7th - 9th March 2019

Saturday, 9th March: After overnight rain and a grey start, a bright and breezy morning, with a brisk westerly breeze.....

First, some news on B-6T7, a Sandwich Tern photographed at Selsey yesterday by AW - 

Born and ringed last summer, in the breeding colony “Utopia”, Texel, Dutch Wadden Sea, this is still only a second calendar year bird, but an explorer: after fledging, it first set out for a North Sea round trip, visiting Blavand Beach in Denmark, several hundred kilometres north of Texel, before heading south, presumably to Africa, where such youngsters are supposed to stay for at least a year, but this once came back north, at least as far as the southern coastline of the UK. The Sandwich Terns have not arrived at Texel yet, so young B-6T7 may even be one of the forerunners. (Mardik Leopold)

Ringed Sandwich Tern (B-6T7) on Selsey Beach (AW) & it as a freshly-ringed chick in Texel

Selsey Bill: The Red-necked Grebe popped up again offshore this morning, before heading off west and 150+ Brent Geese went east. Full log below. (JA/BI/IP)
(0630-0900hrs)
Great Norhern Diver - 2os
diver sp - 1E
Red-necked Grebe - 1os, then W
Great Crested Grebe - 2W

Fulmar - 3W
Gannet - 4E, 6W
Brent Goose - 152E
Common Scoter - 9E, 18os
Red-breasted Merganser - 10E, 2W, 11os
Bar-tailed Godwit - 1W
Curlew - 1W
Mediterranean Gull - 5E
Sandwich Tern - 2os
Meadow Pipit - 1p

(1530-1630hrs) (SH)
Gannet - 3W
Red-breasted Merganser - 2E
Sandwich Tern - 6os

Ferry Pool/Long Pool: There were two Snipe on the pool, plus the two Avocets, two Gadwall, four Shelducks, c20 Teal and c60 Shovelers, with c30 Lapwing and c200 Wigeon on the fields, with 20+ Goldfinches in the Discovery area..

At the far end of Ferry Channel, seen from the Long Pool and later from the Tramway,, there were at least 70 Avocets, a dozen Black-tailed Godwits, c50 Redshank and half a dozen or so Pintail, Wigeon and Teal, with large numbers of Grey Plovers and Dunlin further out. (AH/GM)

Shovelers (GM), Avocets & Goldfinch (AH) in the vicinity of the Ferry

Hunston: At least 15 Cattle Egrets were again in the field east of the sub-station this morning. (GM)

Cattle Egrets at Hunston (GM)

Church Norton: Two Peregrines went over the Mound, apparently one in pursuit of the other - both looked small and it was possibly our resident male chasing off an intruder into its territory (and he was back in his usual place later.)
Otherwise it was fairly quiet, with few waders in the harbour beyond the Whimbrel and a few Ringed Plovers, though there were at least a dozen Mediterranean Gulls and a couple of Common Gulls among the Black-headed Gulls.

Among other birds seen were a Mistle Thrush that flew over the Mound, two Red-breasted Mergansers and a Great Crested Grebe on the sea, two Buzzards over the Priory and a few Brent Geese towards the harbour mouth. (AH/P&JW/MO-W et al)
Later on, two Sandwich Terns were offshore and two Chiffchaffs were between the Severals. (S&SaH)

From SR - I've acquired a missing piece from somebody's 'scope, it seems to be the plastic housing from a zoom lens and looks very new, found at a bench at Church Norton. 
Anyone missing it contact us on the above email address. (Eds)

Whimbrel (above) & Mediterranean Gull at Church Norton (AH)

Runcton: Three Chiffchaffs were around the village this morning, including one in the garden, whilst a Common Buzzard, 11 Mute Swans and 40 Canada Geese were around the reservoir and a Nuthatch on the edge of the Manor, seen singing it’s pee-pee-pee song. (CRJ)

East Beach: There was an early nesting Coot on the pond, with a Great Black-backed Gull on an adjacent roof. (GM)

Coot (above) & Great Black-backed Gull at East Beach (GM)

Friday, 8th March: A fairly cool and grey morning, after a bright start, with a freshening south-westerly breeze.....

Selsey Bill: Another quiet morning, though a Great Northern Diver and the Common Scoter flock were offshore and several Red-throated Divers went east and west. Full log below.

(0715-1030hrs) (C&ME/OM/BI/AH/IP/HR/DM)

Red-throated Diver - 4E, 4W

Great Northern Diver - 1os

Great Crested Grebe - 4W, 1os

Brent Goose - 7E, 1W

Shelduck - 1W

Common Scoter - 5W, 25os

Red-breasted Merganser - 5E, 4W, 4os

Razorbill - 1os

Sandwich Tern - 3os

Mediterranean Gull - 1E

Common Gull - 10W

Pied/alba Wagtail - 3N

Meadow Pipit - 14N

Sandwich Tern (above) & Common Scoters at the Bill (AH)

Pagham Spit: The first Wheatear of the year - a male - was on the spit early this afternoon, whilst in the harbour there were two Sandwich Terns, two Peregrines, two Red-breasted Mergansers. (MD)

North Wall: There were 43 Curlews and at least 100 Black-tailed Godwits (including two colour-ringed birds) present this afternoon. (MD)

Ferry Pool: The two Avocets were once again present, along with c40 Lapwings, six Gadwall, four Shelduck, c20 Teal, c40 Shoveler and c300 Wigeon, whilst half a dozen Mediterranean Gulls were among c50 roosting Black-headed Gulls. (AH)

Avocets (above), Wigeon & Mediterranean and Black-headed Gulls at the Ferry (AH)

Medmerry: Windmill to the Breach - It was generally very quiet, though three Corn Buntings were feeding around the caravans at Toe End, where there were also one or two Linnets, Meadow Pipits and Skylarks.
The tidal areas held just c40 Brent Geese, c20 Shelducks and a couple of Curlews, plus a Sandwich Tern that dropped in briefly, though the fields on the far side (adjoining Ham) held several hundred Linnets, plus a fair few Meadow Pipits and Skylarks. (AH/IP/OM)

Corn Buntings (above) & Brent Geese at the Ferry (AH)

Hunston: There were still at least 15 Cattle Egrets in the field east of the sub-station this morning. (BI)

North Selsey: The dogs inadvertently flushed a Snipe this evening from the waste ground at the rear of Ocean Air. (SH)

Chichester Marina: All very quiet really; several Teal, a pair of Shelduck and a Cetti’s Warbler on the Marina pool. The Black Swan now has five infertile eggs in her nest on the canal! (OM)

She's done it again - another year, another batch of infertile eggs for the unmated Black Swan! (OM)

Fishbourne Creek: Nice to see a flock of at least 20 Yellowhammers in the hedgerow adjoining the stables, but nothing much in the channel on the high tide; around 60 Wigeon, 6 Pintail and a couple of Med Gulls about the best – and no sign of any pipits today. (OM)

Yellowhammer in the stables field hedgerow at Fishbourne Creek  (OM)

Thursday, 7th March: A mostly bright morning, but with the occasional squally shower or bank of clouds being pushed through by the near gale-force westerly breeze.....

Selsey Bill: Over 100 Brent Geese and over 50 Common Gulls went east, with a couple of Fulmars west, plus an Eider dropped in on the sea, but generally little was moving. Full log below...... 
(0700-1000hrs) (C&ME/AH/IP/RP)
Red-throated Diver - 2E
Great Northern Diver - 1os
Great Crested Grebe - 2W, 1os
Fulmar - 2W
Gannet - 1W, 5os
Brent Goose - 132E, 6W
Eider - 1os
Common Scoter - 6W, 45os
Red-breasted Merganser - 3E, 3W, 7os
Razorbill - 1E
Sandwich Tern - 3os
Mediterranean Gull - 4E
Common Gull - 66E, 4W
Meadow Pipit - 7N

(1630-1730) (SH)
Gannet - 2W
Common Scoter - 3W
Red-breasted Merganser - 1W, 4os
Sandwich Tern - 3os

Fulmars (above), Common Scoters & Brent Geese at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: The two Avocets were still at the back, with the regular selection of wildfowl still present, including six Shelducks, c40 Teal and Shovelers and c200 Wigeon, and a few Lapwing were on the field.
A look from along the Tramway at the main channel produced c75 Avocets, c50 Black-tailed Godwits, c50 Redshank and a few Wigeon, Teal and Pintail. (AH)

Avocets (above) & Black-tailed Godwits and Redshank from the Tramway (AH)

Church Norton: The Whimbrel was showing well, but there weren't too many waders about beyond a few Ringed Plovers and Dunlin, whilst a few Common and Mediterranean Gulls were among the gathering of Black-headed Gulls and at least 200 Brent Geese were still present.
Two Red-breasted Mergansers were on the sea, whilst a flock of c50 Brent Geese flew east well offshore and six Meadow Pipits flew in over the beach. 
Also, the two Peregrines were seen mating and a Buzzard flew low across the harbour.(AH/IP)

Whimbrel (above), Ringed Plovers, Brent Geese & Mediterranean and Black-headed Gulls at Church Norton (AH)

North Wall: The brisk westerly wind kept birds to a minimum this morning, with no waders at all and just a few Teal and Wigeon and 230 Brent Geese along White's Creek.
On the Breech Pool there were 15 Teal, seven Wigeon and four Tufted Ducks, with 43 Brent Geese in the field behind. In the field north-west of Bremere sluice there were 85 Curlew and 47 Wigeon, whilst an optimistic Skylark was performing a display flight overhead. (JDW)

Tufted Ducks (above) & Wigeon from the North Wall (JDW)