13th - 15th June 2019

Saturday, 15th June: Sunshine and cloud, and feeling just a tad warmer than of late, though still with a brisk SSW wind.........and more showers by afternoon.

Selsey Bill: An Arctic Skua was offshore and a single Manx Shearwater went west - although the potential highlight - a distant but possible Balearic Shearwater - was just too far offshore to clinch the identification. Full log below.....

(0530-0900hrs) (SH/PB/BI/IP/AH)

Fulmar - 1W

Gannet - 34E, 16W

Manx Shearwater - 1W

shearwater sp - 1W (0850hrs)

Eider - 3E

Common Scoter - 13E, 47W

Curlew - 3W

Razorbill - 3W

auk sp - 3E

Little Tern - 2os

Common Tern - 6os

Sandwich Tern - 20os

Kittiwake - 4W

Arctic Skua - 1 os

Ferry Pool: The water levels has dropped a little, and consequently a few more birds were back on it, including two Little Ringed Plovers, six Lapwing and 15 Redshank, along with the Shelduck family and a dozen Gadwall, whilst drake Teal and six Black-tailed Godwits were in the channel opposite.
Great Spotted Woodpecker was in the Discovery Area, the Reed Warbler family were keeping low in the hedge opposite and a presumably unpaired Sedge Warbler has taken up residence on the small pool, but most of the warblers, including a couple of Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps and half a dozen Whitethroats were only singing sporadically from deep cover. (AH)

Little Ringed Plover (above), Shelducks, Sedge Warbler & Great Spotted Woodpecker around the Ferry (AH)

This afternoon there were two drake Teal on the hidden pool at the Ferry! In the channel by the pumps there was a shoal of large fish, probably Grey Mullet, with a rather hopeful Common Tern flying around above. (AW)

Common Tern (above), Teal & Grey Mullet around the Ferry (AW)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - The Spoonbill was very active this morning on the Stilt Pool, feeding and preening, whilst a summer-plumaged Spotted Redshank mysteriously appeared in a couple of pictures, though was not actually seen!

There were four Little Ringed Plovers and eight Avocets also present, though there was no indication of breeding activity. A handful of Gadwall and Tufted Ducks, plus a family of Canada Geese, were about, too, with one Sandwich Tern seen offshore.

The banks were fairly busy, though birds were skittish or keeping low in the wind, and included half a dozen Yellowhammers and Whitethroats, a couple of Reed Buntings and plenty of Linnets and Skylarks, whilst eight Swifts and a few Swallows went over and seven Stock Doves were around Marsh Barn. (AH)

Spotted Redshank and Spoonbill (above), Spoonbill, Avocets, Little Ringed Plover, Sandwich Tern, Yellowhammer & Stock Doves at Medmerry (AH)

Chi GPs - Drayton GPs: Highlights this morning were the summering Marsh Harrier and a Hobby, plus 70 Swifts, a pair of Bullfinches and 18 adult Pochard, (though no duck broods of any species were noted during my visit). Non-avian delights included the first Marbled Whites on the wing and several small colonies of Pyramidal and (I think) Southern Marsh orchids. Please note: If visiting these private pits, be sure to view from publicly accessible areas due to the likelihood of future access restrictions. (OM)

Non-avian highlights from Drayton GPs - Marbled White, Pyramidal (left centre) and Southern Marsh orchids (right centre and lower) (OM)

Friday, 14th June: Another blustery morning, with a strong south-south-westerly wind and a mix of fast-moving cloud and the odd bit of sun.........

Selsey Bill: There was an impressive westward movement of Manx Shearwaters west this morning, totalling 115 birds, most of which were fairly well offshore, but included a memorable flock of 22 that skipped across the whole horizon in a tight group. 

Also there were a couple of Fulmars each way, a few Kittiwakes west and 20 Common Scoter east, along with the usual terns and a few Gannets. (BI/IP/AH) Full log below:

(0645-0930hrs)
Manx Shearwater - 115W
Fulmar - 2E 2W
Gannet - 9E 17W
Common Scoter -20E
Kittiwake - 5W
Little Tern - 3os
Sandwich Tern - c.12os
Razorbill - 2W
Auk sp. - 2E 2W
Dolphin sp. - one briefly offshore

(1645-1745hrs) (SH)
Gannet - 1E
Sandwich Tern - 71os
Common Tern - 6os
Little Tern - 4os
House Martin - 3p

Kittiwake (above) & Sandwich Tern at the Bill (AH), & distant Manx Shearwaters (AW)

Ferry Pool: The Redshank and its chick and half a dozen Lapwings were the only waders present, though a group of 12 Gadwall were at the back, as was the Shelduck family, whilst the Reed Warbler family was still in the hedge opposite. (AH)

Gadwall on the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool: The mother Gadwall still had all 11 ducklings this morning, and there were also a Little Grebe and four Tufted Ducks on the pool, with a dozen Black-tailed Godwits and c25 Lapwing on/over Ferry Channel, and another dozen of the latter on the uncropped fields nearby.
A few Swifts and Swallows went over, as did a Common Tern, a few Linnets were in the gorse and there was still a bit of Reed and Sedge Warbler song, but generally passerines were keeping low. (AH)

Gadwall (above), Black-tailed Godwit & Linnet around the Long Pool (AH)

Church Norton: Again there was little to report asides from the very busy gull and tern colony, with the bushes quiet beyond a noisy Song Thrush, a Lesser Whitethroat and the odd Whitethroat. (AH/IP)

Sandwich Tern (above) & terns in the harbour-mouth at Church Norton (AH)

Ivy Lake complex: There were two mother Pochards with three ducklings each this morning - one on Ivy Lake and one on Triangle Lake - with another ten adults on the water. There were also six Common Terns present, an adult and a young Cetti's Warbler and a couple of Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs, but only the odd Swift and Swallow were overhead.

Two families of Canada Geese were on Triangle Lake, whilst at least another 100 adults were spread about and 82 Greylag Geese were on Copse Lake, and there were also a dozen or more Tufted Ducks and Great Crested Grebes about, plus a Sparrowhawk carrying prey. (AH/CRJ)

Common Terns (above), Pochard family, Great Crested Grebes, Canada Goose family & Greylag Geese around Ivy Lake (AH)

North Wall: A Little Tern and a Common Tern were fishing successfully near the sluice this morning but there was little on the full-to-the-brim Breech Pool other than 10 each of Mallard and Tufted Duck. The male Wigeon was out in the harbour with a pair of Shelduck and there a few Black-tailed Godwits around the islands here too. The reeds still held Reed & Sedge Warblers, and a Blackcap was singing near Owl Copse, whilst there were five Little Egrets and two Grey Herons in their high tide roost. A few Meadow Browns were out in the fields, but butterfly numbers were generally poor again, and a Stoat ran across the Wall. (BI)

Medmerry: Porthole Farm - This evening at least 100 Swifts were over the settling tanks, along with similar of House Martins and a dozen Swallows, whilst six Mediterranean Gulls went over east and three Grey Herons went south.

At least half a dozen singing Yellowhammers and a couple of Reed Buntings were in the hedges, along with several Whitethroat families and a few Skylarks were in the cropped fields. (AH)

Swifts (above), House Martin, Yellowhammer & Skylark at Medmerry (AH)

Thursday, 13th June: A very blustery morning, with a near gale-force south-westerly blowing, but mainly dry and fairly mild despite the heavy cloud.....

Selsey Bill: A few Razorbills and Gannets went east and two Fulmars west, but not much else, though the pod of Bottle-nosed Dolphins were offshore again. Full log below. (AH/PC)
(0750-0935hrs)

Fulmar - 2W

Gannet - 22E, 65W

Kittiwake - 1E, 1W

Sandwich Tern - 30os

Common Tern - 1os

Razorbill - 4E

auk sp - 2E, 1W

Swift - 2os

Gannets (above) & Sandwich Tern at the Bill (AH)

(1630-1830hrs) (SH)
Manx Shearwater - 2E
Fulmar - 1W
Gannet - 2E, 2W
Sandwich Tern - 23os
Common Tern - 2os

Ferry Pool: A Redshank with a well-grown chick was around the concealed pool, as was a Lapwing, but there was nothing on the still very full main pool, save the Shelduck family at the back.

Also a couple of Whitethroats and a family of newly-fledged Reed Warblers were in the hedge opposite. (AH)

Reed Warblers (above), Lapwing & Redshank around the Ferry (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - Early this morning the Spoonbill was still present on the Stilt Pools. Also of note was a flock of a dozen Swifts flying overhead in a south westerly direction. (AW)

Spoonbill and Avocets at Medmerry (AW)

Marsh Farm, Sidlesham: A look along Church Farm Lane early on produced a couple of Yellowhammers, two singing Reed Warblers, a singing Blackcap, a singing Chiffchaff and several Whitethroats. (AH)

Yellowhammer at Marsh Farm, Sidlesham (AH)

Church Norton: A quick look at high tide produced very little, though there were a lot of terns around the island and harbour mouth, and up to a dozen Mediterranean Gulls went off west. The Swallows were around the hide and a couple of Whitethroats were by the concrete wall, but that was about it. (AH)

Mediterranean Gull at Church Norton (AH)

Sidlesham: The blustery weather produced a bit of a selection in the garden today, including half a dozen Swifts and a couple of Swallows over, a Jay, a Whitethroat and a couple of Buzzards. (AH)

Jay (above) & Buzzard in a Sidlesham garden (AH)