Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 19th

Friday, 21st April: A fairly grey day, though mild and with just a light westerly.....

Selsey Bill: A quiet morning, with little evident passage, though a Hobby came in off the sea. Full log below..... (JA/C&ME/AH)
(0550-1115hrs)
Red-throated Diver - 2E, 1W
Black-throated Diver - 1E
Great Northern Diver - 4os
Diver sp - 1E
Fulmar - 1E, 9W
Gannet - 57E, 21W
Shelduck - 3W
Eider - 3os
Common Scoter - 95E
Hobby - 1N
Bar-tailed Godwit - 1E
Curlew - 3W
Whimbrel - 12E, 19W
Turnstone - 7p
Mediterranean Gull 3E
Common Gull - 2E
Common Tern - 1os
Sandwich Tern - 31E, 48os
auk sp - 1E
Swallow - 35N
Willow/Chiff - 1N
Wheatear - 1p
Willow Warbler - 1p

Fulmar (above), Red-throated Diver, Bar-tailed Godwit and Whimbrel & Sandwich Tern at the Bill (AH)

Eider off the Bill this morning (SR)

(1620-1730hrs) (SH/JA)

Great Northern Diver - 2os

Gannet - 13E, 16W

Whimbrel - 3W

Kittiwake - 7W

Sandwich Tern - 1E, 4W

Swallow - 2N

Church Norton: A Hoopoe was on the concrete blocks at lunchtime, before flying into the Priory and being lost to view. Also a Whinchat and ten Wheatears were in the vicinity. (J Curzon per IL)

Earlier on it was fairly quiet, with just the usual singing Sedge Warblers, Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs, plus a couple of Whitethroats and Willow Warblers. A smart summer-plumaged Bar-tailed Godwit was in the harbour, along with half a dozen Whimbrel and Black-tailed Godwits, and eight Sandwich Terns and 20+ Mediterranean Gulls were around Tern Island. (AH)

Bar-tailed Godwit (above), Sedge Warbler & Chiffchaff at Church Norton (AH)

Ferry Pool: Just six Black-tailed Godwits and two Redshank on the pool this morning, with half a dozen Whimbrel in the channel opposite. (AH)

Ivy Lake: There were at least three Swifts high over the lake this morning, and up to eight Common Terns feeding over the water. (AB)

West Wittering: A Garden Warbler was in our garden today. (GM per SOS)

North Wall: Two Ruff were on the Breech Pool early on. (PC) They were still present late morning, along with c150 Black-tailed Godwits, two Gadwall and eight Teal, plus a few singing Reed and Sedge Warblers. (AH)

Ruff from North Wall (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - There was a Grasshopper Warbler south of the Stilt Pool this morning, and also a Cuckoo around Marsh Barn. (BO'D)

The Spoonbill was still present out on the reserve opposite the pools and there were were at least four Little Ringed Plovers and 50 Avocets on the pools as well as two Dunlin. Along the banks were half a dozen Reed Buntings, a few Whitethroats & Yellowhammers and two Corn Buntings which showed well opposite the Earnley footpath. In the field next to the car park there were at least 150 Mediterranean Gulls following the plough. (BI/ARK)

Whitethroat & Reed Bunting, above, & Reed Bunting, below, at Medmerry (BI)

Spoonbill in the heat haze with Shelduck, above, & Corn Bunting, below, at Medmerry (BI)

Late this afternoon the spoonbill was still present, and there were eight Little Terns on the Stilt Pool, and three Sandwich Terns came over but didn't settle.
Between the Stilt Pool, the mudflats by the poplars and the assorted arable fields there were a minimum of 500 Mediterranean Gulls this afternoon, with their meeowing calls permanenttly audible. (AH)

Spoonbill (above), Little Terns & Mediterranean Gulls at Medmerry (AH)

Thursday, 20th April: Another bright morning, with a light south-westerly breeze, picking up as the day progressed......

Selsey Bill: Another morning with a fair variety, but no volume - of note being several Bonxies, a couple of Velvet Scoters, a few Red-throated Divers and 30 Whimbrel. Migrant passerines, however, were all but absent and despite several checks, the gardens today remained devoid of even a single phylloscopus warbler! Full log below......
0550-1230hrs: (JF/C&ME/OM/CRJ et al)
Red-throated Diver - 5E
Black-throated Diver - 1E
Great Northern Diver - 1W, 2os
Diver sp - 1E
Fulmar - 4W
Gannet - 85E, 42W
Eider - 3E
Common Scoter - 97E, 25W
Velvet Scoter - 2E
Shoveler - 2E
Curlew - 1W
Whimbrel - 30E, 1W
auk sp - 1E, 5W
Little Tern - 1E
Common Tern - 1W
Sandwich Tern - 42E
Great Skua - 2E, 2os
Mediterranean Gull - 11E
Swallow - 15N
Goldfinch - 2N

Sandwich Tern (above) & Fulmar the Bill (AH)

OM unsure whether to wear his winter or summer hat (CRJ)

(1600-1815hrs) (JA/SH)

Manx Shearwater - 4E
Fulmar - 1E, 1W
Gannet - 19E, 3W
Shag - 1E
Manx Shearwater - 4E
Common Scoter - 5E
Velvet Scoter - 3E

Arctic Skua - 2E (l/p+d/p)
Common Gull - 3E
Little Tern - 1W
Common Tern - 3W
Commic Tern - 1E
Sandwich Tern - 14E, 2W
auk sp - 2E
Swallow - 2N
Chiffchaff - 1 gardens

Selsey East beach: The pair of Grey Wagtails were still present in the garden, as per yesterday. (SW)

Grey Wagtail still frequenting a garden at East beach (SW)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to Stilt Pool - A Purple Heron flew in and landed in a ditch between the fields near Easton Lane Car-park, before flying back out again soon afterwards, heading east. (BO'D/D&JK)
Later on a Spoonbill - surprisingly the first of the year - was out on the reserve, and on the Stilt Pool there were c52 Avocets, c30 Mediterranean Gulls (with as many again elsewhere on the reserve), four Little Ringed Plovers, the Common Sandpiper, two Wheatears, two Gadwall, two Wigeon, two Teal and the Ringed Teal.
One or two Whitethroats were along the banks, a Dartford Warbler was heard, but not seen, near the first sluice, and a Corn Bunting and a scattering of Yellowhammers, Linnets, Skylarks and Meadow Pipits were spread along the banks. (AH/SR/BFF/DM/CM et al)
Also, later on, there was a summer-plumaged Water Pipit on the Stilt Pool (D&JK)

Distant/cropped record shots of the Purple Heron which do give some idea at least of the jizz of the bird in flight, and a hint of brownish colouration in the upper photo.....(D Killick)

Corn Bunting (above), Wheatear, Little Ringed Plovers, Skylark, Mediterranean Gull, Avocets & Ringed Teal at Medmerry (AH)

Ferry Pool: A Little Ringed Plover, eight Black-tailed Godwits and four Shelduck were on the pool, and the Spotted Redshank and 20+ Black-tailed Godwits were in the channel opposite. (OM)
One or two Whitethroats, Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs were singing along the Tramway, and there were still 20+ Whimbrel in the harbour. (AH)

Whimbrels carrying their breakfasts (above) & Whitethroat from Tramway (AH)

North Wall: Disappointingly quiet for a mid-April day. The Spotted Redshank was still along White's Creek, along with eight of its common cousins, but although the water level in the Breech Pool has dropped considerably and the eastern end is now all open mud, it has not attracted many waders - just the usual flock of 140 Black-tailed Godwits, two Lapwings and a Common Snipe, whilst duck-wise, there were just 22 Teal, four Mallard, two Shelduck and two Gadwall.
There are now two pairs of Stock Doves in Pagham Churchyard, whilst Honer reservoir held two Mute Swans, two Shelduck and four Mallard, with several Yellowhammers along Honer Lane. Unfortunately there were yet more obvious signs of sewage pollution along Pagham Rife. (JDW)

Stock Dove (above) & Yellowhammer around North Wall (JDW)

Chichester Marina: A quick check of the marsh reedbed produced three singing Reed Warblers and two Cetti's Warblers, plus two Swallows and a Whitethroat in the hedgerow. A pair of Shelduck and two pairs of Tufted were tucked away in the quieter corners, and a pair or perhaps two of Long-tailed Tits were busying themselves at a probable nest site. (OM)

Wednesday, 19th April: A fairly bright and brisk day, with the cool and strong breeze persisting, if with a little more east and a bit less north in it.....then late morning it moved to the south-east for a while, bringing with it a little more promise......

Selsey Bill: Highlight was a pair of Garganey through early on, then a Hobby in off the sea, but otherwise it was slow going, with just a couple of distant Bonxies and a few Gannets and Sandwich Terns on the move, and a Greylag Goose that flew in before heading east. Then at around 1000 the wind became noticeably more easterly - then south-easterly for a while - prompting an obvious increase in sea passage. Full log below......

0545-1400hrs: ......(PB/SH/GH/JF/C&ME/OM/C&JM/CRJ et al)

Red-throated Diver - 2E
Great Northern Diver - 1E, 1os
Fulmar - 1E, 3W
Gannet - 55E, 28W
Shag - 1E
Grey Heron - 1 over beach, flew off E mobbed by gulls
Greylag Goose - I arrived from sea and flew off E
Shelduck - 4E, 2W
Common Scoter - 67E, 4W
Red-breasted Merganser - 1W
Garganey - 2E (pair, 06.50hrs)
Bar-tailed Godwit - 12E
Whimbrel - 57E
Hobby - 1N
Sparrowhawk - 1 gardens
Little Tern - 1E
Common Tern - 3E
Commic Tern - 12E
Sandwich Tern - 147E
Arctic Skua - 5E
Great Skua - 5E
Mediterranean Gull - 5E
Auk sp - 10W
Sand Martin - 3N
House Martin - 10N
Swallow - 85N
Yellow Wagtail - 1N
Linnet - 2N
Also 1630-1800hrs: (SH)
Red-throated Diver - 1E
Gannet - 6E, 1W
Commic Tern - 2E
Sandwich Tern - 8E

Greylag Goose (above) & Gannet at the Bill (AH)

Heron at the Bill being mobbed by gulls and Whimbrels moving east (OM)

We couldn't let this go without comment..... Former Pom King Chris Janman (alias CRJ) at the Bill with his two latest passions (Albert and Maisie). Note his bins straps are twisted and not ready for action...apparently the bookies have now dropped him in the rankings to an outsider for this year's challenge! (OM)

Park Farm, Selsey: This evening there were two Wheatears, a Willow Warbler and three Swallows around the farm. (S&SaH)

Selsey - East beach: The pair of Grey Wagtails are still regularly frequenting the observer's garden and are presumably breeding in the near vicinity. (SW)

Grey Wagtail in a Selsey garden (SW)

West Wittering: Lovely to see a pair of Grey Partridges yesterday evening in West Wittering. First time in three years. (GM per SOS)

Ferry Pool: Just a single Little Ringed Plover, two Teal, two Shelduck and two Mallard were on the pool, with another pair of Teal and half a dozen Black-tailed Godwits in the channel opposite. (AH/OM)

Tramway: There was a brief snatch of Nightingale song from somewhere in the bushes this evening at around 7.30pm, and in the creek opposite Red Barn Ditch there were 24 Whimbrels, along with c60 Black-tailed Godwits. (AH)

Whimbrels from the Tramway (AH)

Halsey's Farm to North Wall: Nothing beyond a couple of Chiffchaffs across the farm, and it was quiet along the North Wall, with a few Cetti's Warblers, Sedge Warblers and the occasional Reed Warbler singing sparingly in the reeds and hedges, a few Swallows over and one or two Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs, plus a Whitethroat in Owl Copse.

On the Breech Pool were a lone Snipe, c150 Black-tailed Godwits, two Gadwall and eight Teal, plus a couple of Reed Buntings, with a few Swallows over. The Spotted Redshank and a few Redshank were in White's Creek, whilst a couple of Whimbrel and half a dozen Mediterranean Gulls flew over the harbour. (AH)