4th - 6th March 2018

Tuesday, 6th March: Another pleasant morning, with a bit of sunshine, a few brief spots of rain and a light southerly breeze........

Selsey Bill: A number of observers paid brief visits this morning, mostly during their unsuccessful search for the missing Iceland Gull. There wasn't much moving beyond a dozen Red-throated Divers and some Red-breasted Mergansers, though two small flocks of Brent Geese looked like they meant business, and the large flock of Common Scoter was still distantly offshore. Full log below......
0730-1100hrs: (OM et al)
Red-throated Diver - 12E
Great Crested Grebe - 1 os
Brent Goose - 10E
Common Scoter - 80+ os
Red-breasted Merganser - 7E, 12W, 10 os
Wigeon - 25W
Sanderling - 2E, 1os
Mediterranean Gull - 10 os

East Beach: There was no sign of the Iceland Gull by late morning in the areas it had frequented yesterday. (AH/CRJ et al)
Later, at around 1100, a Sandwich Tern and a ringed Mediterranean Gull were present in the area. (AW)

 Ringed Mediterranean Gull and Sandwich Tern at Selsey East beach (AW)

Selsey (West) - Coastguards: There were six Great Northern Divers offshore this morning - five in close formation on a calm sea and a more distant sixth bird - no wonder I couldn't find any at the Bill! A similar number of Red-breasted Mergansers were also present here. (OM)

Ferry Pool: There were c150 Lapwing around the pool early on, and between the pool and the creeks on the field there were eight Shelduck, the drake Pintail, 14 Shoveler, a pair of Gadwall, c60 Teal and c200 Wigeon. (AH)

Lapwings and Shelduck (above) & Shoveler, Gadwall and Teal around the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: There was nothing but three Red-breasted Mergansers offshore, with another pair in the harbour, along with the female Goosander in its usual area near the harbour-mouth, whilst the Peregrines were around their island and at least 1000 Brent Geese were at the far end of the harbour.
Two Rock Pipits were on the spit, along with at least a dozen Skylarks, whilst at least ten Bar-tailed Godwits were among the commoner waders, and there were at least 30 Common Gulls and ten Mediterranean Gulls about, too.. (AH et al)

Skylarks (above), Rock Pipit, Goosander, Red-breasted Mergansers, Common Gull & Bar-tailed Godwit and Dunlin at Church Norton (AH)

There was nothing much to add to earlier reports from Church Norton except a Red-throated Diver on the sea. (AW)

Red-throated Diver at Church Norton (AW)

Pagham East side/Lagoon: Amongst the more regular wildfowl and wader species today were the female Eider, the redhead Goosander, 200+ Brent Geese and several Pochard. Other species recorded included 40+ Mediterranean Gulls, a Peregrine and a Stonechat. (SM) 

Itchenor/Chichester channel: Highlights today were a Short-eared Owl and a Great Northern Diver. (BFF/DM)
 
 


Monday, 5th March: A fairly pleasant early spring morning, though mostly grey and with a bit of a bite in the south-easterly breeze........


Selsey Bill: A second-winter/third calendar year Iceland Gull was briefly at the Bill amongst a large number of other gulls, before heading off west at 8.10am (see report from East Beach, below, where it later re-appeared), but there was very little on the move beyond a handful of Red-throated Divers, whilst a Rock Pipit and a Sanderling were on the beach. (OM/AH/SR) Full log below......

0735-1035hrs:
Red-throated Diver - 10E
Great Crested Grebe - 1E, 1os
Brent Goose - 2E
Common Scoter - 13E, c.80 os
Red-breasted Merganser - 5E, 3W, 3os
Sanderling - 1 ob
Mediterranean Gull - 8 os
Iceland Gull - 1os (0810hrs) close inshore, soon flew off west (OM)
Rock Pipit - 1 ob

Rock Pipit (above) & Sanderling with Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls at the Bill (AH)

East Beach: The Iceland Gull re-appeared late in the morning off the fish-shops and was sat on the sea, close inshore, for an hour or more. (GH et al)


A video of the Iceland Gull is here

Iceland Gull at East Beach (AH)

 Further pics of the Iceland Gull (OM)

More Iceland Gull pics (AB)

Late afternoon the Iceland Gull was still present, now out of the water on a groyne opposite the beacon.

Iceland Gull at East Beach (SR)

Ferry Pool: Not much was about this morning, just a lone Shoveler, a few Wigeon and Teal and ten Shelducks. (AH)

Church Norton: Despite two thorough searches the Iceland Gull didn't make it to the harbour today, with a Lesser Black-backed Gull the best on offer! (AW)

Lesser Black-backed Gull at Church Norton (AW)

Medmerry: Windmill to the breach - There were c40 Meadow Pipits in the field by the windmill this morning, with another half a dozen, plus a couple of Reed Buntings on the last bit of rough ground at Toe  End.
There was nothing offshore, but in the pools around the breach there were eight Lesser Black-backed Gulls, a few Mediterranean and Common Gulls, three Bar-tailed Godwits, five Curlews, c150 Dunlin, along with six Pintail, 15 Shelduck and 250 Brent Geese. (AH)

Common Gull (above), Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Meadow Pipit & Wren at Medmerry (AH)

Sunday, 4th March: Notably milder than in recent days with the welcome thaw complete, but with a fresh S/SSE breeze keeping the temperature down on the coast. Mainly sunny at first but becoming cloudier, with the increasing risk of showers later.....

Selsey Bill: A total of 114 Red-throated Divers headed east this morning, but no numbers of anything else were on the move, though four Little Gulls east were among a selection of other species seen. Four more Red-throated Divers east later on took the day total to 118. Full log below. (JA/SH/SR/PB/IP/SR/RJS)
(0630-1000hrs)
Great Northern Diver - 3os
Red-throated Diver - 99E, 3os
diver sp -10E
Great Crested Grebe - 2E, 1os
Gannet - 1os
Brent Goose - 1E
Common Scoter - 46E, 50os
Red-breasted Merganser - 9E, 3W, 5os
Curlew - 1W
Bar-tailed Godwit - 1E
Little Gull - 4E
Mediterranean Gull - 6E, 2p
Common Gull - 37E
Kittiwake - 16E
Sandwich Tern - 1E
Meadow Pipit - 1E

(1110-1155) (BI/MJ)
Red-throated Diver - 15E
Brent Goose - 8W
Red-breasted Merganser - 1E
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 4E

(1230-1330) (SH)
Red-throated Diver - 4E
Great Crested Grebe - 1os
Common Scoter - 8E, 80os
Red-breasted Merganser - 5E, 6W, 2os
Common Gull - 5E

Red-throated Divers and Common Scoters (above) & Red-breasted Mergansers past the Bill (AH)

Pagham Lagoon: There was no sign of the Black-necked Grebe this afternoon. (IP)

Ferry Pool: A couple of hundred Lapwings were back around the pool and fields, along with two Golden Plovers, three Black-tailed Godwits and two Redshank, whilst there were plenty of wildfowl present, including a drake Pintail, a pair of Gadwall, a pair of Shoveler, c60 Teal and c200 Wigeon. (AH)

Late this afternoon a Barn Owl was seen hunting in nearby fields. (J Wootton)

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

Park Farm, Selsey: A Grey Wagtail, a Pied Wagtail, a pair of Linnets, a female Stonechat, a Red-legged Partridge, a Skylark and half a dozen Curlews were among the birds seen around the farm this morning. (AH/IP/S&SaH/PB)

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

Church Norton: A Marsh Harrier drifted west over the harbour mid-morning, whilst the two Peregrines were on their island, a two Sparrowhawks and a Kestrel were also seen.

There were two (and possibly three) Great Northern Divers offshore, plus a lone Gannet going west and a drake eider going east, whilst in the harbour the female Eider, the female Goosander and four Goldeneye were present, along with a couple of Pintail, plenty of Wigeon and Teal and up to 2000 Brent Geese.

Among waders seen were 14 Avocets in the main channel, up to 20 scattered Bar-tailed Godwits and 50+ Knot among large numbers of the commoner species, whilst there were a Lesser Black-backed Gull and 20+ Common and Mediterranean Gulls about, too. Also, a Mistle Thrush was at Greenlease Farm, a female Stonechat in the horse field and half a dozen Skylarks and 20+ Linnets were along the spit. (AH/IP/BI/S&SaH/PB)

Bar-tailed Godwits (above) & Lesser Black-backed Gull at Church Norton (AH)

A Red-throated Diver went west offshore this afternoon, whilst at high tide there were a number of Knot again on the beach with the usual waders and there were four Goldeneye, including one drake in the harbour and a small flock of Redwing were in the trees near Greenlease Farm. (AW)

Red-throated Diver (above), Goldeneye, Knot & Redwings at Church Norton (AW)

North Wall: The Spotted Redshank was in White's Creek this morning. (MO-W)

Spotted Redshank from North Wall (MO-W)

Medmerry: Porthole Farm to Ham Farm - There were no passerines about at all, save a few Starlings, but around the tidal area from the banks at Ham there were a Spotted Redshank, a couple of Knot annd Bar-tailed Godwits, 10+ Redshank and Grey Plover and 100+ Dunlin, and there were ten Pintail among the \wigeon, Teal and Shelducks present. (AH)

Spotted Redshank (above), Pintail & Knot and Dunlin at Medmerry (AH)