20th - 22nd January 2017

Sunday, 22nd January: The cold, settled spell continues, with another bright, if hazy morning.....

Further to our recent editorial, readers will be interested to know that an update on the situation concerning the Ferry Pool area will appear on this blog tomorrow....... (Eds)

Selsey Bill: (0730-0930hrs) (JA/SH/IP/AH/SR)
Great Northern Diver - 3os
Red-throated Diver - 3E, 1W
diver sp - 1E
Slavonian Grebe - 1os
Great Crested Grebe - 2E
Gannet - 7E, 7W
Brent Goose - 9W
Wigeon - 1E
Red-breasted Merganser - 31E, 5W
Mediterranean Gull - 1E, 2os
Common Gull - 2E
Kittiwake - 3E
Razorbill - 9E, 2W. 5os
auk sp - 2E, 8os

Red-breasted Mergansers (above() & Red-throated Diver at the Bill (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: The Dartford Warbler was present again, with a couple of Stonechats, and also about were a Grey Wagtail, two Pied Wagtails and the Green Sandpiper. (S&SaH/IP)

Ivy Lake: The Scaup was present again this morning and the Bittern flew from Deep Lake, over the path and landed in the left hand end of the reed bed, left of the chalets and pontoon at the eastern end. (HR)

East Head: In spite of the huge numbers of people and dogs passing by, a solitary Snow Bunting was going about its business at the end of East Head yesterday. (B Platt per SOS)

Church Norton: There was little on the sea this morning - just three Slavonian Grebes and one Great Crested Grebe, plus two Sanderling and two Bar-tailed Godwits on the beach.
A Woodcock that flew out of the creek and into Priory Wood was a surprise, but otherwise it was fairly much the same as of late, with highlights including the two Peregrines, three Goldeneye, ten Avocets and a few Black-tailed Godwits in the harbour, and a dozen Skylarks and one or two Linnets and Meadow Pipits along the spit. (S&SaH/IP/AH)
Also the Whimbrel and a few Knot were present, as well. (BFF et al)

Sanderling (SH) (above), Goldeneyes, Peregrine & Teal (AH) at Church Norton

Long Pool: A Spotted Redshank was in the creek at the end of the Long Pool, a hungry Reed Bunting was feeding on unfrozen reed seeds at the top of the stem just like a Bearded Tit and a skulking Water Rail flew over the pool diving into thick cover, whilst a dashng Kingfisher zoomed by, too. (BFF et al)

North Wall: It was very quiet this afternoon, with just a Peregrine and a Snipe of note. (S&SaH)

Medmerry: Porthole Farm - A Jack Snipe shot out of one of the ditches and disappeared away out of view, and there were at least 20 Chiffchaffs along the hedges, plus half a dozen Reed Buntings.
In the bare field where they lifted sugar-beet there were at least 500 Pied Wagtails, with a couple of Grey Wagtails, a dozen Meadow Pipits and c50 Skylarks among them, with just a few Pied Wagtail using the adjacent settling tanks. (AH)

Chiffchaffs (above), Grey Wagtail, Reed Bunting & Buzzard at Porthole Farm (AH)

Kipson Bank Farm, Hunston: There was a lot of activity in the big stubble fields opposite the golf course this morning, with conservative estimates of 50 Redwings, 200 Fieldfares, 100 Skylarks, 50 Linnets, 20 Meadow Pipits, 50 Pied Wagtails and 500 Starlings, plus a few Lapwing and c40 Stock Doves.
Around the farm itself there were at least 6 Snipe, 100+ Linnets, 10 Chaffinches, 50+ Meadow Pipits, 20 Fieldfare and 100 Starlings. (AH)

Fieldfare (above), Snipe, Stock Doves, Linnets & Skylarks at Kipson Bank Farm, Hunston (AH)

Chi GPs - Drayton Pits: An early afternoon visit, though over half the area of the pits was still frozen. Wildfowl were huddled into the unfrozen patches, including 120 Shoveler, 80+ Pochard, 30+ Gadwall and 3-400 Coots, plus 14 Snipe along the edges. A Marsh Harrier was a surprise, though it didn't linger for long, but there was no sighting of the Bittern. Three Green Woodpeckers, 2 Jays and a Buzzard were the best of the rest. (OM)

 Marsh Harrier and huddles of Coot and Shoveler at Drayton GPs (OM)

Saturday, 21st January: Another cold, bright morning, though clouding up somewhat by lunchtime....and with a chilly E/SE wind 3-4.

Selsey Bill: (0730-0845hrs) NE4, sun/cloud (JA)

Red-throated Diver - 7E
diver sp - 6W

Slavonian Grebe - 3E

Great Crested Grebe - 2E, 1W

Gannet - 20E, 30os

Common Scoter - 2E

Red-breasted Merganser - 12E, 2os

Sanderling - 2p

Kittiwake - 2E

Razorbill - 4E, 1os

auk sp - 268E

Park Farm, Selsey: A Raven went over this morning, and there were three Stonechats along the hedges. (S&SaH)

Church Norton: Fairly quiet this morning, with a Spotted Redshank in the harbour near the concrete spit and five Common Scoters heading west offshore being the only birds of note. (S&SaH)

Ferry Pool: Nothing on the pool early this morning, though there were four Grey Plovers, 12 Black-tailed Godwits and c80 Wigeon in the channel opposite. (AH)

Grey Plover in Ferry Channel (AH)

Fishbourne Creek: The Water Pipit was in its usual area this morning, and there were up to half a dozen Rock Pipits along the edge of the harbour. 
Among the waders out in the channels there were three each of Spotted Redshank and Greenshank, 50+ Black-tailed Godwits, half a dozen Ringed Plover and many hundreds of Dunlin, whilst there were also five Goldeneye and half a dozen Pintail among 500+ Wigeon, 200+ Teal and at least 1000 Brent Geese, plus a few Common Gulls.
The Yellowhammer flock near the stable numbered around twenty, and one or two Goldcrests and a few Long-tailed Tits were seen and a Bullfinch was heard only. (AH)

Water Pipit (above), Rock Pipit, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank, Goldeneye, Brent Geese & Ringed Plover at Fishbourne Creek (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - Highlights this afternoon were the Common Sandpiper on the Stilt Pool, two Snipe, a Buzzard, 50+ Golden Plover in with 200+ Lapwing, and the Barn Owl hunting in its usual area. (S&SaH)

Chichester GPs, Ivy Lake: Good numbers of wildfowl this morning with 75 Common Pochards, 150 Shoveler and 100 Canada Geese milling around in the middle of the lake although there was no sign of the Scaup or Long-tailed Duck amongst them. A search for the Bittern both early and late didn't turn it up but there was large flock of mixed Tits along the paths with a couple of Goldcrests and a single Chiffchaff keeping company. (BI)
The Scaup was back this afternoon, and showing quite a lot of adult plumage now, and most of the other birds were the same as earlier, though 30 Greylag Geese dropped in. (AH)

Scaup (above) & Pochard on Ivy Lake (AH)

Drayton Pit: A late afternoon look failed to produce a Bittern, though a Marsh Harrier briefly hunting over the reeds at the back was some consolation, as was a fleeting Bullfinch. On the unfrozen water there were c80 Gadwall, six Teal, c40 Tufted Duck and at least 200 Coots. (AH)

Gadwall (above) & Coots on Drayton Pit (AH)

Friday, 20th January: Another cold, dry and fine day in store, mainly sunny with a little cloud, but temperatures hardly feeling above freezing in the light to moderate E/NE breeze.....

Selsey Bill: (0745-1000hrs) NE4, sunny (JA/SR)

Great Northern Diver - 4os

Red-throated Diver - 86E, 3W, 4os
diver sp - 12E, 5W

Slavonian Grebe - 1os

Great Crested Grebe - 1os

Gannet - 39E, 9W

Shag - 1E

Common Scoter - 4E, 3W

Red-breasted Merganser - 11E, 5W, 11os

Sanderling - 2p

Kittiwake - 8E

Razorbill - 9E

auk sp - 161E

Selsey, Coastguard Station: There were just four Common Scoter well off to the west, and six Red-breasted Mergansers, on my visit this morning. (SR)

Ferry Pool: Nothing on the pool again, but there were eight Curlew and c100 Wigeon on the field, and a grey Heron over (AH)

Grey Heron (above), Curlews & Wigeon at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: It was very quiet, with a brisk breeze and a low tide, though there were two Slavonian Grebes and a couple of Common Gulls offshore, and several hundred Diunlin, a  couple of Black-tailed Godwits and plenty of Grey Plovers, Redshanks and Curlews in the harbour, along with a 20+ Shelduck, but few other duck, save a few Teal. Nothing was in the hedges, but there was a Green Woodpecker in the churchyard. (AH)

Grey Plover (above), Curlew, Dunlin & Redshank and Teal at Church Norton (AH)

Runcton: After yesterdays absence the Mute Swan flock was back on the field south of Runcton, 45 birds plus now 2 Black Swans and still present the 2 Egyptian and 20 Canada Geese. (CRJ)

Chichester Gps, Ivy Lake: The Scaup, Long-tailed Duck and Bittern were all giving good views today with the Bittern favouring the left hand end of the chalets near the pontoon. (A.Parfitt)

East side of harbour: On Pagham Lagoon there were a single Pochard and Goldeneye, whilst low tide along White's Creek found three Bar-tailed Godwits and three Spotted Redshanks, some 20 Pintail and just four Knot. Here and elsewhere there were say 2000 Brent Geese, coming and going and not settled much, with one adult showing an orange ring on left tarsus. Also, there were some 20 Black-tailed Godwits at the Breech Pool. (ARK per SOS)