Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 7th

Monday, 9th April: Another dank and dreary morning, with a light north-easterly and persistent, irritating drizzle, occasionally turning to rain.....

Selsey Bill: There was an obvious influx of at least 30 Willow/Chiffs along the front - about half looking like Willow Warblers - with even the odd snatch of song from both species to assist ID! Six Swallows came in, too, but the sea was very quiet beyond a few Sandwich Terns drifting east. Full log below......
0700-1130hrs: (OM/C&ME/AH/MJ)
Red-throated Diver - 1E
Great Northern Diver - 2os
diver sp - 1W
Great Crested Grebe - 1E, 1os
Gannet - 4E
Common Scoter - at least 300 os in one huge flock
Red-breasted Merganser - 2W
Sandwich Tern - 33E
Common Gull - 4W
Swallow - 6N
Chiffchaff - c.15 beach/gardens
Willow Warbler - c.15 beach/gardens

Willow Warblers (above), Sandwich Tern & Turnstone at the Bill (AH)

Selsey, Northcommon Farm: Amazingly, there seemed to be no sign of any influx here, with no Willow/Chiffs at all that I could see! The only birds of note were a Green Woodpecker and a flock of 60+ Mediterranean Gulls, with a similar number of Black-headed Gulls, on the paddock fields and onto the adjacent golf course. (OM)

Later on there were two Firecrests around Flycatcher Corner. (SH)

Mediterranean Gulls with Black-headed Gulls on Selsey Golf course (OM)

North Selsey: A Chiffchaff was in our garden, whilst around Manor Lane and Park Lane there were two Redwings, three Willow Warblers, two Grey Wagtails, a Blackcap and another Chiffchaff. (S&SaH)

Redwings in Selsey (SH)

Ivy Lake: There were at least ten House Martins and c50 Swallows, plus a Common Tern over the lake at lunchtime today, with Chiffchaff and Blackcap singing from the roadside hedges. (AB) The Swallows & House Martins, joined by at least two Sand Martins, were still over Ivy Lake this evening. (BI)

Ferry Pool: There were ten Shovelers and c20 Teal on the pool, plus a single Lapwing, whilst six Wigeon were in the creek at the back.
There was not much around the Tramway circuit beyond a singing Blackcap, two singing Chiffchaffs and two singing Song Thrushes. (AH)

Chiffchaff (above) & Song Thrush around the Tramway (AH)

Church Norton: Beyond a Sedge Warbler singing intermittently from the first Several it was very quiet for migrants, with a Chiffchaff and a couple of Goldcrests in the churchyard being about it.
There were over 300 Black-tailed Godwits in the harbour, along with the usual Sandwich Terns, Mediterranean and Black-headed Gulls, whilst four Red-breasted Mergansers were offshore, seven Brent Geese were in the field behind the churchyard and a Snipe, a pair of Shovelers and c30 Teal were in the creek by the horse field.. (AH)

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

Sunday, 8th April: A calm but murky, grey and damp day, with drizzly rain at first giving way to heavier and more prolonged rain later, before giving way to more drizzle, though the wind was a very light N/NE.....

Selsey Bill: A fair turnout of observers in the rain this morning were not really rewarded for their efforts, other than with a distant Arctic Skua and a few Common and Sandwich Terns passing. Full details below.
0615-1200hrs: (JA/SH/PB/CN/IP/SR/AH/BI/JF/OM et al)

Great Northern Diver - 7os

Red-throated Diver - 2E

diver sp - 1E

Great Crested Grebe - 2E, 2W, 1os

Fulmar - 1E

Gannet - 16E, 7W

Brent Goose - 3W

Red-breasted Merganser - 7E, 6W, 3os

Sparrowhawk - 1p

Whimbrel - 1W

Arctic Skua - 1E (d/p)

Common Tern - 5E

'Commic ' Tern - 7E, 2W

Sandwich Tern - 76E, 7W

Great Spotted Woodpecker - 1E over gardens

Swallow - 4p

Chiffchaff- 4 gardens

Willow Warbler - 1 gardens

Great Northern Diver (above), Sandwich Tern, Whimbrel & Great Spotted Woodpecker at the Bill (AH)

(1315-1415hrs) (SH)
Great Northern Diver - 2os
Red-throated Diver - 1E
Gannet - 2E
Common Scoter - 200os
Red-breasted Merganser - 3W
Sandwich Tern - 7E, 2W
Common Tern - 4E
Meadow Pipit - 1N
Linnet - 2N

(1600-1730hrs) (SH/JA)
Great Northern Diver - 7os
diver sp - 3E
Fulmar - 2W
Gannet - 14E, 5W
Red-breasted Merganser - 4E, 2os
Kittiwake - 1E
Sandwich Tern - 18E, 4W
Common Tern - 3E
'Commic' Tern - 3E
Swallow - 1N

Selsey, Park Farm: There were two Shelduck on the new balance pool, and the area held two Great Spotted Woodpeckers, a pair of Linnets, a Swallow, two Blackcaps, a Goldcrest and 10+ Chiffchaffs. (S&SaH/IP/AH)

Blackcap (above) & Linnet at Park Farm, Selsey (AH)

Medmerry: Stilt Pool - There was no sign of the pair of Garganey this morning, though there were at least 15 Swallows over the pool. (BI)

Medmerry: Porthole Farm and Ham Farm - Early this afternoon there was one (and possibly two) Hawfinches in the trees near the farm. (BO'D)

Later on, two Corn Buntings were on the fence along the bank and a couple of Blackcaps and half a dozen Chiffchaffs were in the hedges at Ham Farm, whilst a Whimbrel went high west and a Peregrine also went over.

At Porthole Farm there were about a dozen Swallows over the settling tanks, several Chiffchaffs in the adjacent hedges, a couple of Reed Buntings and a dozen Linnets and Goldfinches by the solar panels and c30 Mediterranean and 100+ Black-headed Gulls on the fields. (AH)

Corn Buntings (above), Chiffchaff, Swallow & Reed Bunting at Medmerry (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were two Gadwall, four Shelduck and a dozen or so Shovelers and Teal on the pool, but not much else. (AH)

Shoveler on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: The two Peregrines were still present and there were also at least 20 Sandwich Terns and c40 Mediterranean Gulls in the harbour, along with c40 Black-tailed Godwits, whilst offshore there were four Wigeon and eight Red-breasted Mergansers.

Around the Severals there were two Shoveler and two Common Terns hawking over the pools, along with up to four Sedge Warblers, three Cetti's Warblers, 10+ Chiffchaffs, a Blackcap and two Willow Warblers. (S&SaH/IP/AH)

Common Tern over the Severals (SH)

Saturday, 7th April: A cool and mostly grey day, with the moderate breeze drifting round from east towards south- west during the day.....

Selsey Bill: A much quieter day than yesterday for numbers heading east, but five Little Terns early on and a Black Tern and a lonesome White-fronted Goose were good compensation for those lucky enough to see them! Full log below. (JA/PB/AB/CN/IP/SR/IP/M&KG et al)

(0620-1200hrs)

Great Northern Diver - 5os

Red-throated Diver - 62E, 2W, 3os

diver sp - 2E

Red-necked Grebe - 1os

Great Crested Grebe -6E, 2os

Fulmar - 1E, 1W

Gannet - 61E, 6W

White-fronted Goose - 1E

Canada Goose - 2W

Brent Goose - 22E

Shelduck - 1W

Shoveler - 10E

Tufted Duck - 2E

Common Scoter - 319E, 220os

Red-breasted Merganser - 14E, 3W, 3os

Whimbrel - 1E

Turnstone - 20W

Arctic Skua - 4E (d/p)

Common Gull - 90E

Black-headed Gull - 47E

Mediterranean Gull - 1E

Kittiwake - 18E, 2W

Little Tern - 5E

Sandwich Tern - 214E

Common Tern - 16E

'Commic' Tern - 44E

Razorbill - 1E, 1W

Swallow - 1N

Fulmar (above), Common Tern & Tufted Ducks and Common Scoters past the Bill (AH)

(1530-1700hrs) (JA/CN)
Great Northern Diver - 1os
Red-throated Diver - 1E
Gannet - 9E, 9W
Common Scoter - 83E, 11W
Red-breasted Meranser - 2E
Arctic Skua - 1E (d/p)
Common Gull - 48E
Mediterranean Gull - 2E
Sandwich Tern - 2E, 5W
Common Tern - 1W
Guillemot - 1W
auk sp - 1E
Swallow - 2N

Ferry Pool: A Spotted Redshank, two Little Ringed Plovers, two Lapwing and four Redshank were on the pool this morning, along with the usual pair of Gadwall, four Wigeon and a dozen or more Shovelers and Teal. (AB/AH/CN)

A White Wagtail was nearby in fields by the 'Old Piggery' Farm Shop. (BI)

Little Ringed Plovers (above) & Gadwall, Shovelers & Teal at the Ferry (AH)

Chichester Marina reed-beds: There was a Bearded Tit seen flying over the reed bed this morning, with a Cetti's Warbler in front of the hide, whilst a pair of Bullfinches were in nearby Salterns Copse. (P&JW)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - A pair of Garganey were on the Stilt Pool today, along with up to six Little Ringed Plovers and similar of Ringed Plovers, plus a few Teal, Shoveler and Tufted Ducks, whilst a dozen or so Swallows passed through, with three seen at the first pool, too.

There were 20+ Avocets on the pool, with 40+ on the mud opposite the poplars, along with similar of Redshank and Teal, but beyond a pair of Stonechats there were just the usual Linnets, Yellowhammers and Skylarks along the banks. (BO'D/GT/AB/M&KG/AH et al)

Garganeys (above), Little Ringed and Ringed Plovers, Avocets & Yellowhammer at Medmerry (AH)

Medmerry: Porthole Farm - There were at least 20 Swallows over the settling tanks of the sewage works this evening, and a couple of Chiffchaffs were in the hedges. (AH)

Swallow at Porthole Farm (AH)

Ivy Lake: A Swallow was over the lake this afternoon. (AB)

Park Farm, Selsey: A Swallow went over early on and a couple of Chiffchaffs were along the lane. (AH/IP/CN) Also, a Willow Warbler and a couple of Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs were in our garden nearby. (S&SaH)

Selsey, East Beach: A Firecrest was along the alley known as Fisherman's Walk this afternoon. (SR)

Firecrest at East Beach (SR)

Church Norton: A Sedge Warbler singing in the first Several and one or two Chiffchaffs about were the only indications of migration, though there were a few more Linnets and the odd Reed Bunting about, too, as well as a few Skylarks on the spit.

Three Red-throated Divers and two Brent Geese went east offshore, with half a dozen of the latter still in the harbour, though there wasn't too much else of note beyond a scattering of remaining winter wildfowl and waders, though a Whimbrel was with a Curlew on fields at Greenlease Farm before they both flew into the harbour. (AH/IP/CN/AB/BI)