Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 13th

Sunday, 15th April: A fairly cool, but pleasant, morning under mainly grey skies and with a light southerly breeze, before it became chillier as the wind shifted slightly more easterly and drizzly rain returned at lunchtime......

PLEASE NOTE this important update: Over the last 5 years RSPB Pagham Harbour has been part of the EU LIFE+ Little Tern Recovery project. Over this period the number of birds nesting on Tern Island has risen from about 10 nests, primarily Common Tern and Ringed Plover, to an amazing 450+ in 2017 including 21 pairs of Little Tern. Unfortunately despite increasingly complicated fencing attempts to keep the local predators out of the colony, this has been met by more ingenious ways of them entering the site. This winter we have managed to get permission to fence the island with a custom made anti-predator fence. As many of you may have noticed over the last few days, work has begun on the project to construct this fence. Also as part of the project the area of shingle will be cleared, which we have carried out in the past to prepare the island. New techniques to encourage increased productivity for Little Terns will also be employed with the introduction of sand patches, which help reduce the chilling of eggs whilst incubating and have proven successful at other sites. It is hoped that this work will be completed in the next 10 days, in advance of the Little Terns arriving back. (Ivan Lang, Warden, Pagham Harbour & Medmerry)

Also: A number of observers have approached the Blog editors querying when the new Ferry pool hide is going to open. We have approached the RSPB for an official update, which is shown herewith....' Official response: The weather has hampered the setting of the paths to the hide. We are waiting for a dry spell so that the contractors can get back on site to resolve some of these issues.' (Eds)

Selsey Bill: There was a bit of movement again this morning, including six Arctic Skuas, 30 Little Gulls, 300+ Brent Geese, 50+ Common Terns, a Black-throated Diver among a few Red-throated Divers and several hundred Common Scoters, whilst later on seven Manx Shearwaters went west. Also, the Purple Sandpiper was again off Hillfield Road with the Turnstone flock. Full log below...

0610-1330hrs: (JA/SH/PB/OM/IP/BI/AH/M&KG/JF/SHo et al)
Red-throated Diver - 13E, 3os

Black-throated Diver - 1E

Great Northern Diver - 2 os

Great Crested Grebe - 3E, 4W

Gannet - 51E, 27W

Fulmar - 7E, 8W

Manx Shearwater - 7E

Little Egret - 1E

Brent Goose - 324E

Shelduck - 3E

Common Scoter - 530E

Red-breasted Merganser - 3E, 2W

Peregrine - 1 p (flew offshore)

Curlew - 1E, 1W

Whimbrel - 3E

Bar-tailed Godwit - 3E

Purple Sandpiper - 1 ob, (on rocks, from Hillfield Road car-park)

Turnstone - 20 ob

Arctic Skua - 6E (5d/p, 1l/p)

Common Tern - 59E

'Commic' Tern - 44E

Sandwich Tern - 71E

Little Gull - 30E

Common Gull - 21E

Mediterranean Gull - 4E

Kittiwake - 7E, 2W

Swallow - 2N

Little Gulls (above), Arctic Skua, Brent Geese & Fox at the Bill (AH)

This afternoon there was a steady passage of Common and Sandwich Terns, along with 14 Arctic Skuas and seven Bonxies, a Little Tern, 12 Little Gulls and 26 Manx Shearwaters, including an impressive flock of 19 together. Full log below. (JA/SH/GH/AH/BI/IP et al)

(1410-1830hrs)

Great Norther Diver - 1E

Red-throated Diver - 7E

Manx Shearwater - 26E (inc 19 in one flock)

Fulmar - 1E

Gannet - 289E, 3W

Brent Goose - 112E

Common Scoter - 71E, 50os

Red-breastedMerganser - 2E

Whimbrel - 1E

Bar-tailed Godwit - 11E

Purple Sandpiper - 1E

Turnstone - 27E

Arctic Skua - 14E (all d/p)

Bonxie - 7E

Little Gull - 12E

Kittiwake - 2E

Common Gull - 15E

Mediterranean Gull - 2E

Sandwich Tern - 100+E

Common Tern - 136E

'Commic' Tern - 34E

Little Tern - 1E

Bonxie (above), Arctic Skua & Common Tern at the Bill (AH)

Ivy Lake: There were two Little Gulls feeding over the lake this aftenoon. (IL)

Ferry Pool: There were just two Teal, two Shelduck and five Shoveler on the pool today. (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: A Red Kite drifted over westwards at around 9.30am, but there wasn't too much else of note beyond a Curlew and a few Linnets on the fields and a couple of Chiffchaffs in the hedges. (AH/IP/RM)

Red Kite (above) & Curlew at Park Farm, Selsey (AH)

Church Norton: There was a Hobby over early on, and the Spoonbill flew west out of the harbour. (A&YF)

Later on there were up to four Sedge Warblers, a couple of Willow Warblers and Cetti's Warblers, plus a handful of Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs around the Severals, plus three Swallows over the second Several, but no other migrants.

A couple of Gannets, a Great Crested Grebe and a Red-breasted Merganser were offshore, the e pair of Shoveler and a dozen Teal were in the creek by the horse field and the Peregrines were on their island, but there wasn't much of note in the harbour beyond a lone Brent Goose, a Gadwall and a couple of Black-tailed Godwits. (AH/IP/RM)

Willow Warbler (above), Shoveler, Sandwich Terns & Mediterranean Gull at Church Norton (AH)

Late this afternoon there were 200+ Black-tailed Godwits on the mud, along with a couple of Bar-tailed Godwits, the Whimbrel, a few Grey Plovers and plenty of Sandwich Terns and Mediterraneann Gulls. (AW/AH)

Black-tailed Godwits (AW) (above), Whimbrel & Bar-tailed Godwit and Curlew (AH) at Church Norton

Fishbourne Channel: A walk from Fishbourne to Birdham this morning yielded very few migrants with only two Blackcaps and three Chiffchaffs noted. Two Cettis Warbler were heard in the reed-beds by the Birdham Marina, two Sandwich Terns were in the harbour at the marina and on the high tide the flooded fields at the Lavant outfall held about 80 Black-tailed Godwit and six Mediterranean Gulls in with the Black-headed and Herring Gulls. Higher in the Fishbourne Channel there were three Brent Geese, 11 Great Crested Grebes and nine Little Egrets. (RW)

Medmerry (West): Generally quiet today with the best being a Wheatear on the beach and two pairs of Little Ringed Plovers, one on the Stilt Pool and the other on the mud opposite. (BI)

Saturday, 14th April: A totally frustrating morning, with still conditions but dense fog cloaking the Peninsula! As the sun eventually burnt through to clear the view, unfortunately the coastal fog remained throughout, making sea-watching all but impossible. Sunshine and cloud later with a gentle E/SE breeze developing.....

Selsey Bill: That bane of the sea-watcher's life - coastal fog - made for a very frustrating morning today, with nothing visible offshore, though a visiting birder found one of the Purple Sandpipers among 20 or so Turnstones at Hillfield Road. All that was seen in an hour's 'seawatch' from 6.10am were a Blackcap and a Willow Warbler, plus three Mallards, in the gardens and an Oystercatcher and a Turnstone heard! (JA/SH)

0930-1200hrs: With the fog rolling in and out over the sea, 2 Sandwich Terns east along the shoreline was the best I could do. There was nothing for it but to give the gardens and area a good look - initially producing just 2 Chiffchaffs. However, on my circuit, as I turned (from Seal Square) into Seal Road, I passed alongside a large garden hedge - and was stopped in my tracks by a loud reeling coming from within. The reeling was mostly in fairly short bursts - say 10 seconds or so - just a few yards from me and on at least 8 occasions, but it sounded to me a tad lower toned than typical 'Gropper.' It was clearly a Locustella and I did begin to consider Savi's....but on balance, given my closeness to it and the still conditions, I feel it has to be a Grasshopper Warbler. It was moving through the hedge, but then went silent and despite all my efforts to re-locate it, I failed to hear it again (it may actually have flown north over the road). (OM)

Purple Sandpiper at the Bill (R.Martin)

(1810-1910hrs) (JA)

Great Northern Diver - 5os

Gannet - 16E, 2W, 7os

Brent Goose - 6E

Common Scoter - 170os

Bar-tailed Godwit - 3E

Mediterranean Gull - 2E

Common Gull - 6E

Sandwich Tern - 1E

Guillemot - 1W

Park Farm, Selsey: There were just two Chiffchaffs and a Great Spotted Woodpecker seen this morning. (S&SaH)

Sidlesham: A Lesser Whitethroat was singing in our garden on the west of the village this morning. (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were just two Lapwings and four each of Shelduck, Shoveler and Teal around the pool this morning, with a Whitethroat, a Blackcap, four Chiffchaffs and a few Linnets around the Tramway circuit. Also eight Greylag Geese went over heading east. (AH)

Chiffchaff (above), Linnet, Lapwing & Shoveler, Gadwall and Teal around Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: There were a Whitethroat, two Willow Warblers, four Sedge Warblers, three Cetti's Warblers and up to ten Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs around this morning, but the only other migrant seen was a lone Swallow.

Two or three Whimbrels, a few Curlews and plenty of Sandwich Terns and Mediterranean Gulls were around the harbour, whilst a couple of Jays and one or two Meadow Pipits and Skylarks were also seen. (S&SaH/AH/IP/BI)

Cetti's Warbler (above), Linnet & Shovelers at Church Norton (AH)

North Wall: The Black Redstart was still present near Smugglers Cottage, North Wall, Pagham Harbour at 8.30 this morning. A Cetti's Warbler and at least two Sedge Warblers could be heard in the foggy gloom, and a Blackcap and Chiffchaff were singing in the trees. (IH per SOS)

This afternoon a male Whinchat was present on a bush at the back of the horse paddocks and was later joined by a Wheatear and a pair of Reed Buntings. The Black Redstart was still around, along the wall near the Salthouse, and a Reed Warbler was singing along the Breech Pool. The Slipe Field was generally unproductive although there were two Chiffchaffs here as well as two Small Tortoiseshells, a Peacock and a Speckled Wood. (RM/IP/BI et al)

Whinchat (top - TB) (above), Wheatear & Black Redstart at the North Wall (BI)

Offshore: An exhausted Chiffchaff had a rest in our wheelhouse for about an hour yesterday afternoon, when we where fishing mid channel south of the Isle of Wight.
Also a single Swallow, a Wood Pigeon and several small (unidentified) birds flew past the boat. (CW)

Chiffchaff on a fishing boat (CW)

Friday, 13th April: An almost still day, with fairly light, but all-covering cloud and reasonably mild, too....

Selsey Bill: Almost nothing was on the move offshore bar 100+ Brents, with the best the gardens could offer being five Chiffchaffs and a Blackcap. Doubtless the cold and wintry conditions that have prevailed for so long in southern Europe have much to do with the lack of migrants here thus far, but with the forecast of warmer weather and southerly winds in coming days, the sense of anticipation amongst the frustrated locals is almost palpable......... Full log below:

0610-0940hrs: (JA/PM/C&ME/TR/AH/OM/BI)

Great Northern Diver - 7 os

Great Crested Grebe - 1 os

Gannet - 6E, 10W

Fulmar - 2E, 2W

Brent Goose - 129E, 2W

Shelduck - 2 os

Common Scoter - 19E, 160 os

Red-breasted Merganser - 2E

Razorbill - 1E

Dunlin - 1E

Sandwich Tern - 31E

Mediterranean Gull - 2E, 1W

Swallow - 2N

Blackcap - 1 Oval field

Chiffchaff - 5 gardens

Shelduck (above) & Brent Geese at the Bill (AH)

More Brent Geese on the move, and Blackcap at the Oval Field copse (OM)

A rather demoralised JA and OM abandoning the sea to check the bushes! (AH)

(1600-1745hrs) JA/SH)
Great Northern Diver - 2os

diver sp - 1W

Great Crested Grebe - 1os

Gannet - 30E, 1W, 2os

Brent Goose - 15E

Shelduck - 1W

Common Scoter - 11E, 160os
Arctic Skua - 3E (d/p)
Common Gull - 10E

Sandwich Tern - 22E, 2W

Common Tern - 4E

Pied Wagtail - 1p

West Wittering: A female Black Redstart was briefly in a tree in the neighbour's garden this morning. (GM)

Black Redstart at West Wittering (GM)

North Wall: The female Black Redstart was in the garden of Smuggler's Cottage (by the Salthouse) again this morning. (PC)

Ferry Pool: About 20 Redshank were roosting on the pool, along with 12 Shoveler and eight Teal, with six Wigeon in the creek at the back of the field.

There was a fleeting Whitethroat around the Tramway, but not much else beyond a couple of Blackcaps and up to four singing Chiffchaffs (AH) There was another singing Whitethroat near Yeoman's Field along with two more Chiffchaffs. (BI)

Chiffchaff around the Tramway (AH)

Long Pool: The Spotted Redshank was present along Ferry Channel this morning and is starting to acquire its summer plumage, but there wasn't too much else about beyond half a dozen Black-tailed Godwits, c30 Redshank and c20 Teal.

At least two (unseen) singing Sedge Warblers, a couple of Reed Buntings and a Chiffchaff were along the pool and six Gadwall were coming and going. (AH)

Spotted Redshank (above), Black-tailed Godwits & Gadwall around the Long Pool (AH)

Church Norton: There were four Siskins along the path between the Severals, whilst a Blackcap, a Willow Warbler, two Cetti’s Warblers, two Sedge Warblers and three Chiffchaffs were also about, with a couple of Buzzards overhead and lots of Mediterranean Gulls in the harbour. (A&YF)
This morning there were two male Blackcaps in the sheep field near the mound, in contrast to two females yesterday. A pair of Mute Swans have built a nest on the 2nd several, and there were a pair of Little Grebes nearby. A Redwing was seen at a distance on a field near Greenlease Farm. (AW)

Blackcap stand-off at Church Norton and Mute Swans at Severals nest site (AW)

Sidlesham: There were a pair of Bullfinches in Cow Lane this morning. (AH)

Ivy Lake: There were up to 100 hirundines feeding high over the lake this morning, most of which were Swallows, but with a few Sand Martins and one or two House Martins among them.
Also, a Willow Warbler, two Cetti's Warblers, two Reed Buntings and a handful of Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs were singing from the hedges, whilst the Black Swan still has all seven of her cygnets. (AH/PH)

Black Swan family at Ivy Lake (AH)

Chi GPs - Drayton Pits: Nothing to get excited about here this morning....the best being a singing Reed Warbler, 2 Cetti's Warblers, 2 Blackcaps, a Bullfinch, 5 Snipe, 5 Shoveler and 27 Pochard. (OM)

Medmerry (East): Breach & Toe End - There was a singing Corn Bunting on what little remains of the small patch of habitat around Toe End, and it was later joined briefly by a second bird, so presumably a pair? A pair of Skylarks were also present, but there were no other passerines, and the only other bird of any note in the area was a Great Northern Diver offshore. (Chainbridge field nearby barely merits a mention this morning with just a couple of Chiffchaffs and a Buzzard) (OM)

Medmerry (West): A Whitethroat was near Marsh Barn this morning and there were ten Greylag Geese and two Little Ringed Plovers on the Stilt Pool. (BI)