Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 7th

Thursday, 10th August: After yet another very wet day and night, a surprisingly cold start, before the brisk northerly pushed the cloud away....and introduced a welcome bit of sunshine too.

Selsey Bill: There were just a few Common and Sandwich Terns, plus a Whimbrel west and three Swifts overhead, plus a handful of Willow Warblers in the garden this morning. Full log below.....
0745-0915hrs: (OM)
Gannet - 20E, 5W
Whimbrel - 1W
Oystercatcher - 5E
Common Tern - 9W
Sandwich Tern - 5W
Swift - 3 area
Willow Warbler - 6 gardens

Swift heading out to sea at the Bill (OM)

Ferry Pool: There were two Little Ringed Plovers and two Avocets on the pool this morning, along with a Dunlin, two juvenile Shelduck, six Teal, a Redshank, c70 Black-tailed Godwits and c50 Lapwing.
A couple of Reed Warblers were in the roadside reeds, but the nearby hedgerows had not much more than a couple of Whitethroats in them. (AH/OM)

Little Ringed Plover (above) & Avocet, Lapwing and Black-tailed Godwits at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: Generally quiet, though a single Wheatear was on the beach, and a big mixed flock of Long-tailed and Blue Tits moved through by the concrete wall, carrying a Blackcap, and several Willow Warblers and Whitethroats, whilst at least another dozen of the latter, plus the odd Sedge and Reed Warbler were keeping low along the Severals. Also a Sparrowhawk and a Jay were in the concrete wall area and a few Swallows and Sand Martins went over.
There were half a dozen Whimbrel, plus a few Ringed Plovers and Dunlin in the harbour, whilst on the beach on the low tide there were c400 Mediterranean Gulls, but just two Common Terns and a Gannet were seen offshore. (AH)

Sparrowhawk (above), Wheatear, Jay, Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Long-tailed Tit, Mediterranean Gull & Ringed Plovers at Church Norton (AH)

At 11.30am a Short-eared Owl was flushed off Church Norton spit and flew out to sea, not appearing to return. (DP), a Red Kite drifted over the Severals mid-afternoon.(BO'D), and a Grey Plover was roosting on the old harbour mouth. (AW)

Grey Plover and Redshank at Church Norton (AW)

The trees at back of church were lively this afternoon with lots of Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers and a couple of Common Redstarts, two Blackcaps and a Whitethroat in a mixed flock with Blue Tits and Long-tailed Tits and overhead many Swallows, an occasional Sand and House Martin and a lone Swift.

Along the harbour Curlew, Whimbrel, various gulls, Redshank, Ringed Plover, a lone Dunlin and a Little Egret. We returned to the car park via the churchyard when we noticed a large bird, lazily heading straight at us over the church, and much to our delight it was an Osprey with a large fish supper, heading roughly in the direction of the Ferry Pool. (D Smith per SOS)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to Stilt Pool - There were a few more Wheatears around at Medmerry this morning, I'd say at least 10, showing on both sides of the track, and a Whinchat was also showing well.
A flock of 20 or so Dunlin dropped in to the Stilt Pools, where there were also two Common Sandpipers. (AW)

Later on, three Wheatears, two Whitethroats and two Buzzards were seen along the banks and two Common Sandpipers, ten Dunlin, two Ringed Plovers and two Black-tailed Godwits were at the Stilt Pool. (S&SaH)

Wheatear (above) & Whinchat at Medmerry (AW)

Wednesday, 9th August: After a beautiful, still and sunny start the morning rapidly deteriorated as heavy cloud and intermittent drizzle took hold....followed by a long spell of heavy rain through the afternoon.....

Ferry Pool: There was not much on the pool early on - just an Avocet, a Dunlin and a few dozen Lapwing and Black-tailed Godwits, though there was a Spotted Redshank and two Common Sandpipers among c50 Redshank in Ferry Channel.
There were two Garden Warblers by the pond in the Discovery Area, along with just a couple of Blackcaps and Whitethroats. (AH)
Also a Sparrowhawk was along the Long Pool. (AW)

Garden Warbler (above), Spotted Redshank & Avocet around the Ferry (AH)

Sparrowhawk along Long Pool (AW)

Selsey, East Beach: There were 69 Turnstones and two Dunlin, the latter not often seen here, feeding along the shore, and five Willow Warblers, two Chiffchaffs, a Sedge Warbler, c20 House Martins and a Grey Heron around the pond. (SR)

Church Norton: There were quite a few warblers enjoying the sun near the hide this morning, including at least eight Lesser Whitethroats, including an apparent family of four, a Garden Warbler, a Reed Warbler, three Blackcaps, five Willow Warblers, and up to a dozen Whitethroats, plus a few Swallows, but the rest of the bushes were quiet beyond a scattering Whitethroats and Willow/Chiffs.
There were a few Sandwich Terns and Mediterranean Gulls amongst a fairly distant gull flock offshore, whilst the harbour held three or four Whimbrel and a few Dunlin and Ringed Plover. (AH)

Lesser Whitethroats (above), Whitethroat, Swallows & Whimbrel at Church Norton (AH)

Ivy Lake: There were at least 500 Sand Martins and 100 Swallows feeding over the water and occasionally sitting in the trees this morning, and there were a couple of Whitethroats and a few Willow/Chiffs skulking in the hedges. (AH)

Sand Martin and Swallow (above) & Sand Martins at Ivy Lake (AH)

Tuesday, 8th August: A dry, if rather cool and grey, morning, with the odd glimpse of the sun....

Ferry Pool: There were two Green Sandpipers, three Little Ringed Plovers, a Dunlin, three Avocets, c40 Black-tailed Godwits, c50 Lapwing and seven Teal on the pool early, though later on only the Dunlin remained with two Common Sandpipers.

Two Kingfishers were in Ferry Channel and a Greenshank was among 50 Redshanks, but the bushes were quiet, with a Garden Warbler and barely a handful of Blackcaps, Whitethroats and Willow Warblers being the sum. (AH/DF/AW)

Garden Warbler (above), Blackcap & Teal around the Ferry (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the stilt Pool - It was generally very quiet along the banks, with just a Sedge Warbler and a few Whitethroats of note, plus 30 Sand Martins over, with even Yellowhammers and Skylarks in short supply. A Yellow Wagtail flying over and the Barn Owl out and about were also reported by a visiting birder.

A Whimbrel and 34 Black-tailed Godwits were by the Poplars, with a Green Sandpiper in the rife near Marsh Barn. Another Green Sandpiper was reported by a visiting birder on the Stilt Pool, where there were also four Common Sandpipers and the adult Little Ringed Plover and its well-grown chick, along with a dozen juvenile Shelducks, six Gadwall and c200 Canada Geese. Also a Meadow Pipit was evidently still feeding young, and a Painted Lady and several Common Blues were along the path. (AH/AW)

Adult and young Little Ringed Plover (above), Common Sandpiper, Sedge Warbler, Meadow Pipit, juvenile Shelduck & Painted Lady at Medmerry (AH)

Selsey: A Jersey Tiger - a very rare moth on the peninsula - was in the trap this morning. (SH)

Jersey Tiger in a Selsey garden (SH)

Selsey: Warner Lane - there were two Buzzards around causing a Herring Gull panic, plus a small number of Swifts overhead all day and a few Sand Martins. (SH)

Monday, 7th August: A fairly cool, very grey and blustery morning, brightening up very slowly, to give sunny periods from early afternoon.....

Selsey Bill: Very quiet this morning, with just a handful of Sandwich and Common Terns going west and 30+ Gannets feeding well offshore. Full log below......

0745-1115hrs: (OM/SR/J. Rowland)
Gannet - 10E, 50W (including flock of c.30 fishing offshore, which slowly drifted off)
Common Scoter - 7E, 18W
Turnstone - 9ob
Oystercatcher - 6W
Curlew - 1W
Common Tern - 28W
Sandwich Tern - 4E, 26W
A walk around the gardens/estate produced 8 Swifts, a Swallow, 17 House Martins (still two active nests), 2 Willow Warblers and 4 Goldfinch (SR)

House Martins at Selsey (SR)

Selsey (West): A flock of 40+ low-flying Swifts and 6 House Martins were feeding over the fields at midday (SR)..... also 50+ Swifts throughout the day around Warner Lane (SH).

Park Farm, Selsey: This afternoon around the north of the village and the farm there were 100 Swifts, 200+ Sand Martins, 20+ House Martins, 20+ Swallows and 50+ Mediterranean Gulls. (S&SaH)

Ferry Pool: There were three Little Ringed Plovers, two Avocets, a Dunlin, c75 Lapwing and c60 Black-tailed Godwits on the pool this morning, and a Whimbrel and a Greenshank among c80 Redshank in the channel opposite.

It was very quiet in the adjacent hedges, with just a couple each of Blackcap, Whitethroat and Willow Warbler seen, plus a flock of 20+ Swifts late morning. (OM/AH)

Little Ringed Plovers (above) & Willow Warbler around the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: There was a big gathering of terns and gulls offshore, with c100 Sandwich, c60 Common and six Little Terns present, along with c100 Mediterranean Gulls, 300 Black-headed Gulls and 20+ Gannets, and another 30 Sandwich and ten Common Terns were in the harbour.

Otherwise, in the harbour, there were a couple of Whimbrel, c30 Curlew, c50 Ringed Plovers and c200 Dunlin present and about 20 Linnets were on the beach, but the hedges were quiet beyond a single Lesser Whitethroat and c20 Willow Warblers among a big Long-tailed and Blue Tit flock. (AH)
Also 30+ Swifts and a smattering of Sand Martins, House Martins and Swallows were over the Severals, and a Cetti's Warbler was in the hedgerow. (A&YF)

Lesser Whitethroat (above), Willow Warbler, Little Terns, Common Tern, Sandwich Terns, Gannet, Whimbrel, Ringed Plover & Linnet at Church Norton (AH)

This afternoon there were two Wheatears on the spit, a Common Sandpiper on the concrete spit, and 20+ Common and Sandwich Terns, plus a Gannet, offshore.

Along the front there were a Lesser Whitethroat, four Whitethroats, a Sedge Warbler, two newly-fledged Reed Buntings, a Buzzard and a Great Spotted Woodpecker, plus a total of seven Green Woodpeckers, including four together in the horse field. (S&SaH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane area - A Barn Owl was out hunting near Marsh Barn around 8pm this evening, seen catching a small rodent after dropping from a fence post onto its victim. (GT)

North Wall: Not much happening here this morning - the Breech Pool held 60 Mallard, 5 Cormorants, 11 Redshank and 3 Black-tailed Godwits, whilst overhead were small parties of hirundines and Swifts. The Swifts were moving westwards whereas the Swallows, Sand Martins and the few House Martins were moving eastwards. Also, 2 Little Grebes on Owl Water.

Very quiet along Pagham Rife which, in parts, is completely covered in vegetation. Honer Reservoir held 7 juvenile Black-headed Gulls and a single Common Sandpiper, with a small flock of Yellowhammers and Reed Buntings feeding nearby. (JDW)

Later in the day a Common Sandpiper was around the first sluice and the three Eider were still distantly in the harbour whilst a Wheatear was along the wall. Little around Halsey's Farm bird-wise other than a couple of Blackcaps and Whitethroats and a Reed Warbler but there were seven species of butterflies present including a Brown Argus and three Commas. A Hornet Moth was also present on the buddleia near the stables. (BI/IB)