4th - 6th June 2017

Tuesday, 6th June: A stormy morning after a stormy night, but with the wind round to due west and gale force, quickly pushing the clouds through.....with some sunny periods later but also frequent heavy showers.

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Selsey Bill: After a very slow start - just two Common Terns west from 5.45-6.45am (SH), and five Common Terns, two Sandwich Terns and a Kittiwake west between 6.45-7.45am (AH), things did improve somewhat, with a European Storm-petrel seen out in the waves at around 8.15am. (OM) 
Another was seen lingering inside the Mile Basket line for a couple of minutes just after 4.15pm this afternoon. (SH)
After that there were a Bonxie and two Arctic Skuas east, a dozen Sandwich Terns, 10+ Little Terns and 30+ Common Terns, including what was presumably the first-summer bird seen last week at Church Norton, feeding offshore or drifting west, plus three Sanderlings on the beach, 20+ Swifts (some feeding over the water), and the odd Gannet, Fulmar and Kittiwake. With a number of Storm-petrels subsequently reported along the coast this morning, eastwards from Devon to West Sussex, those more patient observers wishing to add this elusive Sussex species to their lists/yearlists might be repaid by putting in a decent shift at the Bill, as the stormy weather gradually subsides.
0800-1300hrs: (OM/AH/BFF/DM/DIS)
Great Crested Grebe - 1W
Storm-petrel - 1 os (0815hrs) soon disappeared, apparently eastwards
Fulmar - 1W
Gannet - 26E, 4W
Common Scoter - 51E
Sanderling - 3 ob
Turnstone - 2 ob
Little Tern - c.10 os
Common Tern - c.30 os (see above)
Sandwich Tern - 12 os
Arctic Skua - 2E
Great Skua - 1E
Kittiwake - 2W
Swift - 20 area
(1615-1800hrs) (SH)
Storm-petrel - 1 os, then W at 1615hrs
Gannet - 2E, 2W
Kittiwake - 3W
Little Tern - 2os
Common Tern - 15os
Sandwich Tern - 25os

First-summer Common Tern (above), adult Common Terns & Sanderlings at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: A Greenshank was on the pool this morning, along with four Avocets, five Black-tailed Godwits, the family of Shelduck and the ever-agitated Lapwing and Redshank parents, though their chicks were presumably keeping low. (AH)

Greenshank (above) & Avocets on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: The tern colony appeared to have come through the stormy night unscathed, with the Little Terns coming and going from their lowest-lying area. there was not much else to see, though, with just two Ringed Plovers in the harbour, a Whitethroat and a Chffchaff in the bushes and a Gannet offshore being of note. (AH)

Monday, 5th June: The first signs of a change to some very unsettled weather ahead this morning, with heavy cloud and a strong and blustery south-south-westerly wind, and the prospect of rain later....

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We have deliberately tried to make the publication useful and user-friendly across the whole birding spectrum, rather than using the more formal approach adopted by many bird reports, as explained in this extract from the Guide's introduction.........

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Selsey Bill: A few Manx Shearwaters were moving in the windy conditions, but they didn't start until late morning, with 15 past by noon and another 20 in the next two hours. There were also 25+ Kittiwakes, but otherwise it it was more of the same, really, with Gannets and Sandwich Terns moving locally, augmented by a few Fulmars. Full log below......
(0730-1200hrs)  (OM/SR)
Manx Shearwater - 15W
Fulmar - 1E, 6W
Gannet - 22E, 40W
Common Scoter - 13E
Turnstone - 3W
Little Tern - 1W
Common Tern - 12 os, moving back and forth
Commic Tern - 15 os distant
Sandwich Tern - 20 os, moving back and forth, most drifted off W
auk sp - 1E, 1W
Swift - 5 os, probably local birds
(1215-1415hrs) (C&ME)
Manx Shearwater - 20W (inc. flock of 14)
Fulmar - 3W
Gannet - 5E, 2W
Common Tern - 1E
Commic Tern - 11os
Sandwich Tern - 15E
Razorbill - 2W
auk sp - 1E
(1630-1800hrs) (SH)
Manx Shearwater - 8W
Gannet - 71E, 2W
Common Tern -  6os
Sandwich Tern - 13os

Ferry Pool: There were five Avocets on the pool this morning, along with the family of Shelducks, a pair of Redshank and a couple of pairs of Lapwing - all with presumably hidden young, plus a couple of Black-tailed Godwits, with four more in the channel opposite.
Around the Tramway there were a couple of Whitethroats and Blackcaps, but not much else. and there was a Great Spotted Woodpecker in the Discovery area. (AH/AW)

Shelduckling (above), Avocets, Black-tailed Godwit, Whitethroat & Great Spotted Woodpecker around the Ferry (AH)

This evening there were two Redshank chicks and a Lapwing chick on show on the pool. (AW)

Redshank and chick (above), Redshank chicks & Lapwing chick on the Fery (AW)

Long Pool: There was still plenty of singing from the Reed Buntings, Reed and Sedge Warblers, and a very animated Whitethroat was behaving like there were freshly fledged young about.
On the pool itself there were a female Gadwall with about eight ducklings, a couple of Little Grebes and a family of Coots, but there was nothing beyond a few Redshank in Ferry Channel. (AH/AW)

Sedge Warbler (above), Reed Bunting & Gadwall family along Long Pool (AH)

Church Norton: A quick look on the high tide didn't produce much beyond plenty of Sandwich, Little and Common Terns coming and going, along with four Gannets offshore. (AH)

Sandwich Terns at Church Norton (AH)

Chichester Gravel Pits: Ivy Lake Complex - A surprisingly good visit today as the unseasonably chilly weather gave me lovely close views of 6 newly fledged Long-tailed Tits  around Copse Lake, sitting tightly in a row along a willow branch, some facing forward, some back, while attentive parents dashed backward and forward bringing them food.  

There were and there was also 57 Greylag Geese with a Bar-headed Goose, 2 Canada Geese, a Great Crested Grebe and a Coot with young there

Ivy Lake had a female Pochard with 3 ducklings, a very welcome sight from this scarce breeder. Also one of the Tufted Ducks had 3 young and there was 10 Great Crested Grebes (two pairs were displaying), 4 Common Terns and a Willow Warbler. 

East Lake had an Egyptian Goose, Sedge Warblers, c30 Swifts and 8 Swallows, whilst on New Lake the Cormorant colony seemed to be doing very well, with the remaining nests holding 3 large youngsters, and the raft held a good number of nesting Black-headed Gulls and a single Mediterranean Gull, and many had young, with 10 chicks visible. Six Gadwall were also on the lake, and two Mallards had young families as did two Coots. (SR)

Pochard family (above), Chiffchaff & juvenile Long-tailed Tits around Chichester Pits (SR)

Sunday, 4th June: Another 'bright and breezy' day, with a bit more cloud than yesterday cloud and with the breeze more round to the west.....

Selsey Bill: Just the usual local movements of Gannets and Terns (mainly Sandwich), plus a couple of Fulmars. Full log below. (SH/AH/IP/JA)

(0615-0800hrs)

Fulmar - 3E, 1W

Gannet - 7E, 16W

Common Scoter - 5E

Sandwich Tern - 26W

Common Tern - 4W

Little tern - 1os

Swift - 3p

Swallow - 1os

House Martin - 6p

(1530-1630hrs) (SH)
Fulmar - 1W
Gannet - 12E, 2W
Arctic Skua - 1E (d/p)
Common Tern - 8os
Sandwich Tern - 19W
Kittiwake - 1W
Mediterranean Gull - 1W
Common Seal - 1os

Park Farm, Selsey: A couple of Swifts and a few House Martins and Swallows were overhead, a Whitethroat was along the lane, a Reed Warbler in one of the field-side ditches and a Green Woodpecker was in the paddocks. (AH/IP)

House Martin (above), Swallow, Whitethroat & Goldfinch at Park Farm, Selsey (AH)

Fishbourne Creek: In recent years the Creek has harboured a large non-breeding flock of summering Mute Swans and also a small number of Brent Geese - and so it has proved to be again this year with flocks of 142 and nine respectively - the Geese being accompanied by a summering Wigeon. The highlight was a Red Kite which flew over the saltings, where there were three Lesser Black-backed Gulls. It was quiet otherwise, with a couple of Whitethroats and Blackcaps giving snatches of song and a Lesser Whitethroat still in good voice, whilst four Yellowhammers were around the stables muck-heap. (OM)

 (above) Panoramic view of the Creek with some of the Mute Swans (OM)

 Brent Geese in Fishbourne Creek (below with Wigeon) (OM)

 Red Kite over the Creek (OM)

Ferry Pool: The Redshanks appeared to still have chicks, given their excitable behaviour, as did a couple of Lapwings, and the family of Shelducks were still present too, along with 46 Black-tailed Godwits. (AH)

Redshanks at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: At least 20 Little Terns, plus plenty of Common and Sandwich Terns and a pair of Mediterranean Gulls came up off the island when something disturbed them, but the only waders noted were a lone Turnstone and a few Oystercatchers.

A Cuckoo was noisy and active around the back of the Severals, but generally it was fairly quiet, though the usual scattering of Reed Buntings, Whitethroats, Linnets and Reed and Sedge Warblers were along the front.

Also seen were a Holly Blue and a female Broad-bodied Chaser. (AH/IP)

Cuckoo (above), Little Tern, Sandwich Tern, Linnet, Broad-bodied Chaser, Holly Blue & Viper's Bugloss at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry (east) - Breach Viewpoint - A brief visit to the viewpoint, in windy conditions with a heat haze, making viewing a little tricky.  A Corn Bunting was calling close by and on the pools were c20 Shelduck, 2 Curlew, 16 Grey Plover, and 9 Redshank (SR/BJ).

Sidlesham Churchyard to Marsh Farm: A look today produced three Yellowhammers, a Reed Bunting, a Whitethroat and two Blackcaps along the hedges and two Mediterranean Gulls and two Buzzards over. (S&SaH)