Tuesday 17 July 2018

17th - 19th July 2018

Thursday, 19th July: Another very warm, sunny morning, though with a bit of cloud and a light westerly breeze....

Pagham East side: There was a mild surprise this morning with the discovery of an adult Curlew Sandpiper, still mostly in summer plumage and presumably an early returning migrant, amongst a flock of 40 Dunlin. Also present were 75 Redshank (including 3 juveniles), a Spotted Redshank, 15 Black-tailed Godwits, a Common Sandpiper and 3 Whimbrel. An adult Yellow-legged Gull was also loafing on the edge of the saltmarsh but not showing itself too well. (OM)
The Curlew Sandpiper was still present in white's Creek early afternoon, along with a Spotted Redshank and a Yellow-legged Gull. (AB)


Fairly awful phone-scoped and heavily cropped images of the Curlew Sandpiper - sorry, the best I could do in the conditions and distance! (OM)


North WallOn White's Creek the Curlew Sandpiper made a brief appearance, and there were 16 Black-tailed Godwits, 3 Little Egrets, 5 Lapwing and what appeared to be an abandoned cygnet. On Breech Pool there was a juvenile Avocet, 16 Lapwing, 6 Grey Herons, a variety of Black-headed Gulls including 7 juveniles and 20 Mallard. Sedge Warblers, especially juveniles, were very active at the Pool and along the Wall, whilst family parties of Whitethroats were at several locations. At Honer reservoir there are just a few puddles left at the east end - home to 2 Mallard but nothing else at the moment. Three Fox cubs playing in a maize field nearby were about it for the morning. (JDW/OM)


 Juvenile Avocet on the Breech Pool and lonesome Swan cygnet on White's creek (JDW)

Ferry Pool: It was quiet again on the pool, with just an adult Avocet and the chick, two Common Sandpipers, ten Black-tailed Godwits, a Redshank, five Lapwings and a juvenile Shelduck present, and very little besides a singing Blackcap in the bushes. (AH)


Common Sandpipers (above) & Black-tailed Godwits on the Ferry (AH)


A Jersey Tiger was in the moth-trap at the visitor Centre this morning. (IL)

Jersey Tiger moth at the Visitor centre  (IL)

Medmerry: Stilt Pools - Two Garganey were reported on the pool this afternoon. (per IL)

Long Pool: There was very little beyond the odd Reed and Sedge Warbler along the path, whilst in Ferry Channel there were two Common Sandpipers, a Whimbrel, c30 Redshank, ten Teal and the Shelduck family, and a Common Tern flew through. (AH)


Common Sandpiper (above) & Reed Warbler from Long Pool (AH)


This evening there were eight Common Sandpipers along Ferry Channel on the high tide, along with six Whimbrel, c30 Curlews, c50 Redshank and two families of Shelducks. (AH)

Shelduck-lings (above) & Common Sandpipers from Long Pool (AH)


Church Norton: First thing this morning there was a juvenile female Blackcap near the mound and a Great Spotted Woodpecker in the churchyard, whilst in the harbour the seven Pale-bellied Brent Geese were still present along with the single Dark-bellied Brent. There were also around 30 Dunlin present, along with plenty of Redshank and Curlews and a few Ringed Plovers, Whimbrels and Black-tailed Godwits. (AW)



Blackcaps (above) & Great Spotted Woodpecker at Church Norton (AW)


Later on there was plenty of tern activity, with a fairly accurate count of 44 Little Terns, 105 Sandwich Terns and 12 Common Terns, mostly loafing on the mud near the island. There were also two summer-plumaged Knot among c80 Dunlin, a calling Whimbrel flew in from very high up, a Common Gull flew through and a Ringed Plover was on the mud with a young-looking juvenile beside it. (AH)




Sandwich Terns (above), Sandwich and Little Terns, Little Terns and Dunlin, Knot and Dunlin, Common Tern, Ringed Plovers & Common Gull at Church Norton (AH)











Wednesday, 18th July: A return to the hot and humid weather this morning, with more sun and less breeze..... 

Medmerry: Toe End - A Hooded Crow was at Toe End briefly mid-morning, before flying towards the Stilt Pool area. (IL)

Ferry Pool: There were two Common Sandpipers on the pool this morning, along with the pair of Avocets with their fast-growing chick, a dozen Lapwings and eight Black-tailed Godwits. (AH)


Avocet chick (above) & Common Sandpiper on the Ferry (AH)


Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pools - The Ruddy Shelduck was on the Stilt Pool mid-morning. (BFF)
Earlier on, a summer-plumage Spotted Redshank and c40 Black-tailed Godwits were on the mud near the poplars, with two Green Sandpipers in a pool nearby, whilst on the Stilt Pool there was a Little Ringed Plover with a well-grown chick, the two juvenile Avocets and a parent, a Common Sandpiper, a dozen Black-tailed Godwits and Lapwings and a family of Tufted Ducks, with a Stonechat on the fencing at the back.
The banks and ditches were fairly quiet, though a couple of Sedge and Reed Warblers, a Lesser Whitethroat and several Whitethroat families were about, along with the usual Yellowhammers, Linnets and Skylarks, and a handful of Swallows went over.
There were also up to half a dozen Brown Argus butterflies around the edge of the Stilt Pool, and up to a dozen Common Blues along the banks. (AH)

Spotted Redshank, Teal and Black-tailed Godwits (above), Green Sandpipers, Little Ringed Plover and chick, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Linnet, Brown Argus & Common Blues at Medmerry (AH)










This evening the Ruddy Shelduck was on the mud opposite Marsh Barn, along with 40+ Black-tailed Godwits and four Mediterranean Gulls, with 1-+ Swallows, a Buzzard and two Kestrels over. (S&SaH)

Selsey: A Hummingbird Hawk-moth was in our garden today. (JW)



North Wall: A Red Kite was seen overhead this morning. (PC)
The Swallows were feeding young at Welbourne stables, whilst in White's Creek there were 28 Black-headed Gulls, 14 Black-tailed Godwits, three Lapwing, two Little Egrets and five Mute Swans. 
On the Breech Pool there were nine Lapwing, 18 Black-headed Gulls, three Teal and 20+ Mallard, with Reed and Sedge Warblers busy feeding young in the reeds. 
Family groups of Whitethroat, Blackcap and Goldfinches were along Honer Lane, but Honer reservoir is all but empty and you cannot see water from the footpath. Also, along Pagham Rife was a pair of Mute Swans with six cygnets and four juvenile Grey Herons. (JDW)

Church Norton: A quick look just after high-tide this evening found two Common Sandpipers along the stones below the concrete blocks and the seven Pale-bellied Brent Geese way out in the middle of the harbour, whilst a Comma was along the path down from the car park. (AW)

Pale-bellied Brent Geese (above), Mediterranean Gull, Sandwich Tern, Common SAndpiper & Comma at Church Norton (AW)










Tuesday, 17th July: An altogether more typically 'English' summer's day, with lower temperatures, a mix of blue sky and quite heavy cloud and a fresh westerly breeze......

Selsey Bill: (1800-1900hrs) (SH)
Gannet - 7E, 4W
Sandwich Tern - 3E, 45W
Common Tern - 6W
Little Tern - 1W

Ferry Pool: There were just a Common Sandpiper, the pair of Avocets with their chick and a handful of Lapwings and Black-tailed Godwits on the pool again this morning. 
Also, there were a number of (mostly) young warblers around the Discovery area this morning, including at least half a dozen Blackcaps and Whitethroats, plus two or three Chiffchaffs, with a Great Spotted Woodpecker nearby. (AH)


Avocet and Common Sandpiper (above), Chiffchaff, Blackcap & Great Spotted Woodpecker around the Ferry (AH)




Long Pool: There were more young Blackcaps and Whitethroats along the hedges, plus a few Reed and Sedge Warblers and a big flock of young Long-tailed Tits, with a couple of Swifts and Swallows going over. 
There was not too much in Ferry Channel beyond a Whimbrel, a Common Sandpiper, two Common Terns and a few Redshank, Black-tailed Godwits, Lapwing and Teal, though the family off Shelducks, including seven young, were doing well. (AH)


Reed warbler (above), Long-tailed Tits, Whimbrel & Shelduck family from Long Pool (AH)





Church Norton: The seven Pale-bellied Brent Geese were still in the harbour this morning, a Whimbrel calling and there were lots of juvenile Black-headed Gulls about. (CRJ)



Medmerry: Easton Lane - A Turtle Dove was near the poplars from Easton Lane early this afternoon. (IL)
Medmerry: Golf Links Lane - Chainbridge - Ham - Firstly, an intriguing late report from Jeff Wootton from 9th July, when an apparent Hooded Crow was among a large gathering of corvids between the banks at Ham and the Breach. Has the bird seen at the end of May been hiding out at Medmerry all this time?

Today, a pair of Corn Buntings, acting as though they had young nearby, were in the vicinity of Chainbridge, with another singing at Ham, with plenty of Skylarks and Linnets there and a couple of Reed Warbler and Whitethroat families in the ditches.
The only wader in the tidal area was a lone Dunlin, whilst there were also two Lesser Black-backed Gulls present, too, with a few Swallows over, and there were a handful of Yellowhammers and a couple of Whitethroat families along the track to Porthole Farm. (AH)



Corn Buntings (above), Skylark & Whitethroat at Medmerry (AH)








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