13th - 15th February 2017

Wednesday, 15th February: After a bright start, an increasingly grey and breezy day.....with rain setting in by late morning then moving through.

Selsey Bill: Very quiet this morning, though there was a lone Guillemot sat on the sea fairly close in. Log below....

(0810-0850hrs)  (AH)

Red-throated Diver - 4E

Great Northern Diver - 2os

Great Crested Grebe - 2 os

Brent Goose - 1E

Red-breasted Merganser - 2E

Guillemot - 1os

Guillemot off the Bill (AH)

Coastguard Station: It was quiet here, too, though 24 Brent Geese flew through east, with just four Common Scoters and four Red-breasted Mergansers on the water and no sign of the Black Redstart. (AH)

Red-breasted Mergansers (above) & Brent Geese off the Coastguard Station (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were c80 Brent Geese on the pool and c200 Wigeon on the adjacent arable field, but that was it this morning. (AH)

Brent Geese (above) & Wigeon at the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: There was nothing beyond a handful of Teal, Mallard and Tufted Duck on the Breech Pool, plus a couple of Reed Buntings flying about, but the harbour was a mass of activity, even if nothing was very unusual. Among species seen were two flocks of 150-200 Golden Plover, at least 2000 Lapwings, 1000 Brent Geese, 100+ Black-tailed Godwits, a couple of Bar-tailed Godwits, plus a Peregrine dropped into the harbour with a kill (possibly a Golden Plover).

A look at the Slipe Field produced just a handful of Reed Buntings and a couple of Greenfinches and Goldfinches. (AH/OM/JDW/PC)

Peregrine with a kill (above), Golden Plovers, Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits & Black-tailed Godwits from North Wall (AH)

Ivy Lake: Both the Long-tailed Duck and the Scaup were back in residence this morning along with the Bittern which flew over being mobbed by corvids. (G.Whitehead)

Chichester Marina: Another Bittern was here around lunchtime, walking out of the reeds and giving good views from the bird hide. (G.Whitehead)

Bittern at the Marina (KJ)

Pagham beach: A brief look late morning - just before the rain set in - produced 3 Eider well offshore (a sub-adult drake and 2 female-types), about 200 yds west of the Yacht club. Not a great deal else though.... 4 Great Crested Grebes offshore, a couple of auks west and a large mixed flock of several hundred gulls and 4 Gannets all apparently fishing. (OM)

Tuesday, 14th February: Another cold morning, with leaden skies and a brisk easterly breeze....though there were a few hints of brightness later.

Selsey Bill: Barely an auk or a Gannet were to be seen this morning, though there was a bit of Red-throated Diver passage and a few Red-breasted Mergansers heading east, whilst eight Sandwich Terns were feeding offshore on an otherwise fairly quiet morning. Full log below.....

0810-1040hrs: (Obs: OM/AH/JD/DS/CRJ et al)
Red-throated Diver - 61E, 5W
Great Northern Diver - 1os
Great Crested Grebe - 3 os
Fulmar - 1E, 3W
Gannet - 3E
Brent Goose - 7W
Common Scoter - 1E
Red-breasted Merganser - 10E
Gadwall - 3E
Razorbill - 1W
auk sp - 2E
Sandwich Tern - 8 feeding os, eventually drifted off W
Mediterranean Gull - 1E
Common Gull - 6E
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 2E

Red-breasted Mergansers past the Bill (AH)

Coastguard Station: The Black Redstart was present and showing around the buildings early on. (PC)

A little later in the morning however it could not be re-located despite a thorough search by several observers. The Common Scoter flock was still present, c15 Red-throated Divers went east and a single Gannet was lingering well offshore. There were also two Stonechats further west, nearer the breach. (AB/OM/JD/DS) 

An early afternoon visit also drew a blank for the Black Redstart, but on the beach a largish Grey Seal was hauled out and taking a snooze....by all accounts it may have been present a day or two. (OM)

Grey Seal on the beach in front of Medmerry cliffs this afternoon (OM)

Ivy Lake: The first-winter drake Scaup resurfaced this morning among the Pochard flock, but no sign of the Long-tailed Duck. (JD)/DS)

East Head: The two Snow Buntings were showing well early on (PC/DF) and were still present feeding along the strand line between 1045-1130, when a Mediterranean Gull was near the toilet block and a Sandwich Tern in the channel. (CBC/MC)

Church Norton: This morning c 1000 Dunlin and a Peregrine were in the harbour, 80 Brent Geese were offshore, three Mediterranean Gulls were along the beach, and two Red-legged Partridges were around Greenlease Farm. (CRJ)

Ferry Pool: Two Black-tailed Godwits, a Common Gull and 40 Lapwings were on the pool, with 500 of the latter heading over into the harbour along with seven Golden Plovers, and c300 Wigeon dropped in on the field. (AH)

Golden Plover (above), Common Gull & Wigeon at the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool: Nothing along the pool, save four Tufted Duck, plus a Raven that flew over eastwards, but in Ferry Channel there were a Spotted Redshank, a Snipe, c80 Black-tailed Godwits and lots of Teal and Wigeon. (AH)

Raven (above), Spotted Redshank & Black-tailed Godwits from Long Pool (AH)

Sidlesham: There were still c40 Redwing in the paddocks opposite the end of Mapson's Lane, though no Fieldfare, and there were also a pair of Stock Doves among the Wood Pigeons. (AH)

Redwings (above) & Stock Doves in Sidlesham (AH)

Monday, 13th February: A cold and bright morning, with a very strong and biting easterly wind....

At the risk of sounding like a grumpy old man (!) after having recently endured several weeks of hold-ups at Ferry corner, but regrettably there's more bad news for motorists from the B2145.... and this time it will almost certainly be worse. If you're planning a visit to Selsey in the next 11 weeks or so, you might care to know that there will be 'traffic management' and traffic lights around the Wave (i.e. Asda) roundabout and partial closure of Manor Road. Oh joy....just one more inconvenience inflicted on us by the over-development of the area. (OM)
 

Selsey Bill: Not much moving beyond Gannets and a few Razorbills this morning, and a Lesser Black-backed Gull was on the beach. (AH)

(0750-0900hrs)

Great Northern Diver - 3os

Red-throated Diver - 4E, 2W, 2os

Great Crested Grebe - 3os

Fulmar - 1W

Gannet - 85E, 12W, 30os

Brent Goose - 8E

Common Scoter - 2E

Red-breasted Merganser - 3E

Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1p

Common Gull - 4E

Kittiwake - 2E

Razorbill - 150E, 20W

auk sp - 65E

Lesser Black-backed Gull (above), Red-throated Diver & Gannets at the Bill (AH)

Coastguard Station: A sub-adult drake Eider was fairly close offshore, and further out were up to six Red-breasted Mergansers, c40 Common Scoter and a Great Northern Diver, with two Red-thrtoated Divers heading east.

The Black Redstart was along the base of the cliff again, and was joined by a pair of Stonechats. (AH/BI)

Eider (above), Common Scoters, Black Redstart & Stonechat around Coastguard Station (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were c80 Lapwings and four Teal on the pool, and c100 Wigeon on the field this morning. (AH)

Lapwings over the Ferry (AH)

East Head: The two Snow Buntings were still at the end of East Head this morning and at Snowhill Creek the Greenshank was showing nicely. (A.Gray)

Snow Buntings, above & Greenshank, below at East Head (A. Gray)

East side of Harbour: Beautiful in sunshine, sheltered from the wind here by the tamarisks, and a wealth of birds - say 1000 Brent Geese toing and froing, lots of Shelduck, Dunlin and Grey Plover, a distant flock of about 30 Avocet visible over towards Sidlesham Ferry, six Knot, seven Bar-tailed Godwit, 150 Black-tailed Godwit, one Spotted Redshank, 60 Golden Plover, many Wigeon, some Teal and, say, 40 Pintail. (ARK per SOS)

Pagham Lagoon: At 09.30  some 70 Mediterranean Gulls, 10 Common Gulls and 22 Tufted Duck were all present, while at 13.0o there were a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers, a Pochard and four redhead Goldeneye, along with c50 Common Gulls. (ARK per SOS)