1st - 3rd September 2017

Sunday, 3rd September: A real contrast to yesterday, with a cool southerly wind and heavy cloud cover, and by late morning intermittent drizzly rain....

Selsey Bill: (0630-0830hrs) Birds of the day were undoubtedly the two Long-tailed Skuas, both seemingly adults, that lingered offshore for around two hours, although out of view (presumably sat on the sea) for much of the time. One was first seen at 7.05, chasing Black-headed Gulls near the mile basket before dropping on the sea, reappearing at round 7.45 with another bird, both of which then drifted off west, before one resurfaced at 8.05, and then both at 9.05 before they finally headed off west again. There was plenty of other activity, too, with a Bonxie, an Arctic Skua and seven Black Terns, plus quite a few Sandwich and Common Terns mostly going west. A bit later possibly the same seven Black Terns appeared closer in, too. (SH/JA/IPAH/SR)

(0630-0930hrs)

Fulmar - 2E, 4W

Gannet - 40E, 115W

Common Scoter - 13E

Mediterranean Gull - 6W

Long-tailed Skua - 2W

Arctic Skua - 1W (l/p)

Bonxie - 1W

Sandwich Tern - 13E, 19W

Common Tern - 1E, 19W

Black Tern - 7W

auk sp - 3W

Swallow - 6E, 13W

Sand Martin - 8W

House Martin - 4E

(1015-1200hrs)

Fulmar - 1W

Gannet - c30os

Kittiwake - 1os

Sandwich Tern - 12os

Common Tern - 2os

Black Tern - 3E, 1W, 3S (out to sea)

Kittiwake (above), Common Tern, Sandwich Tern & Gannets at the Bill (AH)

(1345-1500hrs)
Gannet - 181E, 6W
Bonxie - 2E
Little Gull - 1os
Sandwich Tern - 2E, 5W
Common Tern - 1os
Guillemot - 1os
Swift - 1S

Bonxie (above), Little Gull & Gannets past the Bill (AH)

(1550-1730hrs) (SH/JA)
Balearic Shearwater - 1E (1712hrs)
Gannet - 2E
Common Scoter - 14E
Bonxie - 2E

Little Gull - 2E
Sandwich Tern - 1E, 10W

Bonxie past the Bill (SH)

Park Farm, Selsey: A Green Sandpiper and a Greenshank were in the small balancing pool in Manor Lane this morning, up to half a dozen Yellow Wagtails and a Pied Wagtail were on the lettuce fields and a Willow Warbler and a Whitethroat were in the hedges, with a few Swallows and Sand Martins over. (AH/IP/S&SaH)

Green Sandpiper (above), Greenshank & Yellow Wagtail at Park Farm, Selsey (AH)

Ferry Pool: The Egyptian Goose was present this morning, along with an Avocet, three Black-tailed Godwits and seven Teal, whilst a Green Sandpiper, a Common Sandpiper and a Kingfisher were all briefly in the channel opposite. (AH)

Egyptian Goose (above) & Avocet on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: Offshore this morning, an Arctic Skua went east, a juvenile Kittiwake went west and a couple of Common Terns, up to a dozen Sandwich Terns and similar of Gannets were offshore, and two Common Sandpipers came off the beach.

Two Swifts and a Tree Pipit, plus a few Swallows and Sand Martins went over the beach, at least ten Wheatears were still around the concrete blocks and bench, but the only other small migrants seen were a Sedge Warbler, a Blackcap, a Lesser Whitethroat and a few Whitethroats.

Also, there were three Greenshank and three Wigeon, plus half a dozen Gadwall on the second Several, a flock of a dozen Shelduck were in the harbour and a flock of c90 Grey Plover flew in. AH/IP/S&SaH/AF/RJS/CRJ)

Kittiwake (above), Wigeon and Gadwall, Whitethroat, Wheatear and Linnet, Swift, Grey Plovers & Fox at Church Norton (AH)

North Wall: There were ten Spotted Redshanks on the Breech Pool, sometimes in a united feeding frenzy, water up to their midriffs, along with 200 Redshanks, 100 Black-tailed Godwits and the Little Stint (in flight with Lapwings at back of Pool), a Whimbrel, a Greenshank and four Wigeon. (ARK per SOS)

Saturday, 2nd September: Another lovely 'Indian Summer' day, with lots of sunshine and light onshore breezes.....

Selsey Bill: (0630-0830hrs) (SH/PB)
Gannet - 30os
Wigeon - 3W
Sparrowhawk - 1p
Mediterranean Gull - 4os
Sandwich Tern - 6os
Swallow - 29p
House Martin -1p
Sand Martin - 1p
Grey Wagtail - 1W
Yellow Wagtail - 1E
Wheatear - 10p
Chiffchaff - 1p
Willow Warbler - 5p
Common Seal - 1os

Wheatear at the Bill (SH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pools - A Short-eared Owl was sat out at 7.30am, between the car park and Stilt Pools, and there were also lots of Wheatears, a pair of Whinchats, a Yellow Wagtail, and a few Meadow Pipits about along the banks.

There were just one Black-tailed Godwit and a Common Sandpiper on the pools along with lots of the usual gulls, ducks, geese and swans. (AW)

Short-eared Owl at Medmerry (AW)

Medmerry: Chainbridge to the Breach - An Osprey went over the reserve, and possibly settled in it, at 2.20pm, and there were also four Wheatears, four Kestrels and five Buzzards about. (S&SaH)

Park Farm, Selsey: A Common Sandpiper was on the new balance pool in Manor Lane, three Wheatears and 20+ Yellow Wagtails were on the lettuce field and a Buzzard and two Sparrowhawks went over. (S&SaH)

Northcommon Farm: The Little Owl was out enjoying the sun early this morning. (IP) And it was there again at 2.45pm! (S&SaH)

Little Owl at Northcommon Farm (SH)

Ferry Pool: There was nothing bar seven Teal on the pool, but the Tramway circuit early on produced a Greenshank, two Whimbrel and a Kingfisher in the harbour, and a Whinchat and two Spotted Flycatchers, plus plenty of Willow Warblers, Whitethroats and a few Blackcaps in the bushes, plus a Redstart, a Sparrowhawk and at least four Jays along the hedges of Yeoman's Field. (AH/IP)

Redstart (above), Spotted Flycatcher, Willow Warbler & Jay around the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: A Green Sandpiper and a Kingfisher came out of the Severals, where there were also two Whinchats, a Chiffchaff and 10+ Whitethroats, with 300+ Swallows and a few Sand and House Martins over. 

A Greenshank and a Spotted Redshank were in the creek by the horse field again this morning, with a Small Copper nearby, a Redstart was in the churchyard, a couple of Lesser Whitethroats were by the hide, over a dozen Wheatears were feeding by the bench and along the concrete slabs, and in the harbour there were a Whimbrel, a Black-tailed Godwit, a Grey Plover, a Common Tern and a dozen or so juvenile Mediterranean Gulls. (S&SaH/PB/A&YF/AH)

Wheatears (above) & Whimbrel at Church Norton (AH)

Early this evening there were still at least ten Wheatears around the bench and the concrete blocks, and in the harbour there was a Knot, 20+ Dunlin and Ringed Plovers and 100+ Redshank, with single Sandwich Terns and Sand Martins flying over. (AH/AW/P&JW)

Wheatears at Church Norton (AH)

North Wall: A good selection of waders on the Breach Pool this afternoon - 120 Black-tailed Godwits, 3-4 Ruff, Little Stint, 9 Spotted Redshanks and 2 Greenshanks. (G James per SOS)

This evening an Osprey hovered over the Breach Pool before catching and devouring a fish out in the harbour. (IH per SOS)

Friday, 1st September: Autumn starts as summer ended, with another pleasantly sunny day and a light northerly breeze.....

Selsey Bill: It was fairly quiet on the bird front, but a Monarch butterfly was on the Tamarisk in the Bill House garden. Whether it is wild or a 'release' we will never know, but it was still quite a sight! (SR)

(0700-0830hrs)

Fulmar - 1W

Gannet - 37E, 30W, c50os

Common Scoter - 1E, 6W

Sparrowhawk - 1p

Turnstone - 2ob

Sandwich Tern - 2os

Swallow - 3W

House Martin - 2p

Wheatear - 1N

Chiffchaff - 3p

Monarch butterfly at the Bill (SR)

 

Later at the Bill, there was a Knot in worn summer plumage (near the 'south-westerly' sea-wall spot), a Grey Heron east and a Willow Warbler in gardens. (MJ)

North Wall: Two Little Stints were in White's Creek early on, along with 15 Dunlin and c80 Redshank, and there were three or four Greenshank around the harbour, but the stints soon flew off high NE, for no obvious reason, at 0810hrs. The lower water level meant the Breech Pool was busy, with six Spotted Redshank, c80 Black-tailed Godwits, c20 Lapwing and 12 Teal on the pool, and two Snipe dropped in at the back.

The hedges all the way along were busy, too, including Halsey's Farm, with 20+ Whitethroats, 6+ Lesser Whitethroats, Blackcaps and Willow/Chiffs, one or two Sedge and Reed Warblers and at least five calling Cetti's Warblers, whilst a dozen or so Sand Martins and Swallows went over and a Kingfisher was at either end of the wall.. (OM/AH/IB et al)

Kingfisher (above), Spotted Redshanks, Greenshank, Sedge Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat & Blackcap along North Wall (AH)

East side/Pagham Spit: There were at least 15 Willow Warblers and 3 Chiffchaffs along the hedgerows and trees, plus a Whinchat and at least 12 Wheatears present - the majority of the latter on the first part of the Spit. There were 2 Wigeon in the channel and the 3 Eider were still around but distant, whilst 15+ Grey Plover were on the mudflats.  A Clouded Yellow butterfly was the only other feature of interest.....but scarcer migrants were there none! (OM)

Clouded Yellow on the East side (OM) 

The were plenty of Black-headed Gulls roosting, and in one flock, two birds appeared to be ringed......zooming up a camera shot allowed one of the rings to be read, as the below photos reveal. (OM)

This bird was first ringed at Hosehill Lake, Berks on 11th June 2011, and recorded a further three times at that location, the last time being 12th April 2013, and then subsequently at Arundel WWT on 27th April 2103 and every spring since, with one report from elsewhere - from Datchet, nr Windsor on 12th October 2013. (Thanks to Russ Tofts for the information, Eds)

Flock of Black-headed Gulls on the east side; the bird in the front right foreground is obviously ringed, whilst a closer look at the bird at the front extreme left shows it is also ringed, but the details are unreadable..... (OM)

 This cropped and enlarged view of the bird front right shows the ring details are now readable.....

 .....and just to be certain, the manipulated photo clearly shows the ring as 28D8  (OM)

Ferry Pool: By contrast the Ferry was all but empty, with just three Black-tailed Godwits and six Teal present, though two Whimbrel and c50 Redshank were in the channel opposite. (AH)

Church Norton: There were plenty of warblers about again, including Whitethroats, Lesser Whitethroats, Blackcaps and Willow/Chiffs, plus one elusive Redstart in the churchyard, and a Greenshank and a Spotted Redshank were in the channel by the horse field..

Out in the harbour there were a couple more Greenshank, four Sandwich Terns and a mixed flock of six Knot, 40 Dunlin and 70 Grey Plover. (AH/A&YF et al)

Grey Plovers (above), Grey Plover and Knot, Sandwich Terns & Blackcap at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry: Medmerry Cliff/Toe End - There were three Wheatears and a Whinchat along the top this morning, plus a Buzzard over the windmill, and another four Wheatears, two Pied Wagtails and a Common Tern around Toe End. (SH)

Medmerry: Chainbridge to Ham Farm - This evening there was just a Wheatear on the fences and four Yellow Wagtails over, along with a Buzzard and five Kestrels, and two Green Sandpipers were in the rife at Chainbridge. (S&SaH)

Northcommon Farm: The Little Owl was out and showing well this evening. (S&SaH)

Little Owl at Northcommon Farm (SH)