4th - 6th May 2018

Sunday, 6th May: The warm and still conditions continued today, with uninterrupted sunshine and barely a breath of breeze.....

Selsey Bill: The conditions were very pleasant, but not conducive to sea-bird passage - and so it proved, though a couple of Arctic Skuas went east and a couple of Manx Shearwaters went west, and there were a few more waders on the move - mainly Whimbrel and Bar-tailed Godwits, plus a couple of Common Sandpipers. It would be fair to say a good deal of frustration is building - with the rewards not repaying all the effort - and we can only hope for our fair share of Poms and other passage birds in the very near future!

Also, our thanks go to Karen Galtry for the cakes....and happy anniversary to you both!

Full log below.... (JA/SH/OM/PB/IP/CN/BI/AH/M&KG/JF/CRJ/MJ et al)

Black-throated Diver - 1E
Great Northern Diver - 4os
diver sp - 2E
Great Crested Grebe - 1oa
Fulmar - 1E, 10W
Manx Shearwater - 2E
Gannet - 160E, 35W
Shag - 1E, 1os
Shelduck - 3E, 1os
Mallard - 3p
Common Scoter - 71E, 17W
Whimbrel - 47E
Bar-tailed Godwit - 139E
Grey Plover - 2E
Turnstone - 7W
Sanderling - 12E
Common Sandpiper - 1E, 1ob
Razorbill - 2W
auk sp - 2E, 12W
Arctic Skua - 3E (d/p)
Little Tern - 12 E (inc 8 os which drifted E)
Common Tern - 20E
Arctic Tern - 3E
Commic Tern - 61E
Sandwich Tern - 111E
Mediterranean Gull - 2E
Kittiwake - 1W
Swift - 9N
Swallow - 44N
Sand Martin - 2N
House Martin - 6p (local)
Yellow Wagtail - 3N

Arctic Skua (above), Common Sandpiper, Bar-tailed Godwits, Whimbrel and Bar-tailed Godwit, Little Terns & Common Terns at the Bill (AH)

(1615-1900hrs) (JA/AB/AH/CN)
Great Northern Diver - 2os
Red-throated Diver - 1W
Gannet - 5E, 5W
Shelduck - 11E, 2p
Whimbrel - 4E
Arctic Skua - 4E (3d/p, 1l/p)
Bonxie - 1E
Mediterranean Gull - 1E
Kittiwake - 1E, 3W
Sandwich Tern - 10E
Little Tern - 4W
Common Tern - 3E

Sidlesham: Church Farm Lane - There is a pair of Stonechats now present around the scrubby hedge off the lane! (S Allday)

Chi GPs: Westhampnett Pit - An Arctic Tern was among the Common Terns this afternoon. (GH)

Arctic Tern on Westhampnett Pit (GH)

Medmerry: Stilt Pool - A female Marsh Harrier came in off the sea this morning. (BO'D)

Ferry Pool/Long Pool: There were three Greenshank on the Ferry early this morning, along with ten Avocets, the Bar-tailed Godwit, c120 Black-tailed Godwits, six Redshank, two Lapwings, three Shoveler and 14 Gadwall, whilst later on the three Red Kites, first seen over Church Norton, were visible from the corner of the Tramway drifting northwards together. (AH)

Greenshank (above), Bar-tailed Godwit & Avocets on the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool: There were plenty of Sedge Warblers along the pool, plus a couple of Reed Warblers, Cetti's Warblers and Whitethroats and one Reed Bunting, but there were just a couple of Whimbrel and eight Bar-tailed Godwits in Ferry Channel. (AH)

Sedge Warbler (above), Reed Bunting & Whitethroat along Long Pool (AH)

Church Norton: Three Red Kites drifted over, heading north, but otherwise it was quiet, with few terns or waders in the harbour, and just the usual Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, Whitethroats and Sedge Warblers singing intermittently. (S&SaH/IP/RM)

This afternoon there were a couple of Whimbrels in the harbour, plus a handful of Little and Common Terns and 20+ Sandwich Terns. (AH)

Little Tern at Church Norton (AH)

Saturday, 5th May: Another very warm and sunny day after a chilly start, with barely any breeze and no clouds.....

Selsey Bill: It was fairly quiet overall this morning - not living up to the high hopes of the assembled observers (i.e. no Poms!) - though a flock of nine Manx Shearwaters going west was unusual for the conditions - with most birds that were passing being distant. Apart from the terns feeding close offshore there was a bit of a flurry of Commic Terns, with several nice flocks passing, plus four Arctic Skuas, but otherwise a lone Wheatear in the gardens was the only hint of passerine migration.  Full log below......
0500-1430hrs: (JA/SH/PB/PM/IP/BI/OM/AH/CRJ/JF/MJ et al)
Red-throated Diver - 1E, 1os
Great Northern Diver - 6 os
diver sp - 1E, 2W
Great Crested Grebe - 1E
Fulmar - 3E, 8W
Manx Shearwater - 10W
Gannet - 138E, 31W
Shag - 1os
Shelduck - 2 os
Common Scoter - 48E
Gadwall - 2W
Tufted Duck - 2E
Whimbrel - 68E
Bar-tailed Godwit - 50E
Ringed Plover - 1N
Sanderling - 8E
Turnstone - 3E
auk sp - 2E
Arctic Skua - 4E (d/p)
Little Tern - 41E
Common Tern - 148E (inc. 40 os which departed E)
Commic Tern - 463E
Arctic Tern - 6E
Sandwich Tern - 136E
Kittiwake - 3E
Swallow - 46N
Wheatear - 1 gardens

 A flat glassy sea and hazy horizon at the Bill this morning....but no Pom's! (PM)

 Flock of Whimbrel and Sandwich Tern past the Bill (PM)

Wheatear (above), Little Tern & Common Terns at the Bill (AH)

(1630-1830hrs) (JA/SH/PB/AH/MJ)

Red-throated Diver - 1E

Fulmar - 1W

Gannet - 8e, 2W

Mallard - 3p

Pomarine Skua - 1E (l/p)

Arctic Skua - 2E (d/p)

Sandwich Tern - 17E, 7os

Little Tern - 5E, 2os

Common Tern - 4os

Swallow - 1N

Arctic Skua past the Bill (AH)

Ivy Lake: An Arctic Tern was among the Common Terns this evening. (GH)

Halsey's Farm: A male Bullfinch was seen twice in the vicinity today. (BO'D)

Ferry Pool: There was still one Bar-tailed Godwit with c50 Black-tailed Godwits on the pool this morning, along with four Redshank, two Avocets, the pair of Shovelers and 12 Gadwall.

A Cetti's Warbler was near the road, but the Tramway circuit was quiet save a few Whitethroats, Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps and a dozen Whimbrel were out in the harbour. (AH)

Cetti's Warbler (above) & Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits at the Ferry (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: At least half a dozen Swallows were around the stables and a couple of House Martins went over, but there was not much else beyond a Whitethroat and a Wren on the wires. (AH/IP/RM)

Swallows (above), Whitethroat & Wren at Park Farm, Selsey (AH)

Church Norton: A Garden Warbler and a couple of Blackcaps were around the Bluebell wood, anoher Blackcap and a Buzzard were at Greenlease Farm and a Willow Warbler, couple of Lesser Whitethroats, Chiffchaffs, Whitethroats, Reed, Sedge and Cetti's Warblers were around the Severals and similar was along the west side.

There were a few Whimbrel and Bar-tailed Godwits in the harbour, plus a few Little and Sandwich Terns, but there were just a couple of Common Terns about, with one of hte Peregrines near its island and a heard only Grteenshank being about the only other birds of note. (AH/IP/AW/S&SaH)

Willow Warbler (above), Bar-tailed Godwit and Whimbrel, Blackcap, Buzzard, Mallard family (AW), Sedge Warbler & Chiffchaff (AH) at Church Norton

Friday, 4th May: A gloriously warm and sunny day, with just a bit of light cloud and barely a breeze....

Selsey Bill: The first two Pomarine Skuas of the year went east at 6.40am - and virtually all those who have aspirations of being the 'Pom King' missed them! Also a Short-eared Owl came in off the sea shortly afterwards, but otherwise there was almost nothing moving early, though the flock of Little and Common Terns feeding offshore provided some distraction.  Later there was a very high and distant raptor that put the local gulls into a frenzy and was almost certainly an Osprey, which headed away inland, and there was a small flurry of 'Commic' Terns, of which at least nine were Arctic Terns. Full log below...... 
0530-1400hrs: (C&ME/CN/PM/JA/BI/OM/AH et al)
Red-throated Diver - 1E
Great Northern Diver - 5os
Gannet - 2E, 4W
Shelduck - 3 p
Gadwall - 1W
Common Scoter - 33E, 2W
Whimbrel - 1E
Bar-tailed Godwit - 4E
Great Skua - 1E
Pomarine Skua - 2E (0640hrs)
Little Tern - 9E, 10os
Common Tern - 64E, 35os
Arctic Tern - 9E
Commic Tern - 59E
Sandwich Tern - 24E
Swift - 1N
Swallow - 40N
House Martin - 6p (local birds)
Short-eared Owl - 1N
Skylark - 1E
Meadow Pipit - 1N
Yellow Wagtail - 1N

 Pom Skuas passing the Bill this morning (PM)

Short-eared Owl (above), Little Tern, Common Terns & House Martin at the Bill (AH)

(1600-1800hrs) (SH/JA/AH)

Great Northern Diver - 2os

Black-throated Diver - 1E

Fulmar - 1W

Gannet - 19E, 6W

Common Scoter - 2E

Pomarine Skua - 1E (l/p) (1646hrs)

Arctic Skua - 1E (l/p)

Bonxie - 1E

Sandwich Tern - 6E, 10os

Little Tern - 4os

Common Tern - 6os

'Commic' Tern - 2E

Bonxie (above) & Gannet at the Bill (AH)

Medmerry: Porthole Farm - The Stone-curlew was seen again in flight in the same area it has been frequenting this week. (S Smith)
It was seen again in flight, but there were no more reports, though a Serin was heard singing at nearby Oakhurst Farm and a first- or second-summer Iceland Gull (possibly the one reported from various sites in the county recently) was seen flying over. (CRJ/CN/C&ME)

Ferry Pool/Long Pool: There were two Bar-tailed Godwits present again on the Ferry, along with c40 Black-tailed Godwits, a Common Sandpiper, a Lapwing, four Redshank, five Avocets, the pair of Shoveler and 18 Gadwall, mostly drakes. 

There were plenty of singing Sedge Warblers along the Long Pool, plus a couple of Reed Warblers and Whitethroats and a single Lesser Whitethroat, whilst there were up to three pairs of Lapwings disturbed by a Buzzard in the cropped fields to the west, but there were just a couple of Whimbrels and a few Redshank in Ferry Channel. (AH)

Bar-tailed Godwits (above), Black-tailed Godwit & Lesser Whitethroat around the Ferry (AH)

Medmerry: Chainbridge to Ham - A look from the end of Northcommon Farm and round to Ham Farm, via Chainbridge was pretty quiet, though there were plenty of Whitethroats, a couple of Sedge Warblers, a Willow Warbler and a few Yellowhammers present, plus a few Swallows over.

Just one Corn Bunting was singing around Ham Farm and there wasn't too much else to see beyond a few Skylarks. (AH)

Corn Bunting (above), Yellowhammer, Sedge Warbler & Whitethroat at Medmerry (AH)

Sidlesham: A Red Kite went north over our garden to the west of the village at 1pm today. (AH)

Red Kite over Sidlesham (AH)

Church Norton: Following on from yesterday's revelations involving AH, is there a patttern emerging here......?

The phantom AH strikes again....this time near the Hide at Church Norton. Perhaps the '4+' is his estimated Pom tally this year? (AW)