23rd - 25th March 2017

Saturday, 25th March: A very bright morning, but the strong north-easterly breeze kept both the temperature and the birds down.....

Selsey Bill: Little evidence of migration, though three Bar-tailed Godwits and a few Sandwich Terns went east, and  there was still the female Eider and a couple of Great Northern Divers offshore, plus a Swallow came in over the gardens. Full log later. (JA/PM/IP/AB/AH/A&YF et al)
(0615-0900hrs)
Great Northern Diver - 4os
Red-throated Diver - 1E
Great Crested Grebe - 2os
Fulmar - 3E, 8W
Gannet - 23E, 9W
Shag - 2E
Brent Goose - 2W
Common Scoter - 3E
Eider - 1os
Red-breasted Merganser - 2E, 2os
Bar-tailed Godwit - 3E
Turnstone - 7p
Common Gull - 15E
Kittiwake - 4W
Sandwich Tern - 5E, 2os
Razorbill - 1W
auk sp - 3W
Swallow - 1N
Meadow Pipit - 34N

Carrion Crow - 13N
Jackdaw - 14N

Eider (above) & Bar-tailed Godwits at the Bill (AH)

(1515-1630hrs) (SH)
Gannet - 13E
Common Scoter - 3E
Red-breasted Merganser - 2W, 2os
Whimbrel - 1E
Kittiwake - 1W
Sandwich Tern - 19E

Coastguard Station: Two Great Northern Divers, three Red-breasted Mergansers and c25 distant Common Scoter were offshore, seven Gannets headed east, a Skylark was singing over the field and there were a dozen Meadow Pipits on it.
Sadly the rubble pile behind the windmill has largely been removed, and the only birds I saw there were two Meadow Pipits flying in from the sea. (SR)

Ferry Pool: Early on a Green Sandpiper and a Water Rail were showing (AB), but by mid-morning there were just four Shoveler, 14 Shelduck and 24 Teal on the pool. (AH/BI)
At lunchtime there were two Little Ringed Plovers present. (IL)

Shovelers on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: The Black Redstart was in the churchyard again, as was a Firecrest, before disappearing into the trees by the car-park and not re-appearing, though there was another one present in the Bluebell Wood, later on.

Otherwise it was quiet, with one or two Chiffchaffs, Long-tailed Tits and Goldcrests present, half a dozen Skylarks and a few Meadow Pipits along the beach and a couple of Gannets offshore, but not much in the harbour beyond c30 Brent Geese and a few Wigeon, Teal, Redshank, Curlew and a couple of Ringed Plovers. (AB/AH/IP et al)

Black Redstart (above), Firecrest & Skylark at Church Norton(AH) 

Later on there was a Wheatear on the beach, a Buzzard over the harbour and a Sparrowhawk over Park Farm, Selsey. (S&SaH)

Wheatear at Church Norton (SH)

The Black Redstart was still present later on, and there was was also a Raven about. (J-PC)

Black Redstart (above) & Raven at Church Norton (J-PC)

Ivy Lake:  No hirundines over the lake this morning and generally quiet on the water with a few Tufted Ducks, Pochards & Canada Geese being the sum. Three Chiffchaffs were along the path towards the road end. (BI)

Friday, 24th March: A dry morning, but still with that blustery north-easterly and heavy cloud cover.....

Selsey Bill: There wasn't too much moving offshore early on beyond a few Brent Geese, Common Scoters and Red-throated Divers, along with five Shoveler and 30+ Common Gulls, plus a Wheatear which landed on the beach. The two Eider were offshore again, with the first-winter male even settling on the beach for a while. However, whilst the going may have been on the slow side, those observers that put in a long shift today had their rewards, with in excess of 700 Meadow Pipits arriving from the sea and a lunch-time Marsh Harrier doing likewise. Full log below.....

0645-1520hrs: (JA/C&ME/C&JM/AH/SR et al)
Red-throated Diver - 5E
Great Northern Diver - 3os
Great Crested Grebe - 3os
Fulmar - 1E, 4W, 3os
Gannet - 53E, 35W
Brent Goose - 85E
Shelduck - 3W
Eider - 1W (ad male), 2os
Common Scoter - 114E
Red-breasted Merganser - 11E, 6W, 7os
Shoveler - 5E
Pintail - 2E
Redshank - 1E 
Marsh Harrier - 1N (male, 12.55hrs)
Sandwich Tern - 2E
Common Gull - 38E
Wheatear - 1N, 1ob
Pied/alba Wagtail - 5N
Meadow Pipit - 731N
Carrion Crow - 33N

 

Eiders (above), Red-throated Diver & Fulmar at the Bill (AH)

Scenes from the Bill today: (first two) record shots of the Marsh Harrier arriving, (centre) Brent Geese passing, (lower) newly-arrived tired Meadow Pipit on the beach, and (bottom) three men arrive to do maintenance repairs on the 'Mile basket' (Mixon). (C&JM)

Medmerry: Coastguards to the Windmill - There were two Wheatears on the beach this morning, with a further four together on the path from the Windmill, and at least 20 Meadow Pipits were in the field.
Offshore there were a Great Northern Diver and a Great Crested Grebe, plus two Gannets east. (AH) Further down by Toe End it was quiet with just a few Meadow Pipits and Skylarks in the area. (BI)

Wheatears at Medmerry (AH)

Medmerry: Stilt Pool - A Little Ringed Plover and a Dunlin were on the pool this morning along with the regular Common Sandpiper and the Avocets, a pair of Gadwall, a Shoveller and a dozen Tufted Ducks. A Wheatear was on the sea defence rocks and a Raven was on the beach whilst the Great Crested Grebe was still offshore. (BI)

Wheatear, Little Ringed Plover & Dunlin at Medmerry (BI)

Ferry Pool: Both a Kingfisher and a Grey Wagtail flew over into the channel this morning, whilst on the pool there were a Little Ringed Plover, a Green Sandpiper, two Black-tailed Godwits, two Lapwings, eight Redshank, ten Shoveler, six Shelduck and 14 Teal. (AH)

Green Sandpiper and Little Ringed Plover (above), Shovelers & Shelducks on the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool: There were several Chifffchaffs and Reed Buntings, plus a dozen Linnets along the pool early this morning, and in Ferry Channel there were 30 Black-tailed Godwits, some in summer plumage, along with 50+ Redshank and Teal and a pair of Shoveler flew over. (AH)

Black-tailed Godwit (above), Reed Buntings & Linnet around Long Pool (AH)

Church Norton: The Black Redstart was still present in the churchyard early this morning. (E.Mayhew)

Ivy Lake: At least ten Sand Martins were over the chalet end this morning. (BI)

Thursday, 23rd March: Another cold and grey start, with early rain and a persistent, blustery north-easterly, later becoming drier with sunny periods, but with no sign of the wind easing.....

Selsey Bill: Not too much on the move this morning, apart from a few Common Scoter flocks and four Red-throated Divers, but there were two Eiders on the sea. Full log below....
0645-1230hrs: C&ME/OM/AH/BFF/DM/PC)

Red-throated Diver - 4E
Great Northern Diver - 1E, 2os
diver sp - 1E
Great Crested Grebe - 1E, 1os
Gannet - 16E, 7W
Little Egret - 1E
Brent Goose - 2W
Shelduck - 1E
Eider - 2os
Common Scoter - 80E, 3W
Red-breasted Merganser - 2E, 7os
Bar-tailed Godwit - 1E
Sandwich Tern - 3E
Mediterranean Gull - 1E, 3os
auk sp - 6W
Meadow Pipit - 19N
Pied/alba Wagtail - 2NE
Also 1600-1700hrs:  (SH)
Great Crested Grebe - 2os
Fulmar - 1W
Gannet - 9E, 5W
Eider - 1os
Red-breasted Merganser - 2W, 1os
Kittiwake - 14W


Selsey: Two Grey Wagtails in the observer's garden (near the Lifeboat station). (SW)

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

Ferry Pool: The Green Sandpiper was again present, plus four Snipe, a dozen Redshank, two Shelduck and 20 Teal, and there were two Water Rails showing well near the bank.

There were two pairs of Lapwing displaying over the field, and in the creek there were a dozen Shoveler, a pair of Gadwall and c30 Wigeon. (AH)

Water Rails (above), Snipe & Shoveler at the Ferry (AH)

Ivy Lake: There were six Sand Martins and a Swallow over the back of the lake this afternoon. (AB)

Church Norton: There was very little to report here, with a singing Blackcap and a couple of Chiffchaffs the only suggestion of migration, and not much in the harbour beyond a handful of Brent Geese, Wigeon and Black-tailed Godwits and a thin scattering of commoner waders. (AH/BFF/DM)
Also, a flighty and wary Black Redstart was in the churchyard again this afternoon. (D Smith per SOS)

Wigeon at Church Norton (AH)