Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 13th

Sunday, 15th November: A pretty miserable start, after a wet and stormy night, but gradually brightening up as the morning progressed, but with near-gale force south-westerlies throughout........

Selsey Bill as it used to be! This image of unknown year and author was apparently from an old postcard and probably dates back to the 1970's or early 1980's. We are grateful to C. Burchett (via Facebook) and CRJ who forwarded the image, which clearly shows in the foreground the Pontins holiday camp during its heyday. Note also the amount of greenery adjoining the beach during this period....good times! (Eds)

Selsey Bill: There were plenty of Gannets and Kittiwakes going west, but not too much else of note beyond a couple of Great Northern Divers and a Bar-tailed Godwit. Full log below. (SH/IP/AH/BI)

(0715-0915hrs) (SSW, F6)

Great Northern Diver - 1W, 1os

Red-throated Diver - 1W

Great Crested Grebe - 1W

Gannet - 207W

Red-breasted Merganser - 1E, 6W

Dunlin - 1W

Bar-tailed Godwit - 1W

Turnstone 20

Mediterranean Gull - 26W

Common Gull - 1E, 4W

Kittiwake - 82W

Pied Wagtail - 2W

(1400-1515hrs) (SH)

Red-throated Diver - 1W

Gannet - 1E, 154W, 50+os (distant feeding flock)

Red-breasted Merganser - 4W

Mediterranean Gull - 1W

Kittiwake - 39W

Razorbill - 1W

Ferry Pool: There were 24 Avocets on the pool again this morning, along with two Snipe and at least 100 Black-tailed Godwits and Redshanks and 200+ Lapwings, but few wildfowl beyond c50 Shelducks and six Shelducks.

Also, c50 Golden Plover and 500 Lapwings came up from the far side of the harbour, drifting towards the Tramway.(AH)

Park Farm, Selsey A Grey Plover - unusual here - went over west, whilst a Grey Wagtail and a Pied Wagtail, two Skylarks, 50+ Mediterranean Gulls and 200+ Great Black-backed Gulls were on the fields. (S&SaH/IP)

East Head: Exceptionally high tides left very little of Ella Nore's spit exposed during the WeBS count this morning, but what there was was rammed with birds, including. 2-3000 Dunlin and 500 Grey Plover plus lots of Curlews, Oystercatchers and Little Egrets, with six Great Crested Grebes on the water. (GM).

Church Norton: There were lots of Brent Geese and Wigeon in the harbour on the high tide, plus three Gadwall and a few Pintail and Teal, whilst the regular Whimbrel, a Bar-tailed Godwit and a few Knot were among plenty of roosting Dunlin, Grey Plovers, and Redshanks.

Also, a couple of Snipe were on the creek by the horse field and 300+ Golden Plover drifted high over from the west, whilst offshore three Red-breasted Mergansers, three Kittiwakes and a few Gannets went west.

A Peregrine was on its island, whilst a Dartford Warbler popped up briefly in the gorse on the beach, the two Stonechats were near the concrete blocks, with another by the horse field, two Goldcrests were in Bluebell Wood and one or two Reed Buntings were about, but few other passerines were seen. (AH/S&SaH/IP)

Also, a female Common Scoter was reported from inside the harbour. (per Twitter)

Stonechat (above), Stonechat, Snipe, Grey Plover, Brent Geese & Wigeon at Church Norton (AH)

Saturday, 14th November: A pretty wet and miserable morning, with a strong southerly blowing repeated bands of heavy rain through after a dryish start........

Selsey Bill: There was just the usual mix this morning, including one or two Great Northern and Red-throated Divers and a Slavonian Grebe and a steady stream of Gannets west. Full log below. (SH/BI/AH/IP/PB)

(0700-0900hrs) (S, F6-7)

Great Northern Diver - 1E, 2W

Red-throated Diver - 3W

Slavonian Grebe - 1W

Great Crested Grebe - 4W, 1os

Gannet - 2E, 85W

Brent Goose - 1E, 4W

Shelduck - 1W

Common Scoter - 2E, 1W

Turnstone - 15W

Mediterranean Gull - 9W

Common Gull - 1W

Kittiwake - 4W

auk sp - 2E, 4W

Linnet - 5W

Great Northern Divers (above), Common Scoter and Shelduck & Gannets at the Bill (AH)

1315-1500hrs: (wind S6) (SH/JA)

Red-throated Diver - 1W

Gannet - 200 os

Balearic Shearwater - 1W (1425hrs)

Red-breasted Merganser - 1os

auk sp - 3E, 5W

Arctic Skua - 1E

Pomarine Skua - 1 juv os

Great Skua - 2os

Kittiwake - 10E, 40os

Mediterranean Gull - 2E, 1W

Also, earlier this afternoon a first-winter Little Gull went past the Bill heading west. Also seen were two Common Scoters, a Sandwich Tern and a Great Northern Diver going west with numerous Gannets, and a female Eider heading east. (AW)

1st-winter Little Gull passing the Bill this afternoon (AW)

Ferry Pool: There were 24 Avocets on the pool this morning, along with three Snipe, c80 Black-tailed Godwits, c40 Redshanks, c150 Lapwings, 12 Shelducks, four Gadwall, c40 Teal and c100 Shovelers, whilst 30 Pintail flew over west. (AH)

Pintail (above), Avocets and Lapwings & Shovelers at the Ferry (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: The fields held lots of gulls, including 40+ Mediterranean and 100+ Great Black-backed Gulls, along with a lone Pied Wagtail, whilst early on Redwings could be heard going over the north of Selsey. (S&SaH)

Church Norton: The regular Whimbrel was in the harbour, with plenty of roosting Grey Plovers, Knot, Dunlin, Curlews and Redshanks, whilst at least five Snipe were in the creek by the horse field, along with a Grey Plover, six Redshank and 12 Teal.

There were at least 200 Brent Geese, c50 Wigeon, ten Pintail and c30 Teal in the harbour, too, along with two Peregrines and five Great crested Grebes, but the only passerines noted were a couple of Jays and Goldcrests, plus half a dozen Reed Buntings and Chaffinches along the path to the beach. A Firecrest was also present in the orchard at Greenlease Farm. (AH/BI)

Later on, a Woodcock was flushed from the footpath to the beach and seven Snipe went over, whilst two Chiffchaffs were in the bushes by the second Several and two Stonechats were by the concrete blocks. Also, 20+ Gannets went west offshore. (S&SaH)

Snipe (above), Grey Plover, Brent Geese, Curlew & Redshank at Church Norton (AH)

Friday, 13th November: After a murky and drizzly start, another fine, if breezy, morning with the wind still coming from the west.....

Selsey Bill: It was generally quiet, though there were probably a minimum of five Great Northern Divers and at least four Red-throated Divers present, whilst three Slavonian Grebes were on the sea. Full log below. (BI/AH/IP/RP)

(0705-0850hrs) (WSW, F5)

Great Northern Diver - 3E, 2w, 2os

Red-throated Diver -4E, 1W

Slavonian Grebe - 3os

Great Crested Grebe - 1os

Gannet - 9W

Brent Goose - 2W

Common Scoter - 2E, 1W

Red-breasted Merganser - 3E, 4W, 2os

Mediterranean Gull - 3E, 4W

Kittiwake - 1 on Oval field briefly, then W

Guillemot - 1W

auk sp - 2E

Meadow Pipit - 1W

Pied Wagtail - 2E, 2W

Linnet - 8W

Red-throated Diver (above), Common Scoter & Mediterranean Gull at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were three Egyptian Geese on the pool at high tide this morning, along with three Snipe, 22 Avocets, c80 Lapwing, ten Shelducks, two Gadwall, c60 Teal and c100 Shovelers. (AH)

Egyptian Geese (above), Avocets & Tear on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: A Merlin chasing passerines along the spit brightened up a slow morning, whilst other sightings included two Swallows briefly over the Severals, a Peregrine on its island and a pair of Stonechats and a few Meadow Pipits near the concrete slabs.

There were plenty of Dunlin and Grey Plovers, plus a few Knot roosting in the harbour at high tide, with c100 Brent Geese and c50 Wigeon also about, but land-birds were few beyond three or four Jays, a couple of Green Woodpeckers and a couple of Goldcrests. (AH/BI)

Merlin (above), Stonechat, Grey Plover & Jay at Church Norton (AH)

Marsh Farm, Sidlesham: A minimum of 34 Cattle Egrets were with the cows in the big grass field along Church Farm Lane, with at least another ten over towards Bramber Farm.

There wasn't too much else about, though a Sparrowhawk, a Stonechat and a couple of Skylarks were in the vicinity. (AH)