4th - 6th May 2017

Saturday, 6th May: More of the same; dry with sunshine and cloud but also the cool, strong north-easterly wind persisting, though surprisingly warm in sheltered spots.......

Some good news for anyone planning to visit the Bill and who doesn't yet know...... the roadworks at the new Asda roundabout have been completed and the dreaded traffic lights have now gone.......!!

Selsey Bill: First news this morning is of a Pomarine Skua past at 0740....... There were another eight at 1.30pm and nine more by the end of the day, plus a good selection of other species.... Full log below. (JA/JF/SH/PB/AB/IP/SR/BI et al)
(0515-1745hrs)
Great Northern Diver - 4os
Red-throated Diver - 1E, 1W
Great Crested Grebe - 1E
Manx Shearwater - 3E
Fulmar - 12E, 2W
Gannet- 192E, 19W
Gadwall - 3W
Mallard -3p
Common Scoter - 2E, 22os
Eider - 4E, 1os
Hobby - 4N (including one carrying prey)
Peregrine - 1N
Grey Plover - 31E
Oystercatcher - 3E
Knot - 22E, 1W
Dunlin - 1E, 1W
Sanderling - 4E, 5W
Bar-tailed Godwit - 3E
Whimbrel - 16E
Turnstone - 2E, 2p
Arctic Skua - 3E
Pomarine Skua - 18E
Mediterranean Gull - 6E
Common Gull - 3E
Kittiwake - 16E, 11W
Little Tern - 32E
Sandwich Tern - 165E
Common Tern - 180E
Commic Tern - 81E
Black Tern - 1E
Razorbill - 10W
Guillemot - 1E, 1W
auk sp - 3E, 9W
Swallow - 365N
House Martin - 20N
Sand Martin - 9N
Yellow Wagtail - 3N
Wheatear - 1N
Sedge Warbler - 1p
Willow Warbler - 1p
Willow/Chiff - 9N

Common Seal - 1p
Grey Seal - 1p

Pomarine Skuas (above), Eider and Common Seal at the Bill (AB)

Ferry Pool: There were two Little Ringed Plover, exactly 30 Black-tailed Godwits and six Shelduck on the pool, with up to 30 Whimbrel and two Greenshanks in the harbour from the Tramway. There was a Garden Warbler in the Discovery area, one or two Whitethroats, Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs singing around the paths, and a Cuckoo was calling from the Yeoman's Field area. (AH)

Greenshank (above), Lapwing, Blackcap (AH) & Whitethroat (AB) around the Ferry 

Long Pool: There were still half a dozen Sedge Warblers, plus a couple of Reed Warblers, a Lesser Whitethroat, several Whitethroats and a Cetti's Warbler singing along the path, plus a couple of Reed Buntings and Linnets, but just a pair of Little Grebes of note on the water, plus a pair of Gadwall and half a dozen Whimbrel at the end of Ferry Channel. (AH)

Sedge Warbler (above) & Whitethroat along Long Pool (AH)

North Wall area: A Cuckoo was in trees behind the Breech Pool and up to a dozen Swallows were around the stables, but beyond a Reed Bunting and one or two Sedge and Reed Warblers, plus a pair of Teal there was little on offer on the pool itself.
Four Little Terns and a couple of Common and Sandwich Terns dropped in to feed in White's Creek, and c80 Black-tailed Godwits  spent a while in the harbour and circling about before settling on the Breech Pool, and there were at least a dozen Whimbrel and a couple of Curlews spread out on the mud. 
There was a big mixed flock of waders out in the harbour - c40 Bar-tailed Godwits, c100 Grey Plover, c50 Dunlin and a few Knot, before they dispersed on the dropping tide, plus a Ringed Plover, a couple of House Martins went over east and there was a big Common Seal present, too. (AH)

Sandwich Tern (above), Common Tern, Little Tern, Swallow, Whimbrel, Black-tailed Godwits, Knot and Bar-tailed Godwits & Knot, Dunlin and Bar-tailed Godwits around East side of the harbour (AH)

Friday, 5th May: Yet another unseasonably cool and grey day, with a strong easterly to north-easterly breeze......

Selsey Bill: There was a good bit more on the move than yesterday, including singles of Pomarine, Arctic and Great Skua, 20 Knot and 40 or so Bar-tailed Godwits, whilst two of Hobby and Wheatear and over 400 Swifts came in off the sea, and a Little Ringed Plover flew along the shoreline. Full log below.....
0515-1330hrs:  (JA/PB/C&ME/OM/SR/AH et al)
Red-throated Diver - 1W
Great Northern Diver - 4os
Fulmar - 7E, 3W
Gannet - 261E, 42W
Shag - 1E
Eider - 2E, 1os
Common Scoter - 58E, 28os
Pintail - 2E
Little Ringed Plover - 1E
Dunlin - 15E
Sanderling - 65E
Knot - 20E
Grey Plover - 40E
Bar-tailed Godwit - 52E
Whimbrel - 13E
Sparrowhawk - 1 gardens
Hobby - 2N
Razorbill - 7W
auk sp - 7E, 81W
Little Tern - 13E, 4os
Common Tern - 60E
Sandwich Tern - 91E
Kittiwake - 29E, 2W
Arctic Skua - 1W
Pomarine Skua - 1E (0743)
Great Skua - 1E
Swift - 431N
House Martin - 14N
Swallow - 167N
Wheatear - 2N
Meadow Pipit - 4N
Willow/chiff sp - 1N

Sandwich Tern (above), Fulmar, Gannet & Eider at Selsey Bill (AH)

(1640-1830hrs) (JA/SH)
Great Northern Diver - 1os
Fulmar - 3E, 1W
Gannet - 76E, 6W
Common Scoter - 2E
Grey Plover - 6E
Dunlin - 12E
Sanderling - 11E
Bar-tailed Godwit - 10E
Turnstone - 6E
Kittiwake - 2E, 1W
Sandwich Tern - 14E, 20os
Little Tern - 5E
Black Tern - 2os
Swift - 5N
Swallow - 1N
auk sp - 1W

Selsey: The first Swifts of the year were over our estate on the north of the village this evening. (SH)

Ferry Pool: A single Greenshank, 61 Black-tailed Godwits, a Lapwing, five Redshank and eight Shelduck were all on the pool this morning, and there were eight Whimbrel in the channel opposite. (OM/AH)

Lapwing (above), Black-tailed Godwits & Whimbrels around the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: Predictably quiet in the bushes, with just a Lesser Whitethroat, a Blackcap and a few Whitethroats singing occasionally, whilst 20+ Swifts and Swallows were overhead.
Out on the mud there were 20+ Bar-tailed Godwits, 40+ Knot, 30+ Grey Plover and 10+ Whimbrel, whilst six Little Terns were feeding in the main channel, and at least ten Common and Sandwich Terns, and similar of Mediterranean Gulls, were around the island. (AH)

Bar-tailed Godwits (above) & Mediterranean Gulls at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool: Two Brent Geese were near the Easton viewpoint this morning with a flock of 20 Canada Geese but in the strong easterly wind there was little else out on the reserve. A Whitethroat and a Sedge Warbler put in an appearance near Marsh Barn as did a single Yellowhammer and there was the occasional Skylark singing along the banks. On the pools were two Little Terns, six Little Ringed Plovers with the usual Avocets and eight Gadwall dropped in but there was no sign of the Little Stint. Four more Little Terns were fishing just offshore but it was all quiet along the beach. (BI)

Little Tern at Medmerry (BI)

Thursday, 4th May: Another cool and grey day, with the north-easterly breeze picking up after a slightly quieter start....

Selsey Bill: Very little was moving offshore beyond the regular Gannets and terns, though three Brent Geese went east, but there was a hint of inward migration, including a Garden Warbler and a Whitethroat in the 'Secret Garden', a Wheatear on the beach and 15+ Swifts in off the sea. Full log below.....
0700-1100hrs:  (OM/AH/SR)
Great Northern Diver - 2os
Fulmar - 1E, 3W
Gannet - 32E, 22W
Brent Goose - 3E
Common Scoter - 7E
Mallard - 3 area/gardens
Whimbrel - 2E
Little Tern - 4 os
Common Tern - 4E, 4os
Sandwich Tern - 12E, 6os
Kittiwake - 1E
Swift - 17N
Swallow - 2N
Wheatear - 1 ob
Garden Warbler - 1 singing/showing briefly in the 'secret garden'
Whitethroat - 1 gardens
Willow Warbler - 1 gardens

Kittiwake (above) and Gannet at the Bill  (AH)

  

At the Bill this morning: (above) tame Herring Gull hoping for lunchtime leftovers (SR), (centre) Mallards in the gardens and (lower) nesting Greenfinch in Bill House garden (OM). You know its a quiet day for photos when these species feature prominently!

(1700-1800hrs) (JA)
Great Northern Diver - 2os
Fulmar - 1W
Gannet - 12E, 3W
Shag - 1os
Kittiwake - 2W
Sandwich Tern - 4E
Common Tern - 3E, 2os
Little Tern - 1W
auk sp - 4E, 3W
Swift - 21N
Swallow - 12W
House Martin - 2N

Selsey East Beach: Two Swifts were around the bottom of East Street this afternoon, close to their regular nest site and two Swallows flew over. (SR)

Ferry Pool: A Greenshank, four Black-tailed Godwits, two Avocets, five Redshank and 12 Shelduck were on the pool this morning. (AH/OM)

Black-tailed Godwit, Avocet & Black-headed Gull on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: A singing Willow Warbler by the hide and about a dozen Swifts in over the beach were about the only indications of migration, though the regular Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Sedge Warblers were still singing, mostly from deep in cover.
The two regular Eider were offshore, and in the harbour there were 22 Bar-tailed Godwits, a couple of Black-tailed Godwits and Grey Plovers, and plenty of Little, Common and Sandwich Tern activity around the island. (AH)

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

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - The Little Stint reported earlier in hte week was still on the Stilt Pool, along with seven Little Ringed Plovers, 31 Avocets, including up to sitting sitting/brooding, and out on the reserve there were a Whimbrel, two Redshank and two Brent Geese, along with two feeding Common Terns and three Little Terns. 
Also, 17 Bar-tailed Godwits went east along the beach, five Whitethroats and a Lesser Whitethroat were along the banks and seven Swallows, six Gadwall and two Buzzards went over. (S&SaH/AH)

Little Stint at Medmerry (AH)