Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 7th

Saturday, 9th June: A dry and cloudy day with periods of hazy sunshine breaking through and a light easterly/variable breeze.....

Church Norton: Early this morning there were 4 Little Egrets, 4 Curlews and a Whimbrel in the harbour. Also, 2 Lesser Whitethroats were in the hedgerows near the churchyard, with a singing Skylark and 10 Swifts passing overhead. (AW)

Curlew (above), Whimbrel (centre) and Lesser Whitethroat at Church Norton (AW)

Ferry Pool: There were a few less birds about this morning, but still included a Greenshank, a Little Ringed Plover, six Lapwings, 18 Avocets, ten Redshank, 22 Black-tailed Godwits, five Teal and the Shelduck family. (AH)

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

Park Farm, Selsey: There was the unusual sight of an Avocet in the small balancing pond at the end of Manor Lane this morning. (IP/S&SaH)

Avocet at Pak Farm, Selsey (SH)

Nearby, in our moth-trap there was a Buff-tip. (SH)

Buff-tip in a Selsey garden (SH)

Long Pool: There were at least eight singing Reed Warblers and three singing Sedge Warblers along the pool, plus a couple of Whitethroats and Linnets, with two or three Skylarks over the fields.

At the far end of Ferry Channel there were c30 Dunlin and a dozen Grey Plovers, along with c50 Shelduck and two Gadwall. (AH/IP)

Sedge Warbler (above), Grey Plover & Gadwall from Long Pool (AH)

Medmerry: West side - This morning the were still a few corvids around the cultivated areas along with a few Herring and Black-headed Gulls and there were the usual Skylarks & Yellowhammers along the banks as well as a confiding Cuckoo. There was plenty of Whitethroat activity near Marsh Barn and there were three Large Skippers along the path here along with a deceased Cream-spot Tiger moth. The Stilt Pool held much the same as yesterday with the addition of four Dunlin and the return of the presumed Tufted Duck X Pochard aythya hybrid. (BI)

Medmerry: Ham - A Corn Bunting was singing from the fenceline and a Reed Bunting was doing likewise near the pools. Another Large Skipper was by the viewpoint as was a Painted Lady. (BI)

Cuckoo (above), Large Skipper, (ex) Cream-spot Tiger & aythya hybird at Medmerry (BI)

Reed Bunting at Ham (BI)

Friday, 8th June: The breeze persisted from the north-easterly quarter, but was fairly light, and again the day brightened up slowly after a grey start, becoming reasonably warm........

Selsey Bill: Nothing much was moving offshore, apart from 80 Common Scoters, a Fulmar and a Kittiwake, but the pair of Shelducks that have been around all spring re-appeared on the sea with a brood of small youngsters that must have been hatched very nearby. This must surely be a first breeding record for the Bill! Full log below......(OM)

0740-1010hrs: (OM)

Fulmar - 1W

Gannet - 5E, 2W

Shelduck - Pair with 8 small ducklings on sea

Common Scoter - 80E

Sanderling - 3W

Sandwich Tern - 5 os fishing

Kittiwake - 1E

Swift - 8p (local birds)

Swallow - 3p

also - Painted Lady butterfly - flew N up beach onto vegetation

above - Presumed female Shelduck with brood of 8 small young on the sea, fairly close to shore but swimming out, and below - further out, joining up with presumed male bird. The male had been alone offshore some while, but then flew into the gardens.....before flying back out to sea. A short while later the female and brood appeared and were seen just offshore, eventually heading well out to sea to join him. (OM)

Newly-arrived Painted Lady butterfly on beach vegetation at the Bill; yes Andy, I know you're meant to photo the upperwing, but it wouldn't oblige, then flew off north into gardens! (OM)

Medmerry: West side - There was no sign again of the Hooded Crow this morning although there were still plenty of corvids in the area especially on the newly planted broccoli fields. Elsewhere it was fairly quiet with just the usual Whitethroats, Yellowhammers & Skylarks around the banks and Reed Warblers & Reed Buntings along the pools. The Stilt Pool held Canada Geese, Tufted Ducks, the remaining Avocets & chicks, a Ringed Plover and 21 Black-tailed Godwits. (BI)

Reed Bunting at Medmerry (BI)

Breach (east side): Three Corn Buntings were singing around the periphery, and 2 pairs of Skylark were interacting with each other in the remaining grassy area near the fence line. It was however very quiet on the mudflats area, with no waders at all bar a couple of Oystercatchers, 3 Great Crested Grebes in the channels and plenty of loafing gulls and Cormorants. (OM)

Medmerry: Ham - There were at least three Corn Buntings singing here as well, two Reed Warblers were singing from the pools and a Cuckoo flew over towards the farm. There were at least six Painted Lady butterflies along the paths and better numbers of Common Blues as well as a small but welcome emergence of Meadow Browns. (BI)

Corn Bunting (above), Common Blue, Painted Lady & Meadow Brown at Ham (BI)

Sidlesham: Church Farm Lane - The two Grey Partridges were in the fields at the far end of the lane again this evening. (IP)

Ferry Pool: More or less a replay of yesterday morning, with the Greenshank, Knot, two Dunlin and two Little Ringed Plovers all still present, along with the Shelduck family, 12 Avocets, 65 Black-tailed Godwits, eight Lapwing and ten Redshank (plus two young). (AH/OM)

Knot and Redshank (above), Greenshank and Redshanks, Little Ringed Plovers & Lapwing at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: A look along the west side produced a Whimbrel, four Curlews, two Dunlin, 16 Black-tailed Godwits, ten Ringed Plovers and eight Grey Plovers in the harbour, along with the usual terns and gulls and c50 Shelducks, with 15 Lapwings going over west, but there was little of note along the hedges beyond 20+ Linnets, a couple of Whitethroats and a briefly singing Lesser Whitethroat. (AH)

Whimbrel and Curlew (above), Curlew, Grey Plovers, Black-tailed Godwits and Shelducks, Common Tern, Linnets & Thrift at Church Norton (AH)

Thursday, 7th June: The north-easterly breeze had eased a little this morning, though it was another murky start........

Medmerry: Earnley to Marsh Barn - A Hooded Crow was among the many corvids on a field being ploughed between the Earnley car-park and Marsh Barn. Unfortunately it was lost among the mobile corvid flocks and could not be re-found by 1pm. (JDW)

Ferry Pool: There was a good selection on the pool this morning, including a Greenshank, a Knot in summer plumage, two Dunlin, two Little Ringed Plovers, 22 Avocets, 110 Black-tailed Godwits, five Lapwing (with another dozen drifting over west), eight Redshank, the Shelduck family and six Teal (including five drakes).

The Tramway circuit was fairly quiet, though a mobile Cuckoo was about and a couple each of Blackcap, Whitethroat, Chiffchaff and Reed Warbler were singing.(AH)

Knot (above), Knot and Black-tailed Godwit, Knot, Little Ringed Plover and Black-tailed Godwits, Greenshank & Chiffchaff around the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: Two Cuckoos were showing well along the wall his morning and plenty of Reed Warblers were singing, though no Sedge Warblers. There was not much in the harbour, though there were a Whimbrel and three Black-tailed Godwits on the mud. (PB)

Church Norton: There are currently 16 Little Tern nests, 20 of Sandwich Tern and 12 of Common Tern on the island, along with several pairs of Ringed Plover and Oystercatcher. (IL)
This morning a Peregrine was out in the harbour, whilst on the mud there were a Curlew, a couple of Dunlin and c20 Ringed Plovers, along with three Gadwall. A Cuckoo was at the back of the Severals and the Little Grebe with two chicks was on the second Several, but beyond a few Linnets and the odd snatch of Blackcap, Whitethroat and Reed Warbler song, it was fairly quiet. (AH/IL)