29th - 31st January 2021

Sunday, 31st January: A cold and grey - but dry - morning, with heavy cloud throughout and a brisk north-easterly breeze.....though rain by afternoon.

Selsey Bill: There were 53 Red-throated Divers east, with another 23 west, this morning, whilst there were also two Great Northern Divers, a Shag, 78 Gannets, 43 Kittiwakes, 22 Red-breasted Mergansers and 31 Common Gulls also heading east. Full log below.

(0720-0920hrs) (NE, F4-5) 
Great Northern Diver – 2E
Red-throated Diver – 53E, 23W
diver sp – 9E, 4W
Gannet – 78E, 4W
Cormorant – 55E
Shag – 1E
Shelduck – 3W
Common Scoter – 1W
Red-breasted Merganser – 22E, 1os
Mediterranean Gull – 3E
Common Gull – 31E
Kittiwake – 43E
auk sp – 80E, 1W

Red-throated Diver (above), Shag, Common Gulls & Red-breasted Mergansers at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There lots of duck back on the pool, including three Gadwall, six Shelducks, c75 Shovelers, c60 Teal and c120 Wigeon, but that was it.

Shovelers (above) & Gadwall and Wigeon on the Ferry (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: A Grey Wagtail, a displaying Skylark and c30 Meadow Pipits, both Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers were seen around the farm, but there were just four Brent Geese present, along with plenty of Curlews and Oystercatchers.

Church Norton: It was quiet in the harbour, with lower wader numbers than of late, though two Bar-tailed Godwits were present, the two Peregrines, two Buzzards and plenty of Lapwings were about and two Red-breasted Mergansers were near he harbour mouth.

Also, just two Snipe were in the very flooded creek by the horse field, two Jays were in the orchard at Greenlease Farm and a Goldcrest was between the Severals, but just a handful of Mediterranean Gulls and nine Common Gulls were offshore.

East Head: The Snow Bunting was again present at the northern end this afternoon.

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - The White-fronted Goose family (of five) were still on the reserve his morning and two Dartford Warblers were still along the banks, along with three Stonechats and three Reed Buntings.

Also, a Marsh Harrier and a Peregrine went over, putting up 200 Golden Plovers, whilst 200 Brent Geese were on the Stilt Pool.

Ivy Lake complex: A look round most of the pits failed to find much this morning, though a pair of Egyptian Geese were on the Trout Lakes, with otherwise just c80 Gadwall and Tufted Ducks, c60 Pochard, c30 Shovelers, half a dozen Great Crested Grebes and a few Canada Geese spread around the pits and not much more than a few Blue, Great and Long-tailed Tits in the hedges.

Egyptian Geese (above), Great Crested Grebe & Gadwall at Ivy Lake (AH)

Drayton Pits: It was quiet here, too, though a couple of Bullfinches, plus a few Long-tailed Tits and a Cetti's Warbler were present, with wildfowl consisting of 100+ Pochards, half that of Tufted Ducks and a few Teal and Shoveler. (AH)

Long-tailed Tit (above) & Pochard at Drayton Pits (AH)

Saturday, 30th January: A wet and miserable morning, with a prolonged spell of rain continuing from overnight and only easing towards midday, pushed through on a strong and cold easterly.....

Selsey Bill: There was unsurprisingly little going on, though a couple of Fulmars were about, a Shag was on the sea and a Sandwich Tern and two Guillemots went east. Full log below.

(0735-0850hrs) (E, F6) (JA/AH)
Fulmar – 1E, 1W
Shag – 1os
Brent Goose -1W
Pintail – 1E
Red-breasted Merganser – 4E
Mediterranean Gull – 1E
Sandwich Tern -1E 

Guillemot – 2E

Ferry Pool: The pool just held c30 Shovelers and a few Teal this morning, whilst half a dozen Snipe were in the reeds and c200 Lapwings were  on the fields.

Shovelers on the Ferry (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: There were at least 300 Brent Geese on the fields, but not much else was about.

Church Norton: There was a lot of activity offshore later on this morning, including 57 Pintail going east, a Great Northern Diver, three Red-throated Divers, three Razorbills, four Sandwich Terns, six Red-breasted Mergansers, 30+ Kittiwakes and 50+ Gannets.

The harbour was quieter, though a Rock Pipit was on the concrete blocks and a Peregrine went along the beach.

Fishbourne Creek: It was generally quite quiet - if quite sheltered! - here, with five Goldeneye, two Red-breasted Mergansers, 100+ Wigeon and similar of Brent Geese on the water and two Spotted Redshank, three Greenshank, a Snipe, 50+ Grey Plovers and Turnstones and lots of Redshank and Lapwings settling down to roost the high tide away.

Also, a Kingfisher, a Grey Wagtail and a handful of Rock Pipits were along the shoreline.

Grey Wagtail (above), Rock Pipit, Goldeneyes, Kingfisher, Red-breasted Mergansers, Turnstones & Grey Plovers at Fishbourne Creek (AH)

North Wall: This afternoon there were 1400 Brent Geese on the Pagham Road South site along with 42 Curlew and 120 Great Black-backed Gulls.

Also, in the flooded fields west of Church Barton reservoir there were 1200 Lapwing, 139 Golden Plover, 28 Wigeon, five Redshank, three Dunlin, 18 Shelduck and two Mute Swans.

Brent Geese in front of Pagham church (JDW)

Friday, 29th January: A vey blustery morning, with a near gale-force westerly pushing through a lot of cloud, though quite mild, especially in the brief sunny interludes.....

Selsey Bill: There was a lot of activity again this morning, including westward movement of 94 Guillemots - the highest count of the winter, 182 Razorbills, 1334 unassigned auks, 177 Gannets, 289 Kittiwakes and 12 Red-throated Divers, whilst the seven Sandwich Terns were all offshore again and a Sanderling dropped in on the beach. Full log below.

(0725-0925hrs) (F6-7, WSW)
Red-throated Diver – 3E, 12W, 2os
Fulmar – 2W
Gannet – 177W
Pintail – 2W
Common Scoter – 3W
Red-breasted Merganser – 2E, 2os
Oystercatcher – 7E
Sanderling – 1
Turnstone - 5
Mediterranean Gull – 1W
Common Gull – 12W
Kittiwake – 289W
Sandwich Tern – 7os
Razorbill – 182W, 5os
Guillemot – 94W
auk sp – 16E, 1334W

Guillemots (above), Razorbill, Sanderling, Red-throated Diver, Fulmar & Kittiwake at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: This morning there were just a dozen Shelducks and 50 or so Teal and Shovelers hiding under the bank at the far end and c100 Wigeon were tucked away on the field.

North Wall: A Kingfisher was in the harbour from the west end of the wall and a Sparrowhawk was in the flooded fields, where there were also many Lapwings, Golden Plovers, Black-tailed Godwits and Curlews.

The Breech Pool held just a single Tufted Duck and a few Coots, whilst there were plenty of Wigeon in the harbour and a huge flock of Brent Geese flew in from the north-east.

Late this afternoon there were two, and possibly three, Marsh harriers huntig in the area.

Church Norton: There remain large numbers of Knot, Dunlin and Grey Plovers in the harbour, but not too much else was about beyond c200 Brent Geese and a few Wigeon and Teal, plus a handful of Snipe and Teal in the creek by the horse field and a few Long-tailed Tits in the sheltered hedges.

Knot and Grey Plovers (above), Dunlin, Snipe and Teal & Brent Geese at Church Norton (AH)

26th - 28th January 2021

Thursday, 28th January: Another murky morning, mostly dry, but with odd bits of drizzle in a brisk westerly breeze......

Selsey Bill: A quieter day than of late, with just 16 Red-throated Divers east and six west, though there were still 150 Gannets and 250 Razorbills west and a large flock of c80 Kittiwakes was feeding offshore. Full log below.

(0750-0920hrs) (WSW, F5)
Red-throated Diver – 16E, 6W
Fulmar – 2W
Gannet – 150W
Common Scoter – 5W
Red-breasted Merganser – 6E, 2W
Mediterranean Gull – 2os
Kittiwake – 35W, 80os
Sandwich Tern – 4os
Razorbill – 250W, 80os
Guillemot – 4W
auk sp – 600W

Guillemot (above), Razorbills, Fulmar & Common Scoters at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: A lone Avocet was on the pool, along with two Gadwall and c50 Shoveler and Teal, whilst ten Snipe were at the front and c100 Wigeon and 500 Lapwing were on the fields.

Avocet (above) & Gadwall on the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: A Grey Wagtail was in the horse paddocks this morning whilst in Whites Creek there were about 600 Lapwing, 500 Brent Geese, 200 Black-tailed Godwits, 200 Dunlin as well as Wigeon, Teal, Shelduck and Redshank.

This afternoon a Grey Wagtail was still at the horse paddocks together with a Stonechat, two Chiffchaffs, three Song Thrushes and a Long-tailed Tit, while 44 Curlew were in the much-flooded Honer 2 field.

Park Farm: A Grey Wagtail was present this morning, plus a Green Woodpecker, c.50 Meadow Pipits, 250 Brent Geese and good numbers of both Oystercatchers and Curlew. This afternoon, the Brent flock had increased to c.1500.

Church Norton: A flock of five Sandwich Terns flew into the harbour and back out again this morning, though otherwise it was standard fare in the harbour, with large numbers of Knot, Dunlin and Grey Plovers settling in to roost, a few Pintail, Wigeon and Teal about and c200 Brent Geese flying out westwards.

Also, a pair of Little Grebes were by the old harbour mouth, a dozen Snipe were in the creek by the horse field and a Kingfisher flew along the side  of the harbour.

Later a Merlin shot across the harbour scattering everything, whilst a female Stonechat was in the same place as yesterday, plus three Snipe, over 50 Knot and 14 Bar-tailed Godwits roosted on Tern Island. Offshore there was a bit of movement with ten Razorbills, three Kittiwakes and three Gannets all going west, whilst a Red-throated Diver and a male Red-breasted Merganser were sat on the sea.

Sandwich Terns, Snipe, Little Grebes & Knot, Dunlin & Grey Plovers at Church Norton (AH)

Wednesday, 27th January: Slightly less cold than of late, but another very grey, gloomy morning, with occasional drizzle, but with the westerly breeze fairly modest......

Selsey Bill: Another busy morning, with a total of 116 Red-throated Divers going west and a huge feeding flock developing before swiftly dispersing westwards, including totals of 350 Gannets, 1200 Razorbills, 15 Guillemots and 180 Kittiwakes, plus 1500 more distant unidentified auks. Full log below.

(0800-1030hrs) (W, F3-4)
Red-throated Diver – 8E, 116W
Great Crested Grebe – 1os
Gannet – 350W
Brent Goose – 4W
Common Scoter – 24W
Red-breasted Merganser – 2E, 9W
Turnstone – 4W
Mediterranean Gull – 4os
Common Gull – 8W
Kittiwake – 180W
Sandwich Tern – 4os
Razorbill – 1200W
Guillemot – 15W
auk sp – 1500W

Red-throated Divers (above), Common Scoter, Razorbills, Kittiwakes, Sandwich Tern, Red-breasted Mergansers & Gannets at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were just 40 or so Teal and Shoveler, plus four Shelducks on the pool this morning, with a dozen Snipe in the reeds and c500 Lapwings on the field.

Shoveler (above) & Lapwings at the Ferry (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: The fields held a Grey Wagtail, two Pied Wagtails, a Skylark and four Red-legged Partridges this morning.

Also, later on, a Blackcap was in a nearby garden.

Church Norton: The two Goldeneye were in the harbour again this morning, along with four Red-breasted Mergansers, with two more of the latter offshore, whilst 13 Bar-tailed Godwits, the Whimbrel and c20 Knot were among the large numbers of roosting Grey Plovers and Dunlin.

As many as 50 Pintail were spread around the harbour, wish similar of Wigeon and Teal and c100 Brent Geese, whilst both Peregrines were present, too, a dozen Snipe were in the creek by the horse field and a Dartford Warbler and a Stonechat were at the start of the spit.

Snipe (above), Whimbrel & Teal at Church Norton (AH)

North Mundham to Fisher crossroads: This morning's highlights were a Green Woodpecker, a Goldcrest, two Long-tailed Tits, two Mistle Thrushes, four Song Thrushes, six Goldfinches and a pair of Mute Swans.

Medmerry: Coastguards to the breach - There were 18 Common Scoter, three Great Northern Divers, a Great Crested Grebe and a handful of Red-breasted Mergansers off the Coastguard station this morning, with another Great Crested Grebe and four Mallard offshore from the breach.

Also, a Black Redstart and a Rock Pipit were on the rocks at Toe End, with a couple of Pied Wagtails nearby.

Black Redstart (above) & Rock Pipit at Medmerry (SR)

White-tailed Eagle G274 flew in from Chichester Harbour and got as far as Medmerry today,  before retreating back to the Isle of Wight.(see map below, from the SOS website). Surely it is just a matter of time before one is widely appreciated!

Route taken by White-tailed Eagle G274 over the last couple of days

Tuesday, 26th January: A cold and grey morning, with intermittent drizzly rain, fairly still early on before the wind picked up from the south-west......

Selsey Bill: A quite interesting morning, after a slow start, with 48 Red-throated Divers west, (including a flock of ten together) being the best count this winter, whilst there were over 100 Gannets and Razorbills, a few Guillemots and Kittiwakes and lots of distant auks also going west. Full log below.

(0800-1000hrs) (SSW, F2 picking up to F5)
Red-throated Diver – 48W
Great Crested Grebe – 1W, 1os
Fulmar – 1W
Gannet – 120W
Shag – 1E
Common Scoter – 10W
Red-breasted Merganser – 3W, 8E, 3os
Mediterranean Gull – 4os
Common Gull – 12W
Kittiwake – 16W
Sandwich Tern – 5os
Razorbill – 1E, 150W
Guillemot – 14W
auk sp – 500W

Red-throated Divers (above), Guillemots and Razorbills, Sandwich Tern, Fulmar, Common Scoters & Mediterranean Gull at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: Over 400 Wigeon were around the pool this morning, along with six Shelducks, c80 Shovelers and c150 Teal, whilst half a dozen Snipe were in the reeds and 500+ Lapwings were on the fields.

Wigeon at the Ferry (AH)

Runcton: There were two Stock Dove feeding in my garden this morning.

Stock Doves in a Runcton garden (CRJ)

Chichester Marina: The water-level was very high in the reed-bed this afternoon, with nothing to see except a few Reed Buntings and a calling Raven.

North Wall: The flooded fields north of Welbourne were full of birds - 240 Lapwing, 86 Golden Plover, 44 Dunlin, seven Redshank, 60 Wigeon, 15 Great /black-backed Gulls and a Grey Heron. 

A male Marsh Harrier was over the reeds behind the Breech Pool, but it was very quiet along the Wall, with just a few Reed Buntings, Long-tailed Tits and Wrens present. 

A Merlin zoomed across the Church Farm golf course, but there was nothing much on Pagham Lagoon beyond 20+ Tufted Ducks and three Pochard, whilst the Mute Swan family seem to have deserted the Lagoon, with an adult and five well-grown cygnets seen in the Harbour.

Church Norton: There wasn't much of note here this morning, with nothing at all offshore and most of the waders tucked away to roost, including a dozen Bar-tailed Godwits, c100 Grey Plovers, c500 Dunlin and just a few Knot.

Otherwise, one of the Peregrines was on its island, the two Goldeneye were viewable on the far side of the harbour, four Snipe were in the creek by the horse field, two Skylarks were on the spit and a couple of goldcrests wee in the sheltered hedges.

Teal (above), Snipe & Grey Plovers and Dunlin at Church Norton (AH)