Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 7th

Friday, 9th September: Another blustery and grey start to the day, though brightening up through the morning....

Selsey Bill: Highlight was an Osprey close in heading west over the sea at 8.40 this morning. Full log later. (SH/GH/StH)
Fulmar - 2W
Gannet - 9E, 24W
Wigeon - 2W
Common Scoter - 9W
Osprey - 1W
Curlew - 1E, 1W
Turnstone - 1W, 4ob
Common Sandpiper - 2W
Arctic Skua - 1W (l/p)
Mediterranean Gull - 6W, 1os
Sandwich Tern - 3E, 11W
Common Tern - 3W
Swallow 68E, 56W
Tree Pipit - 1 over
Yellow Wagtail - 4S, 10W
Sand Martin - 1W

Osprey past the Bill (SH)

Ferry Pool: There were just three Black-tailed Godwits and six Teal on the pool, though there were still 20+ Yellow Wagtails among the cattle and three Greenshank and 20 Teal in the channel opposite. (AH)

Greenshank in Ferry Channel (AH)

Church Norton: There were good numbers of Willow Warblers, a few Whitethroats and a calling Lesser Whitethroat, three Green Woodpeckers, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Buzzard and a Kestrel about this morning, along with a steady flow of Swallows flying west, a Wheatear along the beach and three Whimbrel and six Sandwich Terns in the harbour. (SR)
Mid-morning there were 5 Bar-tailed Godwits and 3 Wheatears around the concrete spit, and 2 Willow warblers and a Blackcap at the Severals. (SH)

Nearby around Park Farm were a Buzzard, 3 Mediterranean Gulls and a Wheatear. (SH)

North Wall: There were five Spotted Redshank and at least two Greenshank in White's Creek this morning, and another Spotted Redshank and two more Greenshank on the Breech Pool, along with a Snipe, four Dunlin, c40 Black-tailed Godwits, c60 Lapwing and c150 Redshank. There was not much else to report, though a dozen Sand Martins and up to 50 Swallows went over. (AH/PC)
Later on there were lots of Redshank and Black-tailed Godwits roosting on the Breech Pool, along with seven Greenshank, a Spotted Redshank, 20 Dunlin and three juvenile Curlew Sandpipers. (ARK per SOS)

Greenshank and Spotted Redshank (above), as before plus Redshank, Greenshanks, Lapwing and Teal & Snipe, Redshanks and Lapwings from North Wall (AH)

Chichester GPs - Drayton Pits: A fairly unrewarding visit, the only highlight being a Hobby over the pits. Otherwise just standard fare with 15 Gadwall, 10 Pochard and 5 Great Crested Grebes, a noisy family of Jays, a couple of Chiffchaffs, a Cetti's Warbler and 50+ Sand Martins. (OM)

Medmerry (west side): Easton Lane to stilt pool - An Osprey was perched in its usual tree line and a Buzzard was nearby. Waders were few.... 3 Common Sandpipers, 3 Ringed Plovers and 7 Dunlin..... but there were 200+ Mediterranean Gulls out on the reserve. Six Whinchat and 4 Wheatears were logged along the path and there was a single Whitethroat, but the Yellow Wagtail numbers had increased to 80+. Singles of Yellowhammer and Reed Bunting were also present but there were just a handful of Swallows and Sand Martins about. (SH)

Yellow Wagtail and Wheatear at Medmerry (SH)

Thursday, 8th September: Cloudy at first but becoming sunnier and pleasantly warm later, though feeling somewhat fresher with the wind having shifted to a fairly brisk westerly......

Selsey Bill: 0830-0945: (SR)

Fulmar - 1E, 1W

Gannet - 5E, 23W

Arctic Skua - 1W (d/p)
Sandwich Tern - 2E, 3W, 5os
Swallow - 17E, c300W
House Martin - c200W, 12p
Sand Martin - c50W
Yellow Wagtail - 8W
Pied Wagtail - 2W
Wheatear - 2 on beach
Whitethroat - 1 in gardens

Ferry Pool: Just a Little Ringed Plover, a Green Sandpiper, a Lapwing and three Black-tailed Godwits, plus three Shelduck and 15 Teal, and there were still 20-30 Yellow Wagtails among the cattle.

A walk around the Tramway area produced a handful of Blackcaps, Whitethroats, Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs, plus several hundred Goldfinches. (AH)

Yellow Wagtails (above), Willow Warbler, Blackcap & Whitethroat around Ferry area (AH)

Church Norton: Very quiet again early on, with the brisk wind and heavy cloud keeping birds low, with just a Whimbrel and a few Grey Plover of note in the harbour and not much more than the odd Whitethroat and Willow/Chiff in the hedgerows, though there were plenty of hirunines going over into the wind - roughly 200 Swallows, 50 Sand Martins and 20 House Martins, and three Sparrowhawks were airborne. (AH)

Whimbrel (above) & Grey Plovers at Church Norton (AH)

There were three Spotted Flycatchers along the sheltered hedge by the hide this evening, and a Bar-tailed Godwit was among the very numerous Redshanks in the harbour. (AH)

Spotted Flycatchers (above) & Bar-tailed Godwit at Church Norton (AH)

North Wall: Amongst other species present this morning on the Breech Pool were a Curlew Sandpiper amongst a small flock of Dunlin, and a Buzzard and a Marsh Harrier overhead (DP).

Curlew Sandpiper with Dunlins on the Breech Pool (centre bird, both pics), Buzzard and Marsh Harrier (DP)

Wednesday, 7th September: Another bright day after a very dull start, with a brisker than forecast easterly breeze....

Selsey Bill: 0715-1015: (OM/SR) No sea-watching as there was just nothing moving bar a single Gannet E and a Sandwich Tern offshore. A good search of the area including the beach and gardens didn't produce too much either despite plenty of effort (surely we're due an Ortolan like everywhere else!).....the totals being 35 Turnstone along the shoreline, a Wheatear, a Whinchat, 5 Chiffchaffs, a Willow Warbler and 3 Whitethroats. Interestingly, there were also 4 House Martins including a late-breeding pair still feeding young at the same site as last year's latest breeders (per SR).

Park Farm: A Buzzard was overhead and there were three Whinchats & two Wheatears present early evening. (S&SaH)

Ferry Pool: Just a lone Little Ringed Plover, three Black-tailed Godwits, ten Shelducks and 25 Teal on the pool, a Grey Wagtail and half a dozen Sand Martins went over, and up to 20 Yellow Wagtails were among the cattle. (AH/OM)

Also, a Marsh Harrier flew west over the tramway and a Greenshank was nearby in the harbour. (TG-P)

Black-tailed Godwit (above) & Shelducks over the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: Very quiet in a quick look, with a Whinchat reported by a visiting birder and a scattering of Willow Warblers and Whitethroats, plus c50 Swallows and a few House and Sand Martins being the only migrants on show. (AH)

Later in the day there were three Redstarts towards the back of the orchard and a Spotted Flycatcher in the orchard itself, two Whinchat in the horse field with a Whitethroat nearby and three Wheatears along the concrete spit. Also present, at least 200 Swallows, 100+ Sand Martins & 20+ House Martins. (S&SaH)

Medmerry: (east side) Breach area - Not much to report beyond four Wheatears and c60 Linnets. A couple of Grey Plover plus a small group of Oystercatchers and Ringed Plovers was about it wader-wise, though I made a new friend in the form of a pathetic-looking and hungry young Fox who was eyeing up my sandwiches at close range (yes of course I eventually gave in, though I doubt he'll last long with this form!) (OM)

Wheatear and hungry little Fox at Medmerry breach (OM)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - Very quiet all round, with just three Wheatears, two Blackcaps and a dozen Whitethroats and Yellowhammers around the banks and hedges and just a few Swallows and Sand Martins over.

Two noisy Greenshanks and three Green Sandpipers were mobile between the first and second sluice, whilst the only waders on the Stilt Pools were four Common Sandpipers, a Dunlin and a Black-tailed Godwit. Also around the Stilt Pool were three Shoveler, six Wigeon, ten Gadwall and c40 Teal, with 200+ Canada Geese out on the reserve. (AH)

Ham ponds - and nearby arable, at least 8 Whinchats, 8 Wheatears and a Corn Bunting. Two Greenshank and a Kingfisher were on the intertidal from Ham viewpoint. (PH)

Wheatear (above), Yellowhammer, Common Sandpiper, Greenshank & Shoveler at Medmerry (AH)

Fishbourne Creek: Five Greenshank were in the channel plus over 200 Redshank, but otherwise waders were disappointing. The whole area however was dominated by roosting gulls, of which a high count of c.800 Mediterranean Gulls made up the bulk, with perhaps 50+ Common Gulls amongst them. A scan through the flock though, looking for something scarcer, met with no success other than a single Yellow-legged Gull. There were a few migrants along the bushes, including several Whitethroats and 2 Whinchat, and on the way back 2 Spotted Flycatchers were flycatching from overhead cables. (OM)