7th - 10th May 2019

Friday, 10th May: A pleasant morning, after a chilly start, with a mix of white cloud and hazy sun and just a light north-westerly breeze......

Selsey Bill: The wind direction meant another quiet morning, with two Eider east the only birds of note. Full log below.... (PB/JF/C&ME/BI/IP/DM)
(0530-1000hrs)
Great Northern Diver - 2os
Fulmar - 2W
Gannet - 46E, 57W
Common Scoter - 21E
Eider - 2W (1st-winter males)
Ringed Plover - 2p
Sanderling - 7E, 4p
Whimbrel - 7E
Sandwich Tern - 32E
Little Tern - 6os
Common Tern - 7os
'Commic' Tern - 2E
auk sp - 2E
Swallow - 7N
House Martin - 3p

(1330-1800hrs) (PB/BI/SH/JA)
Red-throated Diver - 1E
Great Crested Grebe - 1E
Gannet - 11E, 15W
Common Scoter - 18E
Sanderling - 15W
Whimbrel - 1E, 6W
Arctic Skua - 1E (l/p)
Pomarine Skua - 1E (15.32hrs)
Sandwich Tern - 33E
Little Tern - 14E
Common Tern - 2E
'Commic' Tern - 4E
Swallow - 2N

Ferry Pool: It looks like two pairs of Avocets are going to nest on the small island at the back, with another four and two Little Ringed Plovers also about, along with a handful of Redshank, c30 Black-tailed Godwits, four Gadwall and a dozen Shelduck, plus what looks like nine youngsters. 
There were also, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Whitethroats singing around the discovery Area and a Goldcrest singing in the Leylandii by the EA yard.. (AH/TK/RP)

Shelducks (AH) (above), Black-tailed Godwits (TK), Avocets & Wren (RP) around the Ferry

Long Pool: A female Whinchat was along the edges of the fields this morning, but otherwise it was the usual mix of Reed and Sedge Warbler song, with two or three Reed Buntings, a Blackcap, a couple of Whitethroats, a Lesser Whitethroat and a Cetti's Warbler all joining in.
A pair of Gadwall and a Great Crested Grebe were on the pool, with a couple more of the former in Ferry Channel, along with c40 Black-tailed Godwits. (AH/TK)

Whinchat (above), Reed Warbler, Reed Bunting & Gadwall around the Long Pool (AH)

Sidlesham: A Cuckoo was calling somewhere near our garden on the west of the village today, whilst a Lesser Black-backed Gull was among the usual Herring Gulls and four Shelduck were flying around, prospecting the local paddocks, as they always do at this time of year. (AH)

Church Norton: A Hobby went over the Severals this morning. (BI)
At high tide, late this afternoon, 20+ Little Terns were being busy around Peregrine Island (safe to assume that the Peregrines are not nesting there!), with 40 Sandwich Terns and a lone Common Tern also about, along with 20+ Bar-tailed Godwits, three Knot, 16 Grey Plovers and c60 Dunlin. (AH)

Sandwich Tern (above) & Sandwich Terns, Dunlin and Grey Plovers at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - It was generally quiet along the banks, though a Cuckoo was briefly in the poplars and there were half a dozen Reed Buntings, Yellowhammers and Whitethroats, a Lesser Whitethroat, a Sedge Warbler and several Reed Warblers present, plus a Meadow Pipit, a Jay, a couple of Swallows and the usual Skylarks and Linnets.
The Stilt Pool only appeared to be holding five pairs of Avocets, though several appeared to be on eggs, and the only other waders seen were three Little Ringed Plovers, with a couple of pairs of Gadwall and Tufted Duck the only wildfowl of note. (AH/IP)
Later on, the two sub-adult Spoonbills were back on the Stilt Pool. (per RBA)

Cuckoo (above), Jay, Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Little Ringed Plover & Avocets at Medmerry (AH)

Thursday, 9th May: A fairly cool and blustery morning with the odd squally shower and a fresh north-westerly breeze......

Selsey Bill: Predictably quiet, though a couple of Arctic Skuas went east early on and the local terns, Gannets and the odd Common Scoter were moving about offshore. Full log below.......
(0540-1100hrs) (JF/PB/C&ME/AH/IP/PC)
Great Northern Diver - 2os
Great Crested Grebe - 2W
Fulmar - 1W
Gannet - 86E, 30W
Eider - 1os
Shelduck - 2W
Common Scoter - 16E, 18W
Curlew - 2E
Whimbrel - 2W
Bar-tailed Godwit - 3E
Knot - 2W
Grey Plover - 23W
Sanderling - 2W
Razorbill - 1E
auk sp - 2E, 2W
Little Tern - 8E, 7os
Common Tern - 16os
'Commic' Tern - 3E
Sandwich Tern - 28E, 8os
Mediterranean Gull - 1W
Kittiwake - 2W
Arctic Skua - 2E (1 l/p, 1d/p)
Swallow - 31N
House Martin - 3p (local breeders)

(1345-1545hrs) (C&ME)
Fulmar - 1E
Gannet - 38E, 10W
Common Scoter - 1E
Sanderling - 15W
Dunlin - 30W
auk sp - 4E
Little Tern - 9W
Common Tern - 10os
'Commic' Tern - 30os
Sandwich Tern - 7os
Arctic Skua - 4E (2 l/p, 2 d/p)
Swift - 4N
Swallow - 5N

(1630-1800hrs) (SH)
Manx Shearwater - 1E, 1W
Gannet - 50E, 8W
Arctic Skua - 3E (2l/p, 1d/p)
Kittiwake - 1W
Sandwich Tern - 2E, 6os
Little Tern - 4os
auk sp - 3E, 1W
Swallow - 1N

House Martin (above) & the Pom Race contenders enduring a slow morning at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: Two Common Sandpipers together were new, but otherwise it was business as usual, with three Little Ringed Plovers, six Avocets, ten Redshank and c40 Black-tailed Godwits present, along with four Gadwall and a dozen Shelducks, plus the family group.
There were a couple of Whimbrel, a couple of Avocets and another 40 or so Black-tailed Godwits in the channel opposite, plus pairs of Wigeon and Gadwall, but the Tramway circuit just held the regular Whitethroats, Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs. (AH)

Common Sandpipers (above), Wigeon, Whimbrel & Whitethroat around the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: There were a dozen Whimbrel in the harbour, plus up to 20 Bar-tailed and a couple of Black-tailed Godwits, with at least 40 Sandwich Terns and a handful of Little Terns and Mediterranean Gulls around the island.
Passerines were more heard than seen, but included a Lesser Whitethroat, a couple of Whitethroats and Blackcaps and a few Linnets. (AH/IP)

Bar-tailed Godwit (above) & Sandwich Tern at Church Norton (AH)

Ivy Lake: The first-winter Little Gull was again present, along with four Common Terns, c50 Swifts and 200+ Swallows and House Martins, whilst Reed, Sedge and Cetti's Warblers, Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs were all heard and there were 20+ juvenile Long-tailed Tits moving through the hedges.
Also, there were a dozen or so Pochard, half of which were females, on the various lakes, along with similar numbers of Tufted Ducks and Great Crested Grebes. (AH)

Little Gull (above), Common Tern, Pochard & Long-tailed Tit at Ivy Lake (AH)

Wednesday, 8th May: A morning that started with a fresh south-easterly, leaden skies and heavy prolonged showers, but ended up with a brisk south-westerly, producing typically bright and breezy conditions......

Selsey Bill: Early on, a Pomarine Skua and two Black Terns went east, but thereafter it was mainly terns and Gannets moving east and west, plus a Hobby in from the sea. The hard core of observers who attended this morning braved the downpours, (well, apart from a few tactical withdrawals to our cars), but poor visibility at times no doubt meant some more distant birds got missed. Overall though, it was a good team effort!  Full log below......
(0530-1400hrs) (JA/PB/JF/OM/BI/IP/AH et al)
Great Northern Diver - 2 os
Great Crested Grebe - 2W
Fulmar - 2E, 2W
Gannet - 250E, 654W
Common Scoter - 41E
Shoveler - 2E
Hobby - 1N
Whimbrel - 1E
Turnstone - 3E
Dunlin - 1E
Arctic Skua - 1E (d/p)
Pomarine Skua - 1E (0544hrs)
Kittiwake - 2W
Little Tern - 2E, 12os
Common Tern - 102E
'Commic' Tern - 45E
Black Tern - 2E
Sandwich Tern - 35E
Guillemot - 2W
Razorbill - 3E, 2W
auk sp - 12E, 3W
Swift - 4N
Swallow - 15N

(1400-1600hrs) (C&ME)   .....and another Pom by the afternoon shift at 1503hrs.....
Fulmar - 1W
Gannet - 17E, 8W
Common Scoter - 3E
Arctic Skua - 2E (d/p)
Pomarine Skua - 1E (1503hrs)
Little Tern - 6W
Sandwich Tern - 12E
Razorbill - 1W
Swift - 2N
Swallow - 3N

(1640-1800hrs) (SH)
Manx Shearwater - 2W
Fulmar - 1W
Gannet - 18E, 8W
Kittiwake - 
Sandwich Tern - 16os
Little Tern - 3os
Common Tern - 5os
Guillemot - 1W
Razorbill - 1W
auk sp - 1W
Swallow - 3N

     

Guillemot (above), Kittiwake, Sandwich Tern & Gannets at the Bill (AH)

OM and PB, above, enjoying the conditions at the Bill rather more than Jack, below! (AH)

Selsey: There were Swifts feeding low over St Peter's Church this morning. (AW)

Ivy Lake: The Little Gull was still present this evening, with lots of Swifts and hirundines over the lake and the pair of Egyptian Geese, along with seven goslings were at the back. (AB)

Ferry Pool: There were a dozen Avocets present early on, along with c50 Black-tailed Godwits and half a dozen Redshank, along with four Gadwall, 20 adult Shelducks and at least seven ducklings. 

There were four Whimbrel, two Dunlin and another 30 Black-tailed Godwits in the channel, plus pairs of Wigeon and Gadwall. (AH)

Whimbrel (above), Dunlin & Shelduck-lings around the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: Out on the mud this morning there were three Knot, 22 Bar-tailed Godwits, two Black-tailed Godwits, six Whimbrel and two Ringed Plovers, whilst 30 or so Sandwich Terns and half a dozen Mediterranean Gulls were also sat out.

Unsurprisingly, the bushes were quiet, though Cuckoo, Blackcap and Chiffchaff were all heard. (AH)

Later, a Nightingale singing briefly at the head of the Church Norton path to the harbour this afternoon. (IL)

Bar-tailed Godwit (above), Knot & Sandwich Terns at Church Norton (AH)

This evening there were at least 20 Bar-tailed Godwits and a dozen Black-tailed Godwits on the mud, along with the three Knot and at least five Whimbrel. (AH)

Bar-tailed Godwit (above), Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits & Whimbrel at Church Norton (AH)

Tuesday, 7th May: Another cool and fairly cloudy morning but also some sunny spells, with light and variable winds early on, freshening and moving south-east as the morning progressed............

Selsey Bill: Highlights for a big crowd included four Black Terns through east early on, a Long-tailed Duck going west before dropping onto the sea and the first couple of Pomarine Skuas for a nearly a week (singles going east at 1155 & 1459hrs). Also, a Yellowhammer in the Bill House garden was a surprise, as were a flock of eight Manx close in this evening.

Otherwise there were a few 'Commic'/Common Terns and 200+ Common Scoters going east, along with a few Bar-tailed Godwits and 50 Whimbrels. Full log below......
(0530-1900hrs) (JA/PB/JF/OM/IP/CN/AH/C&ME/CRJ/CBC&MC/DS/DF et al)
Red-throated Diver - 4E
Black-throated Diver - 2E
Great Northern Diver - 4os
Diver sp - 2E
Great Crested Grebe - 1W
Manx Shearwater - 8E
Fulmar - 6E, 2W
Gannet - 200E, 19W
Little Egret - 1E
Shelduck - 3E, 4os
Common Scoter - 266E
Red-breasted Merganser - 1E
Long-tailed Duck - 1W settled offshore 
Tufted Duck - 2W
Whimbrel - 50E
Bar-tailed Godwit - 10E
Turnstone - 3E
Dunlin - 1E
Sanderling - 49E
Turnstone - 3E
Great Skua - 1E
Arctic Skua - 6E, 2os (all l/p)

Pomarine Skua (1155 & 1459hrs)
Little Tern - 17E, 30os
Common Tern - 43E
'Commic' Tern - 163E
Black Tern - 4E
Sandwich Tern - 132E, 16os
Guillemot - 1E, 2W
auk sp - 12E, 6W
Swift - 3N
Swallow - 24N
Pied Wagtail - 1 ob
Whitethroat - 2 Bill House garden
Yellowhammer - 1 Bill House garden

Common Terns (above), Sandwich Tern, Little Terns, Red-throated Diver, Yellowhammer and a good turn-out at the Bill (AH)

JF is currently in the runner-up position with this year's Pom-King challenge and here we see his tactics - conserving energy whilst he's meant to be contributing to the Log!! (OM)

Ferry Pool: The pool was fairly quiet again, with waders comprising just a Little Ringed Plover, two Dunlin, a Lapwing, four Avocets, ten Redshank and c50 Black-tailed Godwits. The Shelduck family was along the edges, with another dozen adults present, plus a pair of Gadwall, whilst a summer-plumaged Spotted Redshank was in the channel opposite. (AH)

Spotted Redshank (above), Shelduck-ling, Gadwall & Little Ringed Plover around the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: There were at least 20 Little Terns and Common Terns, plus 50 or more Sandwich Terns in the harbour, along with 20 Bar-tailed Godwits, a couple of Black-tailed Godwits and Whimbrel, Dunlin and half a dozen Ringed Plovers.
There was no evidence of new migration, with just the regular Sedge Warblers, Whitethroats and Blackcaps heard/seen, plus a few Swallows over. (AH/IP)

Chi GPs - Ivy Lake: The Little Gull was still present this afternoon (CRJ)