Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 26th

Sunday, 28th May: After a foggy, grey start, it was bright with sunshine and cloud and a fairly light easterly breeze, but becoming humid with the risk of the odd heavy thundery shower by afternoon......

Coming soon - but unlike this proof, the publication certainly won't be in black-and-white!

Selsey Bill: The Bill was fogbound early on, though a visiting birder reported a female Eider offshore later on.

(1200-1300hrs) (SH)

Great Northern Diver - 1os
Gannet - 3E
Whimbrel - 2E
Sandwich Tern - 6os
Common Tern - 2os

Ferry Pool: Early on there was a Water Rail on the pool - the first sighting for some weeks, and also an Avocet was present, a Reed Warbler was showing well at the front and the two Tawny Owlets were still in their box. (SH)

Later on there were 62 Black-tailed Godwits, four Redshank, two Lapwing and three Shelduck on the pool. (AH)

Tawny Owlets (above SH, below DM)

Reed Warbler around the Ferry (SH)

Long Pool: A Cuckoo was in the area at around 9am today. (MR)

Cuckoo along Long Pool (MR)

Selsey East Beach: The Grey Wagtails that have frequenting our garden were seen carrying food today, suggesting they are breeding nearby. (SW)

Church Norton: A Yellow Wagtail which flew out over the spit was a surprise, but it was generally quiet, with the only waders of note being a flock of 22 Turnstones that dropped in on the beach and a possible Spotted Redshank in the harbour, but it was in the bright sun and difficult to confirm.

Just the odd Whitethroat, a Chiffchaff and a Reed Bunting were in the bushes, a handful of Linnets and Skylarks were along the beach, seven Mediterranean Gulls went over and there was still plenty of Little, Common and Sandwich Tern activity. (AH/IP/A&YF/RJS/CRJ et al)

Later on, there were two 1st-summer Little Gulls in the harbour, and briefly the 'mystery' tern of yesterday (more of which below). (IL)

Common Terns (above), Turnstones & Black-headed Gull seeing off a Grey Heron at Church Norton (AH)

Some of the locals enjoying the sun! (AH)

The two enlarged photos of yesterday's mystery tern would suggest it is most likely a first- (or possibly even second-) summer Common Tern, a bird not too often seen in Britain as they normally do not return until they are ready to breed. (Eds)

Probable Common Tern with Sandwich Tern yesterday at Church Norton (G Honey)

Medmerry, Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool: There were four singing Reed Warblers along the ditches this morning and another two in the large pool near Marsh Barn where there was a Whitethroat singing too. Along the banks were a few Reed Buntings, Yellowhammers & Linnets as well as the familiar Skylarks and soaring overhead were two Buzzards and a Sparrowhawk. On the pools were the Avocets with their offspring and three Little Ringed Plovers, a Grey Heron and 31 Black-tailed Godwits whilst the large Starling flock nearby contained the partially-leucistic bird. Little along the beach except for a few Linnets and Meadow Pipits and nothing at all was moving offshore. Butterflies included a Painted Lady near Easton Lane, a few Red Admirals and Green-veined Whites and a minimum count of 35 Common Blues. (BI)

Medmerry: Porthole Farm - There were, surprisingly, no hirundines at all this evening, though there were 20 or so Swifts over the fields for a while. A pair of Lapwings were still on one of the uncropped fields, at least three pairs of Whitethroats were carrying food and five Yellowhammers were sat along the roadside wires. Also a couple of Painted Ladies were present. (AH)

Yellowhammer (above) & Painted Lady at Porthole Farm (AH)

Saturday, 27th May: Thundery and humid conditions at first, with thick cloud and some heavy but brief showers and a very light SE breeze, but by mid-morning the wind had freshened and veered to the SW..... so feeling notably cooler than the forecast had indicated!

Selsey Bill: Disappointingly slow, but still producing a Black Tern and an Arctic Skua. Full log below......
0600-1030hrs: (JF/OM/SR/JA)
Fulmar - 3E, 3W
Gannet - 63E, 15W
Common Scoter - 152E
Whimbrel - 1E
Guillemot - 1E
Razorbill - 1E
auk sp - 1E, 3W
Little Tern - 1os
Black Tern - 1E
Common Tern - c.30 os
Sandwich Tern - 10E, 6os
Arctic Skua - 1E
Kittiwake - 2W
House Martin - 6 area
Swift - 2 p

1315-1415hrs: (SH)

Gannet - 6E, 10W

Common Scoter - 11E

Common Tern - 4os

Sandwich Tern - 3os

Swift - 1p

What it takes to win the Pom crown! Last year's winner - and this year's Pom King-elect John Faithfull - keeping a lonely vigil whilst defending his title at the Bill this morning, having heard news of a south-easterly breeze! John's total of 77 birds puts him a massive 21 above his nearest challenger (OM) - surely an unassailable lead with just four days to go until the deadline at the month's end. Looks like the trophy will go to Hants again this year, with back-to-back wins too. (OM)

Church Norton: There were 15+ Ringed Plovers and a Grey Plover on the mud (but no sign of yesterday's Kentish Plover here or on the East side this morning). A Hobby circled over the harbour before being driven off by Black-headed Gulls from Tern Island, whilst there was again plenty of tern activity there and a 1st-sum Little Gull was also present. (OM/BI)

A darkish tern was also in the harbour, before flying off high east. Apparently a 1st-sum bird, both White-winged Black and Black Terns were considered, before the observers concluded it was probably of the latter species (IL et al). A photo of a camera-back photo was later obtained (per BI) and is included here..... plus another photo from IL.

Any useful comments welcome.......

Tern species at Church Norton (anon, per BI) & below (IL)

(The lower image has been heavily cropped... it gives some idea of the size of the tern sp {left} but doesn't really take us forward too much further - Eds)

Little Gull at Church Norton (BI)

Ferry Pool/Long Pool: There were 82 Black-tailed Godwits scattered over the pool mid-morning along with six Shelduck and two Avocets. A Cuckoo was calling from the north side of the Ferry pool and along the Long Pool were a number of Whitethroats and Sedge Warblers, a Reed Bunting and several Reed Warblers. (BI/A.Wilkes)

Avocets & Black-tailed Godwits on the Ferry Pool, above (BI)

Cuckoo, above, & Sedge Warbler with Reed Bunting (A.Wilkes)

Friday, 26th May: Another very bright and sunny day, but with a very brisk, due easterly breeze keeping it a bit cooler on the coast.....

Selsey Bill: Highlight was a Pomarine Skua east at 8.45am, but beyond that it was more of the same, with 300+ Common Scoter, a few Sanderling and a few Common and Sandwich Terns heading east, plus a Redshank - very uncommon here - on the beach. Full log below......
0615-1415hrs: (C&ME/JA/AH/SR/C&JM)

Great Crested Grebe - 1E, 1os
Fulmar - 5E, 3W
Gannet - 125E, 5W
Shag - 1E
Eider - 2E, 1os
Common Scoter - 385E
Dunlin - 4E
Sanderling - 5E, 10ob
Ringed Plover - 2E
Grey Plover - 2E
Turnstone - 3E
Redshank - 1ob
Whimbrel - 1E
Oystercatcher - 1E, 4W
Razorbill - 2E
auk sp - 5E
Little Tern - 4E, 2os
Common Tern - 17E
Commic Tern - 37os
Sandwich Tern - 37E
Kittiwake - 4E
Pomarine Skua - 1E

Sandwich Tern (above), Common Scoters, Redshank & House Martin at the Bill (AH)

At the Bill: Great Crested Grebe, Sanderlings on the beach, and Spitfire & Hurricane planes being filmed from a helicopter (C&JM)

North Wall/East Side: Undoubted highlight was a smart male Kentish Plover in with 20 or so Ringed Plovers and a couple of Dunlin, half way along the harbour, opposite the 'middle gate' from the path along the Slipe Field.

Otherwise the harbour was very quiet, with just ten Curlews and a Black-tailed Godwit being the only other waders present, though there was a family of freshly hatched Shelducks in White's Creek.

The Breech Pool was more or less birdless, too, with just a couple of Black-tailed Godwits, a Great Crested Grebe, two Tufted Ducks and a few Mallard present. (AH)

Unfortunately the rising tide appeared to push the birds off, and there was no sign of the Kentish Plover at midday (OM)

Kentish Plover (above), with Ringed Plovers, Shelduck family & Dunlin along east side of harbour (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were 36 Black-tailed Godwits, two Redshank, a Lapwing and four Shelduck present this morning, plus the usual Reed Warbler, Whitethroat and Cetti's Warbler. (AH)