17th - 19th February 2018

Monday, 19th February: A cloudy, dank and drizzly morning with occasional heavier periods of rain and a fairly light westerly breeze......

Church Norton: There were 1000's of Brent Geese around the harbour first thing before the misty rain descended. There was a large group of 60+ Black-tailed Godwits and a single Bar-tailed Godwit was seen further out in the harbour. A pair of Red-breasted Mergansers were diving among a group of Brent. The five Velvet Scoters were seen briefly in the mist off-shore, whilst a male Sparrowhawk was hunting near the end of the spit, a Peregrine was sitting on the island and a Green Woodpecker around the old horse field. (AW)

At Church Norton this morning: (above) Bar-tailed Godwit and (below) Black-tailed Godwits, Green Woodpecker, Red-breasted Mergansers and Velvet Scoters in the mist. (AW)

Itchenor Pond: It was all going nicely until the rain came down hard and brought things to a halt. A Buzzard and a Treecreeper were about, and there was a lot of birdsong from the commoner species, with clear signs of spring in the form of two drumming Great Spotted Woodpeckers and an industrious Wren gathering leaf litter from the woodland floor then taking it into a tree hole. (SR)

Itchenor Pond in the rain (SR)

Medmerry: Easton Lane- There were at least 69 Fieldfares in the area this afternoon. (TG-P)

Ferry Pool: About 200 Wigeon dropped in from the arable fields this morning, to join the ten Shelduck, four Shoveler, two Redshank, c60 Teal and c400 Lapwing already present, whilst a Buzzard was along the track. (AH)

Buzzard (above) & Wigeon and Lapwings at the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool: Four Gadwall flew out from the pool this morning and a Song Thrush and a couple of singing Reed Buntings were along the hedges.
There were about a dozen Avocets, eight Pintail, 20 Grey Plover and numerous Redshank, Shelduck, Wigeon and Teal at the far end of Ferry Channel, and ten Black-tailed Godwits dropped in back towards the Ferry end. (AH)

Reed Bunting (above), Song Thrush & Grey Plover from Long Pool (AH)

Sunday, 18th February: It was not as sunny as yesterday morning, but it was still a pleasant morning with just a light breeze and moderately warm, though going downhill later on......

Selsey Bill: (0700-0900hrs) (SH/IP/AH)
Great Northern Diver - 7os

Red-throated Diver - 1W

Gannet - 2E

Brent Goose - 2W

Common Scoter - 42os

Red-breasted Merganser - 2E, 5W, 10os

Peregrine - 1W

Common Gull - 2W

Mediterranean Gull - 7E

Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1os

Great Northern Diver (above) & Mediterranean Gull at the Bill (AH)

Medmerry Beach: Two Purple Sandpipers were distantly viewable, roosting on rocks opposite the windmill at high tide, and a Stonechat was along the fenceline of the cliffs. (SR)

Purple Sandpipers at Medmerry (SR)

Ferry Pool: There were c800 Lapwing around the pool and field this morning, along with eight Shoveler, six Shelduck, two Redshanks, c50 Teal and c150 Wigeon.. (AH)

Shoveler (above) & Lapwing at the Ferry (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: A pair of Firecrests were along Park Lane this morning, along with a Goldcrest and a few Long-tailed Tits, whilst around the fields there were three Stonechats, half a dozen Linnets, a couple of Skylarks and one or two Curlews. (AH/IP/S&SaH)
Later on there were two Grey Wagtails on roofs in the new housing development and another in the fields. (IP)

Firecrest (above), Linnet & Stonechat at Park Farm, Selsey (AH)

Pagham Lagoon: There were 79 Mediterranean Gulls on the lagoon this morning. (PB)

Church Norton: There was no sign of the Glaucous Gull this morning, though the Goosander, the female Eider, three Goldeneye and half a dozen Red-breasted Mergansers were in the harbour, and offshore the five Velvet Scoter were again present, along with a Great Northern Diver, two Sandwich Terns and eight Slavonian Grebes, plus a few Common and Mediteranean Gulls.
Three Avocets, at least five Bar-tailed Godwits and 50+ Knot were among the commoner waders in the harbour, the female Peregrine was on the island and at least 2000 Brent Geese were along the main channel.

Among small birds seen were singles of Bullfinch, Fieldfare, Song Thrush and Mistle Thrush at the back of the Severals, five Reed Buntings over the Severals and a dozen Skylarks along the spit. (AH/IP/S&SaH et al)

Goosander (above), Avocets, Skylark, Dunlin & Brent Geese at Church Norton (AH)

Late this afternoon there were 40 Black-tailed Godwits in the harbour and a reasonable estimate of 2200 Brent Geese in the field behind the churchyard. (AH)

Black-tailed Godwits (above) & Brent Geese at Church Norton (AH)

Hunston: A look around the east side of the village produced three or four Tree-creepers, five Jays, two Goldcrests and 20+ Long-tailed Tits in the bit of beech wood known as Wilf’s Copse, and a good selection on the fields between the golf course and the village, including 10+ Song Thrush, 20+ Fieldfare, 30+ Redwing, 30+ Meadow Pipit, 20+ Linnet, 20+ Chaffinch, two Yellowhammers, a Buzzard and a Tufted Duck and four Shoveler on the reservoir. There were also 29 Roe Deer about. (S&SaH)

Saturday, 17th February: Another glorious late winter's morning, with lots of warm sunshine after a frosty start, and barely a breath of breeze....

Selsey Bill: (0645 -1015hrs) (JA/PM/PB/SH/IP/AH/OM)

Great Northern Diver - 3os

Red-throated Diver - 3E

diver sp - 2E, 1W

Slavonian Grebe - 1E

Great Crested Grebe - 2W

Fulmar - 1W

Shag - 1E

Common Scoter - 4E, 2W, 48os

Red-breasted Merganser - 3E, 15os

Mediterranean Gull - 1E, 3W

Kittiwake - 8E, 5W

Sandwich Tern - 2E, 3W

Chiffchaff - 1p

Goldcrest - 1p

Ferry Pool: A count of the birds present this morning produced - 112 Teal, 2 Shelduck, 48 Wigeon, 2 Shoveler, 75 Lapwing, 17 Golden Plover and 2 Red-legged Partridge. (PB)

Also, early on, a Cetti's Warbler was calling and a Water Rail was in the roadside reed-bed. (AH)

Wigeon and Lapwings on the Ferry (AH)

Sidlesham Sewage Works: A Black Redstart was in the compound this morning, with 15 Pied Wagtails and a Sparrowhawk nearby, whilst 12 Chiffchaffs and 6 Long-tailed Tits were in the adjacent hedgerows. (OM)

(above) the new Ferry Hide, as viewed from the Sewage works area, and (below) the nearly completed Discovery area shelter, just visible through the trees. (OM)

Park Farm, Selsey: There were a Grey and a Pied Wagtail, two Stonechats and 20+ Curlews around the fields this morning. (AH/IP)

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

Church Norton: The second-winter Glaucous Gull was viewable from the end of the spit, though it was actually on the beach from Pagham Spit, eating a fish, having seen off two Great Black-backed Gulls and a gaggle of crows.

Otherwise, the five Velvet Scoters were offshore, along with a couple of Slavonian Grebes,  three Sandwich Terns, a Great Crested Grebe and half a dozen Red-breasted Mergansers, plus a few Common and Mediterranean Gulls, whilst in the harbour there were a Goosander, a Goldeneye, the female Eider and another half a dozen Red-breasted Mergansers.

The Peregrines were on their island, at least a dozen Skylarks were on the spit and a few Bar-tailed Godwits and Knot were among the many commoner waders. (AH/IP/BI/SR/CRJ)

A video of the Glaucous Gull is here

Glaucous Gull (above), Velvet Scoters, Goosander, Red-breasted Mergansers, Ringed Plover & Skylark at Church Norton (AH)

Pagham East side: A fantastic morning in the sunshine as I walked along Whites Creek to the sea, past Pagham Lagoon. There were 400+ Brent Geese,  60+ Wigeon, 30+ Teal and 200+ Black-tailed Godwits  (many having orange/rufousy summer plumage showing). Also, 6 Red-breasted Mergansers, 20+ Curlew, 5 Little Grebes, 20+ Pintail, 15+Tufted Duck, a Green Woodpecker and 80+  Mediterranean Gulls 80+ (mainly on lagoon ). A Stonechat, some Linnets and several Skylarks were also seen, plus a Peregrine on its island and some more Mediterranean Gulls on the sea. (S. Morgan)

North Wall: Highlights were a Spotted Redshank, 9 Ruff and 200+ Black-tailed Godwits this afternoon. (SH)

Medmerry: Porthole Farm to Ham Farm - There was no sign of the Black Redstart from hte other side of the sewage works, but there were a Grey Wagtail, 20+ Meadow Pipits, 10+ Skylarks, 20+ Stock Doves and 100+ Pied Wagtails around the settling tanks and adjacent ploughed field. At least a dozen Chiffchaffs and Long-tailed Tits were along the hedges before the sun went in and 200+ Lapwing dropped in on another of the ploughed fields.

There was nothing much around Ham Farm, though there were plenty of Dunlin, Grey Plovers and Redshank, plus a few Shelduck and a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers in the tidal area and a Buzzard along the bank. 

Also, a Fox and eight Roe Deer were in the fields. (AH)

Chiffchaff (above), Long-tailed Tit, Pied Wagtail, Fox & Roe Deer at Porthole Farm (AH)