29th - 31st July 2020

Friday, 31st July: A very warm morning of uninterrupted sunshine, with the fresh easterly breeze, for once, quite welcome....

Selsey Bill: There was the first decent autumn movement of Sand Martins this morning - 183 east, with a few dropping in with the other hirundines that were about, and 20 Little Terns were seen, including a fairly tight flock of 16 going east. Full log below. (BI/IP/IS/SR/AH)
(0600-0815hrs) (E, F4-5)
Gannet - 13E, 9W
"White-breasted" Cormorant - 1E
Common Scoter - 2W
Ringed Plover - 1W
Turnstone - 3W
Mediterranean Gull - 1E
Common Gull - 1W
Sandwich Tern - 32E, 13W
Common Tern - 1E, 1W
Little Tern - 17E, 3os
Swift - 41
Swallow - 7E, 1W
House Martin - 14
Sand Martin - 183E
Linnet - 2E

Sand Martin (above), House Martin, Sand Martin, House Martin and Swallow, Swift, Little Terns & Sandwich Tern at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: The only wader on the pool this morning was a Lapwing, along with eight Shelduck and six Teal, though the channel opposite held a Common Sandpiper, a Greenshank, two Whimbrel, two Redshanks and three juvenile Gadwall. (AH)

Common Sandpiper (above), Whimbrel & Lapwing around the Ferry (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: This evening there were 10+ Swifts, 20+ Swallows and Sand Martins and 50+ House Martins over the fields and buildings. (S&SaH)

Church Norton: This evening there were still 40+ Sandwich Terns in the harbour, along with eight Whimbrel, 10+ Curlews, 30 Dunlin and c60 Redshanks, whilst half a dozen Sand Martins and c30 Swallows were feeding over and settling on the hedges by the hide and two  juvenile Green Woodpeckers were in the field behind. (AH)

Sand Martin (above), Swallows, Green Woodpecker & Whimbrel at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - The banks were quiet this morning, with just a few Skylarks and plenty of Linnets and Goldfinches to be seen, with just a few Redshanks , Lapwing and Curlews around the poplars at high tide.
The Stilt Pool was a little more active, with waders comprising four Greenshank, a Common Sandpiper, ten Lapwings, a Dunlin, a Turnstone and a Redshank, and there were also six Egyptian Geese, c175 Canada Geese and c30 Gadwall present.
There were also c30 Swallows present, with a single Wheatear and a Meadow Pipit by the sea-defence rocks and ten Mediterranean Gulls went west. (AH)

Greenshanks (above), Wheatear, Meadow Pipit, Swallow. Egyptian and Canada Geese & Gadwall at Medmerry (AH)

Thursday, 30th July: A fine sunny day with just a little light cloud and feeling quite warm, tempered slightly by a fairly light south-easterly breeze....

Selsey Bill: Three Little Terns were offshore, eight Sand Martins went east and three Swallows went west on a quiet morning. Full log below. (MO-W/AH/IP)

(0630-0820hrs) (SE, F2)

Gannet - 3E, 3W

Common Scoter - 4W

Oystercatcher - 1W

Turnstone - 6

Mediterranean Gull - 1W

Sandwich Tern - c30os

Common Tern - 1W, 1os

Little Tern - 3os

Swift - 10

Swallow - 3W

Sand Martin - 8E

House Martin - 8

Little Terns (above), Sandwich Tern, Common Tern & Turnstone at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: A Common Sandpiper was present early on before flying into the harbour, with otherwise just a Black-tailed Godwit, seven Teal and seven Shelducks on the pool, whilst the Greenshank, two Whimbrel and a dozen Black-tailed Godwits were in the channel opposite. (AH)

Common Sandpiper (above), Greenshank & Whimbrel around the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: Early on, a Common Sandpiper and a couple of Whimbrel were present near the Hide, plus half a dozen Swallows and the same number of Sand Martins, whilst a Wheatear was in the harbour around the concrete slabs and two or three Willow Warblers were in the bushes and hedgerows.

The was still plenty of activity on the mud around Tern island, with Sandwich Terns the most noticeable and noisy, but also a few Little Terns still feeding young, and there were a couple of whimbrel and c50 Dunlin present. At least five Swifts were high up over the trees, but it was otherwise very quiet bird-wise, although human beach-goers seemed to be arriving in their droves.

A visiting birder also reported an immature Kittiwake in one of the channels for a while and a Redstart briefly in the bushes along the beach near the Severals. (OM/BFF/DM)

(above) Two elderly gentlemen volunteers were carrying out essential repairs inside the Hide this morning - our thanks to DM (left) and BFF, whilst (below) DM reveals his latest bit of kit to help him in lugging that huge lens around!!  (OM)

This evening there were c85 Sandwich Terns sat out on the mud, but few waders beyond a couple of Whimbrel and a few Dunlin, whilst half a dozen Sand Martins were among 20 Swallows feeding over the harbour. (AH)

Sandwich Terns (above), Sand Martin & Swallows at Church Norton (AH)

Birdham: There was a good selection of warblers in the garden this evening, including three Garden Warblers, two Blackcaps and about ten Chiffchaffs and similar of Willow Warblers. (AB)

North Wall: There were at least 16 Cattle Egrets and a dozen Little Egrets commuting between Owl Copse and the island in the harbour this morning, whilst a Spotted Redshank and c80 Black-tailed Godwits, plus a handful of Lapwing and Teal, were on the Breech Pool.

A couple of Whimbrels, a dozen Grey Plovers and c30 Dunlin and Black-tailed Godwits were around White's Creek and the adjacent harbour, along with a couple of feeding Little Terns and a Common Tern and a Mediterranean Gull passing through, whilst 40 Curlews flew into the harbour from the fields behind. Passerines were few, though, beyond the odd Whitethroat and Reed Warbler. . (AH/JDW/CRJ/RJS et al)

Cattle Egrets (above), Spotted Redshank & Grey Plovers and Dunlin around the North Wall (AH)

Wednesday, 29th July: Finally the wind eased to a light south-easterly this morning, leaving it warm and sunny with just a bit of white cloud......

Selsey Bill: The first Wheatear of the autumn at the Bill was along the beach this morning, along with a Sanderling and a Clouded Yellow, whilst a dozen Sand Martins and eight Common Terns west. Full log below. (SR/AH/IP)

(0630-0815hrs) (SE, F2)

Gannet - 1E, 3W

Tufted Duck - 1W

Common Scoter - 1W

Sanderling - 1

Turnstone - 12

Sandwich Tern - c25os

Common Tern - 8W

Swift - 33

House Martin - 8

Sand Martin - 12W

Wheatear - 1

Willow/Chiff - 1

Wheatear (above), Sandwich Tern, Sanderling, Sanderling and Turnstone & Clouded Yellow at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: The juvenile Water Rail popped out again at the front this morning, and later a Wheatear was at the back, though otherwise the pool remains quiet, with just a Common Sandpiper, 15 Black-tailed Godwits, ten Shelducks and five Teal present.

A Kingfisher flew across the adjacent channel by the sluice and the Greenshank and a mother and two juvenile Gadwalls were on the water at high tide.

There were at least 20 Whitethroats and ten Lesser Whitethroats around the Tramway circuit this morning, along with a Cetti's Warbler and two or three Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps, plus a family of Reed Warblers in the hedge by the Small Pool .

Also, a Green Woodpecker was in Red Barn Ditch and half a dozen Swallows, a Peregrine, a Sparrowhawk and a Kestrel went over. (AH/TG-P/AW)

juvenile Water Rail (above), Lesser Whitethroat, Reed Warbler, Green Woodpecker (AH), Peregrine, Greenshank, Cetti's warbler & Willow Warbler (AW) around the Ferry

Long Pool: At least three Sedge Warblers were sat out along the hedges and there were also a family of Reed Buntings and a couple of families of Whitethroats about, plus a few Linnets, though it was generally quiet.
A Spotted Redshank was with two Redshanks along Ferry Channel, where there were also a Whimbrel and half a dozen Black-tailed Godwits, whilst two juvenile Gadwall were on the pool itself. (AH)

 

Spotted Redshank and Redshanks (above), Sedge Warbler, Reed Bunting & Linnet around the Long Pool (AH)

North Wall: There were 17 Cattle Egrets near Heron Island this morning, similar to the number there last night. The Breech Pool contained 40 Black-tailed Godwits and a further ten or so were in Whites Creek.  

A brief visit revealed little else other than a Kestrel at the sluice gate at Bremere Rife and Sedge Warblers flitting about in the reeds at the Breech Pool  (IH/SP)

Church Norton: A Peregrine flew over the beach this morning, dispersing all the gulls before landing in a tree in the Priory. There were lots of Swallows around the hide and a  Whitethroat and a Blackcap were in the nearby bushes.

Also, a Purple Hairstreak was seen briefly in the Ash tree on the way to the beach. (A&YF)

Northcommon Farm: There wasn't much this morning beyond a Willow Warbler and a family of Song Thrushes, with another willow Warbler in the garden, nearby in the north of the village. (AW)

Willow Warbler & juvenile Song Thrush at Northcommon Farm (AW)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - This evening a Hobby was hawking dragonflies over the banks and 50+ Sand Martins were (mostly) over the new reservoirs, whilst there were also a newly fledged Stonechat, a Willow Warbler, a Reed Bunting, two Yellowhammers, a Sparrowhawk and a Buzzard nearby.
The Stilt Pool held a Little Ringed Plover, a Common Sandpiper and two Greenshanks, whilst four Wheatears were around the nearby sea-defence rocks. (S&SaH)

Medmerry: Ham Farm - This evening one Corn Bunting was singing along the banks, with at least another three birds active in the big barley field.
A family of Stonechats was nearby, along with a couple of Whitethroat families, a Meadow Pipit, a Reed Bunting family and a few Linnets, plus half a dozen Sand Martins over, but the Skylarks have gone very quiet now. Also, there were c30 Sandwich Terns near the breach and a flock of c40 Greenfinches along Ham Road. (AH)

Corn Bunting (above), Stonechat, Meadow Pipit & Whitethroat at Medmerry (AH)

Hunston: An unusually marked and large bird of prey, not looking obviously right for a Buzzard, was over the village at lunchtime today. Unfortunately there is only one distant phone camera picture, but all comments welcome. (Eds)

distant raptor over Hunston (J Hill)