23rd - 25th December 2016

Christmas Day, Sunday, 25th December: Cloudy and fairly dull, but exceptionally mild for the time of year, despite the moderate-fresh W/SW wind.....

We would like to take the opportunity to wish all readers and contributors a very happy and peaceful Christmas, with best wishes for a bird-filled New Year, and we thank you for your continued support. The Editors (OM/AH/BI, alias Owen, Andy and Bart).

Selsey Bill: 0745-0830hrs  (SH/SR) 
Red-throated Diver - 1W
Slavonian Grebe - 3E, 3os
Great Crested Grebe - 2W
Gannet - 29W
Brent Goose - 5E, 4W
Common Scoter - 21W, 2os
Red-breasted Merganser - 6W
Razorbill - 1os
Mediterranean Gull - 3os
(0845-1030hrs) WSE F4/5 drizzle and mist (SR/CE&ME)
Great Northern Diver - 1E, 2os
diver sp. - 1E
Great Crested Grebe - 1os
Slavonian Grebe - 1os
Gannet - 7E, c550W
Brent Goose - 1E
Common Scoter - 6E, 2W, 2os
Red-breasted Merganser - 1W, 1os

Turnstone - 1W
Oystercatcher - 1ob
Kittiwake - 4W
Fulmar - 1W
Razorbill - 1W, 3os
auk sp - 1W, 2os
Pied Wagtail - 1ob
Stonechat - 1ob

C&ME tucking into Stollen cake (SR)

Coastguard Station: There were at least 100 Common Scoter offshore this morning. (AH)
Later on there were also two Great Northern Divers and c25 Gannets offshore. (SR)

Common Scoter off the Coastguard Station (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: A Raven went over and there were four Grey Partridges and a Grey Wagtail around the farm. (S&SaH)

Ferry Pool: There were 12 Black-tailed Godwits, 85 Lapwing, eight Shoveler, 35 Teal and four Shelduck on the pool this morning, plus a Mediterranean Gull over, but no Wigeon. (AH)

Shovelers (above), Black-tailed Godwit & Lapwings on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: There was a bit of activity offshore this morning, including up to eightVelvet Scoters that dropped in from the east, a similar number of distant Common Scoters, three Slavonian Grebes, eight Red-breasted Mergansers and four Great Crested Grebes on the sea, and up to twenty Gannets feeding offshore and six Kittiwakes heading west.
There were three Goldeneye in the harbour mouth, at least 15 Little Grebes and a dozen Pintail in the harbour, a few Common and Mediterranean Gulls along the beach and the Whimbrel was among plenty of roosting waders. (AH)
There was a also a Stonechat and a Sparrowhawk around the horse field and at least 1000 gulls (presumably Herring) feeding way out offshore. (S&SaH)

Kittiwake (above), Gannet, Goldeneyes, Common Gull & Whimbrel at Church Norton (AH)

Ivy Lake: A quick look didn't turn up the Long-tailed Duck but the Scaup was showing well and there were a dozen Shoveler also present. (BI)

Scaup at Ivy Lake, below (BI)

East Head: There were half a dozen Skylarks and a few Meadow Pipits around the dunes with a Rock Pipit at the end of the head and by the car park the obliging Mediterranean Gull was still present. (BI)

Mediterranean Gull at East Head (BI)

Christmas Eve, Saturday, 24th December: Another mild, cloudy and breezy day....

Selsey Bill: (0740-0945hrs) WSW F4/5 Cloudy (JA/SH/PB/AH/CN/SR/GH): 

Red-throated Diver - 2E, 2W, 2os

Great Northern Diver - 3os
diver sp - 3W

Slavonian Grebe - 5os

Gannet - 20E, 103W, 20os

Common Scoter - 1E

Red-breasted Merganser - 3E, 10W

Mediterranean Gull - 6W

Common Gull - 1W

Kittiwake - 89W

Guillemot - 2W, 2os

Razorbill - 9W, 1os

auk sp - 11E, 109W

Pied Wagtail - 1p

Coastguard Station: The flock of c80 Common Scoter was offshore, a Rock Pipit was near the shore and a flock of c250 Lapwing was heading toward Medmerry. (SR/AH)

Common Scoters from the Coastguard Station (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were 75 Black-tailed Godwits, plus the Green Sandpiper on the pool, and c300 Lapwings (mostly) on the field. Also there were 11 Shoveler and 40 Teal around the pool, and up to 300 Wigeon on the adjacent arable field. (AH)

Black-tailed Godwits (above) & Wigeon around the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: Not too much going on this morning, with nothing offshore, and just three Red-breasted Mergansers, three Pintail, two Great Crested Grebes and ten Little Grebes on the water in the harbour, and plenty of Knot and a couple of Bar-tailed Godwits among the commoner waders whirling about in response to an unseen disturbance, which wasn't the Peregrines as they were sat on their island.

Also, half a dozen Lesser Black-backed Gulls were in the harbour and a handful of Mediterranean Gulls were among the Black-headed Gulls on Rectory Lane. (AH)

Red-breasted Mergansers (above), Peregrines, Bar-tailed Godwits, Grey Plovers, Knot and Dunlin, Lesser Black-backed Gulls & Mediterranean Gulls at Church Norton (AH)

Also, later on,  a Chiffchaff was in the oirchard at Greenlease Farm, a Stonechat was in the horse field and a Kingfisher was in the harbour, whilst the two Peregrines were hunting as a team along the beach, upsetting all the Knot and Dunlin. (S&SaH)

Kingfisher at Church Norton (SH)

Pagham Lagoon: Seven Red-breasted Mergansers were present early afternoon. (BI)

Park Farm, Selsey: A Kestrel was at Park Farm, and nearby in the north of the village a Chiffchaff was in our garden. (S&SaH)

Kestrel at Park Farm, Selsey (SH) 

Ivy Lake complex: The Long-tailed Duck was back at the jetty end of Ivy Lake early morning with the Scaup fairly close nearby but apart from that the water was generally quiet other than a few Herring & Common Gulls and Great Crested Grebes. Nunnery Lake had the usual Gadwall in attendance but there were more Tufted Ducks than in previous days with 25 in total. The rest of the lakes were quiet with just Great Crested Grebes, Coots and more Tufted Ducks to be seen. Along the paths were two Chiffchaffs and the flock of Long-tailed Tits. (BI)

Westhampnett Pit: A notable number of Common Pochards this morning with at least 70 birds present, also 12 Little Grebes and a scattering of Tufted Ducks & Great Crested Grebes. (BI)

Drayton Pit: From the A259 end, two Little Grebes, nine Gadwall, a dozen Tufted Ducks and c.100 Coots. (BI)


Friday, 23rd December: A mild and grey day, with the prospect of strong winds and heavy rain later...

Selsey Bill: A very large feeding flock of gulls offshore, including 800 Kittiwakes, was the highlight, plus a Red-necked Grebe....and later a Pomarine Skua too.
0800-1000hrs: S/SSW6 (JA)
Red-throated Diver - 4W
Great Northern Diver - 1W, 2os
Slavonian Grebe - 2E
Red-necked Grebe - 1os
Great Crested Grebe - 1W, 1os
Gannet - 160 os
Common Scoter - 2E, 5W
Red-breasted Merganser - 6W, 4os
Razorbill - 34W
Guillemot - 7W
Auk sp - 7E, 205W
Kittiwake - 800 os
Herring Gull - 1000 os

Also 1215-1500hrs: (SH/GH)
Red-throated Diver - 3W
Great Crested Grebe - 1os
Gannet - 13E, 252W
Dunlin - 15W
Red-breasted Merganser - 3W
Razorbill - 10W, 4os
Guillemot - 25W
Auk sp - 209W
Pomarine Skua - 1W (1325hrs)
Kittiwake - 412W, 30 os
Mediterranean Gull - 1W

 Ivy Lake complex: The Long-tailed Duck and Scaup were both still present this morning, along with the family of Black Swans, 20+ Great Crested Grebes and 20+ Little Egrets, but just a few ducks - mainly Tufted Ducks and Shoveler, and a couple of Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests in the bushes.

There were 12 Gadwall on Nunnery Lake, and on New Lake thgere were c75 Shoveler, c40 Pochard and c30 Tufted Ducks. (AH/BI)

Scaup (BI) (above), Long-tailed Duck, Gadwall, Shoveler & Black Swan around Ivy Lake (AH)

  

Later on, in addition to the above, there was a Tree-creeper, at least ten Chiffchaffs and similar of Goldcrests among the roving tit flocks. (AB)

Tree-creeper (above), Chiffchaff & Goldcrest at Ivy Lake (AB)

Ferry Pool: The Green Sandpiper and two Black-tailed Godwits were on the pool along with 11 Shoveler, 44 teal and at least 300 Wigeon. (AH)

Green Sandpiper (above) & Wigeon on the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool: There were no birds at all, bar a couple of Goldcrests, along the Long Pool, whilst in Ferry Channel there were 38 Avocets, 33 Shelducks and plenty of Teal and Redshank, with at least 500 Brent Geese coming out of the harbour and heading off west. (AH)

Avocets (above) & Brent Geese from Long Pool (AH)

Church Norton: Offshore there were 20 Gannets and a small movement of auks moving west, whilst in the harbour a yellow-flagged Knot was present (enquiries will be made). (PH)

North Wall: Very windy along the Wall. On the Breech Pool were Mallard, Teal, 80 Canada Geese, 2 Black-tailed Godwits and a Cormorant, whilst in the field to the east of Honer reservoir were 5 Grey Partridge. On the reservoir itself were 32 Coot, 17 Tufted Duck, 3 Mallard, a Gadwall and a Little Grebe, and in the field behind the reservoir were 5 Roe Deer. A Jack Snipe was feeding alongside a muddy pool at Marsh Farm and many of the wetter fields held small flocks of Lapwing, Curlew and Wigeon. In my Pagham garden were a Sparrowhawk, a Greater Spotted Woodpecker and a Hedgehog! (JDW)

Hedgehog in a Pagham garden (JDW)