29th - 31st October 2017

Tuesday, 31st October: Dry and mainly cloudy, though notably milder than yesterday, with a light-moderate westerly breeze.......

Selsey Bill: Three Great Northern Divers moved west this morning, but the most notable feature was a movement of auks, with over 300 recorded. Interestingly, a Black Swan was offshore for a while (with a couple of Mutes); how long will it be, one wonders, before this introduced species is finally accepted as a BOURC Category C bird and thus formally added to the British list (given that it now breeds on the Peninsula and fairly widely elsewhere in the UK!)
0700-1045hrs:  (C&ME/DF/DS/SR)
Great Northern Diver - 3W
Great Crested Grebe - 2E
Gannet - 26E, 45W
Shag - 2E
Mute Swan - 2os
Black Swan - 1os
Brent Goose - 5E, 33W
Common Scoter - 3E, 7W
Red-breasted Merganser - 1E, 3W
Common Gull - 4W
Mediterranean Gull - 12W
Guillemot - 2E                        
Razorbill - 27E, 8W, 1os
Auk sp - 304E, 5W
Woodpigeon - 55E
Stock Dove - 12W
Swallow  - 1W                           
Starling - 1N
Pied Wagtail - 14W
Meadow Pipit - 3W
Goldfinch  - 63W                   
Chiffchaff - 2 gardens

North Wall: The water level in the Breech Pool has dropped somewhat - a welcome change - with the effect that 55 Black-tailed Godwits, 3 Snipe and 2 Kingfishers were present. At least 6 Water Rails were calling from various spots along the wall, whilst along the trees and hedgerows were 7 Song Thrushes, a Bullfinch, 6 Chiffchaffs and 10 Goldcrests. (OM/BFF/CRJ)
Earlier, a flock of 20+ Snipe flew out of the Pool area and dispersed into the harbour (IH et al).
On Honer Reservoir were 2 Shelduck and the Cape Shelduck thing, whilst either on the water, or on the field adjacent under plough, were c200 Black-headed Gull and c150 Herring Gull. Also on the walk from the North Fields to Runcton were 9 Mute Swan, 2 Common Buzzard, 2 Kestrel, 4 Stonechat, a Chiffchaff, a Goldcrest, and 2 Redpoll over. (CRJ)

Cape Shelduck thing on Honer reservoir (CRJ)

Pagham Lagoon: A drake Goldeneye (first of the autumn) and a female Shoveler were on the Lagoon this morning amongst the regular wildfowl, whilst along the damp margins and hedgerows were a calling Water Rail, 2 Cetti's Warblers, a Firecrest, 6 Goldcrests and 3 Chiffchaffs. (OM/BFF)

Drake Goldeneye and female Shoveler on Pagham Lagoon (OM)

Medmerry: Toe End - Quiet today, with just one Black Redstart and one Stonechat about. (SH)

Long Pool: A Water Pipit was briefly at the end of Ferry Channel at first light this morning, but could not be re-found. Also, a Dartford Warbler and two Stonechats were along the hedgeline, plus at least a dozen Reed Buntings, whilst in the harbour/channel were at least 48 Avocets, a Spotted Redshank and 8 Knot and 30 Skylarks flew over west. (BFF/AH)

Water Pipit (above), Stonechat, Reed Bunting & Avocets around the Long Pool (AH)

Ferry Pool: A Green Sandpiper was present this morning, along with six Snipe, two Black-tailed Godwits, eight Shelduck, c75 Teal and c150 Wigeon, and a Great Spotted Woodpecker was outside the Visitor Centre.. (AH/BFF)

Snipe (above), Wigeon & Great Spotted Woodpecker around the Ferry (AH)

                            
Monday, 30th October: Another beautiful day, after a frosty start, with just a light northerly breeze and almost unbroken sunshine....

Firstly, some info from the RSPB concerning the area around the Visitor centre and Ferry, where a new hide and other works are due to begin shortly.........I'm sure we all wish the project(s) well. And those of you who have purchased the new Guidebook will also have already contributed, as all sales go directly to supporting this work. (Eds)

"As you know we are due to be replacing Ferry Hide and upgrading the Discovery Area. As such the path between the Visitor Centre car park and Ferry Channel will be closed to public access while work is ongoing. The work is due to start 06 November 2017 and the path will re-open early 2018. Access from the Visitor Centre to Ferry Channel / Church Norton will be via the path between the Visitor Centre and classroom leading past Red Barn Ditch to the harbour's edge / Tramway. " (Roy Newnhan, RSPB) 

Selsey Bill: There was a bit of visible migration first thing, including four Bramblings, a couple of Swallows and a few Lesser Redpolls, but the sea was quiet apart from a steady trickle of Brent Geese west. However, perhaps the most unusual occurrence of the morning involved Long-tailed Tits...... at least 48 were logged, including a single flock of 25 'high-flying' (in the manner of dispersing Bearded Tits). It was hard to estimate the total numbers involved without duplicating counts of flocks already seen - but it is conceivable that if every flock was different the total could actually be around 100!   Full log below........ 
0635-1035hrs:  (AH/GH/C&ME/OM et al)
Diver sp - 3W
Great Crested Grebe - 2E

Gannet - 6E, 12W
Shag - 1E
Brent Goose - 216W
Shelduck - 1W
Common Scoter - 1E, 7W
Red-breasted Merganser - 5E, 2W
Sparrowhawk - 2 gardens/area
Woodpigeon - 600 W
Stock Dove - 110 W
auk sp - 27E, 2W
Mediterranean Gull - 2E
Great Spotted Woodpecker - 2 gardens
Skylark - 1W
Swallow - 2E
Meadow Pipit - 5W
Pied Wagtail - 4W
Grey Wagtail - 1W
Redwing - 2W
Long-tailed Tit - 48+ area, moved all directions/high-flying
Goldfinch - 325W
Lesser/Common Redpoll - 8W
Chaffinch - 2W
Brambling - 4W
Linnet - 3W
Reed Bunting - 1W
Chiffchaff - 2 gardens
Goldcrest - 2 gardens

Stock Doves (above), Long-tailed Tit & Red Admiral at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were two Snipe and two Black-tailed Godwits on the pool, which was dominated by c150 Wigeon and c80 Teal, plus five Shelducks, and there were 200+ Lapwings on the field. (AH)

Nearby, at the Visitor centre, a confiding Lesser Redpoll made a number of visits to the feeders through the day, to feed on niger seeds. (IL) 
Also, another four Lesser Redpolls flew over the centre. (S Allday)

Lesser Redpoll on feeders  at the Visitor centre (IL)

Snipe (above) & Wigeon on the Ferry (AH)

North Wall/Halsey's Farm: There were seven Spotted Redshank in White's Creek this morning, along with 100+ Black-tailed Godwits and Lapwing, with at least 500 Brent Geese, c40 Pintail and lots of Wigeon and Teal out in the harbour, along with fair numbers of Dunlin and Grey Plover.
A Red Kite drifted high over the wall, heading west, but the Breech Pool was still full of water, though two Snipe and a handful of Black-tailed Godwits were among the Teal and Mallard, and the Egyptian Goose and the Cape Shelduck both flew out from the back into the harbour, as did a few Shoveler and Gadwall.

The bushes and reeds along the wall were quiet beyond a couple of pairs of Stonechats and 20+ Reed Buntings, and around the hedges on the farm there were just a couple of Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests whilst there were four Little Grebes in Owl Water and c100 Wigeon in the creek at the western end. (AH/MO-W)

At the Slipe Field a Coal Tit was in the hedgerows (IL)

Red Kite (above), Spotted Redshanks and Pintail, Pintail, Black-tailed Godwit, Brent Geese, Reed Buntings, Snipe and Teal, Stonechat, Cormorant, Egyptian Goose & Cape Shelduck around the North Wall (AH)

Fishbourne Creek/Dell Quay: A fairly brief visit - on the low tide -  failed to find anything out of the ordinary.  There were 3-400 Wigeon plus average numbers of the common wildfowl and waders, the only noteworthy birds being 3 Greenshank and 2 Rock Pipits. (OM)

Medmerry: Chainbridge - Ham Viewpoint - I covered this area this morning and had two Dartford Warblers, one in the gorse at the Ham Viewpoint and the other in the scrub near to where the track to Earnley splits off, and also a Lesser Redpoll and at least one Brambling went over. (J.Palmer)

Medmerry: Toe End - There were two Black Redstarts at the far end this morning, and also about were four Stonechats, a Sparrowhawk and a Buzzard, with 40 Brent Geese out on the reserve. (SH)

Church Norton: There was a large flock of 250+ Brent Geese in the harbour this morning and small flocks of Goldfinches, Siskins, Lesser Redpolls, and a few Greenfinches and Chaffinches were moving about too. Also, a Green Woodpecker was an unusual sight right out on the spit, and a pair of Great Crested Grebes were displaying in the harbour. (AW).

Later, along the west side, there was a Dartford Warbler showing. (S Allday)

Brent Geese (above), Green Woodpecker & Great Crested Grebes at Church Norton (AH)

Sunday, 29th October: Other than one huge bank of black cloud and a fairly brief, but heavy, downpour it was a pleasant and bright morning, despite the brisk northerly....

Firstly, a couple more pictures of the Great Grey Shrike from 27th October, courtesy of the finder, Alison Playle. (Eds)

Great Grey Shrike at Medmerry (A Playle)

Selsey Bill: There was a bit of visible migration again, including a couple of Lesser Redpolls and a few Siskins, with a few Brent Geese and a Red-throated Diver going west, and a few Gannets, auks and Common Scoter about, too. Full log below....... 
0645-1000hrs:    (PB/AH/IP/OM/SH)
Red-throated Diver - 1W
Gannet - 2E, 16W
Brent Goose - 43W
Eider - 1E
Red-breasted Merganser - 4E
Common Scoter - 18E, 4W
Turnstone - 25 ob
Sparrowhawk - 1 gardens
Guillemot - 1E
Razorbill - 3W
auk sp - 11E, 2W
Mediterranean Gull - 2W
Common Gull - 7W
Pied Wagtail - 25W
Meadow Pipit - 5W
Goldfinch - 80W
Siskin - 20W
Lesser Redpoll - 2W
Goldcrest - 2 gardens
Chiffchaff - 4 gardens

Red-throated Diver (above), Common Scoters, Red-breasted Mergansers & Brent Geese past the Bill (AH)

(1445-1600hrs) (SH)

Red-throated Diver - 1E, 1W

Gannet - 6E, 22W

Brent Goose - 6W

Kittiwake - 1E

Common Gull - 1E, 6W

Sandwich Tern - 1W

Razorbill - 1E

auk sp - 4E, 1W

Ferry Pool: There were still four Snipe on the pool, along with two Black-tailed Godwits, c150 Lapwing, c80 Wigeon, c50 Teal and five Shelduck, with a dozen Stock Doves in the field at the back. (AH/PB)

Snipe (above) & Teal at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: It was fairly quiet this morning, though there were plenty of Long-tailed Tits, plus a few Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests in the sheltered hedges, and there were 20 Meadow Pipits on the spit. plus a Buzzard and a Sparrowhawk over. 

In the harbour there were several Common and Mediterranean Gulls, plus a Bar-tailed Godwit, c30 Grey Plovers and c100 Brent Geese. (AH/AF/RJS)

Later, there were 2 Buzzards, a Kingfisher, 3 Stonechats and a single Swallow (S&SaH)

Also, at 10.30am a Red Kite flew into the trees, being harried by the locals crows, and remained there for the next fifteen minutes, the second Several held a pair of Gadwall and three Tufted Ducks, a flock of 74 Stock Doves flew North over Church Norton, a Peregrine was in the harbour and there were plenty of Sparrowhawks and a couple of Buzzards about, too. (IP)

Bar-tailed Godwit (above), Grey Plovers, Common Gulls & Long-tailed Tits at Church Norton (AH)

North Wall: The Egyptian Goose and the hybrid/Cape Shelduck were present on the Breech Pool, whilst on the mudflats a Spoonbill was roosting. There were c40 Pintail amongst the Wigeon, and 100+ Lapwing, 48 Black-tailed Godwits and 4 Little Egrets, whilst along the edges a couple of Stonechat, 3 Cetti's Warblers and a Buzzard were noted. (PB)

Park Farm, Selsey: This morning a Grey Wagtail flew over the farm, there were over 30 Curlews in the field awaiting development just north of the village and six Pied Wagtails were around the buildings and a pair of Stonechats in the fields. (IP)

There were 2 Sparrowhawks and a Buzzard, a Grey Wagtail and a Stonechat, plus a Clouded Yellow butterfly this afternoon. (SH)

Medmerry: Porthole Farm - There were two Barn Owls hunting the rough fields around the farm at dusk this evening. (AH)

Barn Owls at Medmerry (AH)

 

26th - 28th October 2017

Saturday, 28th October: Despite the almost unbroken sunshine it was a considerably cooler morning, with a moderate westerly breeze and some cloud later.....

Selsey Bill: Another morning with a fair selection of visible migration, including a few Siskins, Lesser Redpolls, Redwing and over 100 Stock Doves, but little moving offshore beyond Brent Geese. Full log below. (JA/IP/AH/GH)

(0725-0900hrs)

Gannet - 2W

Brent Goose - 87W

Shelduck - 2W

Red-breasted Merganser - 4W

Black-headed Gull - 47W

Mediterranean Gull - 8W

auk sp - 2E

Wood Pigeon - 382W

Stock Dove - 143W

Meadow Pipit - 14W

Grey Wagtail - 1W

Pied Wagtail - 11W

Redwing - 4W

Goldfinch - 107W

Siskin - 5W

Linnet - 32W

Lesser Redpoll - 1W

Chaffinch - 22W

Stock Doves (above), Shelducks & Mediterranean Gull at the Bill (AH)

Medmerry, Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool: There was no sign of the Great Grey Shrike this morning, despite a thorough search around Marsh Barn and the surrounding area but a green Sandpiper did pop out of one of the ditches here. There were plenty of Stonechats and Meadow Pipits about the place, a dozen Pied Wagtails along the tracks and a few Yellowhammers, Reed Buntings and Linnets in the scrub. At the Stilt Pools there was a  Common Sandpiper, 12 Tufted Ducks, a trio of Gadwall, many Wigeon and more Pied Wagtails. Along the beach were more Meadow Pipits, Linnets and Stonechats & 14 Brent Geese went west offshore. (BI/BO'D/NM)

Medmerry, Ham: A few Meadow Pipits and Stonechats here too along with two groups of Tufted Ducks on the pools but again no sign of the Great Grey Shrike. (BI)

Medmerry: Toe end - There was no sign of yesterday's Black Redstart, though there was a Wheatear & Stonechat present, as well as a Peregrine, and 40 Brent Geese were moving west offshore. (SH)

North Wall: A Short-eared Owl was roosting in Owl Copse, being mobbed by thrushes and Magpies, but would not be dislodged. Early on, there was a bit of a fall of thrushes, with plenty of Blackbirds feeding on berries and at least 12 Song Thrushes and 2 Redwings, plus 6 Stonechats. A female Bullfinch was also present, and a Brambling flew over calling before dropping very briefly onto the top of a hedgerow amongst Reed Buntings, whence they all flew off. The latter seemed to be everywhere with a conservative count of c.40 including 14 in one bush alone! On the Breech Pool, a Water Rail was present amongst the usual wildfowl and one odd duck - presumably a hybrid/escape with perhaps some Shelduck (Cape?) features? Two Kingfishers were zooming about between the Pool and White's creek, where 2 Spotted Redshanks were also present. Also, c.400 Woodpigeons flew over west in the first couple of hours of daylight. (OM)

North Wall: Distant record shot of roosting Short-eared Owl, and escape/hybrid duck, (perhaps Cape Shelduck) (OM)

Pagham Lagoon: Much the same as recently on the lagoon, although now 2 Pochard and a Great Crested Grebe were present amongst the Tufted Ducks. No sign of the recent Bearded Tits (though lots of holidaymakers about today), but the damp hedgerows held a Firecrest, 5 Goldcrests and 2 Chiffchaffs. (OM)

Ferry Pool: A Spoonbill flew up the harbour from somewhere beyond the end of Ferry Channel this morning, a Rock Pipit went over west, calling, and two Grey Wagtails were chasing each other about by the pumps. 

On the pool itself there were four Snipe, a Black-tailed Godwit, c120 Lapwing, c90 Wigeon and c50 Teal, plus seven Shelduck, with a pair of Stonechats along the southern bank. (AH)

Grey Wagtail (above), Snipe & Wigeon around the Ferry (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: Two Fieldfare and six Redwings were working there way along Park Lane this morning, as was a Chiffchaff, whilst on the fields there were a Grey Wagtail, several Pied Wagtails, Meadow Pipits and Linnets, plus a Stonechat, with a couple of Buzzards and Sparrowhawks overhead. (AH/IP) The Sparrowhawk was still present this afternoon. (S/SaH)

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

Church Norton: There were 100+ Brent Geese in the harbour, with more milling about offshore and a few moving west, and the drake and three duck Eider were also in the harbour, as was a Peregrine, a couple of Knot and a Common Gull, but there wasn't much else of note.

Two Fieldfares flew over the harbour, two Redwings were at Greenlease Farm, a visiting birder reported two Lesser Redpolls over Bluebell Wood and half a dozen Skylarks and a huge (300+ birds) mixed flock of Greenfijnches and Linnets were along the spit. 

Also, a flock of 19 Shovelers went west over Greenlease Farm, two Kingfishers chased each other around by the horse field, with another in the harbour, there were several more Sparrowhawks present, three Reed Buntings were in the first Several and a few Goldfinches and Meadow Pipits went over west. (AH/IP)

Later on, a Bearded Tit was in the first Several, three Buzzards drifted over and there were four Stonechats along the bushes. (S&SaH)

Skylark (above), Kingfisher & Brent Geese at Church Norton (AH)

Along the west side this morning there was a Dartford Warbler and a couple of Chiffchaffs, plus four Siskins over, with 60 Shelduck and 8 Avocet in the harbour. (CRJ)

Late this afternoon there were at least 25 Avocets along the west side, along with the Whimbrel, two Greenshanks, a Spotted Redshank, a few Pintail and at least 400 Brent Geese, with a Sparrowhawk sat out in Rectory Lane. (AH)

Sparrowhawk (above), Whimbrel and Curlew & Avocets at Church Norton (AH)

Fishbourne Creek: A pleasant afternoon to view the Fishbourne channel on the rising tide. There was one chiffcaff in the bushes and in the harbour a big increase in wildfowl since I last got out, including -

Goosander 1 (redhead) 

Wigeon 394

Pintail 10

Teal 13 

Shoveller 1 

Brent Geese 6 

Mute Swan 73 

and waders including -

Curlew 13

Redshank 106

Greenshank 1

Grey Plover 1 

Black-tailed Godwit 3 

Ringed Plover 8 

Oystercatcher 29 (RW)

Selsey: A fine Flame Brocade - a migrant from the continent - was in the trap this morning. (SH)

Flame Brocade in a Selsey garden (SH)

Friday, 27th October: A fantastic autumn morning, with a welcome change to blue skies, bright and warm sunshine with scattered cloud and just a light (but cooler) northerly breeze.....

Selsey Bill: A lovely sunrise was greeted with a small flurry of early activity - flocks of Brent Geese heading west and a bit of visible migration overhead, including 19 Redpolls and at least four Siskins - but things tailed off all too soon.......  

(0730-1030hrs):    (OM/AH/MJ)
Great Northern Diver – 1E
Gannet – 2E
Brent Goose – 183W
Red-breasted Merganser – 1W
Sparrowhawk – 1 gardens
Sandwich Tern – 2W
Mediterranean Gull – 9W, 6os
Woodpigeon – 55W
Stock Dove – 5W
Skylark – 1W
Meadow Pipit – 15W
Long-tailed Tit – 10 Bill House/Oval field
Magpie – flock 13E
Jackdaw – flock 40W
Chiffchaff – 4 gardens
Goldcrest – 2 gardens
Siskin – 4W
Lesser/Common Redpoll – 19W
Linnet – 25W
Goldfinch – 20p

Sandwich Tern (above), Gannet, Jackdaws (AH) & a glorious sunrise at the Bill (OM)

Selsey, West: Rather mundane overall.....Drift Lane/Warner Lane produced a single Snipe, 3 Chiffchaffs, 2 Stonechats and 2 Siskins over heading W.

Northcommon farm was similarly slow, with 3 Buzzards, 2 Green Woodpeckers and a single Great Spotted, plus a Chiffchaff and another fly-over Siskin. (Nothing at all at Coastguards!) There were plenty of butterflies on the wing, mainly Red Admirals, but also Speckled Woods and a Comma or two. (OM)

 Stonechat at Warner Lane and Comma at Northcommon farm (OM)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to Stilt Pool - A Great Grey Shrike was around the area all day (per visiting birders) and was still present west of Marsh Barn at dusk. Also, two Little Stints were on the Stilt Pool, three or four Dartford Warblers and several Stonechats were along the banks and a Green Sandpiper was by the first sluice. (BO'D/IP/AH/S&SaH)

A record shot of the Great Grey Shrike at Medmerry (SaH)

Medmerry: Toe End - A female Black Redstart was by the viewpoint this morning and a Wheatear and two Stonechats were still on the rough ground, whilst five Red-breasted Mergansers were on the sea and 70 Brent Geese went west, and a Peregrine, a Sparrowhawk and two Buzzards were also about. (SH)

Ferry Pool: There were three Green Sandpipers at the back and five Snipe in the concealed pool, along with four Black-tailed Godwits, c120 Lapwing, c80 Wigeon, c60 Teal and six Shelducks. (AH)

Green Sandpipers, Black-tailed Godwit and Lapwings on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: It was quiet again, though at least 50 Brent Geese flew around the harbour several times before departing west, and a few Wigeon and Teal were about, as was the Whimbrel.. A pair of Stonechats were in the first Several, but the hedges were quiet despite the sunshine, though c30 Linnets and c60 Goldfinches were flying about. (AH)

Brent Geese (above), Sparrowhawk & Wigeon and Teal at Church Norton (AH)

A Lesser Redpoll was among a small flock of Goldfinches along the west side, though there was not too much else except lots of Stonechats, and there were more along the Severals, where there was also a Mistle Thrush and thgree Blackbirds, together with six or so Magpies, in same area, but no sign of yesterday's Ring Ouzel. (AW)

Lesser Redpoll and Goldfinch (above), Meadow Pipit & Chinook at Church Norton (AW)

Long Pool: There wasn't too much to report this afternoon, though a couple of elusive Spotted Redshanks were calling continually along Ferry Channel and at least 20 Avocets were at the far end. Also three Reed Buntings were in the reeds on the pool and a Stonechat and a flock of Long-tailed Tits were in the hedges. (AH)

Stonechat (above) & Avocets along Long Pool (AH)

Mid-channel, off Selsey: This little chap stayed on and around the boat while we where working mid Channel yesterday from 11-12.00 noon. (CW)

Goldcrest on a boat off Selsey (CW)

Thursday, 26th October: At long last the winds have abated, leaving another grey and mild morning, with no hint of sunshine but only a gentle westerly....

Firstly, a bit of news about Peter Callis, North Wall and Bill regular. He hasn't been around for a few weeks due to heart problems, but he is now back home from hospital and we all wish him a swift recovery. (AH/OM/BI & all the regulars.)

Selsey Bill: There was quite a bit moving this morning, even if nothing was particularly scarce, including 352 Brent Geese, 14 Red-breasted Mergansers, 19 Stock Doves, c300 Wood Pigeons and a mix of gulls west, whilst a flock of a dozen Long-tailed Tits (that flew around the Oval Field before settling in the Bill House garden) is always noteworthy here. Full log below. (AH/GH)

(0730-0930hrs)

Red-throated Diver - 1W
Little Egret - 1W

Brent Goose - 352W

Wigeon - 2W

Teal - 8W

Red-breasted Merganser - 1E, 17W

Turnstone - 8W
Redshank - 4W

Lesser Black-backed Gull - 12W

Common Gull - 10W

Mediterranean Gull - 2W, 4os

Black-headed Gull - c400W

Sandwich Tern - 1os

auk sp - 1os

Stock Dove - 19W

Wood Pigeon - c300W

Swallow - 4W

Meadow Pipit - 12W

Grey Wagtail - 1E

Pied Wagtail - 19W

Long-tailed Tit - 12p

Jackdaw - 6W

Magpie - 11p together

Linnet - 40W

Goldfinch - 120W

Red-breasted Mergansers (above), Red-breasted Merganser and Teal, Brent Geese, Sandwich Tern, Common Gull & Lesser Black-backed Gulls past the Bill (AH)

East Beach: The Rose-coloured Starling re-appeared this morning in Ruskin Close, near Selsey Common. Also, the common had a pair of Stonechats on it, and two Swallows, c30 Goldfinches and six Brent Geese went west, whilst the pond had 20+ Goldcrests - they were everywhere, along with eight Long-tailed Tits and two Chiffchaffs in the trees, and something I'd not seen here before - a Water Vole. (SR)
Also, earlier, a Firecrest was at East Beach Pond. (MJ)

Selsey village: Redwings could be heard going over the north of the village before sunrise this morning. (SH)

Medmerry: Toe End -  A good selection today included two Wheatears, four Stonechats and a Grey Wagtail around the rough ground, three Siskins over west, 180 Brent Geese and a Red-breasted Merganser west offshore, plus a Common Scoter on the water, and this afternoon a Merlin over the mudflats and a Short-eared Owl hunting the banks. (SH)

Medmerry: Also seen were a Little Stint on the Stilt Pool, with the Short-eared Owl seen from there, and an amazing 51 Stonechats recorded on a survey of the farmland managed by RSPB. (H Bagguley/M White per BO'D)

Ferry Pool: There were no Snipe this morning, or yesterday's reported Ruff, though a Green Sandpiper and a Redshank were with c60 Lapwing at the back and two Black-tailed Godwits were at the front. Also, there were the three Shoveler, nine Shelducks, c60 Wigeon and c80 Teal. (AH)
Also, there were still a dozen Siskins in the Alders by the Visitor Centre today. (BO'D)

Green Sandpiper, Redshank and Lapwings (above) & Shelducks on the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool: There was a fair selection this morning, though no sign of yesterday's Bearded Tits, including a Dartford Warbler, a pair of Stonechats, a Wheatear and a dozen Meadow Pipits around the brambles and adjacent field at the far end of the pool, and several Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests, plus four Song Thrushes along the pool itself.

Also, there were three Spotted Redshanks in Ferry Channel and 18 Avocets, along with five Black-tailed Godwits, 50+ Redshank and lots of Teal and Wigeon in the harbour at the far end. (AH) 

Spotted Redshank (above), Spotted Redshanks and Redshank, Avocets and Redshanks, Wheatear, Stonechat & Meadow Pipit around Long Pool (AH)

Church Norton: It was really quiet here, with just a lone Firecrest and barely a handful of Goldcrests and Chiffchaffs in the hedges, and just the usual waders in the harbour, though there were c50 Brent Geese on the mud, including a couple of small flocks that dropped in, whilst another c30 carried on over, heading west. On the beach there were four Stonechats and a single Wheatear and out in the harbour there were three Peregrines roosting. (AH/BFF/DM)

Brent Geese (above) & Kestrel at Church Norton (AH)

This afternoon a Ring Ouzel was out eating sloes along the start of the first Several. Also about were the Whimbrel, a Greenshank, a Peregrine and 20 Pintail in the harbour, three Wheatears and a small flock of Greenfinch at the start of the spit, and at least six Song Thrushes and a Redwing along the west side.
There was what looks like a Great Norther Diver - see pic - offshore, as well. (AW)

Ring Ouzel (above), Wheatears, Song Thrushes, Whimbrel & probable Great Northern Diver at Church Norton (AW)

Park Farm, Selsey: This evening four Siskins flew out of the second row of poplars, a Grey Wagtail was nearby and two Chiffchaffs were in a mixed tit flock. (S&SaH)

Chichester Harbour: We took the easy option this morning of scanning the harbour from Dell Quay, normally a excellent place to find waders. Checking north and south little was evident, with only a Kingfisher and 73 Curlew of note. The Marina reed bed was quiet, too, with only 2 Stonechats and 2 squealing Water Rails to report. (BFF/DFM)