Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 14th

Tuesday, 16th May: A much warmer morning, with sunshine and cloud, though still with a brisk south-south-westerly breeze....

Selsey Bill: A generally quiet day, with 130+ Common Scoter passing, a number of terns fishing offshore, and two Great Northern Divers still lingering. Full log below..... 0630-1130hrs: (C&ME/DF/CRJ et al)
Great Northern Diver - 2os
Diver sp - 1E
Gannet - 84E, 5W
Eider - 1os
Common Scoter - 137E
Sanderling - 2W
Common Tern - 3E, 2W
Commic Tern - 65os
Sandwich Tern - 25E
Kittiwake - 3E, 1W
Herring Gull - 300 os
Razorbill - 4E
auk sp - 22E
Swallow - 6N
House Martin - 8 p/area

Ferry Pool: Just two Lapwings, two Redshank and four Shelduck on the pool today, and half a dozen Swifts went over the Tramway east. (AH)

Church Norton: A Spotted Flycatcher was in the churchyard early on, and the Cuckoo was showing near the concrete wall. (HR/DM)
Later on neither were on show, and bar the usual tern activity the harbour was pretty quiet, too, with just a Curlew and a handful of Ringed and Grey Plovers present, plus a flock of 20 or so Black-tailed Godwits that flew over before retreating back towards the Ferry. (AH)
Later on a Sanderling was with four Dunlin and three Grey Plovers along the beach and the Cuckoo was calling continuously from the Priory Wood. (IP/EL)

Black-tailed Godwits (above) & Common and Sandwich Terns at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry: Porthole Farm to Ham Farm - There was not much around Porthole Farm - just a handful of Swifts and Swallows, plus a couple of Whitethroats and Stock Doves, and along the hedges between the two there were just a single Reed Bunting and Yellowhammer of note.
Around the banks at Ham Farm there were two singing Corn Buntings and 10+ Skylarks, plus a couple of pairs of Little Grebes on the ponds, though not much warbler song from the reed-beds. Also a flock of a dozen or so Grey Plovers, plus a couple of Dunlin came up from the breach area. (AH)

Corn Bunting (above), Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting, Skylark & Little Grebe at Medmerry (AH)

Monday, 15th May: A pretty dismal morning, with some spells of rain and drizzle, driven on by a brisk and not very warm southerly breeze....

Selsey Bill: The only birds present in two stints this morning were c20 each of Gannet, Sandwich and Common Terns, with more or less equal numbers going in both directions. (AH/IL)
(0900-1130hrs)
Great Northern Diver - 1os
Gannet - 52os
Common Scoter 29E
Eider - 1os
Kittiwake - 1E
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1p
Sandwich Tern - 32os
Common Tern - 12os
Little Tern - 10os
Razorbill - 2E

Gannet past the Bill (AH)

(1540-1720hrs) (SR)

Great Northern Diver -1os.
Fulmar - 1E
Gannet - 10E, 1W
Commic Tern - 3E, 1W
Sandwich Tern - 8E, 1W
Swallow - 2E
House Martin -5p

Ferry Pool: A Whimbrel was at the back this morning, and there were also two Redshanks, a Lapwing and four Shelducks present. (AH)

Whimbrel on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: A Goldcrest and a Blackcap were singing in the churchyard, along with a few Goldfinches, whilst in the harbour there were the usual Little, Common and Sandwich Terns, two Curlews, four Grey Plovers and five Dunlin. (AH)

Blackcap (above), Goldfinch, Sandwich Terns and Grey Plover & Curlew at Church Norton (AH)

This evening there were a couple of Sanderling among c20 Dunlin and 10 Ringed Plovers, the Cuckoo was calling well and there was plenty of Little Tern activity in the harbour. (AH)

Little Tern courtship - she waits patiently as he fishes.....

He brings back his prize, offers it to her, and she deigns to accept! (AH)

Sunday, 14th May: The wind has switched round to the west, but continues to be brisk, though there was plenty of sunshine....

Selsey Bill: Very little was on the move, beyond an early Arctic Skua east, though there were large numbers of (mostly) Common Terns and Gannets feeding offshore and at least half a dozen House Martins were back gathering mud for their nests. Full log below....
0530-0900hrs: (JA/SH/AH/JD/DS/SR et al)
Great Northern Diver - 2os
Fulmar - 4E, 2W
Gannet - 284E, 78W
Eider - 1os
Common Scoter - 103E
Guillemot - 1E
Razorbill - 4E
Auk sp - 17E, 1W
Little Tern - 5E, 1W
Common Tern - 1E, 2W, 100os
Commic Tern - 19E
Sandwich Tern - 6E, 10os
Kittiwake - 8E, 3W
Arctic Skua - 1E
Swallow - 8N
House Martin - 6 p in area

House Martins at the Bill (AH)

(1630-1730hrs) (SH)
Gannet - 18E, 1W
Kittiwake - 2W
Common Tern - 8os
Sandwich Tern -7os
auk sp - 1E, 1W
Swallow - 2N

Ferry Pool: There were two Lapwings, four Redshanks, ten Black-tailed Godwits and six Shelduck on the pool, with the Cetti's Warblers and a couple of Whitethroats nearby, and a Buzzard and a Kestrel overhead.

Also, the Tawny Owls are back in the box, and should have growing young by now. (AH/IL)

Tawny Owl (above), Cetti's Warbler, Whitethroat, Lapwing & Kestrel around the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: Not too much activity in the hedges, but the Little, Common and Sandwich Terns were being active in the harbour, and a mixed flock of c40 Dunlin and 30 Ringed Plovers flew around several times, whilst a couple of Whimbrel and Curlew were further dow nthe harbour and two juvenile Grey Herons dropped in by the concrete spit. There were also three Dunlin sat in the water along the beach, just a few feet offshore but reluctant to come ashore. (AH)

Dunlins (above), Sandwich Tern & Grey Heron at Church Norton (AH)

Later on a Curlew Sandpiper was seen in the harbour. (IL)
Early afternoon there were the two Eider, six Gannets and 20 Sandwich Terns offshore, and 10+ Common Terns and 20+ Little Terns in the harbour and the Cuckoo was over towards the Priory. (S&SaH)

This evening the only waders evident were three Ringed Plovers and a few Oystercatchers, though the terns were all showing well. (AH)