7th - 9th March 2018

Friday, 9th March: A grey and dank morning, with a freshening easterly breeze and spells of drizzle and light rain....

Selsey Bill: There were 12 Great Northern Divers offshore, including nine together in a loose group, along with c85 Common Scoters, but 25 Red-throated Divers east was the only passage of note. Full log below......
0650-1150hrs: (PM/OM/BI/JA)
Red-throated Diver - 25E
Great Northern Diver - 12 os
diver sp - 1E
Great Crested Grebe - 1E, 2W, 1 os
Gannet - 1W
Brent Goose - 31E, 8W
Common Scoter - flock of 85 os
Red-breasted Merganser - 4E, 15 os
Turnstone - 28 ob
auk sp - 1E
Kittiwake - 1W
Mediterranean Gull - 1E, 2W
Pied Wagtail - 1E



Ferry Pool: The six Ruff were still on the field this morning, along with 100+ Lapwing and c250 Wigeon, with a dozen Shovelers, c40 Teal and six Shelduck also present. (AH)

Ruff and Lapwings (above) & Wigeon and Teal at the Ferry (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - There were at least 500 Linnets along with plenty of Yellowhammers and Skylarks, plus a handful of Reed Buntings along the banks, though only one Stonechat was seen, with up to 100 Meadow Pipits around the Stilt Pool, and two Fieldfares that flew over the poplars.
The Avocet count on the Stilt Pool had risen to 38 this morning, though the only other waders about were a flock of a dozen Golden Plover and a handful of Redshanks and Curlews out on the main reserve. Among the wildfowl present were 24 Shovelers, eight Gadwall, ten Tufted Duck, eight Canada Geese, c100 Wigeon and c200 Teal. (AH) 

Yellowhammer (above), Stonechat, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Avocets & Gadwall at Medmerry (AH)

Medmerry: Ham Farm - There wasn't much going on here as the weather deteriorated, though a Green Woodpecker and a dozen Skylarks and Meadow Pipits were around the rough ground and c20 Grey Plover,c20 Redshank, a handful of Ringed Plovers and Curlews and c80 Dunlin were on the tidal area. (AH)

Green Woodpecker (above) & Ringed Plover, Grey Plover and Dunlin at Medmerry (AH)

Thursday, 8th March: A mostly bright morning, but with the fresh westerly breeze making it decidedly chilly....

Selsey Bill: Several flocks of Brent Geese and a dozen Red-throated Divers went east, and a couple of Meadow Pipits came in off the sea, suggesting that migration might just be starting. Full log below......

0800-1030hrs: (OM/BFF/SR/AH/MJ)
Red-throated Diver - 12E, 1W
Great Northern Diver - 2os

Fulmar - 1W

Brent Goose - 75E, 4W

Common Scoter - 5E, 2W

Red-breasted Merganser - 12 os

auk sp - 1E, 1W

Sandwich Tern - 2 os

Mediterranean Gull - 4E

Meadow Pipit - 2N

Three old duffers at the Bill putting the world to rights....l-to-r OM/MJ/BFF (alias Owen, Merv and Bernie) (SR)

An update on the ringed Mediterranean Gull (red band PRE2) at Selsey East beach on 6th March: I received details back from Stacja Ornithological Institute in Poland, as follows.... 

Ringed in Poland May 2015; recorded in Leipzig, Germany Jun-Jul 2016; Middleton-on-Sea Aug 2016; Leipzig, Germany May 2017; Poland Jun 2017; then Selsey Mar 2018. (AW)

(An interesting history....thanks to AW.... surely there must also be a Polish-ringed Caspian Gull out there somewhere....! Eds)

Ferry Pool: There were six Ruff busily feeding among the 200+ roosting Lapwings on the field this morning, whilst around the pool and creeks there were two Gadwall, eight Shoveler, eight Shelduck, c50 Teal and c150 Wigeon. (AH)

Ruff and Lapwings (above) & Gadwall and Shelduck on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: There was nothing too much out of the ordinary, though the female Eider and two Goldeneye were on the far side, the two Peregrines were on their island and there were at least 20 Bar-tailed Godwits, 200 Knot and 50 Common Gulls about, plus the Whimbrel in its usual area near the bench. 

At least 1000 Brent Geese were on the mud towards the North Wall, whilst a couple of pairs of Ringed Plovers were displaying and at least half a dozen Skylarks were singing well over the spit. Also, two pairs of Lapwings were displaying on the lettuce fields in Rectory Lane. (AH/OM/BFF/MJ) 

Bar-tailed Godwit (above), Ringed Plover, Peregrines, Common Gulls, Lapwing & Wigeon at Church Norton (AH)

Sidlesham: A dozen Redwing briefly passed through our garden on the west of the village this morning. (AH)

Redwing in Sidlesham (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: A Redwing was along the hedges this evening. (SH)

Redwing at Park Farm, Selsey (SH)

Wednesday, 7th March: After a very dank, drizzly and foggy start, a bright and breezy morning of sunshine and cloud....

Ferry Pool: There were 60 Lapwing on the pool, along with six Shelduck and 25 Teal this morning, with twenty Curlews in the field and 12 Shoveler and another 80 Teal on the creek. (AH)

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

Long Pool: There were just two Little Grebes and six Tufted Duck on the pool and a couple of Song Thrushes, a briefly calling Cetti's Warbler and a Reed Bunting were along the sides, whilst a Kingfisher and a Great Crested Grebe were at the road end of Ferry Channel. 

At the far end of the channel there was a Spotted Redshank, along with a dozen Grey Plover and Dunlin, with more of the latter two, plus a few Wigeon, Teal and Shelduck out in the harbour. (AH)

Spotted Redshank (above), Kingfisher, Great Crested Grebe & Grey Plover from Long Pool (AH)

Honer Reservoir: The Long-tailed Duck was on the water this morning, along with two Coots, four Shelduck were on the flooded field and a couple of Yellowhammers and half a dozen Reed Buntings were along the adjacent hedge. (AH)

Long-tailed Duck (above) & Reed Bunting at Honer Reservoir (AH)

Church Norton: A quick look at lunchtime found a Red Kite soaring over Priory Wood, whilst there were also a few Mediterranean Gulls on the mud at low tide and the female Goosander was near the harbour entrance. (AW)

Red Kite (above), Goosander & Mediterranean Gulls at Church Norton (AW)

Late this afternoon a Barn Owl was hunting over the horse field, and there were also three Stonechats about. (SH)

Barn Owl at Church Norton (SH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - Around the Stilt pool area there were 17 Avocets, 25+ Lapwings and a few of Shoveler, Gadwall, Teal and Wigeon. Along the path were 2 Skylarks, a Stonechat, a Reed Bunting, and two Yellowhammers with a flock of 25 Chaffinch. A Dartford Warbler was also reported by a couple of birders I met. (MJ)