7th - 9th March 2020

Monday, 9th March: A bright and breezy morning, cool despite the bright sunshine in a fresh westerly........becoming cloudy by early afternoon with rain arriving soon after and increasing wind strength by evening.

Selsey Bill: A very quiet morning at first, picking up just a little later. Birds of the day were two common species which are actually very scarce at the Bill - Pheasant and Rook(!) - until a party of four Slavonian Grebes dropped in offshore to save the day, whilst 50+ Meadow Pipits also arrived.
Full log below..... 
0705-1105hrs:  (wind W5-6)  (OM/IP/MO-W/AH/JMD)
Red-throated Diver - 1E
Great Northern Diver - 1os
Slavonian Grebe - 4 os
Great Crested Grebe - 5W
Gannet - 1E
Common Scoter - 8E
Red-breasted Merganser - 2E, 3W
Pheasant - 1 Bill House garden
Common Gull - 9W
Mediterranean Gull - 1W
Rook - 1 over drifted W
Pied Wagtail - 1N
Meadow Pipit - 57N

A surprisingly elusive Pheasant in Bill House garden - not at all a common bird here! (OM)

Ferry Pool: Two Snipe and 20 Lapwing were tucked into the banks along with four Gadwall, c40 Teal and Shoveler, 12 Shelducks and c100 Wigeon this morning. (AH)

Gadwall, Shoveler, Teal and Lapwing on the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: Two Green Woodpeckers were calling vigorously at the horse paddocks this morning and a Spotted Redshank was at the sluice gates. The hedgerows contained four Chiffchaffs (one singing), a Cetti's Warbler and a pair of Reed Buntings, while the flooded fields held 600 Black-tailed Godwits, about 30 Curlew, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls as well as Wigeon, Teal and eight Shoveler.  
Also, two Red-breasted Mergansers were in White's Creek and 400 Brent Geese were spread across the Harbour and Honer 3 field, whilst a flock of 24 Linnets were in the field north of Church Lane. (JDW/IH/TH/PC)

Church Norton: A Chiffchaff, half a dozen Linnets and a few Long-tailed Tits were along the front, whilst up to a dozen Snipe were in the flood by the horse field and two Mistle Thrushes were in the car-park.
Also, a few Ringed Plovers were on the beach and three Red-breasted Mergansers, c100 Brent Geese, a few Mediterranean Gulls, the regular Whimbrel and a scattering of Grey Plovers and Dunlin were in the harbour. (AH/IP/AW)

Whimbrel (above), Snipe, Linnet, Long-tailed Tit, Brent Geese & Grey Plovers and Dunlin at Church Norton (AH) and Red-breasted Merganser (AW)

Medmerry - Breach: Two Red-breasted Mergansers and two Great Crested Grebes were on the saline lagoon but little else of note was present here. Around Toe End were several Skylarks and 10 Meadow Pipits, plus a couple of Stonechats along the edge, whilst behind the lagoon a Corn Bunting was perched on a fence post (field near Ham barn area) and directly opposite the Viewpoint. Although somewhat distant it remained in situ for a good 15 minutes, apparently singing at times (which I couldn't hear). (OM)

Chichester canal: Three Cetti's Warblers and a Firecrest were in hedgerows along the canal at lunchtime. (AW)

Cetti's Warbler and Firecrest along Chichester canal (AW)

Sunday, 8th March: A mostly overcast morning, with a fresh westerly breeze and just the odd glimpse of the sun....

Selsey Bill: Over 60 Brent Geese went east in small flocks, though there was little other evidence of migration save a Merlin and 60+ Meadow Pipits in off the sea. Full log below.... (SH/PB/BI/IP/SR/AH/OM/MO-W/P&LH et al)
(0630-1200hrs) (SW, F6)
Great Northern Diver - 1W, 1os
Red-throated Diver - 1E
Slavonian Grebe - 1E
Fulmar - 2W
Gannet - 1E, 4W
Brent Goose - 65E
Common Scoter - 13E, 4W
Red-breasted Merganser - 3E, 33W
Merlin - 1N
Grey Plover - 200W
Turnstone - 6W
Mediterranean Gull - 3os
Common Gull - 2E, 2W
Razorbill - 1W
auk sp - 1E, 1W
Meadow Pipit - 68N
Stonechat - 1 Bill House garden

(1515-1615hrs) (SH)
Slavonian Grebe - 4os together
Fulmar - 1W
Red-breasted Merganser - 1W, 1os
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1W
Sandwich Tern - 2os

Great Northern Diver (above), Fulmar & Red-breasted Mergansers at the Bill (AH)

 Merlin arriving (above), bright male Stonechat & Mediterranean Gulls at the Bill (OM)

Ferry Pool: Most of the wildfowl were tucked into the bank again this morning, including two Gadwall, 16 Shelducks and c40 Teal and Shoveler, with c50 Wigeon and a few Lapwings on the field. (AH)

Gadwall, Shoveler & Shelduck on the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: A Spotted Redshank was near the sluice gates this morning and about 500 Brent Geese were further out in the harbour. The fields were fairly quiet apart from 400 Black-tailed Godwits, about 30 Curlew and a Lesser Black-backed Gull. (IH)

Later, there were three singing Chiffchaffs and three singing Cetti's Warblers along the wall. (CRJ)

Park Farm, Selsey: There were just a few Meadow Pipits and Skylarks in the fields this morning, plus a Sparrowhawk over. (S&SaH)

Fishbourne Creek: On this morning's high tide the Long-tailed Duck was off the Lavant outfall , along with eight Great Crested Grebes, two Pintail and four Gadwall, whilst on the floods by the Lavant were three Mediterranean Gulls, and earlier at least 11 were on the fields near Fishbourne church. 
There were also two Rock Pipits on the marsh at the top end of the creek, whilst at Dell Quay there was very little on the water - just two each of Great Crested Grebe and Red-breasted Merganser, though four Greenshanks were roosting on the far bank and about 20 Turnstone were roosting on 'Little Gem'. (RW)

Church Norton: A Slavonian Grebe inside the harbour on the far side was unusual, but otherwise it was standard fare, including half a dozen Red-breasted Mergansers in the harbour and similar offshore, c100 Brent Geese, the regular Whimbrel, a few Knot among the Dunlin and Grey Plovers and c20 Mediterranean Gulls among the Black-headed Gulls.
Also, at least six Snipe, plus a pair of Gadwall and a few Wigeon were by the horse field, up to ten Chiffchaffs were in the bushes between the Severals, with a Reed Bunting, three Stonechats and three Cetti's Warblers nearby, another Stonechat was near the railway houses, three Buzzards went over and a Green Woodpecker was near the hide. (AH/IP/RJS/IL/S&SaH/P&JW et al)

Snipe (above), Whimbrel, Knot and Grey Plovers & Mediterranean and Black-headed Gulls at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry: Porthole Farm - Two Shelducks were on the stubble fields this evening, along with 100+ Meadow Pipits and 20+ Pied Wagtails, though there was little else about save a couple of fly-over Yellowhammers, a Buzzard and c50 Goldfinches. (AH)

Shelducks (above), Meadow Pipit & Pied Wagtail at Medmerry (AH)

Saturday, 7th March: A fairly cool and overcast, but dry, morning, with a moderate south-westerly breeze, freshening through the day.....

Selsey Bill: A Puffin went east inside the Mile Basket line at 9am this morning, and there was a bit more variety than of late, including two Eiders east and a Lesser Black-backed Gull west. Full log later. (JA/SH/SR/IP/BI/MO-W)

(0630-0900hrs) (WSW, F3)
Great Northern Diver - 4os
Red-throated Diver - 5W, 1os
diver sp - 1E, 1W
Great Crested Grebe - 3W
Gannet - 6W
Eider - 2E
Common Scoter - 1E, 10W
Red-breasted Merganser - 13E, 11W, 4os
Mediterranean Gull - 2E, 4W
Common Gull - 12W
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1W
Sandwich Tern - 3W
Puffin - 1E
auk sp - 2W
Chiffchaff - 1

(1500-1600hrs) (SH)
Great Northern Diver - 1os
Brent Goose - 23E, including a flock of 15
Red-breasted Merganser - 1E, 3W
Curlew - 1W
Mediterranean Gull - 2os
Common Gull - 2E

Ferry Pool: Two Snipe and a Redshank were in the roadside reeds, whilst the pool held four Gadwall, ten Shelducks, c20 Teal, c40 Shoveler and c100 Wigeon. (AH)

Shoveler on the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool: Early on there were at least three singing Reed Buntings and a couple of Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests along the remaining hedges, with a Kingfisher, c20 Avocets and lots of Redshank, Teal and Wigeon in Ferry Channel. (AH)

Later, at high tide there were 51 roosting Avocets, along with a drake Pintail, whilst a Grey Wagtail went over. (IP)

Reed Bunting (above) & Chiffchaff along the Long Pool (AH)

Medmerry Trail: Three Chiffchaffs and a Cetti's Warbler was about it this morning. (IP)

Medmerry: Ham Farm - A Merlin was present this morning. (BI)

Later, six Fieldfares went over Ham Road. (AH)

Pagham Spit: A Spoonbill was near Tern Island early this morning, before flying towards the North Wall. (Ga&RH)

Later, the Lagoon was quiet again apart from a Great Crested Grebe and the Spit yielded a Red-breasted Merganser, a Great Crested Grebe, five Ringed Plovers, a Peregrine and about 500 Brent Geese on the east side of the harbour. (IH/TH/SP)

North Wall: A Barn Owl was hunting first thing this morning and later the Spoonbill briefly appeared in White's Creek, before flying off across the harbour. 

The fields contained about 500 Black-tailed Godwits as well as Wigeon, Teal and a few Shelduck and Shoveler. The hedgerows were quiet and only a single Chiffchaff was found while a Cetti's Warbler could be seen skulking around at the base of the reeds. (IH/TH/SP)

Barn Owls seen recently at the North Wall (A Sroda)

Fishbourne Creek: The Long-tailed Duck was present again, off the Lavant outflow, along with two Goldeneye and at least ten Great Crested Grebes and then later off Dell Quay, where there were also two Red-breasted Mergansers.

There were also four Greenshank roosting opposite Dell Quay, with a Kingfisher briefly nearby, whilst the main channel held large numbers of Brent Geese and Wigeon, plus half a dozen Gadwall, at least three Mediterranean, two Lesser Black-backed and 100+ Common Gulls, with a few Curlews and other regulars flying about as the tide dropped.

Also, a Grey Wagtail went over and a Yellowhammer was briefly in the hedges. (AH)

Long-tailed Duck (above), Greenshanks, Yellowhammer, Gadwall & Mediterranean and Black-headed Gulls at Fishbourne Creek (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: There were a few bits around the fields and hedges, including two Goldcrests, a Chiffchaff, two Grey Wagtails, 30+ Meadow Pipis and six Skylarks, whilst two Gadwall were on the reservoir. (S&SaH)

Church Norton: There wasn't much to report from here, beyond two Cetti's Warbler and a Water Rail calling from the Severals, a Red-breasted Merganser offshore and two Buzzards over. (S&SaH)

Later, a fine pair of Goosanders were in the harbour mouth. (AW)

Goosanders at Church Norton (AW)