29th - 31st October 2020

Saturday, 31st October: A pretty spectacularly bad day's weather with a strong southerly rising to gale-force as the morning progressed, bringing with it a lot of heavy rain.....

Selsey Bill: The bad weather did produce a few birds this morning, including four Sooty Shearwaters (one east and three west), a Purple Sandpiper among the Turnstones and over 500 Gannets and 100 Kittiwakes. Full log below. (SH/JA/BI/IP/RP/AH/MO-W)

(0630-1100hrs) (S, F7-8)

Great Northern Diver - 1os

Great Crested Grebe - 4W

Sooty Shearwater - 1E (0810hrs), 3W (0655, 0935 & 1020hrs)

Gannet - 5E, 549W

Shag - 1E

Brent Goose - 7W

Common Scoter - 9E, 3W

Red-breasted Merganser - 4W

Purple Sandpiper - 1

Turnstone - 30

Mediterranean Gull - 15W

Kittiwake - 4E, 107W

Guillemot - 1W

Razorbill - 3W

auk sp - 3W

Meadow Pipit - 9W

Redwing - 1N

Linnet - 89W

Goldfinch - 90W

(1215-1315hrs) (SH)

Great Crested Grebe - 1os

Gannet - 2E, 3W

Kittiwake - 3W

This afternoon there were two Purple Sandpipers among the Turnstones on the beach. (AW)

Purple Sandpiper (above), Kittiwakes, Gannet, Great Crested Grebes & Brent Geese at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were nine Avocets on the pool this morning, along with three Black-tailed godwits and c30 Lapwings, but c40 Shoveler and five Shelducks were the only wildfowl present.

Most of the Wigeon and Teal were in the channel opposite, where there was also a Kingfisher and a few Redshanks. (AH)

Kingfisher (above), Avocets & Shovelers around the Ferry (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: There were just a Sparrowhawk and four Pied wagtails about the farm this afternoon. (S&saH)

Church Norton: A Red-breasted Merganser was feeding in the harbour this afternoon, whilst there were 75+ Brent Geese and a few Wigeon and Teal about, too., whilst waders included a Bar-tailed Godwit, a few Knot and Dunlin and 30+ Grey Plovers.

There were also a couple of Chiffchaffs and four Greenfinches along the beach, a Stonechat on the concrete blocks and a couple of Goldcrests in the churchyard. (S&SaH/AH)

Red-breasted Merganser (above) & Brent Geese at Church Norton (AH)

Friday, 30th October: Another morning of leaden skies and a near gale-force south-westerly, though mostly dry and quite mild.......until low cloud and drizzle moved in before noon.

Selsey Bill: An Eider went west, a Merlin flew in from well offshore and two Red-throated Divers and a Great Northern Diver were about, too. (Frustratingly, there were also a couple of shearwater sp. and several flocks of passerines that were just too distant and/or briefly seen to permit identification). Full log below.... 

0650-1120hrs:   (wind SW6-7)  (BI/RP/AH/MO-W/OM/IP/GCa et al)

Red-throated Diver - 1E, 1W

Great Northern Diver - 1 os

Gannet - 13E, 31W

Brent Goose - 1W

Eider - 1W

Common Scoter - 8E, 12W

Red-breasted Merganser - 1E, 1W, 2os

Merlin - 1N

Turnstone - 15 ob

auk sp - 1E

Kittiwake - 1E, 1W

Mediterranean Gull - 6W

Pied Wagtail - 4W

Meadow Pipit - 3W

Linnet - 23W

Red-throated Diver (above), Merlin, Red-breasted Merganser & Mediterranean Gull at the Bill (AH)

(1530-1630hrs) (SH)

Red-throated Diver - 1W

Great Crested Grebe - 1W

Gannet - 3W

Kittiwake - 1W

Ferry Pool: There were still ten Avocets on the pool this morning, along with c50 Lapwings and Black-tailed Godwits, whilst wildfowl included four Gadwall, eight Shelducks, c50 Shovelers and plenty of Wigeon and Teal. (AH)

North Wall: A morning of unpromising weather nevertheless brought a tally of 35 species, including a Grey Wagtail near the stables, a Spotted Redshank in White's Creek, two Rock Pipits along the Wall and at least ten Cattle Egrets with cattle at Marsh Farm. 

Two Great Crested Grebes and a Little Grebe were also in White's Creek, together with Wigeon, Teal, Lapwing, Common Redshank and Black-tailed Godwits while there were about 15 Dunlin on the mud opposite Owl Copse. The hedgerows were very quiet, though, and there was little in the Breech Pool other than another Great Crested Grebe. (IH/NR)

Rock Pipit at the North Wall (IH)

Church Norton: The Purple Sandpiper was present again this morning, roosting with Dunlin and Ringed Plovers at the very end of the spit, whilst a Red-throated Diver was fairly close offshore, along with a few Great Crested Grebes and Mediterranean Gulls.

In the harbour the Pale-bellied Brent Goose was again among 20 or so Dark-bellied Brent, whilst among the roosting waders there were ten Knot, a Bar-tailed Godwit and 20 Grey Plovers, and there were also a few Wigeon and Teal.

Passerines were few, but included two or three Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests and a handful of Reed Buntings and Meadow Pipits. (AW/BI/AH/CRJ et al)

Red-throated Diver (AW), Purple Sandpiper, Purple Sandpiper, Dunlin and Ringed Plovers, Bar-tailed Godwit & Wigeon (AH) at Church Norton 

Pale-bellied and Dark -bellied Brent Geese (above) & Little Egret at Church Norton (CRJ)

Thursday, 29th October: Yet another damp and windy morning, with the strong south-westerlies persisting and blowing through a succession of drizzly squalls......

Selsey Bill: Two Great Northern Divers were around again, whilst 23 Brent Geese and six Kittiwakes went west, but it was generally pretty slow-going. Full log below.  (SR/RP/IP/AH/BFF/DM/DIS)

(0655-0845hrs) (SW, F4-5)

Great Northern Diver - 1W, 1os

Great Crested Grebe - 1W

Gannet - 4E, 4W

Brent Goose - 23W

Red-breasted Merganser - 1E, 2W

Turnstone - 16

Mediterranean Gull - 8os

Common Gull - 1W

Kittiwake - 6W

auk sp - 2E

Meadow Pipit - 24W

Pied wagtail - 6W

Linnet - 7W

Goldfinch - 41

Ferry Pool: The Spotted Redshank was in the channel opposite again this morning, along with a few Redshank and Teal, whilst three Snipe flew over.

About 30 roosting Black-tailed Godwits among the 100+ Lapwing was the only change from recent days, with at least 40 Shoveler, ten Shelducks and 100 Wigeon and Teal still present. (AH)

Spotted Redshank and Redshank (above) & Snipe around the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: A pair of Green Woodpeckers were in the Welbourne horse field this morning and a Rock Pipit was by the sluice gates, whilst along the wall there were seven Reed Buntings, two Stonechats and two flocks - of 14 and 9 - Long Tailed Tits . There just a few Mallard on the Breech Pool, though there were 22 Black-tailed Godwits in the field behind. 

Along Honer Lane there were hundreds of gulls and corvids foraging on harvested maize fields, whilst at Honer reservoir there were 42 Mallard, 20 Coot, nine Tufted Ducks, four Shovelers, two Gadwall and a Mute Swan, with two Chiffchaffs along the boundary hedge. (JDW)

Church Norton: A Purple Sandpiper was among the Turnstones on the beach first thing this morning. (AW)

It couldn't be found later among the many Turnstones and Ringed Plovers, plus a few Dunlin, along the strandline, whilst offshore a dozen Mediterranean Gulls were the only birds of note.

At least 25 Brent Geese, including several juveniles,, along with a few Wigeon and Teal were in the harbour, whilst a Bar-tailed Godwit was among the few Grey Plovers and Redshank present. 

Passerines included half a dozen Reed Buntings along the path to the beach and similar numbers of Skylarks, Linnets and Meadow Pipits along the spit. (AH)

Purple Sandpiper (AW) (above), juvenile Brent Geese, Turnstone, Grey Plovers & Ringed Plovers and Dunlin (AH) at Church Norton