29th - 31st October 2018

Wednesday, 31st October: Another slightly milder, if still grey morning, with a freshening south-easterly breeze...

Selsey Bill: There wasn't too much moving, but there was a bit of variety, including two distant Manx Shearwaters, a Bonxie, half a dozen Kittiwakes and quite a few auks (all Razorbills that could be identified) going east, plus a Red-throated Diver each way, a Great Northern Diver on the sea and two Swallows over the Oval Field. Full log below..... 
0715-1145hrs: (PB/AH/BI/OM/MJ)
Red-throated Diver - 1E, 1W
Great Northern Diver - 1os
Manx Shearwater - 2E
Great Crested Grebe - 2E
Gannet - 46E, 8W
Brent Goose - 1E
Common Scoter - 11E
Red-breasted Merganser - 1E
Razorbill - 24E
auk sp - 125E, 2W
Great Skua - 1E
Kittiwake - 24E, 8W
Common Gull - 1W
Mediterranean Gull - 2E
Skylark - 2E
Pied Wagtail - 2 p
Meadow Pipit - 2N
Swallow - 2 S
Jackdaw - 40 p area
Linnet - 56E

Red-throated Diver (above), Red-breasted Merganser & Mediterranean Gull at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There was just a Shelduck and six Lapwing on the pool, with half a dozen Black-tailed Godwits, ten Redshank, 20 Wigeon and c150 Teal in the channel opposite. (AH)

Wigeon (above) & Black-tailed Godwits in Ferry Channel (AH)

West Itchenor: There were a few Siskins over/around and calling this morning. (PH)
Church Norton: There was not much to report this morning, with passerines comprising a Chiffchaff and a couple of Goldcrests skulking near the Mound and a couple of Meadow Pipits on the beach, whilst a Bar-tailed Godwit among a few Grey Plovers, Curlews and Redshanks were about the only birds in the harbour.
Also, a flock of c50 Linnets was along Rectory Lane, and there were also 20+ Lapwings on the lettuce fields. (AH)

Bar-tailed Godwit (above), Grey Plover, Meadow Pipit, Linnets & Lapwing at Church Norton (AH)

Tuesday, 30th October: A cold and grey morning, with a brisk north-westerly breeze....

Selsey Bill: With the wind swinging round to north-west it was very quiet this morning, with just two Mediterranean Gulls, a handful of Brent Geese and a few Pintail about early on... and nothing worthy of mention in the gardens. Full log below......
0715-0915hrs: (OM/AH/DF/DS)
Gannet - 3E
Brent Goose - 19E, 8W
Common Scoter - 3E, 1W
Pintail - 12W
Wigeon - 1E, 2W
Mediterranean Gull - 2E

Mediterranean Gull at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool/Long Pool: There was just a solitary Shelduck on the pool this morning, though there were 300+ Teal, 50+ Wigeon and 25+ Redshanks along Ferry Channel.
A Stonechat was the only bird of note along the Long Pool, plus a Jay and a Buzzard over. (AH)

Stonechat (above), Jay & Teal from Long Pool (AH)

Medmerry: Oakhurst Farm to Ham viewpoint - This morning there were a pair of Stonechats and three Yellowhammers along the path, a Common Buzzard and three Kestrels over, with a Greenshank, eight Golden Plovers and 35 Lapwings on the reserve. (CRJ)

Medmerry: Wet side - A Little Owl was calling from the hedges just north of Marsh Farm buildings - the first report in a couple of years from what used to be a regular site for the species. (BO'D)

Church Norton: There was not too much to report this morning, though there were a scattering of Grey Plover, Redshank, Oystercatcher, Curlew and Dunlin, about, with the best being a single Bar-tailed Godwit, whilst a Peregrine was in their usual spot on the island. (MO-W)

North Wall: A Greenshank and two Spotted Redshank were in White's Creek, along with 50+ Black-tailed Godwits and Redshank, with a Kingfisher briefly by the sluice. There were plenty of Wigeon and a few Pintail at the far end of the creek, with 40+ Brent Geese in the harbour, but not much else beyond the regular waders.
The Breech Pool held half a dozen Snipe and Teal, but nothing much else, and passerines were confined to a few Reed Buntings keeping low, though there was a Water Rail on Owl Water, a Kingfisher by the sluice at the west end of the wall, and c100 Wigeon and a couple of Song Thrushes at Halsey's Farm. (AH/PC)

Kingfisher (above), Greenshank, Water Rail, Snipe, Redshanks & Wigeon along North Wall (AH)

Monday, 29th October: Another very cold but bright morning, with the brisk north-easterly persisting....

Selsey Bill: Predictably, it was much quieter than yesterday, but there was still a bit on the move offshore this morning, including 50+ Brent Geese, a Red-throated Diver and a few duck, and a bit of visible migration was going on, too, including three Bramblings and a few Siskins and Skylarks over. Full log below..... 
0715-1030hrs: (BI/GH/AH/OM/MJ)
Red-throated Diver - 1W
Diver sp - 1W
Gannet - 25 os
Brent Goose - 2E, 72W
Common Scoter - 7E, 1W
Red-breasted Merganser - 2W
Teal - 3W
Wigeon - 19W
Pintail - 4E
Curlew - 2W
Lapwing - 1W
Stock Dove - 20W/N
Woodpigeon - 440W/N
auk sp - 5E
Pied Wagtail - 1 area
Meadow Pipit - 10N
Starling - 1S, 24N
Skylark -8N
Linnet - 13N
Goldfinch - 117N
Siskin - 2N
Chaffinch - 30N
Brambling - 3N

Red-throated Diver (above), Brent Geese, Wigeon and Teal & Pied Wagtail at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were no birds at all on the pool early on - though 50 Lapwings were roosting on it later, and the channel opposite held very little beyond a Little Egret, a Grey Heron and a handful of Teal and Redshank. (AH)

Little Egret, Cormorant and Grey Heron in Ferry Channel (AH)

Church Norton: The only wader of note among the regulars were a Greenshank and a Bar-tailed Godwit, whilst there were plenty of Pintail and Wigeon in the main channel and 100+ Brent Geese on the far side, and a Buzzard in a tree near the concrete wall.

The bushes were very quiet, though a couple of Skylarks, c25 Pied Wagtails, c50 Linnets and similar of Lapwings were on the lettuce fields in Rectory Lane. (AH/AW)

Greenshank (above), Lapwing & Skylark at Church Norton (AH)

Buzzard near the concrete wall (AW)

North Wall: A Ruff which temporarily gave hopes of something scarcer was seen by a visiting birder on the Breech pool, and later reported to the Visitor centre, before a photo fully resolved the issue (per RN), although the bird in question didn't linger. The water level in the pool had dropped nicely by early afternoon, allowing 80 Black-tailed Godwits, 30 Redshank, 2 Spotted Redshanks, a Dunlin, 15 Snipe and a Water Rail to take advantage of the conditions. (BI/OM)

Medmerry - West side: Along the path down there were 4 Buzzards, 3 Sparrowhawks and 2 Kestrels. Also seen were 5 Stonechats, 3 Corn Buntings and 10+ Meadow Pipits. A Dartford Warbler was in the gorse bushes opposite the metal barn. There were 5 Gadwall on the Stilt Pools but no waders. (AW)
Later on, the Hooded Crow re-appeared, just west of the breach. (GT)

(above) Corn Buntings (with Stonechat) and (below) Dartford Warbler at Medmerry (AW)

East side - Breach viewpoint: Disappointingly little, with just 15 Dunlin, 20 Ringed Plover and 4 Grey Plover on the mudflats, and 2 Kestrels hunting the last remnants of rough ground at Toe End - where 2 Meadow Pipits were the only other birds present. (OM)