29th - 31st July 2018

Tuesday, 31st July: After a drop of overnight rain, another fine, warm and sunny day, despite the fairly blustery westerly breeze....

Selsey Bill: (0630-0900hrs) (PB)
Gannet - 7E, 69W
Common Scoter - 3E, 4W
Kittiwake - 1W
Sandwich Tern -c20os
Little Tern - 3os
Common Tern - 5os
Sand Martin - 4W
Pied Wagtail - 2W

Also, a migrant Whitethroat was along the vegetation at the top of the beach, before flying onto a chimney and then away. (GH/SR)

Pagham East side: Two (possibly three) Ravens flew over 'cronking' this morning, heading generally south-westwards towards the harbour. Along the channel and creeks there were five Greenshank and a Spotted Redshank with 80+ Redshanks and 30 Black-tailed Godwits, but no smaller waders at all, whilst on the mudflats at least 40 Mediterranean Gulls were amongst the Black-headeds. Three Willow Warblers were calling from the hedgerows and a couple of Reed Warblers were flitting about, even offering a brief snatch of song. (OM/BFF/DM)

North Wall: The higher water level has returned at the Breech Pool so few waders were present; just eight of Black-tailed Godwit and 10 of Lapwing being it - other than the Mallards and a couple of Teal! A single Yellow Wagtail flew up calling and circled round, before dropping into a field, and several family groups of Reed Warbler were active along the hedgerows and reed edges, but apart from a few Whitethroats it was otherwise quiet. (OM) 

Ferry Pool: Early on, there were two Green Sandpipers, four Common Sandpipers, four Little Ringed Plovers, three Avocets, five Lapwings and five Black-tailed Godwits on the pool and 73 Canada Geese on the adjacent stubble field. (PB)
A bit later on two Common Sandpipers  were busy chasing each other around this morning, and there were also a Green Sandpiper, two Little Ringed Plovers, the adult and juvenile Avocets, c40 Lapwings, five Black-tailed Godwits, three juvenile Shelducks and four Teal present.
There were up to half a dozen Lesser Whitethroats and c30 Whitethoats, plus a couple of Blackcaps, around the tramway circuit, along with a few Linnets and Goldfinches and c50 Swallows, with two or three Whimbrel out on the salt-marsh. (AH/BFF/DM)

Lesser Whitethroats (above), Blackcap, Whitethroat, Common Sandpipers & Little Ringed Plover around the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: By contrast, the bushes here were quiet, as was the harbour, where just a couple of Common Terns and c25 Sandwich Terns, along with a couple of Whimbrel among 20 or so Curlews, a couple of Black-tailed Godwits and a few Redshank could be found. (AH)
Later, at high tide, there were 40 Sandwich, six Common and two Little Terns present, along with five Whimbrel and the Pale- Pale and single Dark-bellied Brent Geese, and a Raven was calling near the Church. (BFF/DM)

Sandwich Tern (above) & Common Tern at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry: Ham Farm - A quick look produced a Peregrine sat on the derelict building out on the reserve this morning, at least one singing Corn Bunting and a handful of Yellowhammers and Whitethroats, with c50 Swallows around the farm buildings, enjoying sitting on the solar-panels. (AH)

Peregrine (above), Yellowhammer & Swallows at Medmerry (AH)

Easton Lane to Stilt Pools: The star bird for us was a juvenile Cuckoo along the fence beside the beach - it was perched on posts and barbed wire and sometimes dropped to the ground to grab prey items. Also seen were three Common Sandpipers, one Little Ringed Plover, some 10 Black-tailed Godwit, four Teal and 700 Starling, plus a hybrid Barnacle x Canada Goose on the Stilt Pool.
Insects seen included Common Blues, a Painted Lady and two Black-tailed Skimmer dragonflies. (ARK/MH per SOS)

A walk down to the pools this evening (SH) produced the following:-
Mediterranean Gull - 100+
Black-tailed Godwit - 50
Greenshank - 2
Common Sandpiper - 1
Dunlin - 20
Whimbrel - 3
Kestrel - 4
Buzzard - 2
Swallow - 10+
On the Stilt pool the following were noted......(SH)
Whimbrel - 2
Little Ringed Plover - 3 (1 juv)
Avocet - 3
Common Sandpiper - 2
Sand Martin - 10
Swallow - 10  

Fishbourne Creek: This morning there were c.275 Mediterranean Gulls, mostly adults with a few juveniles among them. A couple of the adults were c-ringed but I was too far away to read them. The other regular gulls species were all present, with a few Herring and Lesser Black-backed adults accompanied by recently fledged young, and I watched a Lesser Black-back extract a long-dead rat from the intertidal mud and without pause, eat it whole!
Also present were seven or eight Whimbrel, eight Curlew, ten Lapwing, six Mallard and a Black Swan amongst the many Mutes. (PH)

Monday, 30th July: After a bit of early drizzly rain, a much better day, with a mix of sunshine and cloud and a brisk, if mild, south-westerly........

Selsey Bill: Disappointing to say the least, with only four species making it onto the Log - soon dashing any hopes of stray sea-birds re-positioning themselves after yesterday's gales in the Channel! Very little was moving this morning beyond a few Gannets, though at least 30 Sandwich Terns were feeding offshore and the summering Eider put in an appearance. Log below:
(0700-1000hrs):  (OM/AH/BI).
Gannet - 7E, 13W
Eider - 1os
Common Tern - 1W
Sandwich Tern - 30+ os....most drifted off W

 Sandwich Tern at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: The adult and juvenile Avocet remain on the pool, with 28 Lapwings, eight Black-tailed Godwits, an adult and three juvenile Shelducks and four Teal. (AH)

Black-tailed Godwit on the Ferry (AH)

Later on there were three Common Sandpipers and two Little Ringed Plovers present on the pool, plus a couple of Willow Warblers and Whitethroats around the Visitor Centre. (OM/AW).

Also, a Common Sandpiper and a Common Tern were in Ferry Channel earlier on. (TG-P)

Common Sandpipers on the Ferry (AW)

Church Norton: Early this morning there were around 20 Sandwich, four Little and a Common Terns in the harbour, whilst the seven Pale-bellied and the single Dark-bellied Brent Geese were out in the middle. There was also a small flock of Dunlin which included what appears to be a juvenile. (AW)

Little Tern (above), Sandwich Terns and juvenile Mediterranean Gull, Sandwich Terns, Pale-bellied Brent Geese and Dunlin at Church Norton (AW)

Later on there were up to 40 Sandwich Terns and a dozen Common Terns on the mud, along with several Whimbrel and Ringed Plovers, with 30+ Swallows and a few Sand Martins moving through, though the bushes were quiet beyond the odd Linnet and a flock of c100 Goldfinches. (AH)

Little and Sandwich Terns (above), Sandwich Terns, Whimbrel, Ringed Plover, Dunlin and Redshank at Church Norton (AH)

This evening the seven Pale-bellied Brent Geese were still in the harbour, along with 50+ Sandwich Terns, 10+ Common Terns, three Little Terns, 50+ Mediterranean Gulls and at least three Whimbrels. (S&SaH/AH)

Common Tern at Church Norton (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: There were 80 Pied Wagtails on the fields and 10+ Sand Martins, 20+ House Martins and 40+ Swallows feeding overhead. (S&SaH)

Chichester GPs: Westhampnett Pit - A Common Sandpiper was on the pit this morning and c30 House Martins went over. (GH)

North Wall: A Green Woodpecker was in the stable field, whilst along White's Creek there were eight Black-tailed Godwits, 20+ Redshank, a Spotted Redshank and a very successfully fishing Little Egret, with the Swallows were feeding young on the sluice gates. 

Breech Pool is nearly full again, and the Black-tailed Godwits were very fidgety, with much coming and going, with 17 the most seen together. It was very quiet along the Wall, with just a single very yellow Willow Warbler and at least 30 Goldfinches who are beginning to flock up to report. (JDW)

Spotted Redshank (above), young Swallows & Little Egret from North Wall (JDW)

Sunday, 29th July: A pretty dreadful morning, with heavy and persistent rain settling in early, driven on by a gale force southerly....

Selsey Bill: Two Balearic Shearwaters went west together at 6.40am (SH/BI), but otherwise it was quiet in the dire conditions. (SH/BI/JA/OM/AH/IP)

(0600-0830hrs)

Balearic Shearwater - 2W (0640)

Fulmar - 3W

Gannet - 2E, 22W

Mediterranean Gull - 1E

Sandwich tern - 1E, 15W

Common Tern - 4E, 2W

Sandwich Tern (above) & the hardy few at the Bill (AH)

(1050-1200hrs) (SH)
Gannet - 54E, 10W
Eider - 1os
Sandwich Tern - 2E

(1300-1630hrs) (SH/JA/BI)
Gannet - 6E, 14W
Sandwich Tern - 2E, 6W
Common Tern - 2W

Ferry Pool: Just the Avocet and its youngster - a juvenile now, along with two Black-tailed Godwits, three juvenile Shelducks and four Teal were on the pool this morning. (AH)

Juvenile Avocet (above) & juvenile Shelduck on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: There were still a couple of Little Terns and Common Terns among c40 Sandwich Terns in the harbour this morning, along with five Whimbrel, a dozen Curlews, c50 Redshank, c50 Dunlin and a handful of Swallows. (AH)

Little and Sandwich Terns (above), Whimbrel & Redshanks at Church Norton (AH)

26th - 28th July 2018

Saturday, 28th July: A real change in the weather at last, with the prolonged hot and dry conditions temporarily replaced with a spell of weather from the Atlantic.....notably cooler, with a fresh SW/W wind, cloudy periods and sunny spells....and the prospect of more prolonged rain over the weekend.

Selsey Bill: Not a great deal happening despite the much changed conditions, although there were three Arctic Skuas, an early Manx Shearwater and just a handful of duck species.....Full log below:
0600-1200hrs: (SH/PB/AH/IP/BI/OM)

Gannet - 35E, 80W

Manx Shearwater - 1E

Eider - 1os

Common Scoter - 4E

Tufted Duck - 1W

Teal - 2W

Arctic Skua - 2E, 1W

Common Tern - 4W

Sandwich Tern - 30os

Kittiwake - 1W

Mediterranean Gull - 2os

Arctic Skuas (above) & Eider at the Bill (AH)

(1545-1700hrs) (SH)
Gannet - 18W
Arctic Skua - 1os
Sandwich Tern - 10W
Little Tern - 3W
Common Tern - 2W

Selsey, Park Farm: There were 20+ Swallows, 20+ House Martins, two Sand Martins and 31 Pied Wagtails present late morning. (S&SaH)

North Wall: This morning there were 12 Spotted Redshanks with 50 Black-tailed Godwits on the Breech Pool (IH et al)
Later on, at high tide, there were just two Spotted Redshanks, four Greenshanks, 35 Redshank and 85 Black-tailed Godwits on the Breech Pool, and not much else about beyond a few swallows. (AH)

Spotted Redshank, Redshanks and Black-tailed Godwits (above), Greenshank and Black-tailed Godwit & Swallow from North Wall (AH)

Church Norton: Early this morning there were very few terns about, just 10 or so Sandwich and 4 Common. Along the hedges there was a mixed flock of Blue and Long-tailed Tits together with a Willow Warbler. The path between the Severals and into the woods appears to have been bulldozed, removing the hedges were Whitethroat and possibly Lesser Whitethroats have bred. A notice cites planning application P/118/17/PL. (AW)

(Is nothing sacred....does anyone have info regarding this?? Eds)

The seven Pale-bellied Brent Geese with one Dark-bellied bird were present again this morning, and seven Little Terns were also seen (S&SaH).

 Willow Warbler and the present state of the path between the Severals, Church Norton (AW)

Later on, there were three Little Terns, up to ten Common Terms and c40 Sandwich Terns in the harbour, along with a couple of Whimbrel and Ringed Plovers and c100 Dunlin, with 50+ Swallows and the odd Sand Martin feeding low over the harbour. (AH/IP)

Juvenile Little Tern (above), juvenile Sandwich Tern, Sandwich and Common Terns, Whimbrel & Swallow at Church Norton (AH)

Late this afternoon there were still six Little Terns, at least ten Common Terns and c40 Sandwich Terns in the harbour, along with a Bar-tailed Godwit, two Whimbrel, a doxzen Ringed Plovers, including several juveniles, and 100+ Dunlin, plus the seven Pale-bellied and one Dark-bellied Brent Geese and c50 Swallows.

There were also 20+ Mediterranean Gulls in the harbour, before they flew out to join the 200+ on the beach at the western end of the reserve. (AH/AW)

Juvenile Common Tern (above), Sandwich Tern, Bar-tailed Godwit, Ringed Plovers & Swallow at Church Norton (AH)

Ferry Pool: It was quiet in the blustery conditions, with the Avocet and chick, three juvenile Shelducks, a dozen Lapwings and a handful of Black-tailed Godwits being about it. (AH/IP)

Chichester GPs: Ivy Lake complex - There wasn't much on the main lakes, beyond four roosting Common Terns and a few Great Crested Grebes on Ivy Lake, but the smaller adjacent pits held a Bar-headed Goose among c90 Greylag Geese (including at least three families of fledged young), a dozen young Gadwall and c50 House Martins with a handful of Swallows and Sand Martins among them.

New Lake was the most productive, with two Pochard, two Shovelers, two families of Little Grebes and one of Great Crested Grebe along with a Common Tern, a dozen or so Gadwall and Tufted Duck and large numbers of young Cormorants. (AH)

Bar-headed and Geylag Goose (above), Greylag Goose family, Great Crested Grebe and chick, Cormorants, Shoveler, Sand Martin & House Martin at Chi GPs (AH)

Friday, 27th July: Yet another very warm, sunny day, even from early morning, with just a light westerly breeze offering some respite....but thunderstorms by evening!

Ferry Pool: There were two Spotted Redshanks and two Green Sandpipers on the pool early this morning, along with a Common Sandpiper, the Avocet and chick, c40 Lapwings, c20 Redshanks and a dozen Black-tailed Godwits, plus three Teal and three juvenile Shelducks. (AH)

Spotted Redshanks (above), Teal & Shelduck on the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: It was fairly quiet this morning, on the low tide, with just a Green Sandpiper, 45 Lapwing and 35 Black-tailed Godwits, plus a few Teal and the usual Reed Buntings, Reed and Sedge Warblers on the Breech Pool, and a Spotted Redshank, two Greenshank, two Whimbrel  and 50+ Redshank, Lapwing and Black-tailed Godwits in White's Creek. 

Also, a Yellow Wagtail flew over, as did two Common Terns and around 50 Swallows and 20 Sand Martins. (AH/PC)

Later, along White's Creek were 9 Black-tailed Godwits, 18 Redshank and around 50 Black- headed Gulls. On Breech Pool were 52 Lapwing, 44 Black-tailed Godwits, a Spotted Redshank, a Green Sandpiper, 3 Teal, 20 plus Mallard and 2 Grey Herons. The surprise of the morning was a Kingfisher at Owl Water. (JDW)

Green Sandpiper (above), Spotted Redshank and Redshank, Whimbrel, Black-tailed Godwit, Sedge Warbler & Reed Bunting around North Wall (AH)

Chichester Marina Reed-beds: About 200 Swallows were feeding over the reed-beds this morning, and there were also two Teal,, a Common Tern, a Cetti's Warbler and a few Reed Warblers present. (PH)

Church Norton: A quick look didn't produce much beyond what appeared to be a big departure of terns, with all 100+ Sandwich Terns, ten Little Terns and a dozen Common Terns taking to the air together and swirling round and round over the harbour for at least five minutes before splitting into two groups, one of which (c40 Sandwich Terns) dropped back down, but the other larger group, including the Little Terns and all but three Common Terns, headed away over the spit and didn't return.

Beyond that the bushes were still, though there were 20+ Swallows about, and there were just the usual waders in the harbour, including a couple of Whimbrel and c30 Dunlin. (AH)

Sandwich, Little and Common Terns (above), Sandwich Terns & Swallow at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry: west side - The Stilt pool held the regular mix of wildfowl including a Shoveler today and there were three Little Ringed Plovers, two Green Sandpipers and c.40 Black-tailed Godwits also present. The large flock of Linnets was along the beach but the pools here were quiet. On another outlying pool were two more Green Sandpipers and a Common Sandpiper whilst a Green Woodpecker was nearby as were three Kestrels. (BI)

Thursday, 26th July: Another very warm and muggy day, soon brightening up after a grey start......with just a light variable breeze making the temperature bearable along the coast.

Ferry Pool: There were two juvenile Little Ringed Plovers and a Common Sandpiper on the pool this morning, along with two Teal, three juvenile Shelducks, the Avocet and chick and around 20 Lapwings and Black-tailed Godwits.

The Tramway circuit was quiet other than at least 20 juvenile Whitethroats and a couple of Blackcaps, whilst a few Reed Warblers were in Red Barn Ditch, a dozen Sand Martins and Swallows went over and at least three Whimbrel and a dozen Curlew were in the harbour. (AH)
Later on, there were three Common Sandpipers on the pool. (AW)
Late this afternoon a pair of Bullfinches were frequenting the pond outside the Visitor Centre. (BO'D)

Little Ringed Plover (above), Common Sandpiper, Black-tailed Godwit and Teal, Whitethroat & Blackcap around the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: South of White's Creek there were 180 loafing Mediterranean Gulls, six Knot and a single Curlew Sandpiper, whilst a Common Sandpiper, an Avocet and two Spotted Redshanks were in the creek, with four more of the latter and four Greenshank on the Breech Pool (BFF/DM)

Church Norton: The harbour was generally very quiet, though there were still two Little Terns and a dozen Common Terns among the c75 Sandwich Terns present, along with the two summer-plumage Knot, 34 Turnstones, two Whimbrel and four Black-tailed Godwits.

A Raven was calling repeatedly from the Priory, but remained unseen, and at least 40 Swallows and a few Sand Martins went over, but the bushes were very still, with just a few Whitethroats a Jay and a Reed Bunting to be found. (AH)
Later on, on the high tide, the seven Pale-bellied and the Dark-bellied Brent Geese were viewable in the main channel. (BFF/DM)

Turnstones (above), Sandwich Tern, Knot, Whimbrel and Curlew & Jay at Church Norton (AH)