7th - 9th October 2016

Sunday, 9th October: A bright and breezy day, with the chill of the north-easterly breeze softened by a bit of warm sun on occasions....

Selsey Bill: Highlight was undoubtedly a Yellow-browed Warbler (found by CRJ) in Seal Square, just west of the Bill. It was mostly frequenting the willows on the north side of the small allotment known as 'This Blessed Plot,' and was still present into the afternoon, in the company of a Chiffchaff that it seemed to chase off repeatedly.

Otherwise it was quite slow early on, though the Dartford Warbler was again in the Bill House garden, with nothing much moving offshore, and a few dozen Swallows, Meadow Pipits and Pied Wagtails on the move, but not too much else, though a Mistle Thrush over was unusual. (AH/SH/PB/IP/BI/SR/CRJ)

(0700-0900hrs)

Gannet 12E, 18W, 12os
Brent Geese - 24W
Shelduck - 1W
Common Scoter 1E
Grey Plover - 1W
Mediterranean Gull - 20E
Common Gull - 1E
Meadow Pipit - 32N
Pied Wagtail - 40N, 3W
House Martin - 2p
Swallow - 2p
Wheatear - 1p
Mistle Thrush - 1N
Yellow-browed Warbler - 1p (in Seal Square)
Chiffchaff - c8p in gardens
Dartford Warbler - 1p in Bill House garden
Linnet - 2p

Yellow-browed Warbler at the Bill (AH)

Yellow-browed Warbler (below) (BI)

Northcommon Farm: Not much to report from here - just a large tit flock, including 15 Long-tailed Tits, 5 Blue Tits and 5 Chiffchaffs. (CRJ)

From Nick Bond -  "There is an escaped Harris's Hawk in the Selsey area -  its owner would appreciate news of any sightings." 

Ferry Pool: Early on there were 75 Lapwings on the pool,m plus a few Teal, and later on there were three Green Sandpipers present, plus a single Shelduck. (AH)

Green Sandpipers on Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: A Red Kite went over Greenlease Farm and then the churchyard this morning, and also around the farm was a Yellow Wagtail with several hundred Pied Wagtails and Meadow Pipits, along with the Grey Partridge covey - actually eleven in total, two Black Redstarts were between the farm and Rectory Lane, and a Siskin went over the churchyard, where there were also a few Chiffchaffs.

Along the beach there were at least eight Stonechats, c50 Mediterranean Gulls offshore, a Knot among c50 Grey Plovers on the foreshore, a Yellow Wagtail went east along with 200+ Goldfinch, 100+ Linnets, 50+ Meadow Pipits and a few Swallows and Pied Wagtails and a couple of Pintail were with half a dozen Shoveler on the second Several. (AH/IP/HR/A&YF))

Red Kite (above) (AF), Grey Partridges, Stonechat & Pintail at Church Norton (AH)

This afternoon one, and probably both, Black Redstarts were still around the old barn and the Clock House along the lane to Greenlease Farm, and there were several hundred Pied Wagtails,Meadow Pipits and Mediterranean and Black-headed Gulls on the field behind. (AH)

Black Redstart (above), Meadow Pipit & Pied Wagtail at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - Very quiet this afternoon, with just a couple of Stonechats and a Green Sandpiper of note. (IP)

North Wall: The usual Wigeon and Redshanks were in White's Creek this morning with about 150 Lapwings along the strand line and the Breech Pool was similarly quiet other than a decent number of Teal, a few Black-tailed Godwits and eight Snipe. Little along the hedgerows apart from a pair of Stonechats by the bend and the occasional Chiffchaff though a Whinchat at Halsey's Farm was a surprise. Along Owl Point there were at least 20 Reed Buntings whilst a few Redwings flew over here. (BI)

Stonechat along North Wall (BI)

Long Pool: A late afternoon look produced a Kingfisher, a Jay and a Snipe over the pool, at least six Stonechats  along the hedge at the far end and a mixed flock of Long-tailed Tits and Chiffchaffs at the Ferry end. Also, sadly, in the last couple of days, the local landowner has cleared all the scrub from the last remaining uncropped field on the south of the pool. (AH/IP)

Long-tailed Tits along Long Pool (AH)

Saturday, 8th October: A pleasant autumn morning, with a bit of sunshine and a fairly light north-easterly breeze....

Selsey Bill: Another fairly quiet morning, but as ever a fair selection of species.(SH/PB/AB/IP/SR) (0700-0900hrs)
Gannet 8E, 8W, 8os (different birds!)
Brent Goose - 1E, 9W
Wigeon - 10W
Teal - 1W
Sparrowhawk - 1p
Peregrine - 1E
Common Gull - 1E
Mediterranean Gull - 18E, 1W, 2os
Sandwich Tern - 12E
Skylark - 6N
Meadow Pipit - 18N
Pied Wagtail - 24N
Swallow - 1S
House Martin - 50S
Chiffchaff - 12p (in gardens)
Dartford Warbler 1p (in garden east of Bill)
Goldfinch - 16p
(0900-1000hrs) (SR)
Turnstone - 22 o.b.
Swallow - 23E
House Martin - 12E
Meadow Pipit - 12N
Pied Wagtail - 21N
Chiffchaff - 10p
Blackcap (male) - 1p

Dartford Warbler at the Bill (AB)

Park Farm, Selsey: This morning there were ten Grey Partridges around the farm, along with a Wheatear, a Grey Wagtail, a Reed Bunting and 100+ Meadow Pipits, plus a Sparrowhawk and a Buzzard. (S&SaH)

Northcommon Farm: This afternoon there was a Buzzard present and four Stonechats and two Chiffchaffs along the hedges. (S&SaH)

Church Norton: There was a Curlew Sandpiper in the harbour this morning, and along hte front there were four Stonechats, two Blackcaps, 10+ Chiffchaffs and 100+ House Martins and Swallows. Also four Brent Geese went west and there were also four Sandwich Terns offshore, and two Buzzards and three Sparrowhawks were about. (S&SaH/PB/AB/IP) 
Three Ring Ouzels circled over and then flew west around mid-day. (I.Ralphs)
At 4.30pm a Ring Ouzel was on the roof of the old barn along Rectory Lane (near the car-park). (P&JW)

Stonechat at Church Norton (AB)

Ferry Pool: There were two Green Sandpipers on the pool for the first time in a while this morning, along with a Lapwing and four Teal. (AH)

Green Sandpipers on the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: In White's Creek there were seven Spotted Redshank, four Greenshank, a Bar-tailed Godwit, half a dozen Pintail and plenty of Wigeon, Teal, Redshank and Black-tailed Godwit, and at least 200 Lapwing out on the mud. Also a Kingfisher was briefly present and two Grey Wagtails went over.

A first-year male Marsh Harrier spent a good ten minutes hunting over the fields behind the Breech Pool, and on the pool itself there were five Spotted Redshank (at least two of which came from White's Creek), a Green Sandpiper, 23 Snipel, a single Dunlin, c50 Lapwing, c50 Black-tailed Godwits, a few Redshank and lots of Teal.

Along the wall there were at least two pairs of Stonechats, a dozen Reed Buntings, half a dozen Chiffchaffs and a couple of Cettis Warblers, with ten Swallows, 12 Pied Wagtails and c40 Meadow Pipits going over north. (AH)

Marsh Harrier (above), Spotted Redshank, Greenshank, Snipe and Teal, Lapwings & Reed Bunting along North Wall (AH)

Fishbourne Creek: There were half a dozen Mistle Thrushes around St.Mary's churchyard, a group of mixed Tits generally mobile in the area and a flock of Yellowhammers on the stubble on the way to the creek. In the creek at low tide were many Wigeon, Curlew & Black-tailed Godwits and seven Brent Geese. Along the wall by the sluice there were two Rock Pipits. (BI)

Rock Pipit at Fishbourne Creek (BI)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - Very quiet this afternoon, despite the pleasant conditions (initially at least!) with highlights being a Raven that went over west and then back east, one Wheatear, up to six Stonechats, a few Reed Buntings and Skylarks and 100+ Meadow Pipits along the banks, the two Bar-headed Geese in with c600 Canada Geese on the Stilt Pool and nine Brent Geese going west far out to sea. There were 500+ Wigeon and Teal around, but the only waders seen were 50 Lapwings, and there were also 300+ Mediterranean Gulls present. (AH/SH)

Raven (above), Meadow Pipit, Bar-headed and Canada Geese & Wigeon at Medmerry (AH)

Friday, 7th October: Another cool and grey morning, with heavy cloud, the odd spit of drizzle, but less windy than of late.....

Selsey Bill: A lot less visible migration activity than the last few days, and not much offshore either! (AH)

(0745-0845hrs)

Gannet - 8E, 12W

Brent Goose - 1W

Eider - 1W

Turnstone - 1p

Mediterranean Gull - 11E

Sandwich Tern - 8os (together feeding)

Swallow - 9E

Meadow Pipit - 2E

Sandwich Tern (above) & Turnstone at the Bill (AH)

Church Norton: There was a little more moving along the beach - c25 Meadow Pipits, 12 Pied Wagtails, just two Swallows and c80 Linnets, but otherwise it was quiet. 

A Greenshank was in the harbour again, presumably the same eight Sandwich Terns that were at the Bill appeared offshore, along with a couple of Gannets and c30 Mediterranean Gulls, and along the Several there were a pair of Stonechats and a big Long-tailed Tit flock, with a few Chiffchaffs and Blue Tits mixed in.

There were one or two more Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests around the churchyard, but I couldn't look behind the hide as two juvenile Mute Swans had taken up residence there! (AH)

Greenshank (above), Stonechat, Shoveler, Mediterranean Gulls, Long-tailed Tits & Mute Swans at Church Norton (AH)

Ferry Pool: Just 12 Teal on the pool and nothing of note in the channel. (AH)

North Wall: A Ring Ouzel was clacking around the hedges at Halsey's Farm this morning but was very flighty and didn't settle for long. A large flock of Canada Geese flew into the harbour with the Greylag Goose amongst them and in White's Creek were the Wigeon, a dozen Pintail and four Spotted Redshanks. The Breech Pool was quiet with the only waders being c.20 Black-tailed Godwits although there was a reasonable size mixed flock of Long-tailed Tits, Blue & Great Tits with a few Chiffchaffs for good measure in and out of the reeds and scrub here. (BI)