1st - 3rd February 2019

Sunday, 3rd February: A lovely, bright and sunny morning, after a very cold night, with just a very light north-westerly breeze...

Selsey Bill: There were a remarkable 577 Red-throated Divers heading west up till 10 am - more than double the previous record count at the Bill. There were also 2000 Gannets and 1600 Razorbills about on another busy morning. Full log below. (JA/SH/IP/AH/BI)
(0715-1000hrs)
Red-throated Diver - 63E, 577W, 9os
diver sp - 3E, 2W
Great Crested Grebe - 1os
Gannet - 909E, 1653W, 400os
Cormorant - 130os
Common Scoter - 5E, 55os
Red-breasted Merganser - 18W, 13os
Curlew - 2E
Turnstone - 5E
Mediterranean Gull - 2W, 2os
Kittiwake - 86E, 229W, 40os
Razorbill - 1085E, 223W, 600os
auk sp - 349E, 2069W

A video of some of the Red-throated Divers going west at Selsey Bill is here

Red-throated Divers (above), Razorbills, Common Scoters & Gannets at the Bill (AH)

(1520-1620hrs)

Red-throated Diver - 2E, 2W, 1os
Gannet - 13E, 166W, 500os
Red-breasted Merganser - 2os
Bonxie - 1W
Kittiwake - 15W
Razorbill - 3E, 2os
auk sp - 30E

Ferry Pool: There were just 25 Wigeon and ten Teal on a frozen pool, with two Lapwings on the field and a Snipe that flew out of the reeds. (AH)

Snipe (above) & Wigeon at the Ferry (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: There were two Fieldfares with four Song Thrushes and a Mistle Thrush on the cropped fields, whilst the uncultivated field held a dozen Curlews, a couple of Skylarks and c50 Meadow Pipits, plus a Fox enjoying the sun by the balancing pool.. (AH/IP)

Fieldfare (above) & Fox at Park Farm, Selsey (AH)

Medmerry: Toe End - A Black Redstart was flitting around the caravans this morning.  Also, unusually, a Sanderling was feeding around the puddles on the gravel road between Toe End and the main caravan park.(GM)

Sanderling at Medmerry (GM)

Drayton Pit: The Great White Egret was again present on the south pit, viewable from the gate. The pits were again largely frozen over, with several unfrozen patches holding some of the regular wildfowl, but in smaller numbers then of late. Ten Redwings and a couple of Chiffchaffs were the best of the rest. (OM)

 Great White Egret at Drayton pits (OM)

Fishbourne Creek: On an icy creek this morning there were about 10 Knot roosting with 100 Dunlin and 25 Grey Plover, with two Stonechat near the reedbeds. There were eight Goldeneyes (including two males) and two Great Crested Grebes off the Lavant Outfall with 30 Pintail and c200 Brent Geese mid channel. 

A Rock Pipit was on the shore at Apuldram with at least three Song Thrushes and two Mistle Thrushes in the horse paddocks, whilst off the jetty at Dell Quay eight Greenshanks and a Spotted Redshank were roosting on the far bank, with two Little Grebes in the channel. (RW)

Church Norton: There were a total of 17 Slavonian Grebes spread out across the bay at high tide, along with c40 Common Scoter, three Red-breasted Mergansers, 14 Great Crested Grebes and five Red-throated Divers, with another three east and one west of the latter. There was also up to 600 Gannets distantly viewable, with many sat on the sea.

The harbour was much quieter, with c40 Pintail, eight Little Grebes and 11 Bar-tailed Godwits notable among plenty of the commoner waders and wildfowl. Also, a dozen Skylarks and a couple of Meadow Pipits were along the spit and four or five Goldcrests were with a dozen Long-tailed Tits in Bluebell Wood. (AH/IP)

Red-throated Divers (above), Knot, Dunlin and Grey Plovers & Goldcrest at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry: West side - Both Barn Owls were out late this afternoon - one of them in the fields along Easton Lane, but there wasn't too much else beyond 20 or so Yellowhammers around their bushes and a few Meadow Pipits, along with c30 Golden Plover and 100 Lapwing that flew over. (AH)

Barn Owl (above) & Yellowhammers at Medmerry (AH)

Saturday, 2nd February: A cold, but very bright, morning, with a fresh north-westerly breeze...

Selsey Bill: There was quite a lot of activity again this morning, with 400 Gannets offshore, and plenty of Kittiwakes and auks, too. Full log below.... (AH/BI/IP et al)
(0745-0915hrs):
Great Northern Diver - 2os
Red-throated Diver - 17E, 10W, 8os
Great Crested Grebe - 1os
Gannet - 400+ os
Cormorant - 100+ os
Brent Goose - 11E
Common Scoter - 10E, 4W, 25os
Red-breasted Merganser - 10E, 5W, 10os
Common Gull - 30W
Mediterranean Gull - 3os
Kittiwake - 40W, 60os
Razorbill - 300E, 200W, 200os
auk sp - 300E, 300W
(0915-1115hrs): (OM/IP)
Red-throated Diver - 10E, 4W
Gannet - 400 os still
Brent Goose - 6W
Red-breasted Merganser - 6E, 2W
Common Scoter - 20E, 16os
Velvet Scoter - 1E
Guillemot - 2W
Razorbill - 100E, 150W
auk sp - 200E, 300W
Mediterranean Gull - 3os
also (1115-1300hrs): (CBC&MaC)
Red-throated Diver - 40E, 4W
Great Northern Diver - 2W
Gannet - 200+ os
Razorbill - 100E
auk sp - 200E, 200W

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

Ferry Pool: There were just c150 Wigeon and 20 each of Shoveler, Teal and Lapwing around the pool this morning. (AH)

Wigeon at the Ferry (AH)

Also, a Great spotted Woodpecker was on the feeders at the centre (R Porter) and a Water Rail and a Kingfisher were in Red Barn Ditch (BFF et al)

Great Spotted Woodpecker at the Visitor Centre (R Porter)

Long Pool: There were 200+ Wigeon and Teal in Ferry Channel, plus a few Redshank and Grey Plovers, whilst at the far end there were 38 Avocets, 20 Pintail, 20 Curlews and many more Teal, Wigeon and Redshank, whilst a Buzzard went over. (AH)

Avocets (above), Pintail and Teal, Buzzard & Grey Plover in Ferry Channel (AH)

Church Norton: Mid-morning there were over 50 Golden Plovers and a similar number of Lapwings on the fields along Church Lane. Offshore there were at least a dozen Red-throated Divers, with 2 Razorbills flying east. Two adult Brent Geese dropped into the harbour along with 5 juveniles. Sadly there is a dead Herring Gull high up in the trees behind the benches. (AW)
Later the resident pair of Peregrine and the wintering Whimbrel were present. Walking down to the beach and along to the end of Norton Spit was productive..... at least 35 Red-throated Divers offshore with some feeding and other going east. At the end of the spit 3 distant Goldeneye were in the main channel on the east side. In the surf at the harbour entrance perhaps 20 Mediterranean Gulls were loafing, and on the beach were plenty of feeding Turnstone and a single Sanderling. Hunkered down amongst the shingle a few Skylark and 2 Greenfinch were present. In the harbour were masses of Dunlin with at least 5 Bar-tailed Godwits, and as the tide dropped a decent flock of Knot were out feeding, perhaps 125 birds in all. Not many passerines today due to the bitter wind. (BFF et al)

 Brent Goose with Teal, Golden Plover and Red-throated Divers at Church Norton (AW)

 Whimbrel and Sanderling with Turnstone at Church Norton (BFF)

North Wall: There were four Redwing with three Song Thrushes in the horse paddocks this morning. (IH)

Ivy Lake Complex: There were few birds about, with just a scattering of Tufted Duck and Pochard on the main lakes, 20 Greylag Geese on the Trout Lake, c100 Shoveler, plus a few Tufted Duck on New Lake and just a handful of the latter on Runcton Lake. (AH)

Shovelers at Chichester GPs (AH)

Friday, 1st February: After fairly heavy overnight snowfall, a grey, still and slightly milder day...

Selsey Bill: The highlight was undoubtedly a Black Guillemot that may well have been lingering offshore and was tentatively called twice before being seen much better just fter 10am, as it went west. Otherwise, there were still plenty of Red-throated Divers on the move, plus a few Slavonian Grebes, but considerably fewer Gannets were in the feeding flock. Full log below. (BI/IP/AH/JA)

(0745-1015hrs)

Red-throated Diver - 25E, 56W

Slavonian Grebe - 6E, 1os

Great Crested Grebe - 1os

Fulmar - 1E

Gannet - c200os

Shag - 1os

Cormorant - 150os (in one flock)

Common Scoter - 29W

Red-breasted Merganser - 10E, 10os

Common Gull - 5W

Mediterranean Gull - 3os

Kittiwake - 40W

Black Guillemot - 1os, then W

Razorbill - c100W

auk sp - c400W

Rock Pipit - 1p

Shag (above) & Red-throated Divers at the Bill (AH)

Medmerry: Coastguard station to the Windmill - There were eight Red-breasted Mergansers on the sea, whilst seven Red-throated Divers went east, plus two west, and two Great Northern Divers and five Common Scoters also went west.

The little rough patch between the Windmill and the beach held a pair of Stonechats and 20 or so Meadow Pipits, but nothing else. (AH)

Stonechat (above) & Meadow Pipit at Medmerry (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were just 22 Shoveler and 12 Teal, plus a handful of Lapwing on the pool, despite it not being frozen up this morning. (AH)

Shovelers at the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool: Ferry Channel held 200+ Wigeon and Teal, plus a scattering of Redshank and Grey Plovers, whilst around Avocets were in the harbour off the far end, along with a few Pintail, Wigeon, Teal and Shelduck. 

Also, a Meadow Pipit and two Snipe went over and at least 1000 Brent Geese came up over the North Wall.(AH)

Snipe (above) & Brent Geese from the Long Pool (AH)

Church Norton: It was quiet this morning, with nothing offshore but a couple of Great Crested Grebes and a few Cormorants, though there were at least 80 Common Gulls and 40 Mediterranean Gulls about and c500 Brent Geese dropped onto the sea before returning to the harbour.

There were plenty of the commoner waders and wildfowl about, plus a few Pintail, but little else of note. (AH)

Pintails (above), Common Gull & a snow-covered spit at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - One of the Barn Owls was out briefly late this afternoon along the banks, and at least 30 Yellowhammers and a couple of Reed Buntings were still around the feeders at dusk, with 20 or so Meadow Pipits also still active.
Four Golden Plovers went over and about 500 Brent Geese were on the reserve but the Stilt Pool just held half a dozen Ringed Plovers, eight Gadwall and 30 Mallards. (AH)

Yellowhammers (above) & Brent Geese at Medmerry (AH)