Thursday, 22nd December: A thoroughly pleasant day after a very misty start - mild and sunny, though clouding up later, and just a light breeze....
Selsey Bill: Our visit this morning to the Bill was soon curtailed by sudden thick fog that descended, wrapping us in a cold damp blanket - although we logged a Red-throated Diver east with a couple of Razorbill west. (BFF/DM)
After the fog lifted at 10.00am the highlights up to 11.30 were at least 35 Red-throated Divers, mainly flying west, including parties of 14 and 11, plus 25 Common Scoters, also west. Strangely after the totals yesterday not a single Gannet was seen. (PC/BC)
Selsey Coastguard Station: The Black Redstart was briefly present, though there were no Scoters about. (BFF/DM)
Ferry Pool: Difficult to see much through the mist early on, though the Green Sandpiper, a couple of Black-tailed Godwits, four Shoveler and c200 Wigeon were present. (AH)
Ivy Lake complex: The Long-tailed Duck was again at the eastern end today, and the Scaup was also present, plus two calling Chiffchaffs and a Water Rail (BFF/DM).
Also around the various lakes were c60 Shoveler, c40 Tufted Duck, c50 Pochard, 75 Greylag Geese, 15 Great Crested Grebes and at least four Chiffchaffs among the roaming Long-tailed, Blue and Great Tit flocks. (AH)
Pagham Lagoon: Not much of note beyond a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers and the usual Tufted Ducks and Little Grebes. (AH)
North Wall: There were half a dozen Black-tailed Godwits, a Snipe and 50+ Teal on the Breech Pool, whilst on the fields behind there were 20 more Black-tailed Godwits, c80 Curlew, c250 Wigeon and c150 Canada Geese.
A Sparrowhawk but up a couple of hundred Lapwing in White's Creek, where there were also plenty of Redshank and there were quite a lot of Brent Geese flying around the back fields. (AH)
Fishbourne Creek: There were c.1000 Wigeon, 60 Pintail and 7 Goldeneye, plus 4 Greenshank, a Spotted Redshank, 4 Rock Pipits and 8 Fieldfare. (BFF/DM)
Wednesday, 21st December: Mid-winter's Day, and a very typical one - cold, grey and with a strong and blustery south-south-westerly wind....
Selsey Bill: Our visit this morning to the Bill was soon curtailed by sudden thick fog that descended, wrapping us in a cold damp blanket - although we logged a Red-throated Diver east with a couple of Razorbill west. (BFF/DM)
After the fog lifted at 10.00am the highlights up to 11.30 were at least 35 Red-throated Divers, mainly flying west, including parties of 14 and 11, plus 25 Common Scoters, also west. Strangely after the totals yesterday not a single Gannet was seen. (PC/BC)
Selsey Coastguard Station: The Black Redstart was briefly present, though there were no Scoters about. (BFF/DM)
Ferry Pool: Difficult to see much through the mist early on, though the Green Sandpiper, a couple of Black-tailed Godwits, four Shoveler and c200 Wigeon were present. (AH)
Black-tailed Godwit on the Ferry (AH)
Ivy Lake complex: The Long-tailed Duck was again at the eastern end today, and the Scaup was also present, plus two calling Chiffchaffs and a Water Rail (BFF/DM).
Also around the various lakes were c60 Shoveler, c40 Tufted Duck, c50 Pochard, 75 Greylag Geese, 15 Great Crested Grebes and at least four Chiffchaffs among the roaming Long-tailed, Blue and Great Tit flocks. (AH)
Long-tailed Duck (above), Pochard, Greylag Geese, Great Crested Grebe & Chiffchaff around Ivy Lake (AH)
Pagham Lagoon: Not much of note beyond a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers and the usual Tufted Ducks and Little Grebes. (AH)
Red-breasted Mergansers on Pagham Lagoon (AH)
North Wall: There were half a dozen Black-tailed Godwits, a Snipe and 50+ Teal on the Breech Pool, whilst on the fields behind there were 20 more Black-tailed Godwits, c80 Curlew, c250 Wigeon and c150 Canada Geese.
A Sparrowhawk but up a couple of hundred Lapwing in White's Creek, where there were also plenty of Redshank and there were quite a lot of Brent Geese flying around the back fields. (AH)
Black-tailed Godwits (above) & Wigeon from North Wall (AH)
Fishbourne Creek: There were c.1000 Wigeon, 60 Pintail and 7 Goldeneye, plus 4 Greenshank, a Spotted Redshank, 4 Rock Pipits and 8 Fieldfare. (BFF/DM)
Wednesday, 21st December: Mid-winter's Day, and a very typical one - cold, grey and with a strong and blustery south-south-westerly wind....
Selsey Bill: There was a constant stream of auks - nearly all Razorbills - and Gannets heading through and away in a south-westerly direction, but there wasn't too much else moving....
(0820-1020hrs) Wind SSW F5-6 (AH/SR)
Great Northern Diver - 1ERed-throated Diver - 2W
Great Crested Grebe - 1W
Gannet - 171W, 25 os.
Brent Goose - 2W
Common Scoter - 3W
Red-breasted Merganser - 5W
Kittiwake - 6W
Razorbill - 81W, 2 os.
Guillemot - 13W
auk sp 1E, 118W
Guillemot and Razorbills, Razorbills, Gannets & Common Scoter past the Bill (AH)
Ferry Pool: First thing this morning there was a Water Rail in the reeds by the road, along with the Green Sandpiper, a Black-tailed Godwit, five Shoveler, four Teal and 240 Wigeon. (AH)
Shoveler (above) & Wigeon on the Ferry (AH)
Church Norton: Not too much to report in a fairly brief look, though a Kingfisher was in the harbour, along with six Red-breasted Mergansers, five Little Grebes and 80 Knot among the hundreds of Dunlin.
Along the beach there were half a dozen Common and Mediterranean Gulls, plus many Redshank and Grey Plovers, but there was nothing observable on the sea. (AH)
Kingfisher (above), Grey Plover and Mediterranean Gull & Knot at Church Norton (AH)
Chi GP's - Ivy Lake: The Long-tailed Duck gave good scope views at the chalet end of the lake this afternoon, along with 15 Great Crested Grebes, 1 Little Grebe, 3 Gadwall, 5 Pochard, c25 Tufted Ducks, a Chiffchaff, 3 Goldcrests and a flock of Long-tailed Tits. Copse Lake had 7 Shoveler, 17 Tufted Ducks, 2 Great Crested Grebes and a Grey Heron. (SR)
Ivy Lake complex: The Long-tailed Duck was again present this morning, but right up at the very eastern end in front of the chalets. Among other birds present were 40+ Pochard and Tufted Duck, the family of four Black Swans, c30 Shoveler on New Lake, at least a dozen Great Crested Grebes, including a displaying pair, a Greylag Goose, two Canada Geese, four Little Egrets and 30+ Long-tailed Tits. (AH)
Long-tailed Duck (above), Pochard,Great Crested Grebes, Black Swans, Greylag and Canada Goose & Long-tailed Tit around Ivy Lake (AH)
Ferry Pool/Long Pool: The Green Sandpiper was still present, along with 60 Wigeon and two Teal this morning. (AH) A Spotted Redshank was on the Long Pool this morning. (KJ)
Green Sandpiper (above) & Wigeon on the Ferry (AH)
Church Norton: One of the Long-tailed Ducks was still present in the harbour at low water with some Pintail and there was a Slavonian Grebe and a few Red-breasted Mergansers further up near the harbour mouth. The Peregrine was on Tern Island and there were the usual waders about including a number of Knot and a single Bar-tailed Godwit. (KJ)
Coastguard Station: A quick look found no Scoters at all offshore, but three Red-throated Divers went east. (AH)
Red-throated Divers off the Coastguard Station (AH)
Selsey Bill: From the car park this morning there were at least three Great Northern Divers on the water and three distant Red-throated Divers and two probable Black-throated Divers all headed east. Three Common Scoter flew past as did eight Auk sp. and there were a number of Gannets offshore along with Common Gulls & Mediterranean Gulls. (KJ)
Lockgate Road, Sidlesham: A look along the concrete road with the piles of spoil beside it produced a Stonechat, four Skylarks, two Meadow Pipits, three Buzzards and about 200 Starlings. (AH)
Stonechat (above) & Buzzard at Lockgate Road, Sidlesham (AH)
Medmerry: East side: One Black Redstart was around the sea defence rocks with a pair of Stonechats, a Rock Pipit and several Meadow Pipits and a White Wagtail was near the caravans. Offshore, one raft of c.80 Common Scoter was on the sea & another flock flew east whilst in the breach were Grey Plover, Golden Plover & Ringed Plover, Knot, Dunlin and Turnstone with a few Gadwall on the water here as well. A Kestrel was hunting the general area. (KJ)
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