Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 1st

Monday, 3rd October: A bright and breezy day, but still mild despite the moderately brisk SE wind 3-4....becoming quite warm with glorious sunshine by late morning.

Just a short note to remind all regulars/contributors to add our assistant editor's email address (see side bar) to all submissions, with immediate effect. Many thanks. (OM)

Selsey Bill: Virtually nothing was moving offshore, though there was a bit of visible migration, including a few Reed Buntings, a Yellow Wagtail, a few Pied Wagtails and Meadow Pipits, a Tree Pipit and several hundred Swallows and House Martins, and there were 20+ Chiffchaffs around the gardens. Full log below..... (OM/AH)
0750-0950hrs: SE3 (Obs: OM/AH)
Gannet - 2E, 2W
Sparrowhawk - 1 area
Sandwich Tern - 1os
Mediterranean Gull - 30+ os
Swallow - c300E
House Martin - c300E
Skylark - 5E
Meadow Pipit - 40E
Tree Pipit - 1E
Pied Wagtail - 9E
Yellow Wagtail - 1E
Chiffchaff - 24 gardens
Goldcrest - 2 gardens
Reed Bunting - 12 E/gardens

House Martin & Jackdaw at the Bill (AH)

Selsey: Northcommon Farm held 10 Chiffchaffs and a couple of Goldcrests, plus a Green Woodpecker, but was otherwise disappointing. A check of a couple of other sites produced further Chiffchaffs but little else of note. (OM)

Ferry Pool: Just five Shelducks, including an adult, and 17 Teal on the pool and nothing much in the channel or the bushes this morning. (AH)

Church Norton: Along Rectory Lane there was a Buzzard, 17 Red-legged Partridges and c30 Meadow Pipits, and the churchyard held a pair of Jays, a Great Spotted and a Green Woodpecker, a Kestrel, three Linnets and at least 20 Chiffchaffs.

Along the spit 17 Grey Wagtails passed overhead,and also along the beach, mostly going east were a Reed Bunting, four Skylarks, c50 Meadow Pipits, c60 Linnets, c140 Goldfinches, c80 Swallows and c50 House Martins.

Two Wheatears were on the concrete blocks, five Stonechats were along the front, and a dozen Chiffchaffs moved along with similar of Long-tailed Tits. Offshore there was no sign of the Black-necked Grebe in less than ideal viewing conditions, though there were a few distant Gannets and Mediterranean Gulls present.

In the harbour the Peregrine was on its island and there were eight Bar-tailed Godwits, 40 Grey Plover,16 Wigeon and 22 Teal present. (SR/AH)

Wheatear (above), Stonechat, Jay, Linnets, Long-tailed Tit, Bar-tailed Godwit & Grey Plovers at Church Norton (AH)

This evening 225 Brent Geese went east along the beach, and a Green Sandpiper was by the first Several, whilst at Park Farm, Selsey there were a couple of Chiffchaffs and a Whitethroat. (S&SaH)

Pagham churchyard: The Chiffchaff and Goldcrest theme continued here also, with 10 of the former and a couple of the latter, plus a Great Spotted Woodpecker. (OM)

Sunday, 2nd October: Cloudy at first then sunny, with a moderate NW breeze....

Selsey Bill: Once again a fair selection of species though nothing outstanding and in low numbers; the Dartford Warbler was still present though in Bill House garden. Full log below....

0645-0900hrs: (Obs: SH/PB/SR/AH et al)
Gannet - 2E, 9W

Little Egret - 1W

Shag - 1W

Brent Goose - 36W
Wigeon - 1E
Common Scoter - 1W

Curlew - 1W

Grey Plover - 8W

Sandwich Tern - 1os
Mediterranean Gull - 33W
Great Spotted Woodpecker - 1W

Meadow Pipit - 94NW
Pied Wagtail - 25NW
Grey Wagtail - 1W
Swallow - 7E

Dartford Warbler - 1 Bill House garden

Chiffchaff - 6 gardens
Linnet - 69W
Goldfinch - 45p
Chaffinch - 2W, 1gardens

Ferry Pool: Very little, as usual, on the pool - just a Black-tailed Godwit, five Shelduck and 16 Teal, and the bushes were very quiet after yesterday, though a Kingfisher was in the channel. (AH)

Kingfisher in Ferry Channel (AH)

Church Norton: Best bird this morning was a Black-necked Grebe close inshore off the beach. In the harbour the Osprey was out and hunting successfully again this morning, and three Peregrines and one or two Sparrowhawks and Buzzards were on the wing, too, and a Raven went over.

A Whinchat, ten Wheatears, two or three Whitethroats and Blackcaps, plus nine Stonechats and a fair few Chiffchaffs were spread along the beach/Severals, but nothing like the number of birds around yesterday, though there were 2-300 House Martins constantly overhead, with just a few Swallows and a couple of Grey Wagtails among them.

There weren't too many waders of note, just a handful of Bar-tailed Godwits and two Commn Sandpipers among the regulars, and a couple of Gannets and Sandwich Terns were offshore. (AH/IP/S&SaH/PB)

Black-necked Grebe (above), Kingfisher (all SH), Osprey, Peregrine, Whinchat, House Martin & Oystercatchers at Church Norton (AH)

North Wall: A quick look on the high tide produced at least eight Spotted Redshanks, ten Greenshank, four Bar-tailed Godwits, 12 Snipe and eight Dunlin among c80 Black-tailed Godwits and c150 Redshank on the Breech Pool, and a Water Rail was also on show, but few passerines were seen beyond a handful of Swallows, Meadow Pipits and Reed Buntings. A Little Stint had been reported on the Breech Pool early morning and after going missing for a while was back on the pool associating with the Dunlin mid-afternoon. Little in the hedges around Halsey's Farm & Owl Point bar singles of Chiffchaff & Whinchat and four Stonechats. A Marsh Harrier was over the harbour and fields before drifting west. (AH/BI)

Spotted Redshanks and Redshanks (above), Greenshanks and Lapwings, Water Rail & Snipe and Teal from North Wall (AH)

Little Stint (above), Whinchat & Marsh Harrier around the North Wall. (BI)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pools - Late this afternoon there were three Marsh Harriers (two female types and an immatiure male) hunting over the reserve, and Buzzard, Sparrowhawk and Kestrel were also seen.

The Spoonbill was out on the reserve, a Ruff, a Common Sandpiper and three Black-tailed Godwits were on the Stilt Pool, and along the banks there were a Wheatear, two Whinchats, three Yellow Wagtails and two Reed Buntings, plus a Stoat. (S&SaH)

Marsh Harrier (above), Spoonbill, Ruff and Great Black-backed Gull & Wheatear at Medmerry (SH)

Ham Farm - Early this evening there were still a Whinchat and six Stonechats along the bank around the viewpoint, and there were still 20+ Yellow Wagtail in with the cattle and 50+ Meadow Pipits were dropping in to roost. (AH)

Whinchat & Stonechats at Medmerry (AH)

Saturday 1st October: A thoroughly unpleasant start to the day with persistent heavy showers and a brisk and chilly south-westerly wind, though brightening up from lunchtime....

Selsey Bill: A fair range of species and a bit of visible migration this morning, though the sea remains quiet.

(0700-0900hrs) (SH/SR/AH)

Gannet - 1E, 2W

Shag - 1E

Brent Goose - 1W

Shoveler - 1E

Common Scoter - 2E, 4W

Curlew - 2W

Mediterranean Gull - 45W

Common Gull - 1W

Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1W

Sandwich Tern - 1E, 6W

Razorbill - 1W

Meadow Pipit - 218S

Pied Wagtail - 5S, 4p

Swallow - 178S

Chiffchaff - 2p

Linnet - 6W

Goldfinch 170p

(1530-1630) (SH)
Gannet - 3E, 67W in feeding flock
Bonxie - 1E, 1 os chasing Gannets
Mediterranean Gull - 2W
Sandwich Tern - 8W
Commic Tern - 1W
Razorbill - 1W

Selsey, East Beach: Moments after the downpour ended I had a Whitethroat, 3+ Chiffchaffs and a Goldcrest in my small garden - this is only the second time I've had Whitethroat here. Also flying over was a flock of 7 Meadow Pipits, 4 Swallows and a Pied Wagtail. Late afternoon Selsey Common held a Stonechat and four Chiffchaffs and at a windswept East Beach Pond were five more Chiffchaffs. (SR)

Pagham Spit: In the pouring rain this morning a surprisingly high number of Chiffchaffs and three Stonechats. (BI)

Ferry Pool: Just two Black-tailed Godwits, five Shelduck and 18 Teal on the pool and a Whimbrel in the channel opposite this morning, though the adjacent bushes were thick with Chiffchaffs and Long-tailed Tits (30+ of each), plus a few Blackcaps and Blue and Great Tits among them. (AH) Late this afternoon a large female Peregrine flushed what there was off the pool. (IL)

Chiffchaff around the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: Despite the awful weather this morning there were a lot of small birds about, with Chiffchaffs in particular being very numerous, with at least 50 around the hide to the beach area and as many again along the Severals and towards Park Farm, with in excess of 50 Blackcaps also present, plus a handful of Whitethroats, 20+ Goldcrests and many of the resident species.

A Spoonbill flew over, heading west as the tide rose, there were two Wheatears and three Stonechats along the beach, seven Shoveler on the second Several, a Kingfisher along the spit and a Peregrine over the harbour.

Among the waders present were two Greenshank, at least ten Bar-tailed Gopdwits, 30+ Grey Plovers and a Whimbrel in its usual wintering area, and there were eleven Brent Geese among the very many Wigeon present. (AH/IP).

Spoonbill (above), Bar-tailed Godwit, Greenshank, Whimbrel, Grey Plover & Blackcap at Church Norton (AH)

In a walk from Park Farm to Church Norton later in the day raptors included six Buzzards, three Kestrels, two Sparrowhawks and two Hobbies, one along the beach and one near the Priory, as well as the Osprey fishing in the harbour before it drifted off west. There were still plenty of Chiffchaffs with at least 80 present along with 15 Blackcaps whilst in the area of the beach Wheatear numbers had risen to 15, and there were ten Stonechats, at least that number of Whitethroats and three Whinchats; 100+ Swallows were overhead. Offshore were twenty Gannets and ten Sandwich Terns and in a large feeding flock of Gulls were a good number of Mediterranean Gulls. Waders seen were three Sanderling and a Common Sandpiper. (S&SaH)

Not much to add later on - a couple of Whitethroats and Chiffchaffs along the west side, a Sand Martin among 50+ Swallows over the harbour and two Whimbrels in the corner near the beach, with a Kingfisher over. (AH)

Later on there were two Ospreys out on the mud viewed from the Tramway, with another still fishing over the harbour. (IL)