Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 22nd

Saturday, 24th June: A complete contrast to just a few days ago, with a blustery westerly, intermittent heavy drizzle and cool under the heavy cloud.....

Selsey Bill: (0630-0830hrs) (SH/PB/AH/SR)
Fulmar - 2W
Gannet - 6E, 22W
Common Scoter - 24E, 4W
Mediterranean Gull - 1W
Sandwich Tern - 9os
Common Tern - 13os
Little Tern - 1os

(1330-1500hrs) (SH)
Gannet - 3E, 11W
Shag - 1W
Common Scoter - 2E
Common Tern - 7os
Sandwich Tern - 3os
Kittiwake - 1W

Fulmar (above), Gannet & Common Tern past the Bill (AH)

Church Norton: The two immature drake Eiders were offshore from the Bluebell Wood this morning. (S&SaH)

Ferry Pool: There were ten Black-tailed Godwits at the back with the Shelduck family and the ever-anxious Lapwings and Redshanks were at the front, though the chicks weren't visible. (AH)

Redshank on the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: there was a Greenshank, a Redshank, 44 Black-tailed Godwits, 14 Lapwing, two Curlews, seven Teal, a Gadwall and four Tufted Ducks on the Breech Pool, a couple of Common Terns drifted over and there was still Reed and Sedge Warbler song from the reeds despite the conditions.
There were a Shelduck family with seven ducklings, and another half a dozen Curlew and Lapwing in White's Creek, plus a lone Black-tailed Godwit, but that was about it.
Also, a Pyramidal Orchid was along the lower path of the North Wall. (AH)

Greenshank (above), Shelduck family, Curlew, Teal and Black-tailed Godwit, Black-tailed Godwits & Pyramidal Orchid along North Wall (AH)

Ivy Lake: A quick look this morning produced ten Common Terns and at least 15 Great Crested Grebes, but no hirundines, whilst a drake Pochard was on Nunnery Lake and a Blackcap, a Chiffchaff and a Reed Warbler all sang sporadically. (AH)

Common Tern (above) & Pochard at Ivy Lake (AH)

A look at Ivy Lake a little later, in the heavy rain, produced the Black Swan family of parents and three cygnets, 24 Great Crested Grebes, three Common Terns, seven Gadwall, two families of Coot, c40 Canada Geese including one odd hybrid and 9 Swallows, a few House Martins and Swifts.
Copse Lake had singing Sedge Warblers, a Cetti's Warbler, two juvenile Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 17 Greylag Geese, the Bar-headed Goose, two Great Crested Grebes, 22 Canada Geese and 20 feeding Swallows. (SR)

Black Swan family on Ivy Lake (SR)

Selsey: There were a Pine Hawk-moth and another Eyed Hawk-moth in the trap this morning. (SH)

Pine Hawk-moth (above) & Eyed Hawk-moth in a Selsey garden (SH)

Friday, 23d June: A more typically English summer's day, with a brisk westerly wind, plenty of cloud and the odd sunny spell.....

Ferry Pool: The Redshank and Lapwing chicks were still at the front, along with their parents, but there was not much else beyond the fast-growing Shelduck family, a family of Mallards and a pair of Avocets. (AH)

Church Norton: Both a Chiffchaff and a Blackcap were singing, but passerine activity was hard to detect in the windy conditions, though a couple of Skylarks were on the spit. There was still plenty of Little, Common and Sandwich Tern activity, along with 20+ Mediterranean Gulls and numerous young Black-headed Gulls, but the only waders noted were a dozen widely spread Curlews. (AH)

Common Terns (above), Sandwich Terns & Holly Blue at Church Norton (AH)

This afternoon a Whimbrel flew out of Ferry Channel, calling as it went, and the Little and Common Terns were showing well. (J-PC)

Little Terns (above) & Common Tern at Church Norton (J-PC)

Medmerry, Easton Lane area: A very blustery wind this morning was keeping the birds down but there were still three Reed Warblers singing occasionally from the ditches, a Reed Bunting by the sluice and a few Yellowhammers along the paths. The Essex Skipper butterfly colony near the car park seems to be doing well and elsewhere along the banks were a few Small Skippers and plenty of flighty Meadow Browns. (BI)

Thursday, 22nd June: A cool and grey start was followed by a glimpse of the sun before a thunder storm rolled through.....

Selsey Bill: (1630-1730hrs) (SH)
Gannet - 5E, 2W
Arctic Skua - 1os (l/p)
Bonxie - 1os
Sandwich Tern - 9os
Common Tern - 19os
Little Tern - 4os

Ferry Pool: A Greenshank was on the pool early on, before flying into the harbour, and there were also two Avocets, three Black-tailed Godwits, the Shelduck family and the parent Redshanks and Lapwing. (AH)

Greenshank (above)& Avocet of the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: No sign of the Spotted Redshank this morning, though the Snipe, half a dozen Teal and the Black-tailed Godwit flock were all still on the Breech Pool. (OM)

Church Norton and west side: There was still plenty of activity around Tern Island and at least 30 Mediterranean Gulls were in the harbour, along with a dozen or more Curlews and a couple of Ringed Plovers.

It was fairly quiet along the west side, though two or three Reed Buntings, Whitethroats and Linnets were about, a Reed Warbler still singing in Reedy Marsh, and a Greenshank (presumably the one from the Ferry) was with about 20 Redshank at the end of Ferry Channel. (AH)

Little Tern (above), Reed Bunting, Linnet & Meadow Brown at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry: Porthole Farm - This evening there were 40 Mediterranean Gulls of all ages on the fields, a Pied Wagtail carrying food and a singing Yellowhammer nearby and c30 Swifts, c50 Swallows and c100 House Martins over the settling tanks. (AH)