1st - 3rd February 2017

Friday, 3rd February: Another grey and breezy day, though dry at least, with a strengthening south-south-easterly wind.....approaching gale force by afternoon with rain.

Selsey Bill: Another busy day off the Bill, with over 100 Red-throated Divers, 500+ Razorbills and Gannets moving offshore, and a selection of other birds, including a Long-tailed Duck. (JA/AH/BI)
(0730-1045hrs) SSE4/5
Great Northern Diver - 4os

Red-throated Diver - 101E, 36W, 6os
diver sp - 3E
Slavonian Grebe - 1os

Fulmar - 1E,1W

Gannet - 106E, 244W, 535os
Shag - 1os

Brent Goose - 1W

Common Scoter - 6W
Long-tailed Duck - 1W

Red-breasted Merganser - 8E, 7W, 8os

Mediterranean Gull - 2os

Common Gull - 26E, 3W

Kittiwake - 42E, 85W
Guillemot - 1W

Razorbill - 199E, 715W, 60os

auk sp - 216E, 360W

Red-throated Divers (above), Kittiwake, Razorbills, Fulmar & Gannets at the Bill (AH)

Coastguard Station: There were c150 Gannets feeding well offshore, and c40 Common Scoter were on the sea, also well out. (AH)

Ferry Pool: The Green Sandpiper was present again this morning, along with a pair of Great Black-backed Gulls, two Black-tailed Godwits, c30 Teal and c200 Wigeon, with eight Curlews on the field. (AH/BI)

Black-tailed Godwit (above), Great Black-backed Gulls & Wigeon at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: There were only a dozen or so Gannets, plus a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers offshore this morning, plus a handful of Common and Mediterranean Gulls along the beach.

In the harbour there were 80+ Knot out on the mud with the Dunlin flock and at least 500 Brent Geese and 30 Shelduck were also present. (AH)

Brent Geese (above) & Grey Plovers at Church Norton (AH)

Chichester GPs - Ivy Lake: The Long-tailed Duck & the Scaup were both still here today with the former being particularly elusive constantly diving near the chalets. Also present were 50 Canada Geese, 25 Pochards, 20 Tufted Ducks and 15 Shovelers on the water with a mix of Gulls and a Buzzard which continually spooked the wildfowl before being finally seen off by a couple of Black-headed Gulls. (BI)

Long-tailed Duck, Tufted Duck & Pochard at Ivy Lake (BI)

Thursday, 2nd February: A slightly better day than forecast, with dry weather before and after one big bank of heavy rain, though with the south-easterly wind strengthening as the day progressed.....

Selsey Bill: The most notable feature of the morning was number of Gannets feeding offshore, with at least 300 early on, and possibly double that late morning, with a huge flock feeding over the bar off Hillfield Road and even more further out. Otherwise it was more typical of late, with plenty of Razorbills about, plus a few Kittiwakes and the odd Red-throated Diver. (AH/PC/BC)

(0800-0930hrs)

Red-throated Diver - 2E, 1W, 1os

Fulmar - 1W

Gannet - c200E, c100W, c300 os

Brent Goose - 26E

Common Scoter - 2E, 2W

Red-breasted Merganser - 3E, 1os

Mediterranean Gull - 3E

Common Gull - 4E, 2W

Kittiwake - 25E, c40os

Razorbill - c200os

auk sp - c60E, c80W

Gannets (above), Kittiwake and Gannets & Brent Geese past the Bill (AH)

(1045-1130hrs) (AH) off Hillfield Road
Red-throated Diver - 5E, 2W
Gannet - c600os (c400 close in, c200 far out)
Common Gull - 3E
Kittiwake - 6E, c20os
Razorbill - 5E

Gannets off Hillfield Road (the Bill) (AH)

Coastguard Station: There were still c80 Common Scoter offshore, and at least 50 Gannets further out. (AH)

Common Scoter off the Coastguard Station (AH)

Church Norton: There were yet more Gannets - c80 - offshore, many among a big flock of large gulls, but there wasn't too much else to report beyond three Red-Breasted Mergansers and a couple of Kittiwakes offshore and a handful of Common and Mediterranean Gulls along the strandline, and not much beyond the regular waders in the harbour.(AH)

Red-breasted Mergansers at Church Norton (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were six Shoveler, c35 Teal and at least 300 Wigeon on the pool, until the latter all decamped to the nearby arable field. (AH)

Wigeon at the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: On a rising tide there were 1400 Lapwing in and around White's Creek along with a few Redshank, Black-tailed Godwits and a lone Spotted Redshank. The field behind the Breech Pool held 240 Wigeon and 40 Curlew, whilst Honer 1 field held 190 Black-tailed Godwits and 120 Curlew, the latter field now being flooded and impassable. There was nothing to note in the other fields, but a mixed flock of corvids near Marsh Farm numbered 460. On the return trip there were 1100 Brent Geese on White's Creek which soon made their way northwards towards Sefter Farm, whilst on Pagham Lagoon were 6 Red-breasted Mergansers and 11 Mediterranean Gulls. (JDW)

 Views from the North Wall; flooded fields behind the Breech Pool and towards Honer Farm (JDW)

Wednesday, 1st February: Another fairly dismal start, though with slightly less fog and more heavy drizzle, but brightening up slowly as the morning progressed....

A quick update from our score-keeper (IP) - there have been 135 species seen up to the end of January, one fewer than last year. (Eds)

One bit of good news on an otherwise gloomy day.....the dreaded road works on the B2145 at Ferry corner have now apparently been completed and the traffic lights removed as from this afternoon (per C&ME).

Selsey Bill: (0815-0900hrs)

Great Northern Diver - 2os

Red-throated Diver - 3W

Gannet - 3E, 5W

Red-breasted Merganser - 1E

Mediterranean Gull - 2E

Great Northern Diver at the Bill (AH)

Itchenor Pond: Not much to report beyond a brief Treecreeper and several Goldcrests among the Blue and Long-tailed Tits, and a Grey Heron sat out in the fields. (AH)

Grey Heron at Itchenor Pond (AH)

West Itchenor: A walk along the harbour-side produced c30 Red-breasted Mergansers and four Great Crested Grebes on the water, four Bar-tailed and 15 Black-tailed Godwits, at least 500 Brent Geese and numerous Dunlin, Grey Plover, Redshank and Curlew.

There were also a couple of Rock Pipits and half a dozen Meadow Pipits present, and a few Goldcrests in the hedges. (AH)

Red-breasted Mergansers (above), Bar-tailed Godwits, Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwit, Grey Plover, Brent Geese & Meadow Pipit at West Itchenor (AH)

Chichester GPs - Ivy Lake: A quick look at lunchtime found the Long-tailed Duck and Scaup still present, and also a Firecrest on the entrance track. (MD)