27th - 28th August 2017

Bank Holiday Monday, 28th August: Another lovely sunny day and feeling quite warm again, with just a light easterly breeze, rounding off an unusually fine Bank Holiday weekend......

Selsey Bill: There were a lot of Swallows moving east this morning, plus a few Yellow Wagtails, House and Sand Martins, though generally it was fairly quiet. Full log below......

(0615-0900hrs): (SH/CN/AH/IP)

Gannet - 14E, 6W

Common Scoter - 1E

Ringed Plover - 3E

Dunlin - 5E

Mediterranean Gull - 1E

Swallow  634E

Sand Martin - 3E

House Martin - 15E

Yellow Wagtail - 16E

Wheatear - 1E

Willow Warbler - 1p

Yellow Wagtails past the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: Very little to report, with just 25 Black-tailed Godwits and five Teal on the pool, a few Redshank in the channel opposite and just a few Willow Warblers, Whitethroats and Blackcaps around the Tramway. (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: A Redstart was in the paddocks again, briefly, and around the lettuce fields there were a Wheatear, three Grey Wagtails and 20+ Yellow Wagtails, plus a Sedge Warbler, a Blackcap and several Whitethroats. Also, a Hobby, two Sparrowhawks and plenty of House Martins and Swallows went over. (S&SaH/CN/AH/IP)

Yellow Wagtails (above) & Grey Wagtail at Park Farm, Selsey (AH)

Selsey, Northcommon Farm: Very little to report, despite a good long walk around. The Little Owl was out in the sunshine again, seemingly oblivious of all the noise from the holiday camp across the lane. Other than that there was a Kestrel, a Green Woodpecker, two flocks of Long-tailed Tits, a couple of Whitethroats, 3 Blackcaps, 5 Willow Warblers, c200 Swallows, c50 House Martins and a few Sand Martins. (SR)

Little Owl at Northcommon Farm (SR)

Church Norton: There were two ring-tailed Hen Harriers reported over the harbour at 9am (per Birdguides/RBA)

Along the Severals there were three Whinchats, a Redstart, a Lesser Whitethroat, a Blackcap, a couple of Reed Warblers and numerous Whitethroats, with a Grey Wagtail and many Swallows, plus the odd House and Sand Martin heading over east.

Along the beach/spit there were three or four Wheatears and 50+ Linnets, and a single Sandwich Tern was offshore, but there was little of note in the harbour. Also, a Common Lizard was at the Severals. (S&SaH/CN/AH/IP/P&JW et al)

Whinchat (above), Wheatear & Blackcap at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry: Chainbridge to Ham Farm - There were two Short-eared Owls out hunting over the stubble field this evening, including last night's one with a conspicuous loose wing-feather. 

Also there were five Whinchats, seven Wheatears and 12 Yellow Wagtails seen from the banks, and three Spotted Flycatchers, a Lesser Whitethroat and five Whitethroats in the hedges by the houses. 

There were at least ten Corn Buntings sitting out, with a handful of Yellowhammers and Reed Buntings and 50+ Linnets and Goldfinches, plus a very tame young Meadow Pipit on the path, whilst two Greenshank were at the top end of the creek and three Sandwich Terns and five Whimbrel were around the breach. (AH/SH)

Short-eared Owl (above), Whinchat, Spotted Flycatcher, Greenshanks & Corn Buntings at Medmerry (AH)

Sunday, 27th August: The splendid weather continues, with almost unbroken warm sunshine and just a gentle breeze.....

Selsey Bill: There were still plenty of hirundines about, if not quite up to yesterday's numbers, and 80+ Yellow Wagtails went over, though the sea remained quiet. Full log below......

(0615-0900hrs): (SH/JA/AH/IP)

Gannet - 2E, 9W

Little Egret - 1E

Grey Heron - 1E

Common Scoter - 10E, 1os

Curlew - 1E

Sparrowhawk - 1p in area

Great Spotted Woodpecker - 1 p

Common Tern - 3W

Sandwich Tern - 2E, 4W

Mediterranean Gull - 7E

Pied Wagtail - 2N

Yellow Wagtail - 81E

Sand Martin - 52E

House Martin - 122E

Swallow - 2106E

Willow Warbler - 3 gardens

Northcommon Farm: In a change from its usual routine, the Little Owl was showing early this evening. (S&SaH)

Little Owl at Northcommon Farm (SH)

Chichester Harbour: At 9am in Marina channel, an Osprey was seen fishing successfully before flying to dead trees on the west side of the channel, pursued by gulls. (KJ)

East Wittering: A Short-eared Owl flew over my caravan in East Wittering, heading south and mobbed by Herring. Gulls. (TS per Sussex Birding Twitter)

Ferry Pool: A Spotted Redshank was on the pool this morning, along with a handful of Redshanks, half a dozen Teal and c30 Black-tailed Godwits and Lapwings, with another Spotted Redshank in the channel opposite, along with a Knot and c50 Redshank.

There were hundreds of Sand Martins and Swallows over the harbour, whilst around the Tramway circuit there was a Spotted Flycatcher, a dozen Willow Warblers and a handful of Whitethroats and Blackcaps. (AH/IP)

Spotted Redshanks (above) Spotted Redshank and Knot, Knot, Spotted Flycatcher & Willow Warbler around the Ferry (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: A Redstart was in the paddocks, with a Lesser Whitethroat in the lane and another  in the hedge at the far end of the fields, and a Grey Partridge was in the field being prepared for development. There were four Wheatears and up to 40 Yellow Wagtails in the lettuce field, and a Swift and dozens of House Martins and Swallows were overhead. (AH/IP/S&SaH/PB)

Redstart (above), Yellow Wagtail, Wheatear & Swallows at Park Farm, Selsey (AH)

Church Norton: There were still half a dozen Spotted Flycatchers and a couple of Redstarts behind the hide, with another of the latter between the Severals, and there were plenty of Whitethroats about, with just the odd Lesser Whitethroat, Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler among them. 

At least ten Wheatears were along the shingle, and at least 60 Yellow Wagtails went east along the beach, and a  Reed Warbler, three Shoveler, two Teal and two Gadwall were on the second Several, whilst there were hundreds of Swallows and House Martins, plus a few sand Martins overhead and over the harbour. Also, there was a total of 20 Great Crested Grebes in the harbour. (AH/IP/S&SaH/PB/DM/DIS et al)

Wheatears (above), Whitethroats & Shoveler at Church Norton (AH)

Runcton to Sidlesham: This morning, not many birds on the bike ride down, but strangely more on the return journey.....totals of 4 Common Buzzard, 1 male Kestrel, 70 Swallow and 20 House Martin over Chalder pond, 1 Redstart, 2 Whitethroat , 20 Willow Warbler, and 1 Yellowhammer. (CRJ)

Medmerry: Chainbridge to Ham Farm - A Short-eared Owl was out hunting the banks late this afternoon between Chainbridge and Ham, and there was also a Hobby and two Kestrels over, eight Whinchats, three Wheatears, three Yellow Wagtails, two Spotted Flycatchers, six Whitethroats, htree sAnd Martins and 200+ Swallows about.

A lone Golden Plover flew over, three Sandwich Terns were around the breach, and at least 12 Corn Buntings were sitting out, along with a few Reed Buntings and Yellowhammers, with 50+ Linnets and Goldfinches also about. (S&SaH/AH)

Short-eared Owl (above) & Whinchats at Medmerry (SH)

Short-eared Owl (above) & Corn Buntings at Medmerry (AH)

Sidlesham: At lunchtime, and again this evening, at least five hundred mixed hirundines - mostly Swallows, plus a few sand and House Martins, were sitting along the roadside wires. (AH)

Sand Martin (above), House Martin, Sand and House Martin, Swallow and mixed hirundines in Sidlesham (AH)