Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 22nd

Friday, 24th February: A real change from yesterday, with plenty of sunshine and a more moderate north-westerly breeze....

Selsey Bill: There were no great numbers of anything, but quite a selection of species this morning, including a Raven over and three Velvet Scoters and six Sandwich Terns west. Full log below.....
0700-1030hrs: (JA/AH/TA/SR/OM)
Red-throated Diver - 4E, 1W
Great Northern Diver - 6os
Diver sp - 2E, 1W
Gannet - 3E
Slavonian Grebe - 2W, 3os
Great Crested Grebe - 2E, 14W, 1 os
Shag - 1E
Common Scoter - 17E, 3W, 10 os
Velvet Scoter - 3W
Red-breasted Merganser - 5E, 23W, 4 os

Razorbill - 2E, 1W

Guillemot - 1W

auk sp - 11E, 1W

Sandwich Tern - 5W, 1 os

Kittiwake - 5E

Common Gull - 10E, 5W

Mediterranean Gull - 1E, 9W

Raven - 1 over high NW at 10.25 (cronking)

Razorbill (above) & Red-breasted Mergansers past the Bill (AH)

Mediterranean Gull passing the Bill, and (below)...this is actually the Raven drifting over high - though you might have a bit of trouble believing it from this...but my camera jammed in sleep mode at first! (OM)

Ferry Pool: There were two Black-tailed Godwits, 14 Shelduck and 40 Teal on the pool, and 16 Shoveler, c100 Lapwing and c250 Wigeon on the fields and in the creeks. (AH)

Shovelers (above), Teal & Wigeon at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: A Raven went over west (presumably the one later seen at the Bill), but otherwise it was very quiet, with just two Red-breasted Mergansers, nine Great Crested Grebes and six Common Gulls offshore, and a few Skylarks on the spit.

In the harbour there were 400 Brent Geese, 20 Shelduck, up to 50 Wigeon and Teal, plus the usual Grey Plovers and Dunlin, with the odd Knot among them. (AH)

Skylark (above), Brent Geese & Knot, Grey Plovers and Dunlin at Church Norton (AH)

Chichester Marina: This afternoon at the reed-bed there were two Water Rails (heard and seen), a Cetti's Warbler calling and singing, along with two Snipe, 15 Teal and a Buzzard, but no sign of the Bittern. (PH)

Thursday, 23rd February: After a very grey start, Storm Doris produced not much more than a bright and very blustery day.....

Selsey Bill: Absolutely nothing moving offshore, and just a few Turnstones, Herring and Black-headed Gulls along the beach. (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were 14 Shelducks, 30 Teal and the Black-tailed Godwit on the pool, and eight Shoveler and 200 Wigeon in the field this morning. (AH)

Long Pool: Two Gadwall and six Shoveler flew over, and two Little Grebes and six Tufted Duck were on the pool.

About 50 Golden Plovers and 200 Lapwing went over Ferry Channel, and there was a handful of Bar-tailed Godwits among a big flock of Grey Plovers, but there was no sign of the Avocets. (AH)

Golden Plover (above), Gadwall, Shoveler, Bar-tailed Godwits and Grey Plover & Grey Plover and Dunlin from the Long Pool (AH)

Church Norton: The Whimbrel was present again, and there were also three Mediterranean Gulls and 500 Brent Geese in the harbour, plus the usual Teal, Wigeon and waders. (AH)

Whimbrel (above), Curlew, Mediterranean Gull & Teal at Church Norton (AH)

Ivy Lake: It was very choppy this afternoon, though the Scaup was present along with c25 Tufted Ducks, 18 Pochard, 4 Gadwall, 12 Great Crested Grebes, a pair of Shoveler and 9 Canada Geese, and there were 3 small flocks of Long-tailed Tits keeping low in the bushes. (SR)

Wednesday, 22nd February: A very grey and dank sort of a day, with a progressively strong westerly wind.....not very inspiring conditions for birding as the late winter/not quite spring period is upon us.

Selsey Bill: A flock of seven Bar-tailed Godwits going west was the only thing of note this morning. Full log below. (AH)

(0805-0850hrs)

Gannet - 1E,

Brent Goose - 2E

Red-breasted Merganser - 3W, 3os

Bar-tailed Godwit - 7W

Common Gull - 2E

Kittiwake - 1W

auk sp - 1E

Bar-tailed Godwits past the Bill (AH)

Selsey, Warner Lane: A Merlin flew over the paddocks this afternoon from the direction of the Coastguard Station. (SH)

Ferry Pool: There were the Black-tailed Godwit, eight Shoveler, 40 Teal, c150 Lapwing and c250 Wigeon around the pool and fields this morning, and a few Black-tailed Godwits from the Tramway. (AH/TG-P)

Black-tailed Godwit (above) & Wigeon at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: Offshore there were at least ten Gannets and six Red-breasted Mergansers, with half a dozen Common Gulls along the beach.

In the harbour there was a Lesser Black-backed Gull, three Mediterranean Gulls, a pair of Pintail, 50+ Teal and Wigeon, 200+ Brent Geese and a dozen Knot among 500+ Dunlin and 50+ Grey Plover. (AH)