Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 16th

Sunday, 18th November: A beautiful cold, crisp and sunny day, though decidedly chilly in the brisk E/NE wind.....

Selsey Bill: The clear highlight was a Grey Phalarope, found late morning just offshore from the Hillfield Road car-park (D.Murray per NM), much to the chagrin of the regular sea-watchers who had earlier been gathered just a little way further east near the Bill House! (It was present till around 12.30pm, but not since) Full log below....
0700-0900hrs: (SH/PB/BI/AH)
Red-throated Diver - 2E, 3W
diver sp - 1E
Great Crested Grebe - 2W, 2os
Gannet - 6E, 14W
Brent Goose - 8E, 19W
Common Scoter - 5E, 1W
Red-breasted Merganser - 6E, 16W, 1os
Pintail - 2E
auk sp - 2W
Woodpigeon - 135W
Stock Dove - 74E
Mediterranean Gull - 14E
Common Gull - 2E, 1W
Skylark - 1E
Pied Wagtail - 1N
Meadow Pipit - 8E
Rock Pipit - 4 ob
Chaffinch - 53E
Goldfinch - 40p
Linnet - 53E

Grey Phalarope off the Bill and Rock Pipit on the beach (SH)

Grey Phalarope (above), Rock Pipit and Meadow Pipit & Common Scoter and Red-breasted Mergansers at the Bill (AH)

Medmerry - east side: Two Black Redstarts were around the Toe End area, whilst the Hooded Crow was also present around the Breach area (per GaJ/PJ).

Hooded Crow at Medmerry (GaJ)

Ferry Pool: Not much to report on here early this morning - just 300 or so Wigeon, 50 Teal and 25 Shovelers, plus a few Lapwings, though a flock of around 30 Redwings went over, heading south-east. (AH)

Wigeon on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: There were at least 500 Brent Geese and 40+ Shelducks in the harbour, plus half a dozen Great Crested Grebes and a few Wigeon, whilst there were good numbers of the commoner waders, including c40 Knot and Ringed Plovers, plus the Whimbrel and a Bar-tailed Godwit, along with a few Common and Mediterranean Gulls.
Three or four Sparrowhawks were about, but passerines consisted of a Fieldfare and a few Goldcrests around the churchyard, with 20+ Skylarks and a few Meadow Pipits along the spit. (AH/RM/S&SaH/PB)

Brent Geese (above), Mediterranean Gull & Ringed Plover at Church Norton (AH)

Saturday, 17th November: After a grey start, a fine and bright morning, though decidedly chillier than of late in the fresh north-easterly breeze.....later becoming more easterly.

Selsey Bill: It was another morning with little to suggest passage, but in the end a good selection of species passed through in 6 hrs, including an Arctic Tern and 18 Sandwich Terns (surely a winter record here) east, a few Red-throated Divers, five sadly unidentifiable Grey Geese that settled way out on the sea, a Mistle Thrush, and a Black Redstart around the sea wall at the 'south-east corner' and Bill Point house. Full log below.......
0715-1315hrs: (JA/BI/AH/OM)
Red-throated Diver - 6E, 3W, 1os
diver sp - 2W
Great Crested Grebe - 1E, 1os
Gannet - 15E
Grey Goose sp - 5 settled os (from W)
Brent Goose - 3E, 78W
Eider - 2W
Common Scoter - 13E, 6W
Red-breasted Merganser - 13E, 1W, 10os
Wigeon - 1E, 1W
Teal - 3E
Curlew - 1W
Dunlin - 4E
Sanderling - 5E
Lapwing - 4N
Sparrowhawk - 1 area
Kestrel - 1 Oval Field
Razorbill - 1os
auk sp - 17E, 8W
Arctic Tern - 1E
Sandwich Tern - 18E
Kittiwake - 6E
Mediterranean Gull - 19E, 2W
Common Gull - 9E
Redwing - 1E
Mistle Thrush - 1E
Starling - 6N, 15S
Meadow Pipit - 3N
Rock Pipit - 1 ob
Pied Wagtail - 3E
Skylark - 4E
Black Redstart - 1 p
Linnet - 4N
Goldfinch - 60E

Red-throated Diver (above), Sandwich Tern, Gannets & Mediterranean Gull at the Bill (AH)

Selsey, Park Farm: There were 10+ Goldcrests along Manor Lane footpath, and around the farm were a Grey Wagtail, a Blackcap and a Sparrowhawk. (SH)

West Wittering: A Great White Egret flew out of the harbour this morning, seen heading east from the path between West Wittering and West Itchenor. Also about 400 Brent Geese, 50 Shelduck with 30 Curlew were out on the mud and a large flock of Skylark were in fields inland from the harbour. (GM)

Ivy Lake: A Great White Egret was over the eastern part of the lake at midday before drifting out of view. (BI)

Great White Egret at Ivy Lake (BI)

Ferry Pool: There were the usual 40+ Shoveler and 100+ Wigeon and Teal early on, but by late morning there were just half a dozen Shelducks and a few Black-headed Gulls. (AH)
Later, a ringtail Hen Harrier was seen flying across the B2145 towards the harbour between the Ferry and Church Norton, but there were no further sightings. (IL)

Pagham Spit: Three redhead Goosanders were just offshore from the first bungalows in the shingle pools this morning, before they flew off out to sea at 9.30am. (HR)

North Wall: Along the wall this morning there were six Reed Buntings and a Yellowhammer, with a Cetti's Warbler and 200 Lapwings nearby, whilst atHalsey's Farm there were 14 Redwings and a couple of Fieldfares, whilst nine Snipe went over. (CRJ)

Church Norton: There was nothing much out of the ordinary, though at least 200 Brent Geese, with just a few juveniles among them, were near the harbour mouth again, along with few Shelduck, up to 40 Ringed Plovers were among the regular waders and at least 50 Skylarks, plus a few Meadow Pipits were along the spit. (AH) Later, 50+ Brent Geese were in the harbour, whilst another 70+ flew west, and there were also two Peregrines present. (SH)

Brent Geese (above), Shelducks, Skylark, Grey Plover & Ringed Plovers and Dunlin at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry: Ham Farm - A look at dusk produced 80 Golden Plovers and 300 Lapwings on the big arable field, a few Meadow Pipits along the bank, half a dozen Yellowhammers on the wires by the farm, a Buzzard over and a Water Rail squealing in the small marsh along Ham Road. (AH)

Yellowhammer (above), Meadow Pipit & Golden Plovers and Lapwings at Medmerry (AH)

Medmerry: West side - There were plenty of ducks about today with hundreds of Teal and Wigeon spread over the various pools along with 20+Shovelers, 40+ Tufted Ducks and a dozen Gadwall. The banks held a few Meadow Pipits, Skylarks and Yellowhammers and the two Ravens were again near the Stilt Pool. The beach was largely quiet bar a random Wren & Robin amongst the groynes and a single Dunlin went east offshore. (BI)

Friday, 16th November: A very gloomy, drizzly morning, though still fairly mild, with a moderate south-easterly breeze.....

Selsey Bill: There was not too much evidence of migration, but there was a reasonable selection of species seen, including a Slavonian Grebe and Great Northern and Red-throated Divers, plus three Redwings in the Bill House garden. Full log below. (AH/BI/JA)

(0715-0900hrs)

Great Northern Diver - 1os

Red-throated Diver - 1E

Slavonian Grebe - 1os

Great Crested Grebe - 2W

Gannet - 29E, 2W

Teal - 1E, 4W

Common Scoter - 3E

Red-breasted Merganser - 3E, 5W, 8os

Dunlin - 1E

Lesser Black-backed Gull - 4E

Mediterranean Gull - 5E, 1os

Common Gull - 13E

Kittiwake - 16E

Razorbill - 33E

Guillemot - 1E

auk sp - 7E, 3W

Rock Pipit - 1ob

Pied Wagtail - 1E, 1N

Redwing - 3 gardens

Gannet (above) & Common Scoters at the Bill (AH)

There were also a further six Redwings in the communal garden at the Broadreeds estate and a Black Redstart was on the seawall nearby. At Warner Lane paddocks there were at least eight more Redwings present along with a Stonechat. (BI)

Redwings in the Bill House garden (BI)

Ferry Pool: There were large numbers of duck present early on, but my mid-morning it has reduced to 50 Lapwings, 20 Shoveler, 50 Wigeon and 50 Teal, with another 50 of the latter in the channel opposite, where a Grey Wagtail flew over, too. (AH)
Later on, a Water Rail was in Red Barn Ditch (behind the Visitor Centre). (SA)

Lapwings and Shovelers on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: There was very little in the hedges beyond the odd calling Goldcrest, whilst along the spit there were c40 Skylarks and 20 or so Linnets, Greenfinches and Meadow Pipits.

Up to 200 Brent Geese were around the harbour mouth, but there was little of note in the harbour on the low tide beyond a Bar-tailed Godwit and a few Grey Plovers and Mediterranean Gulls. (AH)