Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 16th

Wednesday, 17th November: After a bright start, another mostly grey and breezy day, quite warm in the brisk southerly...........

Selsey Bill: A Shag east was the highlight of a quiet morning. (AH/MO-W)

(0710-0810hrs) (S, F5-6)

Great Northern Diver - 1W, 1os

Gannet - 1W

Shag - 1E

Brent Goose - 1W

Common Scoter - 1W

Sandwich Tern - 1os

Pied Wagtail - 4W

Shag at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: A Water Rail was along the bank this morning, whilst three Avocets were on the pool, along with four Gadwall, c40 Teal, c80 Shovelers, c150 Lapwings and six Shelducks . (AH)

Gadwall (above) & Water Rail at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: A Firecrest was in the orchard at Greenlease Farm this afternoon. (SaH)

Medmerry: Chainbridge Field - A Black Redstart was around the playground today. (SaH)

North Wall: A big and mobile flock of up to 100 Fieldfares were around the hedges towards Honer Farm this morning, with the now really quite flooded fields holding half a dozen Shoveler among 200+ Wigeon, 100+ Teal,c30 Curlews and c50 Canada Geese, whilst at least 300 Black-tailed Godwits flew in from the harbour.

Two Cattle Egrets were towards Halsey's Farm, a Kingfisher went through, as did a Grey Wagtail, a Stonechat was along the wall and a couple of Rock Pipits popped up a few times but were hard to pin down, whilst a Firecrest was among up to ten Goldcrests and 20 Long-tailed Tits at the end of Church Lane.

There were a lot of birds in the harbour, including 40 Pintail among the many Wigeon, Teal and Brent Geese, and a Bar-tailed Godwit, an Avocet, c200 Knot, c100 Golden Plovers and c500 Lapwings among the waders present. (AH/PC/IH)

Firecrest (above), Goldcrest, Stonechat, Fieldfare, Wigeon and Black-tailed Godwits, Dunlin, Golden Plovers & Pintail at the North Wall (AH)

Tuesday, 17th November: The unsettled spell continues, with another overcast and blowy day, though it remains mild......

Selsey Bill: There were six Great Northern Divers offshore this morning, including four together, with another going west, whilst there were also two Sandwich Terns and a Slavonian Grebe offshore. Full log below. (MO-W/RP/AH/IP)

(0710-855hrs) (WSW, F6)

Great Northern Diver - 6os, 1W

Red-throated Diver - 1W

Slavonian Grebe - 1os

Gannet - 2W

Brent Goose - 1W

Common Scoter - 1W

Red-breasted Merganser - 1E, 2W

Mediterranean Gull - 9W

Sandwich Tern - 2os

Razorbill - 2W

Meadow Pipit - 6W

Great Northern Diver, Sandwich Tern and Mediterranean Gull at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were four Gadwall on the pool this morning, along with just c20Teal, c60 Shovelers, c150 Lapwings and ten Shelducks . (AH)

Gadwall (above) and Shovelers at the Ferry Pool (AH)

Ivy Lake: A look round this morning didn't produce much, though two Egyptian Geese were obliging on the grass by the house in the middle of the lakes and a Kingfisher went through.

There were just a handful of Tufted Ducks and Pochard, along with c25 Gadwall and c200 Coots around the various pits, with New Lake holding just two Shovelers and a Grey Heron.

Also, a big Long-tailed and Blue Tit flock was roving about, containing a couple of Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests. (AH)

Egyptian Geese (above), Pochards and Coots, Chiffchaff & Long-tailed Tit at Ivy Lake (AH)

Fishbourne Creek: With the tide well out first thing there were 22 Great Black-backed Gulls at Fishbourne along with a Lesser Black-backed Gull and good numbers of Black-headed, Common and Herring Gulls.

The exposed mud held the usual mix of Curlew, Dunlin, Grey Plover, Redshank, Lapwing, Oystercatcher, along with five Ringed Plovers and a single Black-tailed Godwit. At Dell Quay, on the rising tide, there were two Spotted Redshanks and three Greenshanks on the far shore, with a Little Grebe, four Great Crested Grebes and three Red-breasted Merganser visible in the channel.

A Chiffchaff was present north of Dell Quay, whilst on the remaining exposed mud near the Lavant Outfall were a group of 49 Turnstones and a single Rock Pipit and the many Wigeon present contained a few Teal and Mallard, six Coots and two Gadwall. (RW)

Rock Pipit at Fishbourne Creek (RW)

Monday, 16th November: Another blustery day, with a brisk westerly blowing and mostly fairly heavy cloud cover, though dry and fairly mild.....

Selsey Bill: Three Great Northern Divers offshore and a few Brent Geese west was about it this morning. Full log below. (BI/RP/AH/IP/MO-W)

(0705-0845hrs) (W, F6)

Great Northern Diver - 3os

Red-throated Diver - 1W

Great Crested Grebe - 2os

Gannet - 1E, 7W

Brent Goose - 17W

Red-breasted Merganser - 1E, 2os

Turnstone - 8W

Mediterranean Gull - 13W

Common Gull - 2W

Kittiwake - 11W

Meadow Pipit - 2W

Pied Wagtail - 1W

Goldfinch - 40

Mediterranean Gull (above) & Great Crested Grebe at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: A lot less birds were on the pool this morning, with just four Avocets, six Shelducks, c80 Lapwing and c60 Shovelers present. (AH)

Avocets and Shovelers on the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool: A Jack Snipe was flushed from the pool, along with several Snipe this afternoon. (IL)

Park Farm, Selsey: A Sparrowhawk was in Park Lane, whilst two Pied Wagtail were around the fields with a large flock of gulls which included one Mediterranean Gull, and there were also a couple of Meadow Pipits present. (IP/MO-W)

Church Norton: A pair of Kestrels were active behind the Severals, hunting in the field east of Greenlease, whilst there were plenty of regular waders in the harbour, which quickly filled with water and hundreds of Lapwings and Golden Plovers were also flying over the North Wall.

A Red-breasted Merganser was also present in the harbour and the Peregrine was briefly on its island, whilst a Red-throated Diver flew in from the east and landed offshore.

Also, a female-type Black Redstart was on the concrete blocks with a pair of Stonechats, whilst a male Shoveler was the only bird to be found on the Second Several. (BI/IP/MO-W)

Later, along the West side and beach (late morning to early afternoon), there was very little to report; 33 Teal in the rife by the horse field, three Chaffinches, three Greenfinches and a Goldfinch on the beach. (CRJ)

The female Common Scoter was in the harbour again at high tide, too. (IL)

Medmerry: Windmill to the Breach - Two Black Redstarts were among the caravans at Toe End, but evasive in the blustery conditions, whilst two Stonechats and a few Meadow Pipits and Pied Wagtails were on the rough ground nearby and a Rock Pipit was on the beach.

There were a minimum of four Purple Sandpipers among various small flocks of Dunlin and Ringed Plovers in the Breach area before they were pushed off by the rising tide, and there were also c30 Grey Plovers, and a couple of Curlews and six Brent Geese there, too, with 100+ Wigeon and Teal further inland. (AH)