Monday, 18th September: A still and sunny start quickly gave way to a fairly bright and breezy day....with a fresh north-westerly breeze.
Selsey Bill: Not much was on the move, though there were a few Yellow Wagtails and Meadow Pipits around, and a Guillemot passed close in, heading west. Full log below.....
0820-1130hrs: (OM/BFF/MJ/C&ME)
Gannet - 35os, most drifting off W
Common Scoter - 8E, 23os
Dunlin - 37W
Turnstone - 30 ob
Sandwich Tern - 15os, most drifting W
Mediterranean Gull - 3os
Guillemot - 1W
Meadow Pipit - 62W
Pied Wagtail - 2W
Yellow Wagtail - 6W
Great Spotted Woodpecker - 1 gardens & Oval field
House Martin - 200+ around houses at Bill Point
Swallow - c.250 W
Chiffchaff - 15 gardens
Pagham Harbour Visitor Centre: The Turtle Dove continued to oblige this morning outside the centre. (AH et al)
Ferry Pool: Very quiet, still, with just half a dozen Black-tailed Godwits, a Dunlin and c40 Lapwings on the pool, and the Tramway was quiet, too, save the odd Chiffchaff and Whitethroat, plus a Whimbrel, with an injured leg that has been present for some time, in Red Barn Ditch. (AH)
This afternoon a Hobby went over and there were three Black-tailed Godwits and 92 Lapwing on the pool. (CRJ)
Church Norton: There were still a few migrants about, including a Lesser Whitethroat, a Sedge Warbler and a handful of Blackcaps and Whitethroats, plus 20 or more Chiffchaffs and one or two Goldcrests, There were, though, many hundreds of hirundines about - a very rough estimate being 500 Swallows, 200 House Martins and 50 Sand Martins, along with 100+ Meadow Pipits, and also three Yellow Wagtails went over.
Otherwise the Raven was in the trees on the edge of the Priory, were there were half a dozen Jays, a Sparrowhawk and a couple of Buzzards about, up to thirty Grey Plovers in the harbour and a big, if short-lived, feeding frenzy along the main channel, including 20+ Little Egrets, 15 Great Crested Grebes, 20 Cormorants, a couple of Sandwich Terns and about 50 Black-headed Gulls. (AH/AW)
Later, approaching noon and with the tide high, there was a juvenile Little Tern, together with a juvenile Arctic Tern, fishing along the channel behind New island; the Arctic also roosted on the old harbour jetty for some while. The three summering Eider re-appeared in the harbour - the males looking a good degree whiter now - whilst 23 Pintail were nearby. Three Knot were also roosting amongst 30+ Grey Plovers, and the Raven and four Jays were still present. The Swallow family in the Hide have now fledged, although the youngsters still return to the adjacent tree, hoping their parents will visit! (OM/BFF)
North Wall: On the Breech Pool at high tide were 4 Greenshanks, 4 Spotted Redshanks (one still in summer plumage), 60 Redshanks, a Snipe, a Water Rail and 80+ Black-tailed Godwits. A Grey Wagtail flew over and two Sparrowhawks were circling, whilst out in the harbour were 50+ Wigeon. (OM/BFF/NB)
Medmerry: Toe End - Two Arctic Terns were feeding off the breach and there were two Wheatears and 100+ Meadow Pipits on the waste ground at the end of the caravans. (SH)
Chalder Farm: There was a male Redstart, five Blackcaps, two Cetti;s Warblers and 30 Chiffchaffs along the hedges, with 21 Meadow Pipits in the fields and a Sparrowhawk and a Buzzard about, with two of the latter also over Rookery Lane. (CRJ)
Selsey Bill: Not much was on the move, though there were a few Yellow Wagtails and Meadow Pipits around, and a Guillemot passed close in, heading west. Full log below.....
0820-1130hrs: (OM/BFF/MJ/C&ME)
Gannet - 35os, most drifting off W
Common Scoter - 8E, 23os
Dunlin - 37W
Turnstone - 30 ob
Sandwich Tern - 15os, most drifting W
Mediterranean Gull - 3os
Guillemot - 1W
Meadow Pipit - 62W
Pied Wagtail - 2W
Yellow Wagtail - 6W
Great Spotted Woodpecker - 1 gardens & Oval field
House Martin - 200+ around houses at Bill Point
Swallow - c.250 W
Chiffchaff - 15 gardens
Sandwich Tern at the Bill (OM)
Who's this then? Why, it's Billy Two-sticks, alias Bernie Forbes, manfully propping himself up whilst birding the Selsey area.....his first proper outing into the field whilst slowly recovering from his knee operation some weeks ago. Gently does it......! (OM)
Pagham Harbour Visitor Centre: The Turtle Dove continued to oblige this morning outside the centre. (AH et al)
Turtle Dove at the Visitor Centre (above AH, below OM)
Ferry Pool: Very quiet, still, with just half a dozen Black-tailed Godwits, a Dunlin and c40 Lapwings on the pool, and the Tramway was quiet, too, save the odd Chiffchaff and Whitethroat, plus a Whimbrel, with an injured leg that has been present for some time, in Red Barn Ditch. (AH)
This afternoon a Hobby went over and there were three Black-tailed Godwits and 92 Lapwing on the pool. (CRJ)
Whimbrel in Red Barn Ditch (AH)
Church Norton: There were still a few migrants about, including a Lesser Whitethroat, a Sedge Warbler and a handful of Blackcaps and Whitethroats, plus 20 or more Chiffchaffs and one or two Goldcrests, There were, though, many hundreds of hirundines about - a very rough estimate being 500 Swallows, 200 House Martins and 50 Sand Martins, along with 100+ Meadow Pipits, and also three Yellow Wagtails went over.
Otherwise the Raven was in the trees on the edge of the Priory, were there were half a dozen Jays, a Sparrowhawk and a couple of Buzzards about, up to thirty Grey Plovers in the harbour and a big, if short-lived, feeding frenzy along the main channel, including 20+ Little Egrets, 15 Great Crested Grebes, 20 Cormorants, a couple of Sandwich Terns and about 50 Black-headed Gulls. (AH/AW)
Later, approaching noon and with the tide high, there was a juvenile Little Tern, together with a juvenile Arctic Tern, fishing along the channel behind New island; the Arctic also roosted on the old harbour jetty for some while. The three summering Eider re-appeared in the harbour - the males looking a good degree whiter now - whilst 23 Pintail were nearby. Three Knot were also roosting amongst 30+ Grey Plovers, and the Raven and four Jays were still present. The Swallow family in the Hide have now fledged, although the youngsters still return to the adjacent tree, hoping their parents will visit! (OM/BFF)
Raven (AW above), Lesser Whitethroat, Blackcaps, Sedge Warbler, Jay, Grey Plovers and Knot & Little Egrets (AH) at Church Norton
juvenile Swallow, Church Norton (OM)
Medmerry: Toe End - Two Arctic Terns were feeding off the breach and there were two Wheatears and 100+ Meadow Pipits on the waste ground at the end of the caravans. (SH)
Chalder Farm: There was a male Redstart, five Blackcaps, two Cetti;s Warblers and 30 Chiffchaffs along the hedges, with 21 Meadow Pipits in the fields and a Sparrowhawk and a Buzzard about, with two of the latter also over Rookery Lane. (CRJ)
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Sunday, 17th September: A surprisingly chilly morning, with a bank of early fog lifting to leave a mostly cloudy morning and a moderate north-easterly breeze...
Selsey Bill: Very little was viewable offshore, with the fog limiting visibility, though there was the first Siskin of the autumn over, a few House Martins and Swallows about, plus a Wheatear on the beach and up to 20 Chiffchaffs in the gardens, and a few Meadow Pipits and Grey Wagtails were moving, mostly east. Full log below. (SH/JA/IP/SR/AH)
(0630-0900hrs)Gannet - 12E, 23W
Mallard - 1E
Common Scoter - 3W
Sparrowhawk - 1p
Hobby - 1p
Curlew - 1W
Turnstone - 34p
Mediterranean Gull - 1W
Sandwich Tern - 5os
Commic Tern - 2W
Swallow - 17E
House Martin - 14E
Meadow Pipit - 8E
Yellow Wagtail - 3E, 1p
Grey Wagtail - 2E
Pied Wagtail - 1W
Wheatear - 1p
Chiffchaff - 18p
Siskin - 1E
Chaffinch - 1p
Sandwich Tern (above) & Chiffchaff at the Bill (AH)
Pagham Harbour Visitor Centre: The Turtle Dove was still showing well to its many admirers this morning. (AH et al)
Turtle Dove outside the Visitor Centre (AH)
Ferry Pool: The pool remains disappointing, with just half a dozen Black-tailed Godwits, one Dunlin and c40 Lapwing present. (AH/IP)
Park Farm, Selsey: There was one Wheatear on the lettuce field and four Grey Wagtails together by the muck heap, with 20+Chiffchaffs and a Whitethroat in the hedges, along with lots of Long-tailed Tits, and plenty of House Martins and Swallows, plus a few Sand Martins over. (AH/IP/S&SaH)
Wheatear (above), Grey Wagtails & Swallow at Park Farm, Selsey (AH)
Drift Lane area, Selsey: There was a Redstart and a Lesser Whitethroat present, plus c.300 House Martins in the area, late morning. (MJ)
Church Norton: The Raven was in with the Carrion Crows by Greenlease Farm, and there were also c45 Curlews on the fields, but there were few migrants present along the front - just a Wheatear on the beach, a Redstart and a couple of Blackcaps and Whitethroats in the bushes, plus a Kingfisher flew through, three Yellow Wagtails, c40 Meadow Pipits and a hundred or more Swallows and House Martins and 20 Sand Martins over.
Twenty or more Sandwich Terns and Gannets were offshore (with one of the former in the harbour), a Greenshank, c50 Redshank, c40 Grey Plover a couple of Ringed Plovers and a few Dunlin and Knot were roosting away the high tide, whilst two Peregrines, two Buzzards and a Sparrowhawk were also about. (AH/IP/S&SaH).
Sandwich Tern (above), Raven, Greenshank, Grey Plovers & Ringed Plover at Church Norton (AH)
Redstart (above), Moorhen eating Blackberries & Grey Squirrel at Church Norton (SH)
North Wall - Owl Point: Early on there were 40 Black-tailed Godwits on the Breech Pool (though this number later increased 82 on the high tide) together with a dozen Teal but not much else. At least 10 Sand Martins were hawking over the pool with a few House Martins, a single Yellow Wagtail flew over, three Cetti's Warblers were singing and a Kingfisher was whizzing back and forth. Things improved at the pool later, with three Spotted Redshanks dropping in (having been pushed off of White's Creek by the tide), then a female-type Marsh Harrier appeared briefly - though it didn't linger and went off high to the back fields before dropping down (JDW to note - seen over the fields nominated for development!). A single Greenshank was at Owl Point, and along the hedgerows there was a smattering of Chiffchaffs, though only a single Whitethroat was seen.
White's Creek - East Side: Three Spotted Redshanks and 80 Common Redshank were present early on (later moving to the Breech Pool, see above). In the channel there was an obvious increase in wildfowl, with 54 Wigeon, 4 Shoveler, 15 Pintail and 20 Teal, plus a number of waders including 90 Grey Plover, a single Golden Plover, 4 Knot and 2 Greenshank, whilst on the mudflats were two roosting adult Yellow-legged Gulls, with a Sandwich Tern patrolling nearby. I decided to stay until the tide had dropped a little - just in case - and was at last rewarded with a smart juvenile Curlew Sandpiper - just about visible at times from the old jetty area (beware the peachy-coloured Knot!). (OM)
East side record shots: Yellow-legged Gulls, Curlew Sandpiper (just about visible in centre of pic) with Dunlin and Grey Plovers and Wigeon flock (OM)
White's Creek - East Side: Three Spotted Redshanks and 80 Common Redshank were present early on (later moving to the Breech Pool, see above). In the channel there was an obvious increase in wildfowl, with 54 Wigeon, 4 Shoveler, 15 Pintail and 20 Teal, plus a number of waders including 90 Grey Plover, a single Golden Plover, 4 Knot and 2 Greenshank, whilst on the mudflats were two roosting adult Yellow-legged Gulls, with a Sandwich Tern patrolling nearby. I decided to stay until the tide had dropped a little - just in case - and was at last rewarded with a smart juvenile Curlew Sandpiper - just about visible at times from the old jetty area (beware the peachy-coloured Knot!). (OM)
Snowhill Creek/East Head: On the marsh this morning were 41 Curlews, 70 Redshanks, three Spotted Redshanks, 20 Black-tailed Godwits and a single Dunlin. It was generally quiet around the hedges other than a few Whitethroats and Chiffchaffs. (BI)
There was still a large flock of mixed gulls - 5-6000 birds - c90% Black-headed with c10% Mediterranean - between Ella Nore and the horse pond and in the field behind. A solitary Wheatear was on the beach, but not much else besides a few Willow/Chiffs. On East Head there were more Mediterranean and Black-headed Gulls, with reasonable numbers of Willow/Chiffs in the tamarisk, too. (GM)
Mediterranean and Black-headed Gulls around Snowhill Creek (GM)
Northcommon Farm: The Little Owl was sat out this evening. (SH)
Little Owl at Northcommon Farm (SH)
Medmerry: Chainbridge to Ham Farm - This evening a Barn Owl was hunting around Ham Farm, and there were also a Redstart, two Spotted Flycatchers, up to six Whinchats, two Stonechats and 20+ Chiffchaffs around the farm and the rough fields, with 100+ Meadow Pipits along the banks.
There were also just a couple of Swallows, a Sparrowhawk, three Buzzards and seven Kestrels about. (SH/AH)
Barn Owl (above SH), Redstart, Spotted Flycatcher, Whinchat, Stonechat & Chiffchaff (AH) at Medmerry
Selsey Bill: Very little was moving offshore, though the first Red-throated Diver of the autumn went west and at least four Sandwich Terns were about, whilst a Raven came and went a couple of times, later seen at Church Norton, the Ferry and Park Farm. Also, large numbers of hirundines - mainly House Martins - were present, though not really moving through, and up to 20 Chiffchaffs were around the gardens.
Full log below.....
Full log below.....
0630-0900hrs: (JA/SH/PB/AB/IP/AH/SR/OM)
Red-throated Diver - 1W
Shag - 1E
Gannet - 2E, 5W
Common Scoter - 5E
Dunlin - 2E
Ringed Plover - 1E
Common Sandpiper - 1W
Curlew - 2W
Hobby - 1 p
Sparrowhawk - 1 p
Sandwich Tern - 9E, 4W
Mediterranean Gull - 4W
Skylark - 1W
Pied Wagtail - 10W
Grey Wagtail - 3W
Yellow Wagtail - 3W
Meadow Pipit - 59W
Wheatear - 3 ob
Shag - 1E
Gannet - 2E, 5W
Common Scoter - 5E
Dunlin - 2E
Ringed Plover - 1E
Common Sandpiper - 1W
Curlew - 2W
Hobby - 1 p
Sparrowhawk - 1 p
Sandwich Tern - 9E, 4W
Mediterranean Gull - 4W
Skylark - 1W
Pied Wagtail - 10W
Grey Wagtail - 3W
Yellow Wagtail - 3W
Meadow Pipit - 59W
Wheatear - 3 ob
Sand Martin - 17W
House Martin - 240W
Swallow - 69W
Chiffchaff - 20 gardens
Willow Warbler - 1 gardens
Raven - 1 overhead, eventually drifted off E
House Martin - 240W
Swallow - 69W
Chiffchaff - 20 gardens
Willow Warbler - 1 gardens
Raven - 1 overhead, eventually drifted off E
Raven (above), Sandwich Terns (lower OM) & Chiffchaff at the Bill (AH)
Pagham Harbour Visitor Centre: The Turtle Dove was still being as obliging as ever by the little pond opposite. (AH/AB/PB/GM et al)
Turtle Dove at the Visitor Centre (GM, above, AH centre & OM below)
Ferry Pool: Just a handful of Black-tailed Godwits, a Dunlin and c40 Lapwing, plus ten Teal were on the pool, the roaming Raven went over, a Greenshank was in the channel opposite, and a couple of Whitethroats and Chiffchaffs were about all the Tramway held. (AH/AB)
Whitethroat at the Ferry (AH)
Park Farm, Selsey: The roaming Raven went over, a Grey Wagtail, a Yellow Wagtail, several Pied Wagtails and three Wheatears were on the lettuce field, one or two Chiffchaffs and a Willow Warbler were in the hedges and there were plenty of Swallows, Sand and House Martins overhead, plus several Buzzards. (S&SaH/AH/IP)
Swallow and Sand Martin (above), Grey Wagtail & Wheatear at Park Farm, Selsey (AH)
Church Norton: The Raven was here, too, along the beach, where a Yellow Wagtail went over, as did plenty of hirundines, a Lesser Whitethroat, a Blackcap and a couple of Whitethroats and Reed Buntings were along the Severals, and a Wheatear, a Skylark and 50+ Linnets were on the spit and the Swallow family were still by the hide.
A Common Tern was with nine Sandwich Terns in the harbour, with several more of the latter offshore, half a dozen Knot and a dozen Grey Plovers were with the Dunlin and Turnstones on the ironwork and a Common Sandpiper was in the channel by the concrete blocks. Also, two Peregrines were in the harbour, and half a dozen Buzzards, a couple of Sparrowhawks and a Kestrel were seen. (AH/IP/S&SaH/GM/AW/A&YF et al)
Common and Sandwich Tern (above AW), Common and Sandwich Terns, with Knot and Grey Plover, Knot, Grey Plovers and Dunlin (AH) & Swallows (GM) at Church Norton
North Wall: There were 69 Black-tailed Godwits on the Breech Pool this morning along with three Spotted Redshanks and a Redshank whilst out in the harbour at high tide were 20+ Grey Plovers, a Curlew Sandpiper, a dozen roosting Wigeon and ten Pintails. Along the hedges near Owl Copse was a roving mixed flock consisting of Chiffchaffs, Blue Tits, Great Tits and Long-tailed Tits and there were 12 Curlews and two Black-tailed Godwits in the fields nearby. There were at least 100 Yellow Wagtails with the cattle at Halsey's Farm but little else other than two Chiffchaffs and a Blackcap in the area. (BI)
Medmerry: Easton Lane to Stilt Pool-
Raptors were well represented, with 6 Buzzards, a Marsh Harrier (male) which flew off high W), 2 Sparrowhawks, 4 Kestrels and a Peregrine. Along the path were 7 Whinchats and 7 Stonechats, plus 3 Wheatears, a Whitethroat and 30+ Yellow Wagtails, but just one Sand Martin and 2 Swallows. The only waders noted were 2 Greenshanks.(SH)
Stonechat and Yellow Wagtail at Medmerry (SH)
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