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Monday, 29 July 2019

29th - 31st July 2019

Wednesday, 31st July: A fairly bright and blustery morning, with a fresh south-westerly blowing through plenty of cloud and the odd drizzly squall.....

Selsey Bill: It was quieter than yesterday, with less terns and Gannets, though an Arctic Skua went east and four Sanderlings dropped in on the beach. Full log below (BI/AH/IP) 
(0650-0855hrs)
Fulmar - 2W
Gannet - 1E, 2W
Sanderling - 4ob
Turnstone - 5W
Arctic Skua - 1E
Mediterranean Gull - 2W
Lesser black-backed Gull - 1W
Common Tern - 8W
Sandwich Tern - 16E, 53W
Sand Martin - 2S


Sanderlings (above) & Turnstones at the Bill (AH)



Ferry Pool: The main pool remains very full of water, still, though a Wood Sandpiper was among four Common Sandpipers, two Green Sandpipers and three Little Ringed Plovers present on the hidden road-side pool, probably best viewed from the hide. 
Also, there were ten Teal and c30 Black-tailed Godwits present, with another dozen of the latter, plus a Whimbrel, in the channel opposite. (P&LH/AH/IP/BI)
The Wood Sandpiper remained around the concealed pool all day, before flying off into the harbour at 7.15pm. (CRJ/SR/AB/MB/DB et al)




Wood Sandpiper (above), Common Sandpipers & Little Ringed Plover at the Ferry (AH)




Park Farm, Selsey: There were at least ten Sand Martins, 40 House Martins and 40 Swallows, plus two Swifts, around this evening. Also 12 Pied Wagtails and two Buzzards were around the fields and six Lapwings and three Sandwich Terns (two adults and a juvenile) went over. (SH)

Church Norton: A Yellow Wagtail out on the mud with c100 Dunlin was a surprise, though beyond the odd Swallow, there was little other evidence of migration.
There were still 100+ Sandwich Terns in the harbour, along with 50+ Mediterranean Gulls and just a handful of Common Terns, with up to five Whimbrel and Curlews, a couple of Black-tailed Godwits and c60 Redshank. There was also a pair of Ringed Plovers at the start of the spit with two very small chicks. (AH/IP)
Later on, on the high tide, a Common Scoter was well inside the harbour. (P&LH)
This afternoon a single juvenile Little Tern was among the gathered terns and gulls. (AB)


Yellow Wagtail and Dunlin (above), Whimbrel & Sandwich Terns and Mediterranean Gulls at Church Norton (AH)






Tuesday, 30th July: A morning of gale force winds - starting in the south-east and slowly working south-west - with a bit of drizzly rain and the odd glimpse of sun......

Selsey Bill: Despite the favourable winds and hopes to the contrary, it was a bit of a let-down this morning and there was nothing too exciting. A gentle stream of Gannets went both east and west, as did a few Fulmars, whilst just a couple of Kittiwakes, nine Common Scoter and three Whimbrel went east and plenty of feeding Common and Sandwich Terns came and went. Five hours proved to be more than enough.....! Full log below..... 
0715-1215hrs: (OM/AH/IP)
Fulmar - 4E, 2W
Gannet - 88E, 36W
Common Scoter - 9E
Dunlin - 3E
Turnstone - 10 ob
Whimbrel - 3E
Common Tern - c.25 os feeding/drifting mainly E
Sandwich Tern - c.60 os - many still carrying fish to and fro
Kittiwake - 2E
Mediterranean Gull - 2 ob
Common Gull - 1E
Sand Martin - 1 S (out to sea)
Swift - 2 p


Fulmar (above), Kittiwake, Common Scoters, Gannet & Turnstones at the Bill (AH)





1600-1830hrs: (BI/SH)
Common Scoter - 10E
Turnstone - 2W
Common Tern - 2E, 4W
Sandwich Tern - 1E, 101W
Kittiwake - 1E
Common Gull - 1E
Swift - 2W
 
Ferry Pool: Two Common Sandpipers and two Little Ringed Plovers (adult and juvenile) were on the pool this morning, along with c40 Lapwing and c60 Black-tailed Godwits, plus a handful of Teal, whilst the channel opposite held a further two Common Sandpipers, five Whimbrel and a few more Black-tailed Godwits. (AH/IP/OM)


Common Sandpipers (above), Whimbrels & Black-tailed Godwit around the Ferry (AH)



Church Norton: A fairly brief look at high tide produced a couple of Little Terns, c50 Common Terns and c150 Sandwich Terns roosting in the harbour, along with c50 Mediterranean Gulls, but waders were few - just a couple of Whimbrel and Curlew, plus 50 or so roosting Redshanks.
Passerines were more or less absent, though a handful of Sand Martins and a dozen Swallows were feeding low over a sheltered bit of the harbour. (AH)



Sand Martins (above), Swallow & Little, Common and Sandwich Terns at Church Norton (AH)





Monday, 29th July: A lovely summer's morning, with lots of warm sunshine, some scattered cloud and just a light easterly breeze....

Ferry Pool: A Green Sandpiper dropped in briefly from the adjacent rife and there were also a Spotted Redshank, two Common Sandpipers, two Little Ringed Plovers, 77 Black-tailed Godwits, six Redshank and c80 Lapwings on the pool, along with four Teal and a Shelduck.
There were three Whimbrel in the channel opposite and another two in the main channel from the Tramway, along with a few Curlews and Black-tailed Godwits.
A look round the Tramway circuit produced three Lesser Whitethroats, two Willow Warblers, half a dozen Blackcaps and up to 20 Whitethroats, plus a Mistle Thrush over, a couple of Swallows, a couple of Song Thrushes and a Green Woodpecker, whilst Red Barn Ditch held a Greenshank, a Sedge Warbler and several Reed Warblers. (AH/IP)


Lesser Whitethroat (above), Willow Warbler, Whitethroat, Green Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank, Little Ringed Plover, Greenshank & Green Woodpecker around the Ferry (AH)













Church Norton: Two Wheatears were along the fences at the start of the spit this morning, but the only other land-birds noted were a few Whitethroats and three Green Woodpeckers.
The harbour was teeming with terns, including up to 17 Little Terns (with one flock of 12 flying around together), c70 Common Terns and c250 Sandwich Terns, including many juveniles of the latter two species. There were also 200+ Mediterranean Gulls present, along with c20 Turnstones, c50 Dunlin and a couple of Whimbrels. (AH/IP)


Wheatear (above), Little Terns, Sandwich Terns, Common Tern & Little, Common and Sandwich Terns (AH)








Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - This morning there was a Greenshank, a Common Sandpiper, two Ringed Plovers and a Little Ringed Plover on the Stilt Pool and another Greenshank and three Common Sandpipers as well as an adult Yellow-legged Gull from the Easton Viewpoint. (BI)

East side: Rather quiet during a brief late-morning visit, soon after the tide had begun dropping. An adult Yellow-legged Gull was on the mudflats amongst other gulls, with a second near-adult bird mainly recumbent nearby. Waders were few, but included a Common Sandpiper and 4 Whimbrels, whilst a Willow Warbler was in the tamarisk hedge and a frantically calling young Green Woodpecker just managed to escape a pursuing Sparrowhawk!  (OM) 

North Wall: The two Cattle Egrets were amongst ten Little Egrets and a couple of Grey Herons at the usual roost opposite Owl copse. (OM)




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