Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 11th

Saturday, 13th October: Another blustery but mild morning, with a bit of sun and plenty of grey cloud.....

Swift sp: A possible Pallid Swift was seen this afternoon at Church Norton (see below). This is a difficult species to identify (-v- Common Swift) and if it is relocated tomorrow some good photos may be necessary to clinch the ID. If you are lucky enough to see it, please get clicking! (Eds)

(Given the date and the strong southerlies - and the generally pale plumage, dark eye mask and other features - this bird could be a potential candidate for a Pallid Swift, and all opinions would be gratefully received on the pictures below. Eds)

Swift sp at Church Norton (all photos AW, slightly enlarged by Eds)

Selsey Bill: It was another fair;y quiet morning for seabirds and visible migration, with Linnets again being the only species moving in volume. (SH/PB)
(0700-0900hrs)
Gannet - 30E, 1W
Shag - 2E
Common Scoter - 7E
Red-breasted Merganser - 1W
Mediterranean Gull - 9E
Sandwich Tern - 1E
auk sp - 1E
Meadow Pipit - 5N
Pied Wagtail - 1p
Swallow - 6E
Linnet - 265E
Goldfinch - 20p

(1600-1700hrs) The first Great Northern Diver of the autumn was seen this afternoon. (SH)
Great Northern Diver - 1E
Great Crested Grebe - 10s
Gannet - 1E, 4W
Shag - 1os
Arctic Skua - 1E (d/p)
Mediterranean Gull - 3W, 4os

Park Farm, Selsey: A House Martin was with a few Swallows overhead and a few Meadow Pipits were on the fields, whilst a Great Spotted Woodpecker was in Park Lane. (AH/IP/S&SaH/PB)

Great Spotted Woodpecker at Park Farm, Selsey (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were 29 Shelducks again on the pool, plus about 20 Teal and a Shoveler, whilst two Spotted Redshanks flew up very Ferry Channel, where there were also more Teal and a few Redshanks and Black-tailed Godwits. (AH/IP)

North Wall: There were seven Cattle Egrets on the Breech Pool this morning (IH) before they flew off and were relocated with the sheep flock along Summer Lane. (KJ)

Around the Breech Pool this afternoon there were 15 Little Egrets , three Snipe, 40 Black-tailed Godwits, seven Spotted Redshanks, two Greenshank, c 50 Redshanks, a Kingfisher, a Black Swan and the feather remains of a Water Rail. (CRJ)

Ivy Lake: There was not much about this morning, with 12 Shovelers and a Cetti's Warbler being the only birds of note. (CRJ)

Church Norton: The only passerine migrants noted were a Chiffchaff just beyond the western end of the reserve and a few Swallows, Meadow Pipits and Skylarks over, with half a dozen Stonechats spread along the front. A couple of Mistle Thrushes were around the churchyard and a couple of Song Thrushes were between the Severals, with a handful of Jays and Sparrowhawks also seen.
In the harbour there were six Brent Geese and a few Pintail and Wigeon, with a couple of Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits and 20+ Grey Plovers among the waders seen. (AH/IP/S&SaH/PB/P&JW)

Stonechat (above), Skylark, Bar-tailed Godwit and Grey Plover, Cormorants & Marsh Frog at Church Norton (AH)

This afternoon a very late Swift sp was an unexpected sight flying over the spit heading west.

Also, two Spoonbills were out in the harbour at the end of Ferry Channel, where there were also five Spotted Redshanks, whilst a Pied Wagtail was on the beach, a Goldcrest was in the churchyard and a few Swallows went over. (AW)

Swift sp (above), Swallow & Spoonbills at Church Norton (AW)

Long Pool: The two Spoonbills were roosting just beyond the end of the Long Pool late this afternoon, with four Avocets and at least two Spotted Redshanks roosting nearby, and a Stonechat was along the hedges. (AH)

Spoonbills (above), Avocets & & Stonechat around Long Pool (AH)

Friday, 12th October: A grey but surprisingly mild morning, with a threat of rain but staying dry, and a very brisk to gale force southerly breeze blowing....also becoming brighter later.

Selsey Bill: There was not much going on at all this morning beyond a few Brent Geese, Common Scoters and Gannets going west, and no overhead migration.....disappointing to say the least! Full log below.....
0730-0930hrs: (GH/AH/OM)
Gannet - 17W
Brent Goose - 14W
Common Scoter - 2E, 10W
auk sp - 3W
Pied Wagtail - 3W

Later in the morning a Purple Sandpiper came in from the east and settled on the beach with the Turnstones, until the tide pushed them all off. (J Winder)
(0930-1245hrs)
Brent Goose - 11W
Common Scoter - 1W
Purple Sandpiper - 1p
Mediterranean Gull - 1os
Swallow - 2S

Brent Geese past the Bill (AH)

(1625-1715hrs) (SH)
Great Crested Grebe - 1os
Bonxie - 1os
Mediterranean Gull - 1E
Black Tern - 1E

Ferry Pool: There were 29 Shelducks on the pool this morning, along with half a dozen Lapwing and Black-tailed Godwits and 20 Teal, with another 50 or so in the channel opposite. (AH)

Medmerry: Ham - A Hobby was along Ham Road at around 10am, seen by the cottage with Tudor style chimneys to the east of Great Ham Farm. (JW).

North Wall: Most of the interest was in White's Creek, where there were ten Spotted Redshanks and a Greenshank, along with 20+ Redshanks, Black-tailed Godwits and Dunlin, plus a few Wigeon, whilst out in the harbour at the far end there were a Yellow-legged Gull and three Lesser Black-backed Gulls.
The Breech Pool held just two Black-tailed Godwits and a few Mallards, with passerines thin on the ground and comprising of just a handful of flighty Reed Buntings and a couple of calling Cetti's Warblers. (AH/BI)

Spotted Redshanks (above), Greenshank, Greenshank and Black-tailed Godwit, Yellow-legged Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull & Wigeon from the North Wall (AH)

Selsey, East Beach pond: Two Chiffchaffs were the only birds of any interest, whilst searching around other areas of the town - including Northcommon Farm - failed to produce anything else worthy of a mention. (OM)

Chi GPs - Drayton Pits: Not much here today either, with low numbers of wildfowl - 34 Pochard and 24 Gadwall being about the best - plus eight Snipe and five Chiffchaffs the meagre best of the rest! (OM)

Church Norton: A quick look at tea-time produced four Greenshanks, a lone Brent Goose and two Little Grebes in the harbour on the high tide, and what is presumably our wintering Whimbrel in its usual haunts around the benches. (AH)

Greenshank (above) & Whimbrel at Church Norton (AH)

Thursday, 11th October: After a bright and warm start, a slightly cooler and greyer day, with a brisk south-easterly breeze....

Selsey Bill: Two Red-necked Grebes went west at 10.10am, but otherwise it was fairly slow offshore, with a Bonxie, good numbers of Gannets and a few Brent Geese, Red-breasted Mergansers and Common Scoters, mostly heading west. The only species moving in numbers overhead was Linnet, with over 300 seen, whilst there were also a Skylark and some House Martins over. Full log below.......
0730-1030hrs: (GH/C&ME/AH)
Gannet - 23E, 122W
Red-necked Grebe - 2W
Brent Goose - 11W
Common Scoter - 5E
Red-breasted Merganser - 3W
Sanderling - 1W
Sparrowhawk - 1 p
Great Skua - 1W
Sandwich Tern - 1E
Mediterranean Gull - 1 os
Kittiwake - 1W
Meadow Pipit - 5E
Pied Wagtail - 16E
Skylark - 1E
House Martin - 17E
Swallow - 25E
Goldfinch - 5E
Linnet - 383E

Gannets at the Bill (AH)

(1630-1730hrs) (SH)
Gannet - 3E
Shag - 1W
Common Scoter - 1W
Arctic skua - 1W
Mediterranean Gull - 1E

Ferry Pool: There were ten Spotted Redshanks along Ferry Channel this morning, along with a couple of Grey Wagtails, c100 Teal and a few Redshank and Black-tailed Godwits, but hte pool held just the regular 50 or so Lapwing, 20 Teal and similar of Shelducks. (AH)
At the Visitor centre, a rare moth in the form of a Beautiful Marbled was in the trap this morning (IML)...(apparently a rare immigrant from southern and eastern Europe).

Spotted Redshanks (above), Lapwings & Grey Plover around the Ferry (AH)

Beautiful Marbled moth at the Visitor centre (IML)

North Wall: There were a further two Spotted Redshanks here this morning, and a Black swan was on the Breech Pool before flying off south. (IH)
Also, a female Marsh Harrier went over and two Stonechats were along the wall. (G Holderness)

Church Norton: A Corn Bunting was on the spit at 8.15am (AW), a very rare record for the harbour in recent times, but there was little else of note, with a few Meadow Pipits, Swallows and Skylarks along the spit, and a few Grey Plovers, a Bar-tailed and a couple of Black-tailed Godwits, plus a few Wigeon and four Mediterranean Gulls in the harbour being about it. (AW/AH)