7th - 9th September 2020

Wednesday, 9th September: A similar morning to yesterday, with the fairly brisk westerly breeze blowing through banks of cloud, with the odd sunny spell in between..........

Selsey Bill: There was a bit of visible migration this morning, including 14 Yellow Wagtails, 21 Siskins and 176 Swallows going west. Full log below. (MO-W/IP/SR/AH/TR)

(0645-0845hrs) (W, F4)

Gannet - 1E, 8W

Sparrowhawk - 1

Turnstone - 30

Curlew - 1E

Mediterranean Gull - 1os

Sandwich Tern - 6E, 3W, 1os

Swallow - 176W

Sand Martin - 1E, 7W

House Martin - 2W

Yellow Wagtail - 14W

Grey Wagtail - 2E, 1W

Siskin - 21W

Siskins (above) & Mediterranean Gull at the Bill (AH)

East Beach:  A total of 178 Swallows and 34 House Martins went west over the garden  at around 5pm. (SR)

Ferry Pool: There were c30 Dunlin on the pool again, along with c20 Lapwings, c75 Black-tailed Godwits, 12 Shelducks and c60 Teal.

The channel opposite was more interesting, with a juvenile Curlew Sandpiper, a Greenshank and six Dunlin present early on, and later a Kingfisher was showing well. (AH)

Curlew Sandpiper and Greenshank (above) & Kingfisher in Ferry Channel (AH)

Church Norton: A Whinchat, a Wheatear and a Chiffchaff were along the spit, whilst a Reed Warbler and a Sparrowhawk were along the Severals, and a Painted Lady was on the beach. Also seen were four Meadow Pipits and a Yellow Wagtail over the end of the spit and a Peregrine on its perch in the harbour. (AW)

This afternoon a Lapland Bunting was seen briefly at the end of the spit. (IL)

Whinchat (above), Wheatear, Reed Warbler, Chiffchaff, Sparrowhawk & Painted Lady at Church Nortton (AW)

North Wall: A juvenile Curlew Sandpiper was in White's Creek this morning together with the regular Greenshank, a Kingfisher and increasing numbers of Wigeon and overhead there were a few Swallows and one or two Sand and House Martins.
The Breech pool contained five Spotted Redshanks, a Snipe and three Dunlin, as well as plenty of Teal and a few Black-tailed Godwits, while a Sparrowhawk perched in the hedgerow.
There were also plenty of Whitethroats and Blackcaps, plus the odd Chiffchaff and Lesser Whitethroat and a single Stonechat along the hedges. (IH/PC/AH/TB/NR et al)

Curlew Sandpiper (top two TB, lower two AH), Spotted Redshanks, Lapwing and Teal, Whitethroat & Wigeon (AH) at the North Wall

This afternoon there were eight Spotted Redshanks on the Breech Pool before they flew into the harbour, though there was no sign of the Curlew Sandpiper. (MO-W)

Later, 52 Mediterranean Gulls were in one flock on the sea close in off Pagham beach, slowly drifting west around 4pm and a further five were sat on shingle the beach itself. The bushes round West Front Road held sizeable single flock of at least 140 House Sparrows. (IMcK)

Chi GPs – Drayton House Pits: Nothing too much to report this morning, the most notable sightings being 50+ Shoveler and 65 Pochard on the North pit and a Kingfisher and 25 Swallows on the South pit. A Little Egret, 2 Buzzards, c.15 Chiffchaffs, a Reed Warbler and 5 Cetti’s Warblers were the best of the rest. (OM)

Part of the Shoveler flock at Drayton House pits (OM)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - At least 5000 Swallows and 500 Sand Martins were massing into a spectacular gathering over the reserve at dusk this evening. A Spoonbill was also on the Stilt pool, whilst along the banks were 50+ Yellow Wagtails, two Corn Buntings, three Whinchats, two Wheatears and a Stonechat. (SH)

Swallows at Medmerry this evening (SH)

Medmerry: Ham Farm - The banks and fences produced two Yellow Wagtails, three Whinchats, a pair of Stonechats and a Meadow Pipit this evening, whilst a flock of six Corn Buntings went over and dropped in to roost in one of the reedy ditches and a few skulking Skylarks were among the field margins.

Also, c50 Swallows and a few Sand Martins went over and a Little Grebe was feeding a well-grown chick on the ponds. (AH)

Yellow Wagtail (above), Whinchat & Stonechat at Medmerry (AH)

Tuesday, 8th September: A fairly warm, but very grey morning, with a brisk westerly breeze..........

Selsey Bill: Apart from nine Yellow Wagtails that went over and round three times before finally heading off west, it was a quiet morning, with almost no hirundines after the last couple of busy days. (MO-W/SR/IP/AM/AH)

(0700-0800hrs) (WNW, F4)

Gannet - 6E, 3W

Turnstone - 50

Swallow - 16W

House Martin - 1

Yellow Wagtail - 9W

Grey Wagtail - 2W

Later two Swallows were off the beach on the east side and four Swallows went west. (SR)

Turnstones at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were still c30 Dunlin on the pool, along with a Common Sandpiper, whilst nine Shovelers were new, though otherwise it was the usual mix of c40 Black-tailed Godwits, c40 Lapwing, 16 Shelducks and c80 Teal. The channel opposite was quite busy, with two Spotted Redshanks, a Common Sandpiper, 14 Dunlin, c25 Black-tailed Godwits and a few Teal and Redshanks present.

Most of the Tramway circuit was very quiet, but the bushes around Red Barn Ditch held c40 Blackcaps, c20 Whitethroats, a Garden Warbler and a handful of both Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs, whilst c50 Swallows and c20 House Martins went over. (AH)

Later, a Cetti's Warbler was calling from the front, two Buzzards were at the back and 400+ Starlings were on the field. (CRJ)

Spotted Redshank (above), Common Sandpiper, Dunlin, Shovelers, Willow Warbler, Whitethroat & Blackcaps around the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: This afternoon a Curlew Sandpiper, two Knot and two Spotted Redshanks were on the Breech Pool. (AB)

Later on, a Short-eared Owl went over, heading towards Church Norton, whilst 39 Cattle Egrets were towards Honer Farm.

Also, the Curlew Sandpiper was still on the Breech Pool, along with seven Spotted Redshanks and three Dunlin. (TH)

Church Norton: A male Peregrine was in the harbour, but there were very few migrant passerines around - just a few Blackcaps, Whitethroats and Chiffchaffs, plus a Wheatear on the concrete blocks, whilst a Common Lizard was in front of the Severals. (CRJ)
There wasn't much to report this evening either, though a Peregrine was putting on a show over the harbour, the Wheatear was still by the concrete blocks and c20 Linnets gathered in a small bush nearby. (AH)

Peregrine (above), Wheatear & Linnets at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - A Short-eared Owl and Peregrine were out hunting on the reserve this evening, whilst a Kingfisher, a Greenshank and three Common Sandpipers were around the sluice by the poplars and a Great Crested Grebe was on one of the pools.

There was plenty of activity along the banks, including a good count of c250 Yellow Wagtails, mainly in the Marsh Barn area, six Whinchats, three Stonechats, 18 Wheatears and 17 Meadow Pipits, whilst 40+ Swallows and a couple of Sand Martins went over.

A sleeping Spoonbill was the only bird of note on the Stilt Pool, whilst a Gannet went west offshore. (S&SaH)

Info has been received concerning the ringed Mediterranean Gull (3AF1) seen at the East side on 6th September.... It was originally ringed as an adult (3CY) in Belgium, as the following record shows:

White 3AF1 right Bruxelles E948512 >3CY 11/05/2019 Total; Antwerpen; Antwerpen; Flanders; BELGIUM 51,15N 4,19E Goris, Guido.........Sightings - observations as follows :-

White 3AF1 v 11/06/2019 Minsmere RSPB; Suffolk Coastal; Suffolk; England; United Kingdom 

White 3AF1 v 22/08/2019 Itchenor; West Sussex; England; United Kingdom 

White 3AF1 v 28/11/2019 Ria; Le Conquet; Finistère; Bretagne; France 

White 3AF1 p 06/09/2020 Harbour; Pagham; Arun; West Sussex; England; United Kingdom 

Monday, 7th September: A mostly warm, still and sunny morning, apart from a misty start and a fairly brief, but dense, bank of fog.......

Selsey Bill: There were still plenty of House Martins about, plus a few Swallows and Sand Martins, with three Wheatears, three Grey Wagtails, a Willow Warbler and a few Chiffchaffs also present. Full log below.

(0630-0830hrs) (NW, F2)

Gannet - 1E

Common Scoter - 4W

Sanderling - 2

Turnstone - 50

Sandwich Tern - 4E, 11W

Great Spotted Woodpecker - 1

Swallow - 14W

Sand Martin - 17W, 6 present

House Martin - 149W, 400 present

Grey Wagtail - 1W, 3 on beach

Wheatear - 3

Willow Warbler - 1

Chiffchaff - 8

Wheatear (above), Willow Warbler, Sand Martins & House Martins at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: At least 30 Dunlin and a Common Sandpiper were on the pool, along with c75 Lapwing, c60 Black-tailed Godwits, ten Shelducks and c80 Teal, whilst a Garden Warbler and several Blackcaps were in the adjacent hedges. (AH/IP/SR)

Garden Warbler (above), Blackcap, Dunlin & Buzzard around the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: A Spotted Flycatcher and Great Spotted Woodpecker were at the end of the approach to the stables this morning and a Grey Wagtail was present at the sluice gates. 

After the fog cleared there was little on the East Side other than two Spotted Redshanks, a few Wigeon, Common Redshanks, Grey Plovers and Dunlin. 

The hedgerows contained Whitethroats and Blackcaps, a small group of Yellow Wagtails flew over while a Wheatear and Whinchat were on the fence line at Owl Point and a Buzzard was perched in a tree beyond Owl Copse. Six Snipe came off the saltmarsh but bar a juvenile Reed Warbler and two Yellow Wagtails the southern hedges and paths remained quiet. (IH/BI et al)

Church Norton: A Whinchat, a Stonechat and half a dozen Wheatears were along the spit and beach, with another Whinchat in the horse field, whilst a couple of Garden Warblers and Chiffchaffs, plus half a dozen Blackcaps were along the hedges, along with a couple of Jays and a Green Woodpecker.

A Greenshank was in the creek by the horse field, but the harbour was quiet beyond a few Dunlin, Ringed Plovers and Redshanks. (AH/IP/AW/A&YF et al)

A Kingfisher was the only bird of note this evening. (SH)

Whinchat (above), Wheatear, Greenshank & Green Woodpecker at Church Norton (AH)

Long Pool: There was no sign of the probable Scaup today, though this evening there were four Spotted Redshanks, 12 Black-tailed Godwits, two Wigeon and c40 Teal on the pool. (AH)

Spotted Redshank on the Long Pool (AH)

Medmerry: A Greenshank and a Common Sandpiper were the only birds of note this morning (AW), whilst a juvenile Cattle Egret was between Marsh Barn and Marsh Farm this afternoon. (P Charleston)

Cattle Egret at Medmerry (P Charleston)