1st - 3rd May 2017

Wednesday, 3rd May: The brisk and cool north-easterly wind made conditions fairly unpleasant, particularly after the cloud filled in....

Selsey Bill: Nothing was moving beyond a few Common and Sandwich Terns and Gannets, though there were five Great Northern Divers on the sea. (SH) Later on, there were a dozen Common Terns along the beach and a few Gannets offshore. (AH)
0530-0630hrs:  (SH)
Great Northern Diver - 4E, 1os
Gannet - 1E, 13W
Red-breasted Merganser - 1os
Whimbrel - 1E
Common Tern - 8E, 5os
Sandwich Tern - 29E

Common Terns at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: This morning there was a Greenshank, four Redshanks and 25 Black-tailed Godwits and 16 Shelduck on the pool, whilst both a Little Ringed Plover and a Lapwing popped up to shoo off a passing Carrion Crow. (AH)

Greenshank on the Ferry (AH)

East Side: A Grasshopper Warbler was reeling and showing occasionally along the southern end of the new path between the Slipe Field and the harbour, though a Lesser Whitethroat and a couple of Whitethroats were the only other migrants evident. Also a Jay showed well by the horse paddock.
There were at least ten Knot and Bar-tailed Godwits out on the mud, along with c150 Grey Plovers, c400 Dunlin, half a dozen Whimbrel and a couple of Curlews, plus at least eight Great Crested Grebes, including two displaying pairs, were on the water. (AH)
Also, a Common Sandpiper was in White's Creek. (PC/JDW)

Bar-tailed Godwits (above), Knot, Whimbrel, Grey Plover, Great Crested Grebes, Whitethroat & Jay along east side of harbour (AH)

PC & JDW modelling the latest in winter and summer-wear for the North Wall (AH)

Ivy Lake: There were at least 200 hirundines over the lake this morning, mostly Swallows and House Martins but there were a few Sand Martins too. Overhead were c.20 Swifts and there were three Common Terns around the buoys. Not much along the path early on with just two Chiffchaffs and a Cetti's Warbler out and about. (BI)
Late this afternoon a Hobby shot through, upsetting all the hirundines - c40 Swifts, 200 Swallows and 20-40 House and Sand Martins. There were also six Common Terns on the buoys. (AH)

Hobby (above) & Swift over Ivy Lake (AH)

Tuesday, 2nd May: A much improved day, with a moderate north-easterly breeze and quite a lot of sunshine....

Selsey Bill: Not too much was moving again this morning, though two Pomarine Skuas went west early on, two Arctic Skuas and a first-summer Little Gull went east and a Hobby flew in off the sea. Full log below......

0510-1300hrs: (JA/SH/PB/OM/JF/CN/ML/C&ME/AH et al)
Great Northern Diver - 5 os
diver sp - 1E
Fulmar - 7W
Gannet - 90E, 24W
Great Crested Grebe - 2W
Shelduck - 4E
Eider - 2E, 1os
Common Scoter - 43E, 12os
Red-breasted Merganser - 2E
Common Sandpiper - 1E
Sanderling - 1E
Grey Plover - 22E
Whimbrel - 14E, 2W
Curlew - 1E, 4W
Hobby - 1N
auk sp - 1E, 1W
Little Tern - 15E, 12os
Common Tern - 42E, large flock 120 os
Commic Tern - 25E
Sandwich Tern - 68E
Kittiwake - 2E
Mediterranean Gull - 1E
Arctic Skua - 2E
Pomarine Skua - 2W (0738hrs)
Great Skua - 1os
House Martin - 3N
Swallow - 47N

Little Gull (above), Great Northern Diver & Sandwich Tern at the Bill (AH)

(1300-1500hrs) (CRJ/C&ME)

Gannet - 3E

Common Scoter - 8E

Arctic Skua - 1E (l/p)

Sandwich Tern - 9E, 2W

Common Tern - c40os then E

Little Tern - 11E

Swallow - 1N

(1650-1800hrs) (SH)
Gannet - 9E, 7W

Eider 1os

Kittiwake - 6W
Sandwich Tern - 8E

Common Tern - 2os
Razorbill - 1E

Medmerry: Stilt Pool - A Little Stint was on the Stilt Pool at 14.30pm, before flying off seawards. (KJ)

Ferry Pool: There were three Greenshanks on the pool this morning, along with six Black-tailed Godwits, two Avocets, five Redshank and 16 Shelduck. (AH/OM)

Greenshanks on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: There were still half a dozen or so Bar-tailed Godwits, Whimbrel and Grey Plover in the harbour, along with c30 Sandwich Terns and about ten Common Terns and Mediterranean Gulls, but there was nothing of note in the bushes beyond the unseen calling Cuckoo and a couple of Whitethroats and Blackcaps. (AH)
Also a Cuckoo popped up in the churchyard, and a Lesser Whitethroat was heard near the steps. (KJ)

Bar-tailed Godwits (above), Whimbrel & Linnet at Church Norton (AH)

North Wall: A Kestrel and a Stock Dove were on the roof of Pagham Church, though it was generally quiet along the Wall in a light NE breeze. On White's Creek were there were two Black-tailed Godwits, a Great Crested Grebe and a few Black-headed Gulls, the Breech Pool was very full and only held 10 Mallard, a Shelduck and two Common Terns, with a few singing Reed Warblers, supported by Reed Buntings and Linnets, and a Whitethroat was seen with nesting material. Also, a Cuckoo was at Honer. (JDW)

Common Tern (above), Reed Bunting, Stock Dove & Kestrel around the North Wall (JDW)

Birdham Pool: A Greylag Goose and a Great Crested Grebe were on the pool today, and a Cuckoo was there yesterday. (MR)

Greylag Goose (above) & Great Crested Grebe at Birdham Pool (MR)

Ivy Lake: An early evening look failed to find more than a couple of Swallows, despite the overcast conditions, and a single Common Tern, though a family of nine part-grown Greylag Geese marching along the path was a nice sight. (AH)

Greylag Geese at Ivy Lake (AH)

Bank Holiday Monday, 1st May: A typical Bank Holiday, with a cool south-south-east breeze and intermittent heavy showers, though probably drier than some areas....

Selsey Bill: Most of the action was early on, with highlights being a close Roseate Tern and 12 Pomarine Skuas, including a flock of eight, but by 7.30am passage had virtually died, though there were still 29 Eider going east in small flocks, two Pale-bellied Brent Geese and a couple of Arctic Skuas and Bonxies to be seen. Later a couple of Hobbies arrived, and there was a surprise in the form of two Red-necked Grebes (a pair?) which flew east but settled offshore awhile. Full log below..... 
0500-1330hrs: (JA/SH/PB/OM/IP/PM/JF/AH/BI et al)
Red-throated Diver - 1E
Great Northern Diver - 5 os
Red-necked Grebe - 2E (1115hrs) - settled offshore for several minutes
Fulmar - 3E, 1W
Gannet - 166E, 20W
Brent Goose - 12E, including 2 Pale-bellied close in
Shelduck - 2E
Eider - 29E
Common Scoter - 140E, 35os
Dunlin - 4W
Sanderling - 4E
Grey Plover - 1E
Common Sandpiper - 2E
Whimbrel - 7E
Curlew - 1E
Hobby - 1N
auk sp - 1E, 1W
Little Tern - 25E, 20os gradually drifted E
Arctic Tern - 10E
Common Tern - 108E, 70 os gradually drifted off, mainly E
Commic Tern - 96E
Roseate Tern - 1E close in (0625hrs)
Sandwich Tern - 123E, 12os
Little Gull - 1E
Arctic Skua - 6E
Pomarine Skua - 12E - including a flock of 8E (with 3 dark-phase birds) 0645hrs
Great Skua - 1E
Sand Martin - 1N
House Martin - 2N
Swallow - 10N
Also 1410-1800hrs: (JA/SH/CN/SR/AH)
Fulmar - 2W
Gannet - 135E, 15W
Common Scoter - 69E, 22W
Hobby - 1N
Little Tern - 12E
Commic Tern - 16E
Sandwich Tern - 30E
Great Skua - 1E

Eider (above), Arctic Skua (AH), Pomarine Skuas, Eider & Pale-bellied Brent Geese (SH) past the Bill

Arctic Skuas (above) & Pale-bellied Brent Geese past the Bill (PM)

Hobby at the Bill (AH)

Our esteemed Log-keeper Justin Atkinson (JA), looking happy after seeing a bit of passage this weekend. Keeping an accurate Log on busy spring days is no mean task, but JA is well up to it....  (DM)

Ferry Pool: A Greenshank, two Little Ringed Plovers, 12 Black-tailed Godwits, five Redshank and 18 Shelduck were on the pool and a Grey Wagtail dropped into the EA yard. (AH

Greenshank (above) & Black-tailed Godwits at the Ferry (AH)

On the high tide this afternoon there was a White Wagtail, two Greenshank, a Bar-tailed Godwit, 44 Black-tailed Godwits, three Avocets, eight Redshank, three Dunlin and 14 Shelduck on the pool. (AH)

White Wagtail (above) & Avocet on the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool: There were at least six Sedge Warblers and a couple of Reed Warblers singing from the reeds, and a couple of Reed Buntings in the hedgerows, whilst in Ferry Channel there were two Common Sandpipers, 20 Whimbrel, 30 Black-tailed Godwits and 15 Redshank, and three Gadwall flew over. (AH)

Common Sandpipers (above), Gadwall & Sedge Warbler along Long Pool (AH)

Church Norton: Two Hobbies were at the back of the Severals this morning. (S&SaH)
A walk down the west side produced a bit of warbler song, including a Willow Warbler, two Lesser Whitethroats and a scattering of Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps and Whitethroats, plus 20 or more Linnets, but no evidence of fresh migrants.

Out in the harbour there were a flock of 38 Bar-tailed Godwits and 6 Knot, appearing newly arrived, and another flock of ten Bar-tailed Godwits, with 12 Grey Plover and two Knot flew in over the spit and carried on northwards. There were also a dozen or more Whimbrel and Grey Plover widely spread, whilst least a dozen each of Common and Sandwich Tern, plus four Little Terns were present, plus at least a dozen Mediterranean Gulls. (AH)

Bar-tailed Godwits (above), with Grey Plover & Whitethroat at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry: Stilt Pool area - Offshore from the west side of the breach this afternoon 49 Little Terns, 22 Sandwich Terns, a Bonxie, an Arctic Skua, 30 Common Scoter and four Gannets passed in about an hour or so. 

The stilt pools had a male Mandarin, a single Yellow Wagtail, a Bar-tailed Godwits, eight Black tailed Godwits and a Snipe. (IL)

Also there were 11 Little Ringed Plovers and 27 Avocets, including 11 on nests. (CN)