1st - 3rd January 2018

Wednesday, 3rd January: A bright and fairly mild morning, despite the gale-force westerly....

Selsey Bill: A Bonxie east and west was the highlight, with otherwise just low numbers of the regular species. (AH/SR)
(0815-0945hrs)
Great Northern Diver - 1W, 2os
Red-throated Diver - 2W
Slavonian Grebe - 1W
Great Crested Grebe - 2W, 1os
Gannet - 2E, 14W
Red-breasted Merganser - 3E, 7W, 3os
Turnstone - 6p
Bonxie - 1E, 1W (presumably the same bird)
Kittiwake - 4E, 4W
Mediterranean Gull - 2os
Common Gull - 1E
Guillemot - 1W
Razorbill - 1W
Rock Pipit - 1p

Bonxie (above), Great Northern Diver & Rock Pipit at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were a lot of birds roosting on the field, including c200 Golden Plover, c250 Black-tailed Godwits, c50 Redshank, c50 Curlew and at least 1000 Lapwing, plus four Shelduck and the Cape Shelduck, whilst a low flying Buzzard flushed out at least 20 Snipe from the reeds.

There were also 20 Black-tailed Godwits, ten Shoveler and c50 Teal on the pool. (AH) 

Golden Plovers and Lapwing (above), Black-tailed Godwits and Lapwing & Shoveler on the Ferry (AH)

West Itchenor: A Guillemot was just off the jetty, mid-morning today. (PH)

Fishbourne Creek: The water was very high this morning with all of the saltmarsh submerged but there were still at least four Rock Pipits flying around the sea wall area and out on the water were two female Goldeneye and 300+ Wigeon. (BI)

Rock Pipit at Fishbourne Creek (BI)

Church Norton: The Spoonbill was viewable distantly off the North Wall, where also large numbers of Black-tailed Godwits, Lapwing and Golden Plover periodically took to the air, the Whimbrel and half a dozen Bar-tailed Godwits were among the roosting waders and there were up to eight Red-breasted Mergansers, plus a few Little and Great Crested Grebes on the water. 

Offshore a Great Northern Diver and a couple of Gannets went west, a few Common and Mediterranean Gulls were along the beach, where there were also 20+ Ringed Plovers and a few Redshank among 100+ Turnstones. Also, a Chiffchaff was along one of the sheltered hedges. (AH/BI)

Turnstones and Ringed Plovers (above), Common Gull, Red-breasted Merganser and Great Crested Grebe & the high tide on the beach at Church Norton (AH)

A blustery visit to Church Norton this morning at high tide found the two Peregrines on their island, one of them enjoying a meal. There was not much to be seen on the rough sea other than three Red-breasted Mergansers and a passing Great Northern Diver heading west. (AW)

Great Northern Diver (above), Peregrine, Red-breasted Merganser & a stormy sea at Church Norton (AW)

Tuesday, 2nd January: Another drizzly, grey morning, with a blustery westerly breeze, though fairly mild....

Selsey Bill: There was not too much on the move, but again a reasonable selection, including the Rock Pipit, and a Slavonian Grebe, a Razorbill and a Guillemot west, plus a few Red-throated Divers and Gannets. Full log below.... (PM/AH)
(0750-0915hrs)
Great Northern Diver - 4os
Red-throated Diver - 5W
Slavonian Grebe - 1W
Great Crested Grebe - 3W, 1os
Gannet - 8E, 8W
Brent Goose - 4W, 2os
Pintail - 2W
Common Scoter - 31W
Red-breasted Merganser - 15W
Grey Plover - 8W
Dunlin - 115W
Kittiwake - 2E
Mediterranean Gull 3W
Guillemot - 1W
Razorbill - 1W
Rock Pipit - 1p

Rock Pipit at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: Not much on the pool or fields this morning -  just a couple of Redshank, four Shoveler and c60 Teal on the former and ten Golden Plovers, c100 Lapwing and 30 Curlews on the latter. Also, a Snipe was in Ferry Channel.  (AH/PM)

Lapwings and Golden Plovers (above) & Shovelers and Teal at the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: The fields behind the Breech Pool were full of water and birds, including a Ruff, two Spotted Redshank, 500 Black-tailed Godwits, 1000+ Lapwing, 50 Curlews, 50 Redshank, 200 Wigeon, six Shoveler, 40 Canada Geese and 100 Teal, with a flock of 250 Golden Plover seen overhead several times and one Reed Bunting along the hedges. (AH/OM)

Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit, Lapwings, Wigeon and Mallard (above), Black-tailed Godwits & a view of the flooded fields at the North Wall (AH)

Pagham Lagoon: There were four Goldeneye, four Red-breasted Mergansers, 14 Pochard and c40 Tufted Ducks on the lagoon, and a Kingfisher whizzed through, whilst a Firecrest was with two Goldcrests and a Chiffchaff in the hedges at the east end and a Sparrowhawk went over. (AH/OM/SR)

Goldeneye (above) & Pochard on Pagham Lagoon (AH)

Pagham Spit: The two Goosanders flew along the spit and into the harbour, and a Great Northern Diver was flying about inside the harbour, as was a Pintail, but beyond a couple of Red-breasted Merganser and a few Wigeon there wasn't much on the water.

At least half a dozen Skylarks and Linnets were on the spit, and similar of Little Grebes on the Spit Lagoon, whilst one or two Mediterranean and Common  Gulls along the beach and large numbers of waders, including 20+ Ringed Plover and Knot, were flying around on the big tide. (AH/OM/SR)

Goosander (above), Great Northern Diver, Mediterranean Gull & Grey Plovers from Pagham Spit (AH)

OM not really enjoying the conditions, having been talked into a walk to the end of Pagham spit! (AH)

Ivy Lake: There were just a handful of the usual Tufted Duck and Pochard, 4 Gadwall, and a Black Swan seen. (PM)

Church Norton: The Whimbrel was in its usual plac,e plus two Peregrines were out hunting, otherwise rough counts were -
Little Egret 2
Brent Goose 350
Ringed Plover 12
Grey Plover 50
Dunlin 300
Knot 150
Bar-tailed Godwit 12
Turnstone 20 (PM)

A walk at around noon at a wet and windy Church Norton paid off with a Bonxie passing west very close to the beach. There were also a few Gannets in close, while on the sea there were five Red-breasted Mergansers and plenty of Great Crested Grebes, whilst huddled on the beach were groups of Ringed Plover and Turnstone. The tide was the highest I've seen for a long time. (AW)

Bonxie (above), Ringed Plover & the very high tide at the harbour-mouth at Church Norton (AW)

New Year's Day, Monday, 1st January 2018: A thoroughly grey wet and windy start to the New Year, with periods of heavy rain and a brisk WSW wind, but with the promise of a brighter afternoon......

We wish everyone a Happy New Year and lots of good birding in 2018.... (Eds)

.....and whilst our thoughts now turn to the year ahead, it is always interesting to consider the year that has just past. Once again, AH has excelled himself and has produced his fascinating and  now-traditional review of the year - and what's more it is out and ready to view within the first hours of the New Year! There must be other sites out there that can match this, but we don't know of any!.... so click the link on the right-hand side of the title page bar and view the...

Review of the Year 2017

Selsey Bill: Predictably none of the interesting birds of recent days showed, but there was still a fair selection, including several Great Northern Divers offshore, a few Common Scoter west and a brief re-appearance by the Rock Pipit. Full log below....
0740-0930hrs:  (JA/SH/IP/PB/AB/AH/SR et al)
Red-throated Diver - 1E, 8W, 1os
Great Northern Diver - 7os
diver sp - 1W
Slavonian Grebe - 1os
Gannet - 3E, 118W
Shag - 2E
Common Scoter - 37W
Red-breasted Merganser - 2W, 10os
Teal - 6W
Razorbill - 1W, 1os
Guillemot - 1W, 1os
auk sp - 4W
Kittiwake - 1E, 11W
Mediterranean Gull - 19W
Rock Pipit - 1ob

1320-1500hrs:  (SH)
Red-throated Diver - 1E, 6W
Great Northern Diver - 1W
diver sp - 1W
Gannet - 6E, 9W, 50os
Brent Goose - 2E
Guillemot - 1os
auk sp - 1E, 3W
Sandwich Tern - 4W
Kittiwake - 6W

Great Northern Diver (above), Kittiwake, Gannet & Red-breasted Mergansers past the Bill (AH)

The regulars braving the dismal new year weather (SR)

East Beach Pond: Benefiting from the total lack of human activity the Water Rail was at the edge of the pond but managed to escape the camera, and also a Little Grebe, surprisingly a patch tick for me, was on the pond quite close in. (SR)

Little Grebe at East Beach Pond (SR)

Ferry Pool: A Spotted Redshank was in the flooded area at the back of the field, and there were also c50 Golden Plover and at least 1000 Lapwing present, along with c30 Curlews, c20 Redshank, c60 Teal and c200 Wigeon. (AH/IP/AB/PB/DP/MP)

Spotted Redshank and Lapwing (above), Golden Plovers & Golden Plovers and Lapwing at the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool: There were c40 Avocets roosting at the far end today, and a Meadow Pipit and a Reed Bunting were along the path. (IP)

North Wall: A Ruff and a Spotted Redshank were among several hundred Black-tailed Godwits on the flooded fields behind the Breech Pool this morning. (DP/MP)

Pagham Lagoon: There were four Goldeneye - two drakes and two redheads - on hte Lagoon this morning. (DP/MP)

Church Norton: It was pretty quiet on the big tide, though an Eider was on the far side, the Whimbrel, half a dozen Bar-tailed Godwits and c100 Knot were among the commoner waders and at least 500 Brent Geese were on the water. (AH/IP/BI/AB/PB)

Knot (above), Whimbrel & Brent Geese at Church Norton (AH)

At around noon today a Goosander was on the shingle in the harbour mouth. A group of four Red-breasted Mergansers and two Slavonian Grebes were out at sea and a Red-throated Diver flew west towards the Bill. (AW)

Goosander (above) & Red-throated Diver at Church Norton (AW)

Also seen were four Goldeneyes, the Eider and seven Red-breasted Mergansers in the harbour, and six Kittiwakes, 20+ Gannets and three Slavonian Grebes offshore, with a Cetti's Warbler calling in the Severals, and a Stonechat and a Green Woodpecker on the concrete spit. (S&SaH)

Later on the Eider was sat out in the harbour and the Spoonbill was seen feeding off the North Wall. (P&JW/IP/AH)

Eider at Church Norton (AH)

Fishbourne Creek: The six Goldeneye were present again at high tide, and eight Rock Pipits were along the harbour edge. (IP)

Ivy Lake: Not too much of note beyond a couple of Pochard and a handful of Shoveler and Gadwall, plus a Chiffchaff and a Goldcrest in the hedges. (IP/SR)

Mapsons Lane, Sidlesham: There were up to 300 Common Gulls around the paddocks this afternoon, plus a pair of Stonechats. (AH/IP/BI)

Stonechats (above) & Common Gulls in Sidlesham (AH)