25th - 27th June 2017

Tuesday, 27th June: A very grey and blustery start, with the wind from the south-east, and the promise of heavy rain later.....

Ferry Pool: There were just three Black-tailed Godwits, eight Redshank and the Shelduck family on the pool this morning, with another dozen Black-tailed Godwits and Redshanks, including a juvenile, in the channel opposite.
Along the path to the hide there were plenty of juvenile Blue, Great and Long-tailed Tits, plus a few Chiffchaffs and a singing Blackcap. (AH)

Black-tailed Godwit (above), Redshanks & Chiffchaff around the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool: There was still a bit of Reed and Sedge Warbler song along the pool, plus a couple of Whitethroats and Linnets, and at the far end of Ferry Channel there were at least 75 Redshank and a couple of Curlews, with c30 Lapwings overhead. (AH)

Sedge Warbler (above) & Redshanks around Long Pool (AH)

Church Norton/West side: There was just the usual Little, Common and Sandwich Tern activity this morning at Church Norton, whilst along the west side of the harbour there were a Whimbrel and 20+ Curlews, and a flock of c30 Grey Plover flew in from the west.
There were at least half a doxen Linnets and Whitethroats along the bushes, plus a couple of Skylarks on the saltmarsh and there were Gatekeeper butterflies in abundance all the way along. (AH)

Linnet (above), Skylark, Common Tern, Grey Plovers & Gatekeeper at Church Norton (AH)

Monday, 26th June: After a grey start, a fairly pleasant day, with a mix of sunshine and cloud and a moderate easterly breeze..... 

Ferry Pool: There were two Redshank chicks at the front with their parents, and the parent Lapwing, with another ten of the former, a Greenshank and 24 Black-tailed Godwits at the back, and family of Shelducks were still going strong. A Common Tern was in the channel opposite with another couple of Black-tailed Godwits and c20 Redshank.

There were a couple of singing Blackcaps around the Discovery area and car-park, and there was a mobile flock of Long-tailed Tits, Blue Tits and Chiffchaffs in the bushes. Also a lone Brent Goose flew over west. (AH)

Greenshank (above), Redshanks, Brent Goose, Chiffchaff & Long-tailed Tit around the Ferry (AH)

North Wall/Breech Pool: Unfortunately the water level was too high again for waders on the pool, though there was an Egyptian Goose at the back amongst moulting Mallards and half a dozen Teal. A newly-fledged Swallow was on a post, being fed occasionally by its parents, and a couple of Common Terns were coming and going, as were a flock of 20 Lapwings. (OM/R&GH)

White’s Creek/East side: On the mudflats there were 4 Whimbrel and 10+ Curlew, plus a noisy gathering of 25 Oystercatchers. In the channel were 4 Great Crested Grebes and a couple of Common and Little Terns fishing, but nearer the harbour entrance was an unseasonal surprise in the form of a summering Brent Goose. (OM)

Common Tern at the Breech Pool (GH)

Egyptian Goose amongst Mallards on the Breech Pool and Brent Goose on the east side channel (OM)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - There must have been 100 Skylarks along the banks this morning, along with the usual scattering of Yellowhammers, Linnets, Meadow Pipits, Stock Doves and Whitethroats, plus a couple of Reed Buntings. Also at least half a dozen Reed Warblers were singing intermittently from the ditches, 20+ Swallows and 10+ Swifts were feeding over the fields and two Buzzards and two Mediterranean Gulls went over.

There were still three chick/juvenile Little Ringed Plovers, plus parents on the Stilt Pool, along with what appeared to be a Ringed Plover pair on eggs, at least six families of Avocets, two families of Canada Geese and one of Shelducks, but the only migrant noted was a Green Sandpiper that flew up from the back. Out on the reserve there was a family of well-grown young Shelducks, a couple more well-grown Avocet families, a dozen Lapwings and a single Curlew. (AH)

Avocets (above), Little Ringed Plovers, Ringed Plovers, Stock Doves, Swallow, Whitethroat, Skylark & Buzzard at Medmerry (AH)

Selsey Golf/Country Club:  There was a good selection of birds along the rife this morning, including a pair of Tufted Duck, a Grey Heron, a Whitethroat, singing Reed and Sedge Warblers, two Moorhen families, one Coot family, a Blackcap, a Chiffchaff, a family of newly-fledged Whitethroats, four juvenile Long-tailed Tits, nine Goldfinches,  a Song Thrush, three Swifts, a House Martin, two Swallows, a Pied Wagtail and a Great Spotted Woodpecker. (SR)

Juvenile Reed Warbler at Selsey Golf Club (SR)

Medmerry: Ham Farm - There were two, and possibly three, singing Corn Buntings this evening, in the fields rather than along the banks, and there were also 20+ Skylarks, and a couple of Whitethroats and Linnets, with at least 30 Mediterranean Gulls out on the tidal mud. (AH)

Corn Bunting (above), Linnet & Whitethroat at Medmerry (AH)

West Wittering: A pair of Kestrels appear to have successfully fledged three youngsters in the village. (MR)

Juvenile Kestrels in West Wittering (MR)

Sunday, 25th June: Another grey and blustery day, though fairly mild....

Selsey Bill: (0630-0800hrs) (SH/AH)

Fulmar - 1W

Gannet - 14E, 10W

Gadwall - 1W

Common Scoter - 1E

Mediterranean Gull - 1W

SAndwich Tern - 19os

Common Tern - 12os

Little Tern - 4os

Swift - 2os

Gannet (above) & Sandwich Tern past the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: The parent Lapwings and Redshanks were still at the front, the Shelduck family and 14 Black-tailed Godwits were also present, and a Blackcap was singing in the Discovery Area (AH)

Black-tailed Godwit (above), Redshank & juvenile Moorhens on the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: A dozen Black-tailed Godwits were on the Breech Pool, where there was also a singing Chiffchaff and Reed Warbler, and a Common Tern and a Little Tern dropped in to feed in White's Creek. (AF/RJS)

Church Norton: It was very quiet along the front, with just the odd snippet of Sedge Warbler, Whitethroat and Linnet song, and beyond the continued little, Common and Sandwich Tern activity there was little else about beyond the odd Mediterranean Gull and Curlew. (AH) 

Little Terns (above), Sandwich Tern, Mediterranean Gull & Yellow Horned Poppy at Church Norton (AH)

Chi GP's - Drayton Pits: A short visit this morning, but I was pleased to see the first two broods of Pochard with their respective mothers; hopefully there will be one or two more such broods to follow of this nationally rare breeding bird. There were also 20 Gadwall and 30+ Tufted Duck, two pairs of Mute Swans with cygnets, two pairs of Great Crested Grebes and at least six pairs of Little Grebes with young. A few Reed Warblers, Blackcaps and Reed Buntings were still singing occasionally, the regular pair of Buzzards was very active, and 20+ Swifts were high over the lakes. Also of note were around 15 Marbled Whites and a few Pyramidal orchids. (OM)

 Marbled White and Pyramidal orchids at Drayton GPs (OM)