13th - 15th September 2016

Thursday, 15th September: Another fine autumn day, with plenty of sun and a modest north-easterly breeze....

Halsey's Farm: A juvenile Red-backed Shrike was well found by GaH, feeding along the hedgeline to the north of the farm this morning, occasionally getting seen off by a couple of Whitethroats. (Ga&RH et al) Also a Redstart was present nearby. (Ga&RH/AB)

Red-backed Shrike (above) & with Whitethroat at Halsey's Farm (AH)

Redstart at Halsey's Farm (GH)

There was no sign of the Red-backed Shrike this evening, though the Redstart, three Wheatears and two Chiffchaffs were in the area. (S&SaH)

North Wall:  On the Breech Pool this evening there were two Little Stints, a Greenshank, three Snipe, two Ruff and a Kingfisher, with 200+ Yellow Wagtails around the fields. (S&SaH)

Selsey Bill (0730-1000hrs): (Obs: OM) A flat calm sea with no passage at all going on...until two Red-throated Divers moved east - literally out of the blue - also being the first of the autumn. Otherwise the scene was dominated by House Martins..... initially just a few, then several sizeable flocks, until by about 0900 there was a huge cloud of them (c.1500)mainly over the Bill Point houses at south-east corner. Birds amassed on every building, clinging to roofs and walls, suddenly all exploding into the air and over the sea before re-settling. It was so spectacular it even brought the builders and dog-walkers to a halt for a while - certainly one of the best displays I can recall seeing there - but by 1000 it was virtually all over and the majority of birds had drifted off east.   Full log below.....
Gannet - 1W
Red-throated Diver - 2E
Sandwich Tern - 5os
Mediterranean Gull - 2E
House Martin - c.1500 estimated (minimum - see above)
Swallow - 200E
Chiffchaff - 10 gardens
Willow Warbler - 2 gardens

At the Bill this morning: Red-throated Divers, Sandwich Terns (and with Black-headed Gulls), and massive gathering of House Martins (OM)

Ferry Pool: There were two Green Sandpipers, a Greenshank, the Ruff and four Black-tailed Godwits on the pool, along with a dozen teal and Shelduck. Also a Grey Wagtail flew over and 20+ Yellow Wagtails were with the cattle in the field. (AH)

Ruff, Green Sandpiper and Greenshank (above) & Yellow Wagtail around Ferry (AH)

Long Pool/West Side: There were a Spotted Flycatcher and up to 50 Blackcaps and 20 Whitethroats along the pool this morning, plus a few more along the west side, with up to ten Reed Warblers, Sedge Warblers, Chiffchaffs and Reed Buntings, as well. There was also a Whinchat along the west side, and a Grey Wagtail, a couple of Yellow Wagtails and a few Meadow Pipits went over.
A Curlew Sandpiper, three Greenshank, two Whimbrel, 50+ Dunlin, 100+ Redshank and 200+ Teal, plus the Kingfisher were in Ferry Channel before the tide rose, and another Whimbrel and 20+ Grey Plovers were in the harbour. (AH)

Blackcap (above), Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler, Kingfisher, Curlew Sandpiper & Whimbrel along Long Pool (AH)

This evening a Ruff and a Whimbrel were in the channel, plus at least 200 Teal. (AH)

Ruff (above) & Whimbrel in Ferry Channel (AH)

Church Norton: Three or four Spotted Flycatchers along with 20+ Blackcaps, Whitethroats and Chiffchaffs were around the churchyard/hide area, but there was just a single Wheatear along the beach, though there was a notable movement - of say 500 - House Martins going east, with a few Swallows alongside them. There was not much of note in the harbour beyond a gathering of ten Grey Herons on the rising tide.(AH/A&YF)

Spotted Flycatcher (above), House Martin & Grey Herons and Little Egret at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry (east side) - Breach Viewpoint - Little on offer this morning....there were 100 Mediterranean Gulls on the sea off the breach and a further 20 inside the reserve, plus a Sandwich Tern and 10 Grey Plover. In a brief search (before rapidly departing for the shrike!) all I managed was 50 Linnets and two each of Skylark and Meadow Pipit. (OM)

Wednesday, 14th September: Dry and fine again, feeling quite warm and humid inland, though fresher on the coast where a fresh S/SE wind persists......

Selsey: East Beach & Pond - This morning there were four Wheatears, one or possibly two families of Reed Warbler around the pond, five Willow/Chiffs  nine Sand Martins heading west, 12 Swallows west, seven House Martins and nine Turnstones around the beach. (SR)

Northcommon Farm: There were 12 Yellow Wagtails in the sheep field and there were five Whitethroats and tywo Chiffchaffs along Warner Lane. (S&SaH)

Ferry Pool: The Ruff was still present, along with a Green Sandpiper, four Black-tailed Godwits, exactly 40 Lapwings, nine Shelduck and eight Teal, and there was also a Common Sandpiper in the channel opposite. (AH)

Ruff (above) & Green Sandpiper on the Ferry (AH)

This evening the Ruff was still present, along with three Green Sandpipers, and in the channel opposite there was a Greenshank, two Whimbrels and a Kingfisher, plus at least 200 Teal. (AH)

Greenshank in Ferry Channel (AH)

Runcton: In the rough field south of the Manor at Runcton this morning there were a Whinchat, a Whitethroat and two Bullfinches. (CRJ)

North Wall: There were a lot of waders roosting on the Breech Pool during this morning's high tide, including three Ruff, a Knot, 14 Greenshank, six Spotted Redshank, four Snipe, four Dunlin, c60 Black-tailed Godwits and c180 Redshank.

In the fields behind the pool there were four or five Whinchats, a Wheatear and a Stonechat flew right across before vanishing, whilst along the hedges and reed-edges there were half a dozen Sedge Warblers and Whitethroats and a couple of Reed Warblers, with 50+ Swallows over. (AH/PC et al)

Ruff and Knot (above), Greenshank, Spotted Redshank and Redshank, Greenshanks, Snipe, Reed Warbler & Wheatear along North Wall (AH)

East Side: The tide was too high to see much, but there were at least 15 Bar-tailed Godwits, including ten together, a few Grey Plover, Curlew, Ringed Plovers and Dunlin, one Whimbrel and nine Pintail with c60 Wigeon. A look along the hedges by the Slipe Field didn't produce much more than a few Willow/Chiffs and Long-tailed Tits. (AH)

Bar-tailed Godwit (above), Ringed Plovers & Chiffchaff along East Side (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - A good selection of birds seen this morning, including c12 Whinchat, c10 Wheatear, 2 Common Sandpiper, a Merlin, 2 Yellowhammer, c6 Skylark, c12 Meadow Pipit & c12 Linnet, along with 2 Buzzard, 3 Little Egret and 2 Grey Heron.

There were also c2000 assorted Gulls, and amongst the throng of Canada Geese were 1 Barnacle Goose, 1 Greylag Goose & 2 Bar Headed Geese. A Hare was also seen. (PB/SB/SaH)

Medmerry: Ham Farm - There were seven Whinchats, a Wheatear and a Reed Bunting around the farm today. (S&SaH)

Tuesday, 13th September: A very warm day for the time of year, tempered by a brisk easterly breeze...

Ferry Pool: The Ruff was again present this morning, along with a Snipe, four Black-tailed Godwits and 14 Shelduck. (AH)

Ruff (above) & Snipe on the Ferry (AH)

Quite an interesting look this evening included the Ruff, a Golden Plover, three Green Sandpipers and 60 Lapwing on the pool, a Grey Wagtail over, around 40 Yellow Wagtails with the cattle on the field, and along Ferry Channel there were three Whimbrel, a Greenshank, a Kingfisher and c300 Teal. (AH)

Yellow Wagtails (above), Kingfisher, Whimbrel & Teal around Ferry (AH)

Medmerry (west side): Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - It was fairly quiet for migrants with just one Whinchat  and three Wheatears along the banks, and c100 Swallows over, but a mobile group of around ten Sedge Warblers and a couple of Reed Warblers near the first pool was unusual. There were also a couple of Chiffchaffs and Meadow Pipits about, plus 20 or so Yellowhammers, ten Reed Buntings and several hundred Linnets and Goldfinches.

The only waders seen were a Green Sandpiper in the first pool, a Greenshank and two Black-tailed Godwits by the poplars and a Common Sandpiper and two Dunlin on the Stilt Pool, where there were also several Shoveler, Gadwall and Wigeon, 50+ Teal and at least 500 Canada Geese, with the two Bar-headed Geese among them.

The most notable feature of the morning was the number of gulls about - at a rough estimate 3-4000, with at least 500 Mediterranean Gulls among what was otherwise Herring and Black-headed Gulls. (AH)

Later, a Peregrine, Osprey and a distant Hobby over the west side at 13.00 and 2 Avocets on the stilt pools. At about 12.30, something (I think a light aircraft) flushed all the gulls off Medmerry and surrounding fields – an extraordinary sight as many thousands of birds were involved, most just heading out onto the sea. (PH)
 

Sedge Warbler (above), Reed Warbler, Wheatear, Yellowhammer, Meadow Pipit, Common Sandpiper, Mediterranean Gull, mixed gulls & Canada Geese at Medmerry (AH)

 This evening Easton Lane to stilt pool produced an Osprey, 2 Buzzards, 2 Kestrels and a Barn Owl briefly (1720). There were huge numbers of gulls again, including 500+ Mediterranean and 1 Yellow-legged Gull; also 6 Pintail, 3 Common Sandpipers, 1 Green Sandpiper, a Wheatear, 5 Whinchats, 20+ Yellow Wagtails, 50+ House Martins, a Reed Bunting and 3 Yellowhammers (SH).

Buzzards and Whinchat at Medmerry (SH)

North Wall: A high-tide visit to the Breech Pool produced nothing unusual but the usual roosting waders - 180 Redshanks, 80 Black-tailed Godwits, 9 Greenshank, a Spotted Redshank, 50 Lapwing and 2 Snipe, with a Ruff playing hide-and-seek and a couple of Dunlin. A Water Rail showed intermittently, whilst a Whimbrel was in the saltmarsh opposite. Passerines were not very abundant, but there was a Cetti's Warbler calling occasionally, and up to 10 Chiffchaffs and 3 Goldcrests along the hedgerows and trees, whilst a Peregrine also put in a brief appearance. (OM)

Church Norton: An Osprey was over the harbour around 1100, mobbed by a couple of Peregrines. Later (1405) the Osprey caught a fish and landed on the mud. There were also 2 Sparrowhawks around, plus a Kingfisher, 4 Sandwich Terns and a good number of Swallows and House Martins this morning. (C&ME, C&JM)
The Osprey was there again at 2.05pm, when it caught a fish and landed on the mud. (C&JM)