lots of Linnets, Skylarks and Meadow Pipits, with many juveniles of the latter about.

The Little Owl was on sentry duty in its usual spot at Marsh Farm and there were one or two Sedge Warblers, Reed Warblers, Whitethroats and Willow Warblers in the adjacent hedges.

The only waders on the Stilt Pool were just two Common Sandpipers and two Avocets, though 50+ Sand Martins and Swallows dropped into feed over the water, whilst out on the reserve there were just 30+ Mediterranean Gulls among the roost, plus a fox on the prowl. (AH)

Also the Buzzard was about, and at one stage appeared to fly into Marsh Barn! (T Roe)

This evening, the list included a Yellow-legged Gull and 100+ Mediterranean Gulls, three Green Sandpipers and a Greenshank at the first sluice, with a further three of the latter at the Stilt pools. Also around the Stilt pool area were two Common Sandpipers, a Little Ringed Plover, eight Sand Martins, six Swallows, a Buzzard and a Kestrel, several juvenile Lapwings and a juvenile Little Egret. A Sandwich Tern was offshore and several six-spot Burnet moths were present. (SH)

Little Owl (above), Meadow Pipit, Yellowhammer, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Fox, Swallow (AH) & Buzzard (T Roe) at Medmerry

Yellow-legged Gull (with Black-headed Gull), Six-spot Burnet moths and caterpillars at Medmerry (SH)

Chalder and Marsh Farm (Sidlesham): Swallows were very much in evidence with c150 around the barns and surrounding fields, also c30 House Martins and c20 Sand Martins. There were seven Curlews, nine Pied Wagtails, mainly juveniles, three Yellowhammers, two Whitethroats, 12 Long-tailed Tits, six Chiffchaffs, two Stock Doves and c350 Rooks out on the fields, plus a Buzzard, and an impressive eight Brown Hares. (SR)

Sidlesham Churchyard: Highlights were a Green Woodpecker, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Song Thrush feeding young. It's refreshing to see areas of the churchyard being left un-managed, creating some good habitat. (SR)

Wednesday, 20th July: A much greyer start, with a fresh breeze, muggy but cooler, though due to be hot and sunny again later....

Church Norton: Another very encouraging update on the status of the tern colony from warden Ivan Lang -

The effort of all the volunteers last winter has paid off with Tern Island probably the busiest it has ever been, with a few nesting on New Island, too.

To date there are -

13 pairs of Little Tern – min 9 fledged (including one from the spit) (AH)

3 pairs of Sandwich Tern – 3 fledged

16 pairs of Common Tern – min 9 fledged

58 pairs of Black-headed Gull – min 47 fledged

Little Tern (above) & Common Tern chicks at Church Norton (IL)

There was still plenty of Little, Common and Sandwich activity this morning, plus 28 Black-tailed Godwits, 12 Whimbrel and c30 Curlew and Redshank in the harbour, but a few Swallows, Goldfinches, Linnets and Greenfinches was about the total for passerines. (AH)

Whimbrel and Black-tailed Godwit (above), Linnet & Swallows at Church Norton (AH)

Selsey Bill: Very little moving despite the brisk south-westerly, with just a few Gannets, Common and Sandwich Terns, plus a couple of Little Terns, a Mediterranean Gulls and a Common Scoter to show. Full log below. (SR/AH)
(0730-0900hrs)

Gannet - 6E, 2W
Common Scoter - 1E
Mediterranean Gull - 1W
Little Tern - 2os
Sandwich Tern - 5E, 6W
Common Tern - 2os
House Martin - 3p

Ferry Channel: The Spotted Redshank and a Greenshank were in the channel again this morning, along with five Common Sandpipers and c30 Redshank, and 10 Lapwing flew up from the back. (AH)

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

Ferry Pool: There were 58 Redshank on the pool early on, along with 12 Black-tailed Godwits, two Little Ringed Plovers, two Avocets, nine Teal and six juvenile Shelduck, plus eight Mediterranean Guls flew over heading south. (AH)