Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 17th

Tuesday, 19th December: Another glorious, still morning after a fairly cold and misty start.....

Ferry Pool: There were 11 Snipe in the reeds this morning, but just a couple of Redshank and c80 Lapwing on the pool, with 80 Teal in the channel opposite. Sadly there was a dead Shelduck on the field. (AH)

Snipe on the Ferry (AH)

Selsey Coastguard Station: There were a Guillemot, three Razorbills, four Red-breasted Mergansers, a Red-throated Diver and a Great Crested Grebe offshore this morning. (AH)

Guillemot off the Coastguard Station (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - There was nothing too unusual, but a good selection of the regular birds were about, including at least six Stonechats, c30 Yellowhammers, a couple of Reed Buntings and Skylarks and 20+ Stock Doves and Meadow Pipits along the banks, and there was a huge flock - estimated at 6-800 birds - of Linnets flying about early on.
There were few waders about, though the Common Sandpiper and 50 Lapwing were on the Stilt Pool and a Curlew and a few Redshank were near the poplars. Four Greylag Geese flew over and there were a few distant Brent Geese, whilst on the Stilt Pool there were a dozen Shoveler and a few Tufted Duck among 50+ Wigeon and Teal. (AH)

Common Sandpiper (above), Linnets, Stonechat, Greylag Geese, Stock Dove, Grey Heron & a frosty sunrise at Medmerry (AH)

Medmerry - Toe End/Breach: This morning there were 46 Common Scoter offshore, plus 4 Red-breasted Mergansers, 3 Razorbills and a Guillemot, all on a flat calm sea. (SH)

Church Norton: A quick late morning look produced the Whimbrel and the two Peregrines in their regular sites, and a Reed Bunting on the path to the beach, but there were very few birds offshore - with a dozen (mostly distant) Slavonian Grebes and a few Great Crested Grebes being the sum. (AH)

Slavonian Grebes (above), Peregrine, Reed Bunting & Teal at Church Norton (AH)

North Wall: Another Barn Owl was hunting just north of the Breech Pool at sundown (this bird with a typical face and not the darker-faced individual seen recently) (DSh)

Monday, 18th December: A beautiful crisp and bright morning, with a light north-north-westerly picking up later on....

Selsey Bill: There were over 60 Red-throated Divers going west this morning, plus quite a bit of distant auk movement, though not too much else. Full log below.......
0750-1150hrs: (OM/SR)
Red-throated Diver - 12E, 62W
Great Northern Diver - 2os, 1W
diver sp - 2E
Great Crested Grebe - 1E, 1os
Gannet - 3E, 18W
Common Scoter - 11E, 7W
Red-breasted Merganser - 5E, 11W
Razorbill - 3W, 6os
auk sp - 3E, 306W
Kittiwake - 2W
Mediterranean Gull - 2E, 1os

Selsey, East Beach: A Stonechat was back on Selsey Common this morning. (SR)

Pagham Lagoon/Spit: The Long-tailed Duck was with c30 Tufted Duck on the lagoon this morning, but there wasn't much else of note besides the drake Goldeneye, before it re-joined the two females in the harbour. The two redhead Goosanders were near the harbour mouth, along with half a dozen Red-breasted Mergansers, and offshore there was a Great Northern Diver and a dozen Slavonian Grebes.
On the spit itself there were a Stonechat and a handful of Linnets, Greenfinches and Meadow Pipits, with plenty of Wigeon, Teal and Wigeon, plus the roosting waders in the harbour. Offshore from the yacht club were ten Red-breasted Mergansers, six Great Crested Grebes and two Slavonian Grebes and a large flock of gulls was working around the trawler fleet. (AH/BI)

Long-tailed Duck (above), Goosander, Goldeneyes, Red-breasted Mergansers, Stonechat & Meadow Pipit around Pagham Spit (AH)

North Wall: A Redwing was in my garden along with 12 Long-tailed and two Coal Tits and a Great Spotted Woodpecker.
A male Mink was by the old sluices, and water levels were high on the Breech Pool, meaning there were just the usual Mallard and Teal plus a Canada Goose, a Little Grebe and seven Common Snipe. In Honer 3 field there were 47 Curlew and 140 Black-tailed Godwits. Pagham Rife has now been cleared of Pennywort.
There were just two Coots on Honer Reservoir, whilst the herd of 56 Mute Swans and their two Black cousins were still in the field behind the reservoir. They were later disturbed and I saw them flying behind the Breech Pool but they appeared to go back to their favourite field. Along Honer Lane there were 16 Yellowhammers, nine Reed Buntings, three Meadow Pipits and a Green Woodpecker. Early on a flock of some 1200 Brent Geese left the Harbour heading north-west, though two hours later they were back on White's Creek. (JDW)

Snipe (above), Brent Geese & Mute and Black Swans around the North Wall (JDW)

Also, in White's Creek early on there was a Spotted Redshank. (AH)

Spotted Redshank in White's Creek (AH)

Usual winter fare this afternoon, but a beautiful day. There were at least 17 Snipe at the back of the Breech pool, 30 Curlew in the flooded fields and a Grey Wagtail, a Rock Pipit and a Kingfisher around the Salthouse and horses field. (RHa)

Snipe and Teal (above), Grey Wagtail, Reed Bunting & Wren around North Wall (RHa)

Church Norton: The two Goosanders were feeding along the beach later in the morning, but there wasn't too much offshore, though at least half a dozen Razorbills were feeding in a tight group, with one or two further afield, at least a dozen Slavonian Grebes and similar of Great Crested Grebes were widely spread and a few Gannets were lingering further out.
The mixed flock of Linnets and Greenfinches was still on the spit, along with a few Skylarks and the Whimbrel was still in its usual haunt and there were plenty of the regular waders and wildfowl roosting away the high tide. (MJ/AW/AH)

Goosanders (above), Slavonian Grebe, Linnets and Greenfinches & Knot and Grey Plovers at Church Norton (AH)

Chi GPs - Ivy Lake complex: A short visit failed to find any of the scarcer wildfowl (or indeed any large finches in the surrounding trees!); the only birds of note were c.80 Shoveler (New Lake) and 93 Greylag Geese (the most I've seen here) in front of the chalets, with a Bar-headed Goose. (OM)

Medmerry: Toe End - A Black Redstart, two Grey Wagtails and three Stonechats were around the building site and adjacent area, whilst an Eider, a Razorbill, 30+ Common Scoter and three Red-breasted Mergansers were offshore, and four more of the latter were near the breach. (SH)
Also, the five Barnacle Geese were near Toe End late in the afternoon. (TG-P)

Medmerry: Porthole Farm - There was no sign of the Barn Owl late this afternoon, though they were flying model aircraft until after dusk! A Green Sandpiper flew out of the sewage works compound, where there was also a Grey and a Pied Wagtail, and at least half a dozen Chiffchaffs were enjoying the last of the sun. (AH)

Grey Wagtail & Chiffchaffs at Porthole Farm (AH)

Sunday, 17th December: A morning that started bright and frosty, before slowly clouding and warming up and finishing up with persistent heavy rain by lunchtime....

Selsey Bill: Quieter than yesterday, but still 20+ Red-throated Divers went west and there was a fair selection of other species, too, including two Sandwich Terns offshore. Full log below. (JA/SH/IP/AH)
(0730-0900hrs)

Great Northern Diver - 4os

Red-throated Diver - 7E, 21W, 1os

diver sp - 2W

Great Crested Grebe - 1E, 2W

Gannet - 49W

Brent Goose - 3W

Common Scoter - 4E, 11W

Red-breasted Merganser - 12W, 8os

Curlew - 1W

Common Gull - 1W

Mediteranean Gull - 1os

Kittiwake - 2E

Sandwich Tern - 2os

Razorbill - 1os

Guillemot - 1os

auk sp - 15W

(1400-1515hrs) (SH)

Great Northern Diver - 1os

Red-throated Diver - 2E

Great Crested Grebe - 1E

Gannet - 8E, 2W

Brent Goose - 3W

Red-breasted Merganser - 3os
Mediterranean Gull - 1os
Kittiwake - 1E, 9W
Sandwich Tern - 3os
auk sp - 21W

Red-throated Diver (above), Sandwich Tern & sunrise at the Bill (AH)

Pagham Lagoon/Spit: A Long-tailed Duck (presumably the one from Honer Reservoir) was on the lagoon along with five Pochards and numerous Tufted Ducks this morning.

Also, two redhead Goosanders were feeding on the shoreline off the spit and the three Goldeneyes were in the harbour. (KF)

Ferry Pool: There were 44 Teal, c200 Lapwing, eight Shelducks, four Redshank, eight Canada Geese and a Stock Dove around the pool, with c200 Wigeon dropping onto the arable fields and a pair of Gadwall in the rife. (AH)

Stock Dove and Canada Goose (above), Shelduck and Teal & Wigeon at the Ferry (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: This morning there were a Mistle Thrush, a Buzzard, a Stonechat, 15 Curlews and a few Oystercatchers around the fields. (AH/IP)

Buzzard at Park Farm, Selsey (AH)

Church Norton: There was a good selection of birds offshore this morning, including a Guillemot and several Razorbills, at least 15 Slavonian Grebes and a Great Northern Diver on the sea, with six Red-throated Divers east and ten west offshore, a small flock of Common Scoters west and a few distant Gannets and close Mediterranean Gulls, too..

In the harbour a Spoonbill was flying around at the far end, the Velvet Scoter, two redhead Goosanders, a Red-breasted Merganser and the three Goldeneye were on the water, nine Bar-tailed Godwits were roosting on Tern Island, half a dozen Skylarks were on the spit and four Shoveler were on the second Several. (AH/IP/BI/S&SaH)