10th - 12th April 2017

Wednesday, 12th April: A very cool and grey start, with a brisk westerly breeze....though becoming warmer and brighter with sunshine later.

Selsey Bill: A Hobby came in from well out to sea, and at least half a dozen Wheatears and half a dozen Willow Warblers were in the gardens and a few Swallows were coming in off the sea, but sea-passage was restricted to a Black-throated and a Red-throated Diver, 90+ Common Scoter and a few of the lingering Sandwich Terns drifting off. Full log below.....
0600-1030hrs: (PB/C&ME/PC/BC/SR/AH)
Black-throated Diver - 1E
Red-throated Diver - 1E
Great Northern Diver - 3os
diver sp - 1E
Gannet - 18E, 72W
Shag - 1E
Brent Goose - 11E
Eider - 1os
Common Scoter - 94E
Red-breasted Merganser - 2W, 1os
Hobby - 1N
Curlew - 1W
Kittiwake - 1W
Sandwich Tern - 15E, 30os 

auk sp - 2E
Swallow - 6N

Pied Wagtail - 1N
Meadow Pipit - 25N
Wheatear - 7 ob/gardens
Willow Warbler - 7 gardens 

Wheatears at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: Two Avocets, two Little Ringed Plovers and eight Shelduck were on the pool early this morning, and the Spotted Redshank was in the channel opposite, where three Gadwall flew over. (AH)
Also, nearby along the Long Pool there was a singing Reed Warbler, a Sedge Warbler and a Cetti's Warbler. (PB)
At around 4.30pm an Osprey went west over the Visitor Centre. (TG-P)

Spotted Redshank (above), Gadwall & Avocets around Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: A male Pied Flycatcher was along the path to the beach this morning. (AB)
Also a male Redstart was behind the hide and there was a flurry of Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps in the sheltered hedges, but the only birds of note in the harbour were four Brent Geese and 20 or so Sandwich Terns. (AH/PB et al)
An Osprey went over the harbour late this afternoon (presumably seen also at the Visitor Centre), and the male Pied Flycatcher and male Redstart were both still present. (S Smith)

Osprey (above) & Redstart at Church Norton (S Smith)

Pied Flycatcher, (above), Redstart, Willow Warbler & Sandwich Terns at Church Norton (AH)

Ivy Lake: A quick look mid-morning produced a Common Tern out on one of the buoys and 20 Sand Martins over the lake. (BI)

Common Tern at Ivy Lake (BI)

Tuesday, 11th April: The fine and bright weather persists, though the wind continues to come from the north-west.....with the resultant lack of visible migration!

Selsey Bill: As expected, with the wind round to the north-west, there was very little movement offshore, though a couple of Great Northern Divers were on the sea and a couple of Whimbrel went west. There was a little influx of at least six Willow Warblers around the gardens early on, plus a couple of Swallows, but no other suggestions of migration.
Full log below.....
0630-1200hrs: (OM/C&ME/DF/IL et al)
Great Northern Diver - 2os
Gannet - 24E, 56W
Common Scoter - 11E
Red-breasted Merganser - 2E, 2W
Turnstone - 12W
Oystercatcher - 8W
Whimbrel - 2W
Curlew - 5W
Razorbill - 1W
auk sp - 1E
Sandwich Tern - 5E, 9W, 25 os
Mediterranean Gull - 1W
Swallow - 7N
Sand Martin - 3N
Meadow Pipit - 13N
Pied/alba Wagtail - 5N
Goldfinch - 1N
Willow Warbler - 7 gardens

(1700-1800hrs) (SH)
Gannet - 7E
Kittiwake - 2W
Sandwich Tern - 5E, 1W, 6os
Common Tern - 1os

Northcommon Farm: There were a few birds early this morning, including three Whitethroat, a Sedge Warbler, two Willow Warblers, a Reed Warbler, three Cetti's Warblers and a Chiffchaff. (SH)

Ferry Pool: There were three Little Ringed Plovers present this morning, including one that was doing display flights, and there was also a Green Sandpiper, four Lapwings, a Water Rail, a grey Wagtail and a dozen Shelduck on the pool. Around the adjacent hedges there were at least two Willow Warblers, a Cetti's Warbler and the now usual Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps singing. (AH/OM/BFF/DM/CM)

Little Ringed Plover (above) & Green Sandpiper and Lapwings on the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool: The Spotted Redshank was at the far end of Ferry Channel this morning, along with c40 Redshank and a few Curlews, and on the pool itself there were a pair of Gadwall and a pair of Shoveler, plus at least two pairs of Little Grebes.
There were at least four singing Sedge Warblers along the far side, plus a Willow Warbler and several Reed Buntings and Linnets. (AH)

Spotted Redshank (above), Gadwall, Shoveler & Sedge Warblers around Long Pool (AH)

Church Norton: It was relatively quiet, though a single Peregrine was out on the saltmarsh and plenty of Black-headed Gulls, with a few Mediterranean Gulls among them, mingling on and around Tern Island, and Sandwich Tern numbers were beginning to build with perhaps 20 birds in the harbour. 

Around the old harbour entrance three Wheatears were busy and in the Severals two Sedge Warbler were singing. (BFF/DM/CM)

Monday, 10th April: Another bright and pleasant day, with a mix of sunshine and  cloud though, unfortunately, the wind has now freshened and shifted round to the north-west........

Selsey Bill: There was an influx of nine Wheatears, most early on, though they quickly moved through, and a couple of Willow Warblers and a Jay were around the gardens, but there was very little moving offshore beyond a few Sandwich Terns, two Little Terns and some Common Scoter east and several Whimbrel west. Full log below....

0630-1130hrs:  (C&ME/OM/AH/SR)

Red-throated Diver - 5E

Great Northern Diver - 1E, 3os

Gannet - 21E, 24W

Shag - 1os, later flew W

Eider - 1os

Common Scoter - 58E

Turnstone - 9W

Oystercatcher - 11W

Whimbrel - 4W

Razorbill - 1E

auk sp - 1E

Buzzard - 3 soaring high-up (behind the old Pontins estate)

Little Tern - 2os eventually drifted off E

Common Tern - 1os drifted off E

Sandwich Tern - 20os, eventually drifted off E

Swallow - 1N

Meadow Pipit - 2N

Pied Wagtail - 1W
Wheatear - 9N onto beach, quickly moved through

Jay - 1 gardens

Chiffchaff - 1 gardens

Willow Warbler - 3 gardens

Linnet - 5N

Whimbrel (above), Sandwich Terns & Jay at the Bill (AH)

Selsey High Street: A Wheatear was on a roof opposite the Co-op car-park, and a Swallow went over. (AH)

Wheatear in Selsey High Street (AH)

North Wall: A female Marsh Harrier was hunting over the Breech Pool and fields for half an hour this morning. (PC)

Ferry Pool: A Spotted Redshank was on the pool early on, before relocating to the channel, and there were also a Green Sandpiper and a Little Ringed Plover present, plus a pair of Gadwall and a handful of Shelduck. (OM)

Around the Tramway/cycleway there were two singing Whitethroats, two Willow Warblers, 6+ Blackcaps and similar of Chiffchaff, and the two Gadwall over, but no sight or sound of the Nightingale reported yesterday. (AH)

Blackcap (above) & Gadwall around Tramway (AH)

Church Norton: There were up to eight Wheatears around the concrete blocks this morning, but no other indications of migration, with just a couple of Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs singing.

In the harbour there were up to twenty Sandwich Terns again, with a similar number of Mediterranean Gulls and Shelduck, but very few waders about beyond a few Curlew and Redshank. (AH)

Sandwich Terns (above), Mediterranean Gull, Wheatear & Chiffchaff at Church Norton (AH)

(Presumably) the Rampion Wind-farm off of Worthing, visible from Church Norton (AH)

Ivy Lake: There were c10 House Martins, c20 Sand Martins and c30 Swallows over the lake at 6pm this evening. (AB)

Itchenor Pond: Rather noisy due to nearby tree felling but there were still a few birds about, including 2 Grey Wagtails, a Willow Warbler 2 or 3 Chiffchaffs and a Treecreeper, plus plenty of butterflies, including Speckled Woods, Brimstone, Orangetip and a Red Admiral. (SR)

Park Farm, Selsey: There were a couple of Willow Warblers, a Sparrowhawk and a Grey Heron about the farm, and several Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps singing from the back of the Severals area this evening. (S&SaH)

Grey Heron at Park Farm, Selsey (SH)