Wednesday, 6th July: A slightly murky, but flat calm, start to the day, with the promise of a pleasant summer's day to follow....and a light mainly SW breeze later.
Ferry Pool: There were three Green Sandpipers and a Common Sandpiper around the pool this morning, along with a Redshank, five Black-tailed Godwits and four Shelduck. (AH)
Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - The Barn Owl was out hunting again early this morning and the Little Owl was sitting out at Marsh Farm, and there was a notable influx of 200 or so Sand Martins, with a few Swallows among them, sitting along the fences and feeding over the fields and pools.
Two Green Sandpipers were by the second sluice, two Avocets (the only ones I saw all morning) were on the mud by the poplars and there were a few Lapwings about, including the pair with a chick near Marsh Farm. On the Stilt Pool there were at least four Little Ringed Plovers and a Common Sandpiper, and there was a female Gadwall with eight very small ducklings, whilst out on the reserve there were a pair of Redshank and a family of half a dozen Shelduck.
There were plenty of Stock Doves, Skylarks, Linnets, Yellowhammers, Reed Buntings and Meadow Pipits along the way, as well as several families of Whitethroats and Reed Warblers. (AH)
A little later I visited Medmerry from Easton Lane car park. At the first sluice a pair of Moorhen with two new chicks, a juvenile Grey Heron, and by the Poplars four adult and two young Avocets, with Reed Warbler and Whitethroat singing.
I only got as far as the first viewing site and then turned back as the constant moving of tractors and agricultural machinery along the main track, some at high speed creating dust storms, made the walk a nightmare, if anyone is thinking of going over there I would give it a couple of days to let the dust settle. (CRJ)
Church Norton: I counted 16 Little Terns in a dread over Tern Island, and there was also a very young Sandwich Tern present with seven adults, along with seven Mediterranean Gulls, a Whimbrel and three Turnstones. (CRJ)
This evening there were at least a dozen Little Terns and 20 Common Terns around the island, and half a dozrn Sandwich Terns on the mud, including the afore-mentioned juvenile, nine Dunlin, 20 Curlews and a few Ringed Plovers, plus two Mediterranean Gulls and 15 Little Egrets on the beach. (AH)
Ferry Pool: There were three Green Sandpipers and a Common Sandpiper around the pool this morning, along with a Redshank, five Black-tailed Godwits and four Shelduck. (AH)
Green Sandpipers (above) & Common Sandpiper on Ferry (AH)
Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - The Barn Owl was out hunting again early this morning and the Little Owl was sitting out at Marsh Farm, and there was a notable influx of 200 or so Sand Martins, with a few Swallows among them, sitting along the fences and feeding over the fields and pools.
Two Green Sandpipers were by the second sluice, two Avocets (the only ones I saw all morning) were on the mud by the poplars and there were a few Lapwings about, including the pair with a chick near Marsh Farm. On the Stilt Pool there were at least four Little Ringed Plovers and a Common Sandpiper, and there was a female Gadwall with eight very small ducklings, whilst out on the reserve there were a pair of Redshank and a family of half a dozen Shelduck.
There were plenty of Stock Doves, Skylarks, Linnets, Yellowhammers, Reed Buntings and Meadow Pipits along the way, as well as several families of Whitethroats and Reed Warblers. (AH)
A little later I visited Medmerry from Easton Lane car park. At the first sluice a pair of Moorhen with two new chicks, a juvenile Grey Heron, and by the Poplars four adult and two young Avocets, with Reed Warbler and Whitethroat singing.
I only got as far as the first viewing site and then turned back as the constant moving of tractors and agricultural machinery along the main track, some at high speed creating dust storms, made the walk a nightmare, if anyone is thinking of going over there I would give it a couple of days to let the dust settle. (CRJ)
Barn Owl (above), Little Owl, Sand Martins, Whitethroat, Little Ringed Plover, Skylark, Lapwing chick & Gadwall at Medmerry (AH)
North Wall & East side: The Breech Pool had higher water levels again and was therefore predictably quiet; there were no waders mid-morning, just the usual gathering of moulting Mallards and Tufted Duck, with a couple of Little Egrets fishing and a single Grey Heron roosting. A couple of Reed Warblers, a Whitethroat and a Cetti's Warbler all gave snatches of song, then a couple of flocks of Sand Martins appeared, totalling 30+ birds which moved through in a generally easterly direction.
A Common Sandpiper was in White's creek, whilst further along the East side there were two actively-feeding Greenshanks, three Black-tailed Godwits and a dozen Redshanks. The proud pair of Mute Swans drifted by with their young and there were 20+ Curlews and a few Oystercatchers and Shelduck out on the saltmarsh and mudflats, plus several Common Terns in the channel. Quite a few Meadow Brown butterflies were on the wing, plus a Comma. (OM)
The proud pair of Mute Swans with cygnets on the East side channel and Comma butterfly (OM)
This evening there were at least a dozen Little Terns and 20 Common Terns around the island, and half a dozrn Sandwich Terns on the mud, including the afore-mentioned juvenile, nine Dunlin, 20 Curlews and a few Ringed Plovers, plus two Mediterranean Gulls and 15 Little Egrets on the beach. (AH)
Juvenile sandwich Tern (above), Common Terns & Dunlins at Church Norton (AH)
Selsey, Park farm area: At least 3 Green Woodpeckers this evening, but hirundine numbers were well down with just a dozen Swallows and 6 House Martins, all local birds. (SH)
Tuesday, 5th July: The unsettled conditions continue, with a cool, breezy and largely cloudy morning, though remaining dry.....
Selsey Bill (1710-1810hrs): (Obs: SH)
Gannet - 5E, 4W
Little Tern - 6os
Common Tern - 2E, 6W, 8os
Sandwich Tern - 2E, 7W
Mediterranean Gull - 1E, 1W
Sand Martin, 1S, 5p
Swallow - 1p
Park Farm, Selsey: This evening there were around 40 Sand Martins and Swallows over the fields, and two Sparrowhawks and a Great Spotted Woodpecker were in the vicinity. (S&SaH)
Ferry Pool: Still a bit of variety this morning - though not all the birds were present at the same time - including a Little Ringed Plover, a Common Sandpiper, four Redshank, an Avocet, 24 Black-tailed Godwits, four Teal and eight Shelduck, plus a Jay in the willows by the road. (AH)
Black-tailed Godwit (above) & Jay at the Ferry (AH)
Church Norton: Fairly uninspiring in the strong breeze, with the most unusual bird being a juvenile Stonechat along the path to the beach. Following on from one at Medmerry last week, it does raise the question of whether there has been a pair or more breeding unseen locally. Otherwise it was the usual selection of Little, Common and Sandwich Terns in the harbour, along with 20+ Curlew and a few Ringed Plovers, the singing Blackcap and Chiffchaff near the car-park, a few Linnets along the beach and 30+ Swifts, four Sand Martins and a dozen Swallows over the back of the Severals. (AH)
Juvenile Stonechat (above), Curlew & Linnet at Church Norton (AH)
Ivy Lake complex: New Lake (on Peckhams Copse Lane) was full of breeding activity this morning, including a female Pochard with five young and another with two young, at least six families of Tufted Ducks, 100+ Cormorants of all ages and at least 20 juvenile Black-headed Gulls.
Around Ivy Lake there were five Common Terns, with two more on the pits by the caravan park entrance, along with four Pochard, 60 Tufted Ducks, four Gadwall, 24 Great Crested Grebes and two Black Swans. Mostly hidden, but there was evidence of Lesser Whitethroat, Reed Warbler, Blackcap and Chiffchaff along the hedgerows. (AH)
Pochards (above), Common Terns & Cormorants around the Ivy Lake complex (AH)
Selsey Bill (0730-0915hrs): (Obs: OM) Another quiet one, with a few Common Scoter, Gannets and terns being about it, though four Gadwall were unusual for the time of year. Full log below.....
Gannet - 5E
Grey Heron - 1W, far out, mobbed by gulls
Common Scoter - 3E, 12W
Gadwall - 4W
Oystercatcher - 2W
Common Tern - 10os
Sandwich Tern - 7W
Mediterranean Gull - 2W
House Martin - 5 (nesting locally)
Swift - 2 p
Ferry Pool: Birds seemed to come and go all morning, but there were a maximum of 17 Black-tailed Godwits, two Green Sandpipers, a Little Ringed Plover, an Avocet, two Teal, six Redshank and eight Shelduck at various times. (OM/TG-P/AH)
The Black-tailed Godwit count had risen to 39 this evening. (AH)
Grey Heron - 1W, far out, mobbed by gulls
Common Scoter - 3E, 12W
Gadwall - 4W
Oystercatcher - 2W
Common Tern - 10os
Sandwich Tern - 7W
Mediterranean Gull - 2W
House Martin - 5 (nesting locally)
Swift - 2 p
Ferry Pool: Birds seemed to come and go all morning, but there were a maximum of 17 Black-tailed Godwits, two Green Sandpipers, a Little Ringed Plover, an Avocet, two Teal, six Redshank and eight Shelduck at various times. (OM/TG-P/AH)
The Black-tailed Godwit count had risen to 39 this evening. (AH)
Black-tailed Godwits (above), Green Sandpiper & Little Ringed Plover on the Ferry (AH)
Church Norton: There was still plenty of Little, Common and Sandwich Tern activity around the harbour, though waders were restricted to a Common Sandpiper, eight Dunlin, five Ringed Plovers and a dozen or so Curlews. Also a Peregrine was up high, two Mediterranean Gulls went west and an adult Black-headed Gull was tending three newly fledged youngsters.
A Chiffchaff and a Blackcap were still singing near the car-park, a few Swallows were over the water in the harbour and there were at least 50 Swifts over the fields behind the Severals, with a few Swallows among them. (AH/OM)
Mediterranean Gulls (above), Sandwich Tern & Black-headed Gulls at Church Norton (AH)
Medmerry: Easton Lane area - A Barn Owl out hunting early this morning was the highlight, whilst among other birds seen were several Whitethroat and Reed Warbler families, half a dozen Skylarks, Yellowhammers and Reed Buntings, a singing Chiffchaff, a Buzzard and an adult and two juvenile Grey Herons. (AH)
Barn Owl (above), Reed Warbler, Yellowhammer, Buzzard & Chiffchaff at Medmerry (AH)
This evening there were two Green Sandpipers and two Common Sandpipers by the second sluice, and two more of the latter on the Stilt Pool. Also in that area there were a Little Ringed Plover, two Ringed Plovers, an Avocet with two well-grown juveniles on the pool opposite, three Mediterranean Gulls, two Buzzards, a Chiffchaff and four Sand Martins over. (S&SaH)
Sidlesham: There was a family of freshly-fledged Goldcrests in our garden this morning. (AH)
Goldcrest in a Sidlesham garden (AH)
Chichester GPs - Drayton Pits: A brief visit, mainly to check on the breeding wildfowl situation... where fortunately things had improved somewhat since last week as there are now at least three additional female Tufted Ducks with broods and one of Gadwall. There were also four adult Pochard present - but still no sign of any young so presumably they are not breeding here this year. At least six pairs of Little Grebe - two with young so far - and a couple of Great Crested Grebes were also present and 30+ Canada Geese with some six well grown young in their midst. Otherwise similar to the last couple of weeks with Jays, Reed Warblers, Reed Buntings, Blackcaps and Chiffchaff noted but no Hobby today. (OM)
Two of the Tufted Duck broods at Drayton GPs (OM)
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