Friday 20 July 2018

20th - 22nd July 2018

Sunday, 22nd July: Yet another very warm day after a fairly cool start, with long periods of sunshine and just a light north-westerly breeze.....

Ferry Pool: More or less unchanged on the pool this morning, with the Avocet and chick, a Common Sandpiper, six Black-tailed Godwits and a couple of Lapwings on the pool and the family of Reed Warblers skulking in the reeds at the front. (AH/IP)


Avocet chick (above) & Black-tailed Godwit at the Ferry (AH)



North Wall: One Curlew Sandpiper was with the Dunlin flock along the east side this morning and there was a good selection of other waders present including three Bar-tailed Godwits, many Black-tailed Godwits, six Ringed Plovers, two Whimbrel, a Greenshank, two summer plumage Knot, a Common Sandpiper and eight Grey Plovers. A Reed Warbler was singing near the Slipe Field and over the Breech Pool mid-morning was a mixed flock of Swallows and Sand Martins.(BI) and a Spotted Redshank was in the Breech Pool. (PB). This afternoon the juvenile Yellow-legged Gull was showing well, a Spotted Redshank was present and a Painted Lady was along the wall. (ESt)



Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull at the North Wall (ESt)

Park Farm, Selsey: There were around 20 Pied Wagtails, including many juveniles on the fields, along with similar of Mediterranean Gulls and a mother Red-legged Partridge with two young, with c30 Swifts, 20 House Martins and Swallows and a handful of Sand Martins, plus a couple of Buzzards overhead. (AH/IP/S&SaH)
This evening there were still 18 Pied Wagtails and the Mediterranean Gull count had risen to 107. (S&SaH)


Sand Martin (above), Mediterranean Gull & Pied Wagtails at Park Farm, Selsey (AH)



South Mundham area: There were 70 Swallows on telegraph wires, whilst on the nearly empty Honer Reservoir there were two Green Sandpipers, a Common Sandpiper, two adult Mute Swan and a Lapwing. On the telegraph wires to the west of the reservoir was a Cuckoo, seen several times, eventually flying off east. 
Very little around the Fisher to Marsh Farm area, apart from a couple of Willow Warblers and another pair of Mute Swans, this time with a well grown cygnet, (CRJ)

Church Norton: Among the waders around high tide were one Curlew Sandpiper, c100 Dunlin, c30 Turnstones, one Bar-tailed Godwit, two Common Sandpipers and five Whimbrel, plus plenty of Curlews and Redshanks, whilst the seven Pale-bellied and lone Dark-bellied Brent Geese were in the main channel, along with the Canada Goose family.
There were still 30+ Little Terns, 12+ Common Terns and 80+ Sandwich Terns around the island, along with half a dozen Mediterranean Gulls.
There were plenty of Skylarks and Linnets about, a mixed hirundine flock was over the back of the Severals, and along the front were a Sedge Warbler, a Lesser Whitethroat and several family groups of Whitethroats, whilst three or four juvenile Gadwall were in the second Several and two Shovelers were in the harbour.. (AH/IP/S&SaH)


Pale-bellied Brent Geese (above), Sandwich Tern, Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroats & Linnet at Church Norton (AH)









Saturday, 21st July: After a grey start, another warm and sunny day, with the breeze not picking up till lunchtime......

Selsey Bill: (0610-0710hrs) (SH)
Gannet - 3E, 5W
Mediterranean Gull - 1E
Sandwich Tern - 9E
Little Tern - 1E, 2W
Common Tern - 2W
Stock Dove - 2E
Swift - 14p
House Martin - 8p
Pied Wagtail - 1E

Ferry Pool: All there was on the pool this morning were the Avocet and chick, a Common Sandpiper, four Black-tailed Godwits and three Lapwings, plus several Reed Warblers in the roadside reed-bed, with not much more than the odd Reed Warbler, Whitethroat and Blackcap, plus a big flock of c200 Goldfinches around the Tramway circuit. (AH)


Avocet chick (above), Reed Warbler, Blackcap & Goldfinch around the Ferry (AH)





Long Pool: There wasn't much moving at all, though Reed and Sedge Warblers were lurking in the reeds, though up to a dozen Whimbrel and 20+ Curlews were out on the mud around Ferry Channel, two Common Terns came and went and the family of Shelducks, including seven young, were on the water. (AH/IP)


Whimbrel in Ferry Channel (AH)


North Wall: Early on this morning, two Curlew Sandpipers were out in the harbour from the east side , before flying off westwards (NM/IH), and three Spotted Redshanks and four Greenshanks were on the Breech Pool (KF). Along the Slipe Field there was a singing Reed Warbler and it was evident later along the Wall that there had been a dispersal of these with more into double figures present here. A worn Purple Hairstreak was along the east side path and there was a Brown Argus near here as well. (BI) This evening the Yellow-legged Gull was out on the mud, as were c.40 Dunlin, and there were four Greenshanks in the harbour that later dropped in to the Breech Pool. Also on the Breech Pool were 22 Black-tailed Godwits, a Snipe and two Redshank. (BI)

Purple Hairstreak at Pagham, east side (BI)

Chichester GPs: A Common Sandpiper was on Westhampnett Pit this evening. (GH)

Park Farm, Selsey: There were 30+ Mediterranean Gulls and nine Pied Wagtails on the fields, with a Sparrowhawk and a few hirundines over. (S&SaH)

Church Norton: There were two summer-plumaged Curlew Sandpipers (presumably those seen from the North Wall earlier) and a Little Stint among c80 Dunlin near the old harbour mouth late this morning, along with a couple of Common Sandpipers and a few Black-tailed Godwits and Whimbrel.

Also, the seven Pale-bellied and one Dark-bellied Brent Geese were in the harbour, and there were 30-40 Little Terns, 10+ Common Terns and 80+ Sandwich Terns on the mud near the island.
There weren't too many small birds about, but a Jay and two Reed Buntings were along the Severals and a couple of Sand Martins, 10+ Swifts and 30+ Swallows went over. (AH/IP/S&SaH et al)


Curlew Sandpiper and Dunlin (above), Little Stint and Dunlin, Whimbrels & Sandwich Terns at Church Norton (AH)






The two Curlew Sandpipers were still near the old harbour mouth with c150 Dunlin, a Bar-tailed Godwit and about five Whimbrels until the tide pushed all off late this afternoon.
Otherwise, there were at least 100 Sandwich Terns, up to 20 Common Terns and similar of Little Terns present, and there were at least half a dozen juveniles among the 20 or so Mediterranean Gulls among them. (AH)


Curlew Sandpiper and Dunlin (above), juvenile Mediterranean and Black-headed Gulls & Sandwich Terns at Church Norton (AH)









Friday, 20th July: A fairly grey and muggy morning, with a bit of sunshine and a light easterly breeze.....

Ferry Pool: A Wood Sandpiper was on the pool early this morning, along with two Green and two Common Sandpipers, plus the Avocet and chick, six Black-tailed Godwits and four Lapwings. (AH)
The Wood Sandpiper was still present mid-morning. (MO-W)



Wood Sandpiper (above), Common Sandpiper & Avocets on the Ferry (AH)



Church Norton: Early this morning, just after high-tide, around 180 Dunlin gathered on the mud along with nine Black-tailed Godwits, whilst the seven Pale-bellied Brent Geese were still present along with a single Dark-bellied Brent. Two Common Sandpipers were along the spit before being flushed by a Little Egret, and a Great Spotted Woodpecker was in the churchyard again, but little else was evident. (AW)


Pale-bellied Brent Geese at Church Norton (AH)


This evening the seven Pale-bellied and lone Dark-bellied Brent Geese were out in the middle, there were plenty of  noisy Sandwich Terns about and 20+ Swallows and a handful of Sand and House Martins were over the harbour and adjoining hedges. (AH)






Sand Martins (above) & Swallows at Church Norton (AH)





North Wall: The partially summer-plumaged Curlew Sandpiper was out in the harbour with c200 Dunlin, though it was always distant and elusive. Also out on the mud were a couple of Greenshanks, a summer-plumaged Knot, half a dozen Whimbrel, a couple of Grey Plovers and plenty of Redshank, Curlew and Black-tailed Godwits, with the family of Canada Geese in White's Creek.
A  Little Tern was feeding in the channels and even ventured over the Breech Pool, where there were also two Common Terns, a Spotted Redshank early on, and a dozen Lapwing and Black-tailed Godwits, plus a few Teal. A Heron also had a lengthy battle to swallow a flatfish! A few Sand Martins and Swallows, plus three Swifts went over, but small birds were confined to plenty of Goldfinches and just the odd Reed Bunting, Whitethroat, Reed and Sedge Warbler.
Also, a Fox and a Roe Deer were at Halsey's Farm, but very few birds were about there. (AH/BI/TG/G&RH/IH et al)


 Grey Heron with flatfish, and Spotted Redshank, Breech Pool (GaH)


Greenshank (above), Greenshank and Oystercatcher, Knot and Dunlin, Common Tern, Reed Bunting, Fox & Roe Deer around North Wall (AH)







Medmerry: west side - Still a few Skylarks along the banking and some Swallows overhead but there was only the one singing Reed Warbler in the ditches this morning. The Stilt Pool held c.20 Black-tailed Godwits, 30 Dunlin and the regular mix of wildfowl but there was no sign of any Garganey early on at least. A large flock of Linnets was along the beach but the pools here were quiet and there were only a few corvids out in the middle of the reserve. Butterflies included many Small Skippers, a few Brown Argus, Common Blues, less Meadow Browns than of late but still plenty of Gatekeepers. (BI)


Selsey: A Gold Spot and a Ruby Tiger were in the moth-trap ths morning. (SH)


Gold Spot (above) & Ruby Tiger in a Selsey moth-trap (SH)





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