Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 20th

Tuesday, 22nd May: Another very pleasant morning, with plenty of sunshine and a moderate north-easterly breeze............

Selsey Bill: There were two more Pomarine Skuas east this morning - at 0715 and 0750hrs - but none after that in an otherwise quiet morning, though there was a most unusual sight of three Barnacle Geese (origins unknown) that flew in over the houses from the west, circled round and then carried on east.
Two interesting footnotes regarding the Barnacle Geese - firstly four were reported over Portland today, and secondly, Guy Wilkerson saw three Barnacle Geese heading north over his boat in the Solent, half a mile north of Ryde, at 11.30am yesterday - surely the same birds.
Full log below.......
0615-1230hrs: (PB/C&ME/OM/AH/CRJ et al)
Fulmar - 1E, 1W
Gannet - 126E, 32W
Barnacle Goose - 3E
Common Scoter - 24E, 2W
Whimbrel - 1E
Turnstone - 27W
Little Tern - 3E
Common Tern - 4os
Sandwich Tern - 22E
Kittiwake - 1E
Mediterranean Gull - 2E
Arctic Skua - 1E
Pomarine Skua - 2E (0712,0750)
Guillemot - 1W
Razorbill - 2W
Auk sp - 4E, 2W
Swift - 3N
Swallow - 23N
House Martin - 1N, 6p
Whitethroat - 1 gardens

Barnacle Geese (above), Sandwich Terns & House Martins at the Bill (AH)

(1650-1830hrs) (SH)
Gannet - 10E, 3W
Whimbrel - 1E
Kittiwake - 2W
gull sp (presumably mostly Herring) - 500+ os distantly
Sandwich Tern - 17os
Little Tern - 2os
Common Tern - 4os
Swallow - 3N

Ferry Pool: A Little Stint was at the back of the pool early this morning, and there were also a Common Sandpiper, the pair of Little Ringed Plovers, 15 Avocets, eight Redshank and c120 Black-tailed Godwits present, plus five Ringed Plovers that dropped in and flew straight out again, and a visiting birder reported the Wood Sandpiper as present later on, though it was not on view late morning.
Also of note on the pool were a pair of Lapwings with three well-grown chicks, the Shelduck family and four Gadwall, but there wasn't much around the Tramway circuit beyond the usual Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Whitethroats. (AH/OM/BI et al)

Little Stint (above), Common Sandpiper, Ringed Plovers, Lapwing chicks & Blackcap around the Ferry (AH)

Sidlesham: Church Farm Lane - This evening the male Stonechat was sitting out and singing, whilst nearby there were a pair of Grey Partridges in one of the bare fields along with a Mistle Thrush and a Kestrel. (AH) Later in the evening a Barn Owl was also present in the area. (BI)

Grey Partridges (above) & Stonechat in Sidlesham (AH)

Church Norton: There wasn't much to report this morning, though it seems as though two pairs of Swallows might use the hide, whilst out in the harbour sandwich Terns were displaying and mating and Little Terns were busy around the island.
The little flock of Dunlin and Ringed Plovers were still present, but no other waders were evident. (AH)

Swallow (above) & Dunlin at Church Norton (AH)

This evening at high-tide there was a single Bar-tailed Godwit in the harbour along with at least 20 Turnstones and six Ringed Plovers, sat on the old pier. Around 20 Little Terns could be seen nesting on Tern Island with much movement back and forth with catches of fish. Also, five House Martins were flying around over Norton House. (AW)

House Martin at Church Norton (AW)

Monday, 21st May: After a fairly chill start, a very pleasantly warm and sunny morning, with just a light easterly breeze........

Selsey Bill: There was very little on the move this morning beyond a few Gannets, Sandwich Terns and Common Scoter, plus a Fulmar and a Swift. Full log below.....
0630-1200hrs.. (C&ME/AH)
Great Northern Diver - 3E, 1os
Fulmar- 1E, 3W
Gannet - 40E, 5W
Eider - 4E
Shelduck - 2 ob
Common Scoter - 62E
Turnstone - 10E
Bonxie - 1E
Little Tern - 5os
Common Tern - 6os
Sandwich Tern - 15E
Swift - 1N
Swallow - 36N

Sandwich Tern (above) & Gannet at the Bill (AH)

(1730-1845hrs) (SH)
Manx Shearwater - 61+E (a flock of 21, followed by a flock of 40+ east just after 1800hrs)
Gannet - 14E, 9W
Whimbrel - 2E
Sandwich Tern - 5os
Common Tern - 2os
Swallow - 3N

Ferry Pool: A Wood Sandpiper was on the back of the pool this morning, and there were also a Little Ringed Plover, seven Avocets, six Redshank and c120 Black-tailed Godwits (of which all bar 25 appeared to have decamped to Church Norton). The Shelduck family and four Gadwall were also still present. (AH/BI)

Wood Sandpiper (above) & Black-tailed Godwits at the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool: There was nothing too unusual along the pool, though there were plenty of singing Reed and Sedge warblers, a Lesser Whitethroat, a Blackcap, several Whitethroats and two or three Reed Buntings and Linnets.
There were a couple of Little Grebes and Gadwall on the pool, but not much beyond a Lapwing and a few Redshank and Shelduck in Ferry Channel. (AH)

Reed Warbler (above), Whitethroat & Linnet along the Long Pool (AH)

Church Norton: There were a Bar-tailed Godwit, a Knot, a Grey Plover and a Whimbrel in the harbour along with 85 Black-tailed Godwits, a dozen Ringed Plovers and Dunlin, a Little Egret and the usual suspects around the island, including at least 20 Little Terns and Mediterranean Gulls.
On the landside, a Cuckoo was calling from the front of Priory Wood, the Swallows were still nest-building in the hide, a Blackcap was singing near Greenlease Farm, a Cetti's Warbler showed well along the Severals, where the Reed and Sedge Warblers were still singing and a Red-legged Partridge was on the roof of the old barn along Rectory Lane. (AH/AW)

Cetti's Warbler (above), Swallows, Mediterranean Gull, Red-legged Partridge (AH), Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits, Blackcap & Little Egret (AW) at Church Norton

Selsey: An Oak Hook-tip, another species for the garden - was in the trap this morning. (SH)

Oak Hook-tip in a Selsey moth-trap (SH)

Sunday, 20th May: A surprisingly cold morning, with heavy cloud cover and a fresh easterly breeze, though warming a little as the day progressed....

Selsey Bill: The highlight was undoubtedly the first Roseate Tern of the spring, that went east with a flock of 'Commic' Terns at 8.24am. Otherwise, a Pomarine Skua went through early (6.09am), and there was also one Arctic Skua, 75 'Commic' Terns, 84 Common Scoter and a few Bar-tailed Godwits going east and a bit of local movement from the regular species. Later in the day another four Pomarine Skuas went east. Full log below. (JA/JF/SH/AH/OM/MJ)

(0550-1300hrs)
Black-throated Diver - 1E
Great Northern Diver - 4os
Fulmar - 1E, 2W
Gannet - 78E, 5W
Common Scoter -167E
Grey Plover - 1E
Ringed Plover - 1E
Sanderling - 20E
Whimbrel - 4E
Bar-tailed Godwit - 17E
Pomarine Skua - 1E (d/p)
Arctic skua - 4E (l/p)
Kittwake - 4E
Roseate Tern - 1E
Sandwich Tern - 37E
Little Tern - 2E, 3os
Common Tern - 24E, 1os
'Commic' Tern - 78E
Razorbill - 4E
auk sp - 4E
Swallow - 20N
House Martin - 1N
Whitethroat - 1p

Kittiwake (above), Fulmar, Bar-tailed Godwit, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Herring Gulls waiting to share JA's breakfast & Common Seal at the Bill (AH)

(1300-1400hrs) (JA/JF)
Gannet - 4E
Common Scoter - 37E
Pomarine Skua - 2E (1305hrs)
Sandwich Tern - 8E
Swallow - 2N
(1430-1800hrs) (JA/SH/C&ME)
Fulmar - 1W
Gannet - 5E, 6W
Mallard - 2p
Sanderling - 5W
Pomarine Skua - 2E (l/p at 1641 & d/p at 1658hrs)
Arctic Skua - 1E (d/p)
Sandwich Tern - 18E
Common Tern - 2E
Guillemot - 1E
Swallow - 2N
House Martin - 3p

Ferry Pool: There were six Avocets, eight Redshank, three Lapwing and c110 Black-tailed Godwits on the pool, though all the ducks, save a few Mallard, seem to have departed. (AH)

Black-tailed Godwits (above) & Lapwing at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: There was not much to report from a cold and windy harbour beyond a lone Bar-tailed Godwits, a dozen or so Ringed Plovers and Dunlin, a handful of Little, Common and Sandwich Terns and 30+ Mediterranean Gulls, whilst the bushes were quiet save the odd Blackcap and Chiffchaff. (AH)

Chiffchaff (above), Dunlin & Ringed Plovers at Church Norton (AH)

Chichester Gravel Pits: Not many birds about beyond a couple of feisty looking Great Crested Grebes, but there was plenty of dragon- and damselfly activity at the pits today, with lots of Azure, Common Blue, Blue-tailed and Red-eyed Damsels about and a single Common Emerald Damsel too, along with three Hairy Dragonflies and, best of all, a Downy Emerald on the second pit on the right - new for me here. (AB)