Friday, 16th February: A lovely, sunny and fairly windless morning, and quite mild after a frosty start.........
Selsey Bill: 0800-1030hrs (C&ME)
Red-throated Diver - 1E, 2WSelsey Bill: 0800-1030hrs (C&ME)
Great Northern Diver - 1E, 2os
Red-breasted Merganser - 4E, 16W, 1os
Mediterranean Gull - 3W
Ferry Pool: There were a dozen Golden Plover on the field with c800 Lapwing this morning, whilst around the pool there were half a dozen Shelduck and Redshank, plus at least 50 Teal, and c100 Wigeon and five Shoveler were on the creek in the field. (AH)
Golden Plovers and Lapwings at the Ferry (AH)
Itchenor Pond/Marina Hide/Birdham Pool: A Treecreeper and a Coal Tit were among the commoner birds this morning at Itchenor Pond. The reed bed at the marina was very quiet with only a Reed Bunting to note as was a partially frozen Birdham Pool which just held a few Mallards & Tufted Ducks. (BI)
Medmerry: Ham Farm - A Corn Bunting was singing near the bank today. (M White)
Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - There were two Dartford Warblers along the west side mid-morning, one in the gorse by the first first sluice and one along the banking near Marsh Barn with a Stonechat. There were still good numbers of Linnets & Yellowhammers coming to the seeds on the arable fields & there were plenty of singing Skylarks and c.25 Meadow Pipits along the fenceline. The Stilt Pool only held a few Wigeon & Shoveler and two pairs of Gadwall whilst offshore the Common Scoter flock, though reduced to perhaps 40 birds, was still present. (BI)
Treecreeper & Coal Tit at Itchenor (BI)
Medmerry: Ham Farm - A Corn Bunting was singing near the bank today. (M White)
Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - There were two Dartford Warblers along the west side mid-morning, one in the gorse by the first first sluice and one along the banking near Marsh Barn with a Stonechat. There were still good numbers of Linnets & Yellowhammers coming to the seeds on the arable fields & there were plenty of singing Skylarks and c.25 Meadow Pipits along the fenceline. The Stilt Pool only held a few Wigeon & Shoveler and two pairs of Gadwall whilst offshore the Common Scoter flock, though reduced to perhaps 40 birds, was still present. (BI)
Dartford Warbler at Medmerry (BI)
Church Norton: It was pretty quiet this morning despite the lovely conditions, with nothing but a lone Great Crested Grebe, a Mediterranean Gull and a few Common Gulls offshore and just a handful of Red-breasted Mergansers in the harbour.
A Kingfisher was on the old harbour mouth, both Peregrines were around their island, half a dozen Skylarks were along the spit and there were plenty of Dunlin and Grey Plovers about, plus a couple of Bar-tailed Godwits and a few Knot, but wildfowl numbers were low, though there were a few Brent Geese, Shelducks, Wigeon and Teal to be seen. (AH/BI)
At lunchtime a group of 5 Velvet Scoters were on the sea just off Church Norton, along with a lone Slavonian Grebe. Also there were at least 120 Mediterranean Gulls around the end of the spit. (AW)
Velvet Scoters off Church Norton and Mediterranean Gulls along the Spit (AW)
Kingfisher (above), Skylark, Teal, Common Gulls, Dunlin & Dunlin and Grey Plovers at Church Norton (AH)
Late this afternoon a second-winter Glaucous Gull was in the harbour, initially on the old harbour mouth metalwork and then along the spit, and was still present at dusk. (H Bagguley/M White/AH/AW/BI)
Glaucous Gull with Herring Gull at Church Norton (H Bagguley)
Glaucous Gull at Church Norton (AH)
Chi GP's - Drayton Pits: A marked fall in wildfowl numbers as the winter draws towards its end, with just Shoveler (95) and Pochard (90) showing any respectable totals. There were 14 Snipe around the margins, but otherwise little of note on my count. (OM)
Thursday, 15th February: After a very wet night, a bright and sunny morning with a brisk north-westerly breeze....
Ferry Pool: There were ten Shelduck, 100 Lapwing 30 Teal and a few Redshank around the pool, with at least 150 Wigeon on the creek in the field. (AH)
Three Green Sandpipers were on the flooded bits of the field today. (BO'D)
Church Norton: At least 50 Avocets were roosting along the west side and a Water Rail was near the Mound. (SM)
A quick walk at lunchtime found one Slavonian Grebe just off-shore and a Red Kite soaring over the trees near the Priory. The female Eider was still near the harbour mouth.(AW)
North Wall: A Marsh Harrier was hunting over the Breech Pool and adjacent fields for a prolonged period this morning, flushing at least 20 Snipe from the reedbeds, but there wasn't much beyond a few Wigeon on the fields, a few Tufted Ducks on the pool and a pair of Stonechats by the gate.
There were a total of nine Ruff in White's Creek, along with a Spotted Redshank, half a dozen Golden Plovers and large numbers of Lapwing, Wigeon and Redshanks.(AH/MO-W)
East side: Along the side of the harbour there were half a dozen Bar-tailed Godwits, c250 Black-tailed Godwits, c100 Knot, 50+ Pintail and large numbers of all the commoner waders and wildfowl on the rising tide, including 50+ Golden Plovers among the Lapwing, and at least 2000 Brent Geese dropped in at high tide. (AH)
Pagham Spit/Lagoon: The female Eider, a redhead Goosander and five Goldeneye were in the harbour from the spit (with the latter group relocating to the Lagoon), though there were no Red-breasted Mergansers about. There were half a dozen Skylarks and Greenfinches on the spit, but not much else, whilst at least 80 Mediterranean Gulls were among the large gulls at the harbour mouth.
There were also another 90 or so Mediterranean Gulls on the lagoon, along with four Red-breasted Mergansers and c20 Tufted Duck. (AH)
Runcton: A pair of Stonechats and a Chiffchaff were just south of Runcton this afternoon, (CRJ)
Selsey East beach: An overwintering Chiffchaff was still present in gardens this morning. (SR)
Three Green Sandpipers were on the flooded bits of the field today. (BO'D)
Church Norton: At least 50 Avocets were roosting along the west side and a Water Rail was near the Mound. (SM)
A quick walk at lunchtime found one Slavonian Grebe just off-shore and a Red Kite soaring over the trees near the Priory. The female Eider was still near the harbour mouth.(AW)
Red Kite and Slavonian Grebe at Church Norton (AW)
North Wall: A Marsh Harrier was hunting over the Breech Pool and adjacent fields for a prolonged period this morning, flushing at least 20 Snipe from the reedbeds, but there wasn't much beyond a few Wigeon on the fields, a few Tufted Ducks on the pool and a pair of Stonechats by the gate.
There were a total of nine Ruff in White's Creek, along with a Spotted Redshank, half a dozen Golden Plovers and large numbers of Lapwing, Wigeon and Redshanks.(AH/MO-W)
Marsh Harrier (above), Ruff, all nine Ruff and Lapwing, Spotted Redshank & Stonechat around the North Wall (AH)
East side: Along the side of the harbour there were half a dozen Bar-tailed Godwits, c250 Black-tailed Godwits, c100 Knot, 50+ Pintail and large numbers of all the commoner waders and wildfowl on the rising tide, including 50+ Golden Plovers among the Lapwing, and at least 2000 Brent Geese dropped in at high tide. (AH)
Bar-tailed Godwits (above), Pintail, Golden Plover and Lapwings & Brent Geese along the East side (AH)
There were also another 90 or so Mediterranean Gulls on the lagoon, along with four Red-breasted Mergansers and c20 Tufted Duck. (AH)
Eider (above) & Goldeneyes from Pagham Spit (AH)
Chiffchaff in an East beach garden (SR)
Wednesday, 14th February: Another cold and grey morning, with a blustery and freshening southerly wind bringing rain by lunchtime....
Ferry Pool: An Avocet was on the pool this morning, along with a Redshank, six Shelduck and 25 Teal, with c200 Lapwings and 100 Wigeon in the far fields and five Shoveler were in the channel opposite. (AH)
Avocet (above) & Shelduck on the Ferry (AH)
Church Norton: At least 22 Red-breasted Mergansers were busy displaying and chasing each other on the far side of the harbour this morning, with the female Eider nearby, whilst c60 Mediterranean Gulls were roosting around the harbour mouth and 20+ Common Gulls were along the strandline, though there was nothing else offshore.
In the harbour there were four Bar-tailed Godwits and 30 Knot among the many Dunlin, Grey Plovers, Redshanks and Curlews, whilst a couple of Pintail were among c30 Teal, whilst there were at least 1500 Brent Geese along the main channel before the tide pushed up. Small birds were almost non-existent, though one of the Peregrines was about and there were half a dozen Skylarks along the spit. (AH)
Peregrine (above), Pintail, Bar-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Brent Geese, Common Gull & Mediterranean Gulls at Church Norton (AH)
Sidlesham: A Bullfinch was briefly in our garden on the west of the village today. (AH)
Merston: A Merlin was perched up along the road near the chapel this morning. (BI)
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