Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 17th

Monday, 19th August: Another bright and breezy morning, though with a couple of heavy showers, but quite mild despite the freshening westerly........

Selsey Bill: A slow and uneventful sea-watch, an Arctic Skua west early on being the highlight, although there were still 150 or so Sandwich Terns lingering offshore. Full log below.....
0645-0945hrs: (C&ME/AH/IP/OM)
Gannet - 48W
Common Scoter - 1E
Dunlin - 7W
Sanderling - 4W
Turnstone - 48W
Ringed Plover - 10W
Common Tern - 9W
Sandwich Tern - 17E, 33W, c.150os
Mediterranean Gull - 7W
Common Gull - 1os
Arctic Skua - 1W
Sand Martin - 3W
Swallow - 3W

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

Selsey, Northcommon Farm: A Spotted Flycatcher was bird of the morning, but otherwise it was decidedly quiet here, with no obvious migrants around, bar a single Willow Warbler and a dozen or so House Martins and a few Swallows. Resident species were not particularly obvious either, though two Green Woodpeckers and a Great Spotted Woodpecker soon made their presence known, a few Long-tailed Tits were buzzing around and a Kestrel was waiting patiently in tree-tops for a meal to appear. (SR/OM)

Spotted Flycatcher at Northcommon Farm (SR) and (below) Kestrel eyeing up a meal. (OM)

Park Farm, Selsey: There were 15 Yellow Wagtails on the fields this evening, with a Green Sandpiper and a Swift also about. (S&SaH)

Ferry Pool: There wasn't much new here, with three Common Sandpipers, four Avocets, c75 Lapwing, c60 Black-tailed Godwits and c40 Teal being about the sum, with the channel opposite empty, too, though two Green Woodpeckers were on the adjacent path and 20+ Sand Martins went over west. (AH/IP/OM/P&LH)

Common Sandpiper (above), Avocet, Teal & Green Woodpecker around the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: A Redstart was again along the sheltered hedges, though elusive, and there were a selection of warblers present, including three Garden Warblers, two or three Willow Warblers and Lesser Whitethroats and half a dozen Whitethroats and Blackcaps, plus c30 House Martins and a handful of Sand Martins and Swallows feeding low overhead.
Five Little Terns that flew up along the main channel were the only terns in a quiet harbour, with the only other birds of note being two or three summer-plumaged Grey Plovers, a dozen Black-tailed Godwits and a flock of c30 Ringed Plovers and c100 Dunlin. (AH/IP/A&YF/P&LH)

This evening there were still two Little Terns in the harbour, along with 20 Common Terns and 70+ Sandwich Terns,, with another 30+ of the latter on the beach.
there was also a Greenshank in the harbour, six Wheatears along the beach and a Sparrowhawk and 30+ And Martins went over. (S&SaH)

Garden Warbler (above), Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, House Martin & Grey Plover at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry (west): Easton Lane to Marsh Barn - A flock of 100 Sand Martins was on wires near the Easton Car Park, whilst 20 Swallows and 3 Swifts were also present and two Yellow Wagtails were near the new reservoir construction site. Also 6 Painted Lady and 4 Common Blue butterflies and a Wasp Spider in the area. (CRJ)

Wasp Spider near Easton Lane area, Medmerry (CRJ)

Sunday, 18th August: A very pleasant and still start quickly gave way to a spell of torrential rain, followed by a return to more familiar bright and breezy conditions.....

Selsey Bill: Another Black Tern went through this morning, with five Arctic Skuas again offshore, though with a different combination of light and dark-phase birds. Full log below.....
(0600-0830hrs) (SH/BI)
Gannet - 5E, 15W, 1os
Shag - 1os
Common Scoter - 2E
Grey Plover - 1p
Turnstone - 22p
Arctic Skua - 5os (3 d/p, 2 l/p)
Mediterranean Gull - 2os
Kittiwake - 1W
Sandwich Tern - 3E, 106os
Common Tern - 26os
Great Spotted Woodpecker - 1p
Willow Warbler - 1p

Selsey, Park Farm: A Green Sandpiper was present this morning, along with a Grey Wagtail, two Pied Wagtails and 30+ Sand Martins. (SH)

Ferry Pool: There were again four Common Sandpipers on the pool, plus the Little Ringed Plover and four Avocets, though otherwise it was just 78 Black-tailed Godwits, c40 Lapwing and c30 Teal to be found, with a Sedge Warbler in the reeds and three Whimbrel in the channel opposite.

There were at least 30 Whitethroats around the Tramway circuit, but no other migrants save a Lesser Whitethroat and a couple of Willow Warblers, plus a few Swifts and Sand Martins over. (AH/IP)

Common Sandpiper on the Ferry (DM)

Little Ringed Plover (above), Avocets & Whitethroat around the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: One Cattle Egret was at Halsey's Farm, whilst a Whinchat and two or three Wheatears were around Owl Point, with two or three more along the Wall, but there were few other migrants seen, beyond the odd Whitethroat, Reed and Sedge Warbler, plus a couple of Swifts and a few Sand Martins and Swallows over.

The Breech Pool was bereft of life, save a Common Sandpiper that flew through looking for somewhere to land, though at White's Creek two of the former were present, along with a Greenshank, two Spotted Redshanks and plenty of Redshanks and Black-tailed Godwits. (AH/IP/IH/PC/A&YF)

Cattle Egret (above), Spotted Redshanks, Greenshank & Common Sandpipers around the North Wall (AH)

Church Norton: There were still 50+ Sandwich Terns in the harbour, plus 5 Wheatears and 40+ Sand Martins and a Swift passing through. A Green Woodpecker was also showing well at Greenlease Farm. Around the hide were two Spotted Flycatchers, three Garden Warblers, four Blackcaps, four Whitethroats, two Redstarts and c.10 Willow Warblers whilst in the churchyard was another Redstart and four more Willow Warblers. The harbour at dead low water held 200 Dunlin but nothing more exciting than five Knot could be found among them.(CRJ/BI/SH/A&YF)

(above) Green Woodpecker at Greenlease Farm (SH) and (below) Redstart at Church Norton (DM)

This afternoon there were seven Little Terns together in the harbour, along with two or three Common Terns and c50 Sandwich Terns, plus a Knot, whilst the Redstart was still showing well behind the hide and two Swifts and a seady flow of Sand Martins went over..
Also, there were three Wheatears and c40 Mediterranean Gulls along Rectory Lane. (SH/AB/AW/AH/SR)

Redstart (above), Little and Sandwich Terns (AW), Common and Sandwich Terns & Knot (AH) at Church Norton

Saturday, 17th August: After a very wet night, a fairly bright and breezy morning, with a mix of white cloud and sun, pushed through by a blustery westerly.....

Selsey Bill: Highlights included a probable - but very distant - Balearic Shearwater that went west at 8.45am, four Black Terns that went through west very early and up to five Arctic Skuas that were in view at the same time, getting amongst the c150 Sandwich Terns and 10+ Common Terns offshore. Later on, from around 1015hrs, when the large flocks had drifted off, there was a sudden flurry of activity, with a big movement of 130+ Sandwich Terns (including several double-figure flocks) close in, heads down and moving rapidly west, plus five Arctic Skuas passing through, considered probably different from the earlier ones (three dark and two light-phased/morph birds), whilst two Swifts went out. Full log below......
(0600-1200hrs) (SH/JA/BI/IP/AH/OM)
Balearic Shearwater - 1W
Fulmar - 2W
Gannet - 5E, 49W, 50os
Shag - 1W
Common Scoter - 3W
Grey Plover - 1W
Curlew - 1W
Dunlin- 10W
Turnstone - 30W
Arctic Skua - 6W, 5os
Mediterranean Gull - 3W
Kittiwake - 1E, 6W
Black Tern - 4W
Sandwich Tern - 187W, 200os
Common Tern -24W, 10os
Sand Martin - 3W
Swift - 2 out S

(1600-1730hrs) (SH)
Gannet - 6W, 1os
Arctic Skua - 2W (1l/p, 1d/p), 4os (3l/p, 1 d/p)
Kittiwake - 1W
Sandwich Tern - 2E, 55W, 56os

Arctic Skuas (above) & Common Tern at the Bill (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: A Green Sandpiper was present this morning, along with two Sparrowhawks, whilst at least ten Swifts and 20 sand Martins went over. (S&SaH)

Northcommon Farm: The bushes around 'Flycatcher Corner' were dead, but there were a couple of Sand Martins among the numerous House Martins over the fields. (IP)

Ferry Pool: There were four Common Sandpipers around the pool, with another in the channel opposite, along with a Little Ringed Plover and the usual four Avocets, c40 Teal, c20 Lapwings and c80 Black-tailed Godwits.

There were also a handful of Blackcaps and Whitethroats, plus at least 20 Long-tailed Tits in the adjacent hedges. (AH/IP)

Common Sandpipers (above), Blackcap & Long-tailed Tit around the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: A couple of Garden Warblers were behind the hide this morning, along with a Lesser Whitethroat, a willow Warbler, two Blackcaps and many Whitethroats.

the harbour was quiet, with no terns about, though one of the Peregrines was sat out and there were at least 50 Dunlin on the mud. (IP)

Later on, a Spotted Flycatcher and two Redstarts were behind the hide, along with six Willow Warblers, three Blackcaps and two Whitethroats, whilst seven Wheatears were along the beach and two Sparrowhawks went over.

A first-winter Razorbill was feeding inside the harbour, coming in very close - though it appeared to be fit and healthy - and there were also two Little Terns and 50 Sandwich Terns present. (AB/CD//PB/S&SaH)

Razorbill (above), Redstart & Spotted Flycatcher (AB & lower one, CD) at Church Norton

This evening at least one Common Tern was with a dozen Sandwich Terns in the harbour, with another 80 or so of the latte on the beach, whilst there were also 200+ Dunlin and 40 Ringed Plovers on the mud and c30 House Martins, plus a few sand Martins and Swallows feeding over the trees. (AH/AW)

House Martin (above), Sandwich Terns & Dunlin and Ringed Plovers at Church Norton (AH)

North Wall: Around mid-morning there were three Whinchats, a juvenile Stonechat and four or five Wheatears at Owl Point and a few Whitethroats along the hedgerows. The Breech Pool remained unsurprisingly quiet (and very full) and there continued to be no sign of the Squacco Heron but two Cattle Egrets were, however, present in the field by the rife. ((AB/CD/BI)

Whinchat at Owl Point (CD)

Honer Reservoir: A Green Sandpiper and a Common Sandpiper were on the reservoir this morning, along with three mother Tufted Ducks and a total of 14 ducklings of various sizes, whilst 20 or so Sand Martins were feeding overhead.

The bushes were fairly quiet, but did include a Sedge Warbler and a couple of Whitethroats, along with two flighty Yellowhammers, whilst the reeds along the nearby rife held one or two calling Reed Warblers and at least 50 Sand Martins, along with a dozen or so House Martins and Swallows were around the Sewage Farm. (AH)