19th - 21st September 2016

Wednesday, 21st September: Another very still and grey start, with the sun slowly appearing as the breeze picked up...


Selsey Bill: I gave up sea-watching as nothing seemed to be moving, apart from the constant flow east of Swallows and a few Meadow Pipits. Two Chaffinches were in with a large flock of Goldfinches on the Oval Field and we still have young House Martins in at least two nests  (Beacon Drive & Canadian Crescent) but there really wasn't anything of note. Log below:
(0730-0930hrs): wind E3  (Obs: SR)
Gannet - 2E, 1W
Little Egret - 1 ob
Turnstone - 26 ob
Sandwich Tern - 2 ob
Meadow Pipit - 64E, 7N
Pied Wagtail - 4N
Swallow - 172E
House Martin - 35E, 8 present (+ two active nests)
Sand Martin - 14E
Goldfinch - 42 (Oval Field), + 21 (gardens)
Chaffinch - 2 p
Chiffchaff - 11 p

Ferry Pool: Just nine Lapwing and three Teal on the pool, about twenty Yellow Wagtails in with the cattle and not much more than a few Redshank and Teal in the channel. The hedges around the Tramway were quiet, too, with just the odd Chiffchaff and Blackcap to be found. (AH)

Lapwings over the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: A Golden Plover was in with 50+ Lapwings and c40 Black-tailed Godwits on the Breech Pool and there were ten Snipe spread along the edges. A few Meadow Pipits and Swallows, plus a couple of Yellow Wagtails went over, and a Wheatear, half a dozen Whitethroats, Blackcaps, Sedge Warblers and Chiffchaffs were widely spread, as were a dozen Reed Buntings. (AH/OM/PC/TG et al)

Golden Plover (above), Golden Plover and Lapwing, Blackcap & Chiffchaff along North Wall (AH)

East Side/Pagham Lagoon: There were a Common Sandpiper and a couple of Greenshank and Bar-tailed Godwits, along with c80 Black-tailed Godwits and c100 Redshank along White's Creek, but the harbour didn't contain much of note, and the hedges along the Slipe Field were quiet save a few Chiffchaffs.
Therre were a few more Chiffchaffs, plus a few Whitethroats and Blackcaps around the Lagoon, and on the water there were 32 Little Grebes, 20 Wigeon and 20 Tufted Ducks, plus a few Swallows over. (AH/TG)

Little Grebes on Pagham Lagoon (above) & Black-tailed Godwits in White's Creek (AH)

Tuesday, 20th September: A very still, very gloomy start to the day, though gradually brightening up....

Selsey Bill: Given the still and dull conditions it was perhaps not surprising that nothing was moving, though a juvenile Arctic Tern lingered close offshore for a while before drifting off west and a few Sandwich Terns and Mediterranean Gulls were also present. There were a couple of Wheatears along the front and up to a dozen Chiffchaffs, but that was about it for migrants....although it looked  like it should produce something we couldn't find it!  Log below......
0700-1015hrs): (OM/AH/CRJ et al)   
Brent Goose - 5W
Curlew - 3W
Arctic Tern - 1 juv fishing close inshore...drifted off W
Sandwich Tern - 3os
Mediterranean Gull - 3E, 6os drifted W
Meadow Pipit - 7N
Wheatear - 2ob
House Martin - 120 gathered then drifted off E
Swallow - 20E
Chiffchaff - 12 gardens

Juvenile Arctic Tern (above), Sandwich Terns & view of the 'Mile Basket' at low tide at the Bill (AH)

Selsey -  East Beach & Pool: A good search of the area came up with nothing more than 8 Chiffchaffs. (OM)

Northcommon Farm: Again only Chiffchaffs - ditto above (OM)

Ferry Pool/Ferry Channel: There were just two Dunlin and a Snipe on the pool, though  a Golden Plover and 30 Lapwings dropped in and flew out again, and there were still 20 or so Yellow Wagtails around the cattle and a Kingfisher flew through.

There were two Greenshanks and a Curlew Sandpiper in the channel this morning, along with the usual Redshanks and Teal, whilst in the adjacent hedges there were a dozen Chiffchaffs and one or two Goldcrests among large numbers of Long-tailed Tits. (AH)

Greenshank, Redshank and Teal (above), Curlew Sandpiper, Golden Plover and Lapwings & Chiffchaff around Ferry area (AH)

Later, a visitor located and photographed a Wryneck at the end of Red Barn Ditch (the creek that runs out behind the Visitor Centre towards the harbour) at about midday. It was then seen again by the bench on the corner of Red Barn ditch and the track at about 1500hrs (per PH/Hugh Baggaley).

Early this evening there were two Spotted Redshanks, a Greenshank, a Grey Plover and a Kingfisher in Ferry Channel. (AH)

Spotted Redshank in Ferry Channel (AH)

Church Norton: There was a Whinchat and a couple of Stonechats along the front, plus a few Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps and Whitethroats, and a few Swallows and Meadow Pipits over, but generally it was quiet. 

Two Ravens went over west and two Sparrowhawks were in the first Several, and as many as seven Water Rails were seen/heard in the two pools combined. The harbour, though was quiet on the low tide, with just two Whimbrel four Bar-tailed Godwits and a few Grey Plovers of note, but a lazy Spoonbill was later seen, plus 69 Dunlin, 58 Oystercatcher, 10 Turnstone, 40 Wigeon and 6 Pintail. (CRJ/BFF/DIS/DM et al)   

 Raven (above), Sparrowhawk, Whimbrel & Redshanks at Church Norton (AH)

Pagham Churchyard: There were 6 Chiffchaffs, 2 Blackcaps, a Jay, 2 Song Thrushes, a Grey Wagtail and 30 Swallows over this morning (OM)

North Wall: at the Breech Pool were 12 Common Snipe, 18 Greenshank, 4 Spotted Redshank, a Kingfisher and a few Yellow Wagtails moving west. Out in the harbour an Osprey put on a good show catching a fish and flying off towards The Ferry around 1300hrs, returning a few minutes later and landing in a bush near Owl Point, where it stayed briefly before going west again. The Spoonbill was roosting in the harbour but was eventually pushed off by the incoming tide, last seen high up going towards The Bill; also12 Bar-tailed Godwits in the harbour. (BFF/DIS/DM/J&M/J & M Redford)

Spoonbill and Black-tailed Godwit from North Wall (J & M Redford)

Medmerry (west side): An Osprey flew west along the beach (towards Bracklesham) at about 1030. (PH) 

Easton lane to stilt pool: Very quiet tonight; gull numbers seem to have plummeted with less than 100 Mediterranean Gulls seen. Also present were a Greenshank, 4 Common Sandpipers, 2 Buzzards, 2 Kestrels, 2 Yellow Wagtails and c.20 Swallows. (SH)

Runcton: Down the lane in Runcton this afternoon were 2 Nuthatch and a male Stonechat. (CRJ).

 Monday, 19th September: Another pleasant day after a grey start, with almost no breeze....but rain by late afternoon.

Selsey Bill: Not really a whole lot going on, with the exception of Chiffchaffs, which seemed to be in every garden - a count of 30 being unusually high for the Bill-tip - but there was no sign of the Dartford Warbler early morning at least....  Full log below....
0715-0915hrs: (Obs: OM/SR)
Gannet - 2E
Brent Goose - 8W
Wigeon - 25E
Teal - 1E
Ringed Plover - 4ob, flushed and flew off W
Curlew - 2W
Sandwich Tern - 2os
Mediterranean Gull - 12 os eventually drifted E
Meadow Pipit - 20N
Pied Wagtail - 2E
Yellow Wagtail - 4E/NE
Swallow - 20E
House Martin - 20E
Sand Martin - 2E

Ferry Pool/Ferry Channel: Just two Dunlin, two Black-tailed Godwits, two Lapwings and a Snipe on the pool, with at least 20 Yellow Wagtails still around the cattle this morning.

In Ferry Channel there were two Greenshank, eight Dunlin, 20 Redshank and c100 Teal, with two different Kingfishers flying through in quick succession towards the harbour, and a Grey Wagtail went over.

In the adjacent bushes there were a handful of Blackcaps and 20+ Chiffchaffs in with 50+ Long-tailed Tits and a few Blue and Great Tits. (AH)

Yellow Wagtail (above), Chiffchaff, Long-tailed Tit & Greenshanks, Teal and Mallard around Ferry (AH)

Later on, the very high tide pushed a large number of birds onto the Ferry Pool - the most seen all summer! - including two Greenshank, a Curlew Sandpiper, two Dunlin, eight Lapwings, two Avocets, two Black-tailed Godwits and 181 Redshanks.

Out in the harbour from the end of Ferry Channel there was a roosting Spoonbill, with another Avocet, a Whimbrel and two Bar-tailed Godwits roosting on one of the exposed islands, and also a Merlin went over. (AB)

The Ferry full of birds this afternoon (AB)

Church Norton: A fairly brief visit though it was probably enough as it was slow going. There were plenty of Chiffchaffs around, plus at least 15 Blackcaps and probably more, but otherwise small birds were few. Three Goldcrests were in the churchyard and nearby in the lane were a Jay and 25 Meadow Pipits feeding, whilst waders were few on the low tide, a couple of Bar-tailed Godwits and 10 Grey Plover being about the best! (OM/SR)

This evening there were two Spotted Flycatchers, two Blackcaps and a few Chiffchaffs around the churchyard and two Jays went through. (S&SaH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - It was generally fairly quiet, despite the pleasant conditions, with three Wheatears, three Stonechats and a couple of Reed Warblers and half a dozen Chiffchaffs being the only migrants noted along the banks and pools, though there were a dozen Yellow Wagtails with the cattle and c100 Swallows went over.

Waders were in even shorter supply, with a Little Stint the only one present on the Stilt Pool, and the only others seen were three Snipe that dropped in near Marsh Barn. A Marsh Harrier was over on the far side of the reserve, a Sparrowhawk went over and a Buzzard was in its familiar tree, and there were plenty of Yellowhammers, Linnets and Goldfinches about, plus a few Reed Buntings.

The two Bar-headed Geese were among at least 500 Canada Geese, a couple of Shoveler and a few Wigeon were among the many Teal and there were still thousands of gulls, including at least 500 Mediterranean Gulls. (AH)

Wheatear (above), Stonechat, Reed Warbler, Little Stint, Snipe, Bar-headed Geese & Buzzard at Medmerry (AH)

North Wall: A quick look around at midday produced a Reed Bunting, a Green Woodpecker, two Stonechats and three Whinchats in the horse paddocks and in White's Creek ever increasing numbers of Wigeon and six Pintail. Highlights of the Breech Pool were few but there were four Snipe and three Dunlin and a spotted Redshank present with the Black-tailed Godwits and Redshanks. Still a few Yellow Wagtails with the cattle but not much in the hedges other than a few Chiffchaffs. A Wheatear was along the wall and a Kingfisher flew through heading towards Halsey's Farm where another Whinchat was present. (BI)