14th - 16th May 2021

Sunday, 16th May: A cool and overcast morning of heavy showers and brief sunny spells in a fresh westerly breeze.......

Selsey Bill: A couple of Arctic Skuas and 80+ Common Scoters went east and a few Kittiwakes went both east and west, whilst a couple of Great Northern Divers were offshore and a Peregrine went over carrying prey. Full log later. (SH/BI/IP/SR/MO-W/AH/A&YF/RJS/JA)

(0520-0900hrs) (SW, F5)
Great Northern Diver – 2os
Fulmar – 6W
Gannet – 29E, 44W
Shag – 1os
Common Scoter – 82E, 3W
Peregrine – 1
Arctic Skua – 2E (d/p)
Kittiwake – 4E, 10W, 1os
Sandwich Tern – 52os
Common Tern – 4os
auk sp – 6E, 12W
Swift – 14N
Swallow – 13N
House Martin - 5

(1400-1600hrs) (SH)
Manx Shearwater – 1W
Fulmar – 3W
Gannet – 10E, 25W
Grey Plover – 1W
Arctic Skua – 1E (d/p)
Kittiwake – 3W
Sandwich Tern – 70os
Common Tern – 11os
Razorbill – 2W
auk sp – 1W

Arctic Skua (above), Peregrine & House Martins at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: A Common Sandpiper was skulking at the back this morning, but otherwise it was just a dozen or so Avocets and Black-tailed Godwits and 16 Shelducks. (AH)

Avocets on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: The Roseate Tern re-appeared around Tern Island this morning, before flying off again. It appears to be ringed, so all the reports over the last ten days may relate to the bird first seen on the 5th. 

There were still lots of Little Terns displaying and passing fish and lots of Sandwich Terns sat on the mud, but waders were restricted to half a dozen Dunlin, a couple of Ringed Plovers and a Whimbrel, with few passerines noted in the windy conditions.(BI/A&YF/RJS/AH et al)

Later a summer-plumaged Golden Plover was in the harbour, near the old harbour mouth, and a Garden Warbler was seen and heard between the Severals, along with four Blackcaps. (S&SaH)

Roseate Tern with Sandwich Terns & Black-headed Gull at Church Norton (BI)

Little Tern (above), Sandwich Terns & Whimbrel at Church Norton (AH)

North Wall: There was very little around today in a brisk south-westerly wind, with not a wader to be seen from the Wall today. On the Breech Pool there were five pairs of Tufted Duck and a pair of Great Crested Grebes, on Honer 1 there were 12 Shelduck, two Canada Geese and a few Mallard, with just 21 Jackdaws in Honer 3.

Lots of egret noise was coming from Owl Copse, whilst a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Blackcap and a Chiffchaff were in Halsey's Copse,34 Tufted Ducks were on Honer Reservoir and Cuckoos were at Macracapra Copse and along Pagham Rife. (JDW)

Runcton: A newly-emerged Broad-bodied Chaser appeared from our garden pond, between showers this morning. (CRJ)

Broad-bodied Chaser in a Runcton garden (CRJ)

Long Pool: A Cuckoo was along the bushes early on, whilst later a Whimbrel and a couple of Lapwings were at the far end of Ferry Channel and a well-grown Little Grebe chick was being tended by its parent on the pool.

Otherwise, there were plenty of Reed and Sedge Warblers singing but keeping hidden, a few Whitethroats and Reed Buntings were along the hedges, as were a couple of Orange-tips, and a pair of Swallows were feeding over the water. (AH)

Whitethroat (above), Reed Bunting, Swallow, Lawing, Whimbrel, Little Grebe chick & Orange-tip around the Long Pool (AH)

Saturday, 15th May: A grey, cloudy and wet start with drizzly rain and a moderate south-easterly wind, easing to give some brighter interludes later.......

Selsey Bill: Another quiet morning - despite the apparently favourable conditions - probably indicating that most passage is now done, although an Arctic Skua, a Bonxie and four Bar-tailed Godwits suggest that there is still some movement going on. Full log below.(JA/SH/PB/IP/BI/AH/SR)

(0540-0900hrs)  (ESE, F3)  

Fulmar - 1E, 1W

Gannet - 32E, 1W

Common Scoter - 4E

Ringed Plover - 2E

Bar-tailed Godwit - 4E

Arctic Skua - 1E (d/p)

Great Skua - 1E

Kittiwake - 2E, 4os

Common Tern - 4 os

Sandwich Tern - 36 os

Swallow - 2

(1330-1530hrs) (SH)
Fulmar – 1E
Gannet – 19E, 31W
Shag – 1E
Common Scoter – 13E
Kittiwake – 1W
Sandwich Tern – 26os
Common Tern – 2os
Guillemot – 4W
Razorbill – 1E, 4W, 1os
auk sp – 7E, 2W
House Martin - 4
Bottle-nosed Dolphin – c7os

Arctic Skua (above), Bonxie, Sandwich Terns & Gannet at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were just a dozen or so Avocets and Black-tailed Godwits on the pool this morning, along with a couple of Lapwings and Redshank and half a dozen Shelducks. (AH)

Avocet (above) & Black-tailed Godwits at the Ferry (AH)

Medmerry Breach: An Arctic Skua went over the breach viewpoint early this afternoon, heading east overland. (IL)

North Mundham: A Coal Tit was feeding on the roof on the local church this morning. (MJ)

North Wall: Early on there were nine Black-tailed Godwits in White’s Creek. (BI) At midday there were 40 Swifts and three Swallows over the Breech Pool, though no waders there or along White's Creek. A few Mallard were in Honer 1, which again looks impassable, whilst in Honer 2 there were just four Canada Geese and two Shelduck. 

At one point seven Cattle Egrets were visible in Owl Copse, whilst three pairs of Mute Swans are nesting along the Wall and a pair have seven cygnets on Pagham Lagoon. 

Also, Cuckoos were heard calling at Honer Farm and Halsey's. Farm(JDW)

Church Norton: Early this morning, two Curlew Sandpipers, moulting into summer plumage, were on the mud in front of Tern Island. (MRE)

Curlew Sandpipers and Dunlin at Church Norton (MRE)

Later on, there were up to 40 Little Terns on the mud just south of the island, with much courtship activity going on, and there were also at least a dozen Common Terns and four Mediterranean Gulls among the many Sandwich Terns and Black-headed Gulls.

A Whimbrel, a Curlew, three Dunlin and three Ringed Plovers were among the few waders seen, whilst a smart male Wheatear was on the beach and a few Whitethroats and a couple of Sedge Warblers were along the Severals, with half a dozen Swallows over. (AH)

Wheatear (above), Little Tern & Whimbrel at Church Norton (AH)

This evening a Hobby went over the west side and three Grey Plovers were in the harbour. (S&SaH)

Also, there were nine Sanderling, two Turnstones and a Dunlin on the mud by Tern Island and there was lots of activity among the Little Terns again, though most of the Sandwich Terns now seem to have settled on the island. (AH)

Sanderling and Dunlin (above) & Little Terns at Church Norton (AH)

Friday, 14th May: Another cool and grey day, with the breeze easing and going northerly.....

Selsey Bill: A Roseate Tern was among the feeding flock for a short while this morning before drifting off east, whilst there was a bit of other activity, too, including a Hobby in off the sea, a Bonxie and a couple of Arctic Skuas offshore, along with a flock of nine Kittiwakes, and three Whimbrel east. Full log below. (JA/BI/IP/AH)

(0545-0900hrs) (NNE, F3-4) 
diver sp – 1W
Fulmar – 3E, 1W
Gannet – 148E, 9W
Grey Heron – 1E
Common Scoter – 29E
Hobby – 1N
Oystercatcher – 3E, 2W
Grey Plover – 4E
Sanderling – 2E
Bar-tailed Godwit – 1 present
Whimbrel – 3E
Turnstone – 21W
Great Skua – 1os
Arctic Skua – 2E (1l/p, 1d/p)
Roseate Tern – 1os, then E (0640-0650hrs)
Sandwich Tern – 50os
Common Tern – 15E, 12os
Little Tern – 4os
Razorbill – 1E
auk sp – 2E, 5W
Swallow – 12N
Whitethroat - 1

(1625-1800hrs) (JA/SH)
Fulmar – 1E
Gannet – 20E, 13W
Great Skua – 1os
Arctic Skua – 1E
Kittiwake – 4W, 5os
Sandwich Tern – 50os
Common Tern – 4os
auk sp – 2W

Hobby (above), Kittiwakes, Fulmar, Whimbrel & Bar-tailed Godwit at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were 11 Black-tailed Godwits on the pool this morning, along with 14 Avocets, two Redshank and ten Shelducks. (AH)

Black-tailed Godwit at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: A Roseate Tern (presumably the one seen earlier off the Bill) was among the Sandwich Terns in the harbour this morning, whilst a Coal Tit was seen in the churchyard. (TG-P/IL/NR)

Marsh Farm, Sidlesham: This evening there were an astonishing flock of 22 Buzzards along, with two Cattle Egrets, on a freshly ploughed field along Church Farm Lane. (AW)

Cattle Egret (above) & Buzzards at Marsh Farm, Sidlesham (AW)

North Wall: It was fairly quiet along the Wall this morning apart from the chatter of Reed and Sedge Warblers and the occasional shout of a Cetti's Warbler.  A couple of Swallows and two Swifts were overhead and at least four Cattle Egrets in breeding plumage sat in Owl Copse where also a Chiffchaff sang. The partially flooded fields contained only Shelduck and Mallard.  (IH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - It was quiet here this morning, with a Cuckoo calling from the poplars and a family of Stonechats, including at least three newly fledged juveniles, by the Stilt Pool being the highlights.

The banks held plenty of Linnets, Whitethroats and Skylarks, plus a few Yellowhammers, whilst c25 Swifts and c100 House Martins and Swallows were over the new reservoirs, and an Egyptian Goose flew over into the reserve, whilst the Stilt Pool just held 22 Avocets, a pair of Lapwings, a pair of Gadwall, ten Tufted Ducks and c20 Canada Geese, including a family with seven goslings, with two more families elsewhere. (AH/SR)

Stonechats (above), Yellowhammer, Whitethroat, Egyptian Goose, Skylark & Swift at Medmerry (AH)