Tuesday, 6th September: A very pleasant, sunny day after a very murky start....
Ferry Pool: Just two Little Ringed Plovers, a Green Sandpiper and 20 Lapwings on the pool this morning, plus a few Teal and Shelduck. (AH/CRJ)
Nearby at the Visitor centre there was a Hummingbird Hawkmoth (IL)
Hummingbird Hawkmoth at the Visitor Centre (IL)
Church Norton: The Wryneck was again showing along the front of the first Several late this morning, and an Osprey, a Peregrine and three Buzzards were up over the harbour. (CRJ)
It was quiet early on, with just a Spotted Flycatcher, a Lesser Whitethroat and a few Whitethroats and Willow Warblers around the hide/churchyard area, and a Sedge Warbler, a couple of Willow Warblers and 10+ Whitethroats along the Severals. (AH/CRJ et al)
Spotted Flycatcher (above), Sedge Warbler, Willow Warbler & Whitethroat at Church Norton (AH)
This evening there was a Curlew Sandpiper with c100 Dunlin, 100 Redshank and c30 Ringed Plovers in the harbour, a couple of Sandwich Terns went along the beach, a Peregrine went over and c80 Sand Martins with a few Swallows and House Martins among them were over the car-park area. (AH)
Curlew Sandpiper with Redshank and Ringed Plover, Dunlins & Sand Martin at Church Norton (AH)
Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - This evening there were 12 Whinchats and 18 Wheatears along the path, and other birds seen included 12+ Yellow Wagtails, four Meadow Pipits, 20+ Sand Martins. six Swallows, Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers, a Sparrowhawk, six Common Sandpipers and two Mediterranean Gulls. (S&SaH)
Monday, 5th September: Slowly drying up after a thoroughly miserable start of heavy drizzle and a blustery southerly.....
Although we are now five days into September, there seems to a bit of an air of stagnation around the Peninsula at present - with nothing new, low numbers of migrants about and little or nothing at sea. All the more amazing then that a mega first for Britain, in the form of a Red-footed Booby, should be washed up still alive on a Sussex beach! Needless to say it wasn't on the Peninsula nor even at one of the county's regular bird-watching locations, but at St. Leonard's (Hastings) having apparently been found by non-birders. Then it was transferred to a wildlife hospital before eventually going to the RSPCA.... you couldn't write the script could you? So then, call me a cynic, but I wouldn't bet on seeing it now even if it does survive, for history shows such 'animal hospital' organisations are not strong on any such co-operation with birders....despite the obvious fund-raising opportunity. The bird's welfare must of course always come first, but surely this doesn't have to mean it's incompatible with releasing it somewhere that interested birders can also observe at a safe distance? I do hope I'm proved wrong, but I somehow doubt it. At least it shows you never know what you might find! (OM)
Selsey Bill: (0720-1120hrs): Rain/heavy drizzle, poor visibilty for 2 hrs, wind SE2 to SW3. (OM)
Nothing really moving offshore, though there were a few Wheatears and a Willow Warbler along the front. Full log below....
Gannet - 1E, 2W
Sandwich Tern - 4W
Dunlin - 1 ob
Turnstone - 25 ob
Oystercatcher - 3 ob
Wheatear - 4 ob
Willow Warbler - 1 gardens
House Martin - 2p
Also: 1700-1800 - Four Wheatears were lined up along a roof to the east and 10 noisy House Martins were flying up to nests in Coxswain and Wight Way. At sea there were 2 Gannets E and 1 W, plus 3 Sandwich Terns E, 7 W and 1 on the beach. (SR)
Dunlin on the beach at the Bill, and today the unofficial footpath was removed to be restored to shingle, with the official path just south now waymarked across the shingle. No comment. (OM)
Ferry Pool: There was a Ruff, a Green Sandpiper, three Little Ringed Plovers and three Black-tailed Godwits on the pool, along with six Shelduck and eight Teal. (AH/OM)
Ruff (above), Ruff and Green Sandpiper & Black-tailed Godwit on the Ferry (AH)
Church Norton: A flock of 35 Sandwich Terns flew out of the harbour this morning, and on the mud there were a scattering of Grey Plovers, Dunlin, Ringed Plovers, Redshank and Curlews, but not a passerine was to be seen in the dire conditions. (AH)
Later, as conditions improved, the Wryneck re-appeared, from late morning and then again early afternoon, occasionally showing well between the end of the first and the second Several. (LGRE/CRJ).
An early evening visit produced 8 Wheatears, 2 Willow Warblers, 20+ Swallows and 10+ Sand Martins, whilst offshore were a Gannet, 2 Sandwich Terns and 3 Mediterranean Gulls.
Later, as conditions improved, the Wryneck re-appeared, from late morning and then again early afternoon, occasionally showing well between the end of the first and the second Several. (LGRE/CRJ).
An early evening visit produced 8 Wheatears, 2 Willow Warblers, 20+ Swallows and 10+ Sand Martins, whilst offshore were a Gannet, 2 Sandwich Terns and 3 Mediterranean Gulls.
A Roe Deer and fawn were also present and nearby a Reed Bunting was at Park Farm (SH)
Sandwich Terns (above), Grey Plover, Dunlin and bedraggled juvenile Pheasant at Church Norton (AH)
Wheatear and Roe Deer with fawn at Church Norton this evening. (SH)
Sunday, 4th September: Mainly cloudy and blustery with a brisk westerly force 5-6; just about remaining dry with the prospect of some brighter periods by afternoon.........
Selsey Bill: Quiet once again despite the brisk wind, with next to nothing really moving and a dearth of migrants.....
0630-0800: (Obs: SH/JA/AH)
Gannet - 15E, 19W
Grey Heron - 1W
Turnstone - 1W
Common Tern - 1W
Common Tern - 1W
Sandwich Tern - 8W
Mediterranean Gull - 1os
Swallow - 3W
Mediterranean Gull - 1os
Swallow - 3W
Sandwich Tern past the Bill (AH)
North Wall: An early morning visit (0700-0900) covering as far as Owl Point, but it wasn't very productive, with few migrants in the bushes in the blustery conditions and the same waders as recently though in declining numbers.
On Breech Pool a Curlew Sandpiper was present amongst the 145 roosting Redshank, but otherwise there were 2 Greenshank, 2 Spotted Redshanks, 65 Black-tailed Godwits and 56 Teal. No sign of the little Stints... although a couple of Dunlin were coming and going to the
front of the pool hidden by the reeds, so it is possible they might still be present. Two Cetti's Warblers gave brief song and the highlight was probably 60 Yellow Wagtails in the field with cattle near the front of the field. (OM)
East side: Little to report, just a Spotted Redshank in the channel, 2 Common Sandpipers, 2 Greenshank in the harbour, 2 juvenile Peregrines disturbing the waders and 9 Yellow-legged Gulls roosting, whilst 20 Sand Martins passed over westwards. (OM)
Yellow-legged Gulls roosting on the East side this morning (OM)
Church Norton: The Wryneck was still present along the first Several, and being reasonably obliging, given the conditions, for its steady stream of admirers. Also about were at least four Wheatears along the beach, two or three Spotted Flycatchers, along with three Whitethroats, a Lesser Whitethroat, and a couple of Blackcaps and Willow Warblers around the hide, plus two Green Woodpeckers, and a few House Martins and Swallows were feeding overhead.
In the harbour there were two adult and two juvenile Peregrines upsetting the waders, though there was nothing unusual among the Dunlin and Ringed Plover flocks, whilst offshore a single Gannet went west. (AH/IP/EL/CN et al)
Later on there were seven Wheatears along the spit, and a Hobby over, and another Wheatear and a Grey Wagtail in the fields bbehind thge Severals. (S&SaH)
Later on there were seven Wheatears along the spit, and a Hobby over, and another Wheatear and a Grey Wagtail in the fields bbehind thge Severals. (S&SaH)
Wryneck (above), Peregrines, Wheatears, Spotted Flycatcher & Whitethroat at Church Norton (AH)
Black Tern on Ivy Lake (GH)
Park Farm, Selsey: There was a Redstart, a Garden Warbler and a Blackcap all in the same Elderberry bush, but not much elsewhere. (S&SaH)
Ferry Pool: There were just four Black-tailed Godwits, 20 Lapwing and three Shelduck on the pool, with a dozen Teal and Redshank and a Little Egret in the channel opposite. (AH)
Teal (above) & Little Egret in Ferry Channel (AH)
This afternoon there were also two Greenshank present. (AH)
Greenshank and Teal on the Ferry (AH)
Long Pool: There was very little on the Long Pool beyond four Little Grebes and a few Swallows over, but at the end of Ferry Channel there was quite a bit of wader activity on the dropping tide, including four Bar-tailed Godwits, a Greenshank, a Spotted Redshank, c75 Grey Plovers and 200+ Dunlin. (AH)
Bar-tailed Godwits (above), Grey Plovers & Dunlin in Ferry Channel, & Little Grebe and Mallard on Long Pool (AH)
Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - Fairly quiet in the wind this afternoon, but there were still an Osprey over the breach area, a Sparrowhawk, two Whinchats and eight Wheatears along the banks, and a Kingfisher, a Yellow Wagtail and two Common Sandpipers around the Stilt Pool. (S&SaH)
Whinchat (above), Wheatear & Sparrowhawk at Medmerry (SH)
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