1st - 3rd June 2018

Sunday, 3rd June: A fine, sunny and dry day with just a light E/SE breeze....

Ferry Pool: A Black-winged Stilt was on the pool at 06.45 (SH et al); it was later flushed by cows but soon returned to the pool, and was present most of the morning, but was not there at 12.30pm.
Among other birds present were a Green Sandpiper that flew out from the back, two Little Ringed Plovers, four Dunlin, a pair of Gadwall, 12 Avocets, 74 Black-tailed Godwits, the Shelduck family, several juvenile Lapwings and at least two Redshank families, plus a Cuckoo over and a Stoat upsetting the Rabbits along the bank before it was seen off by a Moorhen!. Also, a young Redshank chick decided to swim across the pool, attracting the attention of a pair of Coots before the parents finally intervened. (S&SaH/PB/AH/IP/AB et al)

Black-winged Stilt on the Ferry (SH above, AB, PB & AH)

Redshanks (above) & Cuckoo at the Ferry (AB)

Redshanks and Coots (above), Moorhen and Stoat & Rabbits watching on at the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool: There were plenty of Reed Warblers and a couple of Sedge Warblers again this morning, plus the odd Blackcap, Whtethroat, Linnet and Reed Bunting, with two Cuckoos around, but mobile. Also, the Little Grebe family and a pair of Gadwall were on the pool and two Avocets were in Ferry Channel. (AH/IP)

Reed Warbler (above) & Sedge Warbler along the Long Pool (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: A Little Ringed Plover flew over the waste ground in Manor Lane this morning, whilst around the fields were several Linnets, a couple of Skylarks and a few Swifts, House Martins and Swallows. (S&SaH/PB/AH/IP/RM)

House Martins (above) & Linnets at Park Farm, Selsey (AH)

Selsey: A White Ermine was in the trap this morning. (SH)

White Ermine in a Selsey garden (SH)

Church Norton: A Cuckoo was around the Severals all morning, the pair of Little Grebes and two chicks were on the second Several, a couple of Buzzards and a Sparrowhawk went over and the usual selection of Reed and Sedge Warblers, Whitethroats, Blackcaps, Linnets and Reed Buntings were along the front. Also, at least 20 Magpies were gathered in one tree.
There were few waders in the harbour beyond a Bar-tailed Godwit and a scattering of Dunlin and Ringed Plovers, and a lone Brent Goose flew around before settling behind Tern Island, which remains busy. (AH/IP/RM/S&SaH/PB/AB)

This evening there was a group of 60 Dunlin, 25 Ringed Plover and a single Sanderling. Also in the harbour were 15 Turnstones, 2 Little Egrets and 2 Redshank, while a Cuckoo was calling from Priory Wood. (AW)

Cuckoo (above) & Magpies at Church Norton (AH)

Mixed wader flock at Church Norton this evening (AW)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - There were 19 Avocet chicks on the Stilt Pool this afternoon, along with their parents, and there were also three Little Ringed Plovers and lots of Black-tailed Godwits present.

Along the banks and ditches there were a Stonechat, four Reed Warblers and plenty of Whitethroats, Linnets, Skylarks, Yellowhammers and Reed Buntings. (S&SaH)

Saturday, 2nd June: After a grey start, and a bit of sea-mist, it was a lovely bright morning, with warm sun, white clouds and a moderate westerly breeze.....

Selsey Bill: There wasn't too much going on, but an Arctic Skua and a Bonxie went east and a couple of Fulmars went west......before the thickening fog brought a halt to observations for a while.  Full log below. 

(0640-0845hrs)  (C&ME/AH)

Fulmar - 2W

Gannet - 14E

Common Scoter - 8E

Sanderling - 16W

Arctic Skua - 1E (l/p)

Bonxie - 1E

Sandwich Tern - 24os

Littlle Tern - 3os

Common Tern - 10os

House Martin - 12p

Later, a d/p Arctic Skua flew east at about 1000hrs. (MJ)

(1415-1700hrs) (SH)
Fulmar - 3W
Gannet - 2E, 7W
Sandwich Tern - 9os
Common Tern - 2os

Sandwich Tern (above) & House Martin at the Bill (AH)

Medmerry: Ham Farm - A Bee-eater was feeding from off the wires around the farm from 0715-0830hrs (J Palmer), but could not be refound by 0845hrs. Also a family party of Stonechats were around the Ham Viewpoint. (BI et al)

Ferry Pool: A Little Ringed Plover was on the pool early on, but not later, though there were 15 Avocets c75 Black-tailed Godwits, up to a dozen Redshank, at least two juvenile Lapwings, the Shelduck family and a Stock Dove present later on.
There were plenty of Whitethroats and Linnets around the Tramway, plus a couple of Blackcaps and a Chiffchaff, whilst two Lapwings were in the harbour. (AH)

Juvenile Lapwing and Avocet around the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool: There were at least ten Reed Warblers, two or three Sedge Warblers, a Whitethroat and a Reed Bunting along the hedges and reeds, two Lapwings in the fields, a Cuckoo somewhere along the west side and a pair of Little Grebes with at least one chick on the pool. (AH)

Reed Warbler (above), Sedge Warbler, Reed Bunting, Little Grebe chick & Lapwing around Long Pool (AH)

Church Norton: A Cuckoo was calling from the front of Priory Wood, with at least seven swifts, a House Martin, a Sparrowhawk and two Buzzards overhead, but the only other passerines noted were a couple of singing Blackcaps, four Swallows around the hide and a Reed Bunting in the first Several.

At least a dozen Little and Sandwich Terns were in the harbour, plus a couple of Common Terns, whilst there were 27 Ringed Plovers, ten Dunlin and a Turnstone on the mud. (AH)
Also, earlier, 12 Sanderlings and Lesser Black-backed Gull were in the harbour (IP/RM), and late afternoon there were six Bar-tailed Godwits and ten Mediterranean Gulls (AH). 

Little Tern (above), Dunlin, Swallow, Bar-tailed Godwit & Mediterranean Gulls  at Church Norton (AH)

This afternoon there were 30+ Swifts and a Buzzard over Norton Priory and two Cuckoos at the back of the Severals. (S&SaH)

There were possibly another two Cuckoos briefly together up the west side, whilst in the harbour, as the tide was coming in, there was a female Gadwall with eight ducklings. (A female duck - quite possibly a Gadwall - has dropped into the fenced area on Tern Island several times recently, and two drakes have been hanging about nearby, so this may well be her - Eds)
Also a Green Hairstreak butterfly was along the west side. (AW)

Cuckoo (above), Buzzard (SH), Cuckoo & Gadwall family (AW) at Church Norton

Friday, 1st June: The new month started with some unseasonally foggy conditions, worst on the coast, and lingering well into the morning before it gradually brightened with the freshening westerly breeze....

Well that's it....the spring madness that is the Pom King challenge is over for another year! And lest anyone should think that the competition amongst the locals is surely fading away, it would seem not; indeed there was closer scrutiny than ever this year, with some of the 'Selsey resident' locals keeping a close and ever-watchful eye on other challengers! 

Pom numbers at the Bill were below average this year, and most of those that did pass were in the late afternoon or evening, with just a very few in the early mornings.....meaning that those who put in a good shift through the day went largely unrewarded......leaving at least one of the blog editorial team with just three birds the whole spring!
So, time to announce the winner.....this year's Pom King is Justin Atkinson with a total of 26 birds seen, just one bird ahead of the runner-up Sam Hill....well done boys....and for the record there were 37 Poms logged at the Bill this spring, all in May. (Eds) 

Ferry Pool: There were three Little Ringed Plovers on the pool this morning, along with eight Avocets, c30 Black-tailed Godwits, the Shelduck family and a couple of pairs of Redshank and Lapwing with youngsters hidden away. (AH/R Fairbank/D Buckingham)

Little Ringed Plover and Black-tailed Godwits (above), Shelduck family & Redshank chick at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: There were no Little Stints on show this morning, though the tide was very low, but there were up to 12 Sanderling, six Knot, ten Grey Plovers and c40 Dunlin and Ringed Plovers in the middle of the harbour along the main channel. 

Also, a Chiffchaff and a couple of Blackcaps were singing near the Mound and there were 10+ Little and Sandwich Terns, plus a couple of Common Terns in the harbour. (AW/AH/MJ/R Fairbank/D Buckingham)

Little Tern (above), Sandwich Terns & Chiffchaff at Church Norton (AH)

Sidlesham: Church Farm - Marsh Farm - Bramber Farm - The pair of Stonechats along Church Farm Lane had at least two fledged youngsters with them this morning, and there were a couple or so of Yellowhammers, Reed Buntings, Whitethroats, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Reed Warblers along the hedges and ditches, with a Cuckoo calling to the south and two Mediterranean Gulls over.

There were Whitethroats, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Reed Warblers around Marsh Farm and the path to Bramber Farm, too, along with another calling Cuckoo, several pairs of Swallows, one pair of Lapwings and half a dozen Brown Hares, including a couple of very amenable ones. (AH)

Juvenile Stonechats (above), Yellowhammer, Whitethroat & Brown Hares around Sidlesham (AH)

Medmerry: Easton to the Stilt Pool - There were quite a few small birds around the banks this morning with Yellowhammers, Reed Buntings, Stonechats, Whitethroats and Skylarks all putting in an appearance. Unusually there were two singing Sedge Warblers opposite the Easton viewpoint whilst the Reed Warblers were also present here, near the car park and either side of the Stilt Pool. On the Stilt Pool itself were the three Barnacle Geese of unknown origin, a Common Sandpiper, four Little Ringed Plovers and six Ringed Plovers although Avocet numbers seem to be reducing now. No butterflies in the gloomy conditions but there had been a notable influx of Silver Y moths. (BI)