20th - 22nd December 2017

Friday, 22nd December: A very quiet day for weather, quite mild with plenty of cloud and barely a breath of breeze.....

Ferry Pool: There were seven Shovelers, five Shelduck and 80 Teal on the pool this morning, and c800 Brent Geese flew out of the harbour heading west (AH)

Teal on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: There were a few bits offshore, including four Slavonian and eight Great Crested Grebes, an Eider and four Red-breasted Mergansers, with another five of the latter in the harbour. Also a Common Scoter and five Red-throated Divers flew west.

The Whimbrel was in its usual area and at least 100 Knot were among the Dunlin and Grey Plovers, c40 Pintail were with the Wigeon and c400 Brent Geese flew out from the fields behind the Severals. (AH)

Slavonian Grebes (above), Eider, Red-breasted Mergansers, Whimbrel & Grey Plover and Dunlin at Church Norton (AH)

A bit later on there were two Goosanders along the beach to the east, at least five Slavonian Grebes and a single Eider offshore, whilst towards the harbour mouth there was a Common seal, a Great Northern Diver, three Razorbills and a Guillemot. There was some movement east and west, too, including 2 Common Scoters. (AW)

Guillemot (above), Eider, Common Scoter & Common Seal off Church Norton (AW)

Medmerry: Toe End - The Common Scoter flock offshore has increased through the week, with 60+ bird present today. (SH)

Selsey, Park Farm: A Green Sandpiper was present today, plus a Great Spotted Woodpecker and 2 Buzzards in the area. (SH)

East Head: Most of yesterday's birds were still present but they were considerably more distant! The Black-throated Diver eventually gave itself up by the red Copyhold navigation buoy and there were still ten Red-breasted Mergansers and a similar number of Great Crested Grebes nearby, along with a single Common Scoter that later flew out to sea. The Long-tailed Duck was still present too but was probably in Hampshire waters and was no doubt showing well from Hayling! Two Guillemots also drifted in on the rising tide. Around the dunes were still decent numbers of Skylarks and Meadow Pipits as well as at least six Stonechats and there were a few Brent Geese along the tide line towards Ellanore. Ten Sanderlings were along the low-water mark. (BI/PH)

 

Thursday, 21st December: The shortest day, and another grey and gloomy one, initially quite still before the breeze freshened from the west....

Ferry Pool: There were just nine Shovelers, two Shelduck and 45 Teal on the pool this morning. (AH)

Shovelers on the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool: A Spotted Redshank was in Ferry Channel, along with a few Redshank and Teal, whilst all there was along the hedges was a very mobile mixed Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tit and Goldcrest flock.

At least a dozen Avocets were at the far end of the channel, a vast numbers of waders, including at least 1000 Lapwing, were put up by a Peregrine out in the harbour. (AH)

Spotted Redshank (above), Spotted Redshank and Redshank, Avocets & Goldcrest around the Long Pool (AH)

East Head: A Great Northern Diver was near the harbour mouth, whilst at the northern end a Black-throated Diver was showing very well, and there were also a Long-tailed Duck, ten Red-breasted Mergansers, a Guillemot and 15 Great Crested Grebes further out.

Half a dozen Sanderlings were along the strand-line and a couple of Stonechats, plus plenty of Skylarks and Meadow Pipits were around the dunes and edge of the salt-marsh, but there were very few Brent Geese or other waders about. Also, three Common Seals were hauled up on a bank in the main channel. (AH)

Black-throated Diver (above),  Guillemot, Sanderling, Stonechat & Common Seal at East Head (AH)

Church Norton: This afternoon there were just two Slavonian Grebes and three or four Great Crested Grebes offshore, and just half a dozen Red-breasted Mergansers and a dozen Little Grebes in the harbour, with no sign of the Velvet Scoter or the Goosanders.

Also, the Whimbrel was in its usual spot and at least 100 Knot were among the commoner waders. (AH)

Slavonian Grebes (above), Red-breasted Merganser, Little Grebes & Whimbrel at Church Norton (AH)

Wednesday, 20th December: A very dreary day, with rolling banks of drizzly fog under leaden skies....

Selsey Bill: (0800-0915) (AH/SR)

Red-throated Diver - 2E, 2W

Great Northern Diver - 1W, 2os

Gannet - 13W

Shag - 2E

Brent Goose - 2W

Red-breasted Merganser - 2E, 2W, 7os

Kittiwake - 1W

Razorbill - 8E, 4os

auk sp - 41W

Red-throated Diver (above) & Great Northern Diver at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were five Snipe on the concealed pool, along with 40 Teal, whilst on the main pool there were five Shoveler, five Shelduck, three Redshank, c50 Wigeon and c150 Lapwing. (AH)

Snipe on the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool/West Side: A Water Rail flew briefly out of the reeds, and a couple of Reed Buntings, Song Thrushes and Goldcrests were along the hedges this morning. 

A Kingfisher flew along Ferry Channel, where there was also a Spotted Redshank, a few Redshank and Grey Plovers, plus at least 50 Teal, whilst at the far end there were 16 Avocet, lots of Dunlin, Lapwing, Wigeon and Teal, plus a handful of Pintail. Out in the harbour proper there were at least 1000 Brent Geese that steadily headed off westwards and at least 100 Knot and a few Grey Plovers among the Dunlin, but there was not much of note in the bushes beyond a handful of Goldcrests. (AH)

Spotted Redshank (above), Pintail, Avocets, Goldcrest, Reed Bunting, Grey Plover, Brent Geese & Little Egret along Long Pool/West Side (AH)

East Side/Pagham Spit: This afternoon the drake and two redhead Goldeneyes were in the harbour and two Stonechats were around the Lagoon. (AB)

Pagham - North Wall and fields: In the grassy field south of Church Barton House were 24 Curlew, and in the field south of Shipverling Barn were 240 Lapwing and 11 Golden Plover....interestingly, all these birds were either on or alongside one of the proposed sites for 400 new houses! 

In and around White's Creek there were 300 Wigeon, 400 plus Lapwing, 90 Teal, 120 Dunlin, 78 Black-tailed Godwits, 4 Curlew, 3 Grey Plover and 23 Redshank. A Chiffchaff was along the Wall. (JDW)

This afternoon there was a Ruff in White's Creek and a Kingfisher on the Breech Pool. (AB)

Lapwings and Black-headed Gulls on farmland where a development application(s) exists to build new housing - irrefutable proof, despite assertions to the contrary by some interested parties... (JDF)