29th - 31st October 2016

Monday, 31st October: Halloween - and with it some spookily summery conditions..... dry and fine after early mist, with long sunny periods and a little scattered cloud, feeling pleasantly warm at times despite a light to moderate easterly breeze. It's not set to last though, with something colder due as November approaches.....

East Head: A Shore Lark was very briefly at the very end of East Head (SZ770991) early afternoon before flying towards Itchenor, and there were also three Eiders and seven Red-breasted Mergansers offshore. (A.Gray)

Church Norton: There were 2 Peregrines in the harbour (one had caught a crow), and also a few Chiffchaffs, but it was otherwise quiet. (A&YF)

Ferry Pool: There was a Snipe and two Green Sandpipers on the pool, along with c100 Lapwings, 40 Wigeon and a dozen Teal, whilst around the Visitor centre were a Firecrest and a few Chiffchaffs, and a Blackcap was at the top end of the cycleway, along with half a dozen Song Thrushes and c100 Goldfinches. (AH/A&YF)

Green Sandpipers (above), Snipe & Lapwing around Ferry (AH)

Long Pool: There were at least four  squealing Water Rails along the pool early this morning, though only one showed itself. There was also a Snipe and a couple of Little Grebes on the pool, a dozen Reed Buntings and a couple of Goldcrests around the edge. Also, several hundred Wigeon and Teal, plus a few Pintail and Shelduck flew over from Medmerry into the harbour. (AH)

Water Rail (above), with Moorhen, Wigeopn & Shelduck around Long Pool (AH)

Pagham churchyard: There were 2 Black Redstarts in the churchyard this morning. (JDW)

North Wall: Along White's Creek were 220 Lapwing, whilst  the Breech Pool was host to 22 Common Snipe, 40 Black-tailed Godwits, 11 Lapwing and 3 Spotted Redshanks. Along the Wall were at least 30 Reed Buntings, 2 calling Cetti's Warblers and an unseasonal singing Song Thrush. A pair of Stonechats were at Bremere bridge and 2 Pied Wagtails were in the horse field at Welbourne. (JDW)
Later, this afternoon, there were 2 Bearded Tits on the Breech Pool and a flock of 13 White-fronted Geese flew over the North Wall (IL)

 Reed Bunting (above), Song Thrush and Pied Wagtail at the North Wall (JDW)

Sunday, 30th October: A bit brighter than yesterday, with a freshening easterly breeze.....and time to adjust to the clocks going back.......

Selsey Bill: There was a bit of visible migration this morning, notably of Skylarks, but still very little moving offshore, though there was a Great Northern Diver on the sea and a few Gannets about. Full log below....
0745-0900hrs: (Obs: JA/SH/AH)

Great Northern Diver - 1os

Gannet - 6E, 17W, 26os

Brent Goose - 5E, 13W

Shelduck - 1E

Common Scoter - 10E

Red-breasted Merganser - 4W

Mallard - 2N
Wigeon - 5E
Kestrel - 1p
Mediterranean Gull - 1E, 1W

Common Gull - 5E

Razorbill - 2E

auk sp - 4E

Starling - 30S

Skylark - 29E, 9N

Meadow Pipit - 42E

Pied/alba Wagtail - 24E

Linnet - 6E

Goldfinch - 95E

Greenfinch - 3E, 8p
Chaffinch - 2p

Also 0930-1100hrs: (OM) 
Gannet - 10E
Sandwich Tern - 1E
Kittiwake - 2E
Mediterranean Gull - 2E
Skylark - 3E
Pied Wagtail - 4E
Chiffchaff - 2 gardens

Common Gull (above) & Gannet past the Bill (AH)

Selsey: A Me revile du jour moth was present in JA's moth trap this morning (per SH)

 (Trust this is the correct name! Eds)

Me revile du jour moth in JA's Selsey garden (per SH)

Park Farm, Selsey: No sign of the Dartford Warbler early on, though it did appear later and showed well. There were also still three Stonechats present and half a dozen Skylarks went over. (S&SaH/PB)

 Dartford Warbler and Stonechat at Park Farm, Selsey (SH)

Ferry Pool: There were three Green Sandpipers at the back this morning, along with half a dozen Redshank among 180 Lapwing and ten Teal, with the Grey Wagtail dropping in briefly. (AH)

Grey Wagtail (above) & Lapwings and Redshank on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: There were c120 Pintail in the harbour with c200 Wigeon and c100 Brent Geese this morning, whilst among the waders on the rising/high tide were a couple of Knot, four Bar-tailed Godwits and c60 Grey Plovers, and the very large female and small male Peregrines were on their island.

There was very little in the hedges save a couple of Goldcrests, a Chiffchaff and a Jay, though there were a dozen Skylarks and a pair of Stonechats on the spit and another pair of the latter on the second Several, where there were also a couple of Reed Buntings and three Shoveler.

There were a lot of Herring and Black-headed Gulls offshore, but just a couple of Mediterranean Gulls and a Sandwich Tern were among them, and a couple of Gannets were further out. (AH/S&SaH/PB)

Pintail (above), Shoveler, Chiffchaff, Stonechat, Skylark, Knot, Grey Plover and Dunlin, Grey Plovers & Knot, Grey Plovers and Dunlin at Church Norton (AH)

Chichester Marina pool: This morning in and around the reed-beds there were 3 Water Rails, a Kingfisher, 2 Grey Wagtails, 3 Cetti's Warblers, 10 Goldcrests and 6 Chiffchaffs. (OM)


Saturday, 29th October: Mainly dull and cloudy with a light easterly breeze, but still feeling quite mild.....

Selsey Bill: Not too much moving offshore, though a Merlin was seen chasing a Meadow Pipit around a fishing boat some way out, four Great Northern Divers were on the sea and 11 Greylag Geese went north-east past the Mile Basket, whilst there were still a couple of Swallows and a Chiffchaff around the gardens. Full log below. (SH/JA/PB/AB/SR/AH)

(0745-0945hrs)

Great Northern Diver - 4os
Gannet - 11E, 30W
Brent Goose - 12W
Greylag Goose - 11E
Common Scoter - 5W, 3E
Merlin - 1os
Mediterranean Gull - 1W
Razorbill - 2E
auk sp - 3W
Swallow - 2p
Meadow Pipit - 2E
Pied Wagtail - 2E
Chiffchaff - 1p
Goldcrest - 7p
Linnet - 30p
Goldfinch - 14p

Sea-watching on a quiet morning at the Bill (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: There was a Dartford Warbler with three Stonechats in the salad crop fields this morning, with a Grey Wagtail, a Sparrowhawk and a Buzzard also in the area. (S&SaH)  

Church Norton: Eleven Greylag Geese (presumably those that passed the Bill) were at the far end of the harbour, and 100+ Gannets moved through offshore heading west, but quickly moved on. Also the Peregrine was in the harbour and around the Severals there were four Stonechats and a Chiffchaff. (S&SaH)

Ferry Pool: There were three Snipe, a Green Sandpiper, c60 Lapwing, c20 Teal and c40 Wigeon around the pool this morning, and a Grey Wagtail dropped in briefly. (AH/PB/AB)

Green Sandpiper on the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: The Bearded Tits (probably four) eventually showed quite well this morning around the Breech Pool, where there were also five Greenshank, a couple of Water Rails, at least a dozen Snipe, five Dunlin, ten Redshanks, c40 Black-tailed Godwits and at least a dozen Reed Buntings.

A Rock Pipit was out in the harbour, along with c40 Golden Plover, a Bar-tailed Godwit and a few Knot among the roosting waders. (AH/PB/AB)

Bearded Tit (above), Snipe, Black-tailed Godwits & Greenshanks from North Wall (AH)

Pagham Lagoon: Nothing much of note on the water this morning, just a couple of Brent Geese, four Great Crested and 20 Little Grebes, plus a dozen Tufted Duck and a Mediterranean Gull. (AH)

Tufted Ducks & Mediterranean Gull on Pagham Lagoon (AH)

Medmerry: Breach area - There were 10 Stonechats, a Black Redstart and a Siskin along the pathway by the Viewpoint this morning. (A&YF)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pools - It was very quiet this afternoon, with two or three Stonechats and a handful of Yellowhammers and Meadow Pipits along the banks, a couple of Shoveler on the Stilt Pool and 100 or so Lapwing and Teal out on the reserve, plus a Green Woodpecker and a Stock Dove over. (SH/AH)