Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 4th

Thursday, 6th May: At last, a fairly still day, with just a light westerly breeze and pleasantly warm after yet another early frost..............

Selsey Bill: A Black-throated Diver went east and two Hobbies came in off the sea, but it was generally very quiet, with even terns in short supply. Full log below........

(0530-0900hrs) (W F2-3) (PM/IP/MO-W/SR/AH/OM et al)

Black-throated Diver - 1E

Great Northern Diver - 2 os

Fulmar - 2W

Gannet - 8E, 2W

Common Scoter - 1E, 9W

Hobby - 2N

Whimbrel - 1E

Sanderling - 2E

Dunlin - 1E

Turnstone - 9 ob

Kittiwake - 2E, 6W

Mediterranean Gull - 2E

Little Tern - 14E, 2W

Common Tern - 5E, 2W

Sandwich Tern - 26 os

auk sp - 1 os

Swallow - 4N

(1630-1730hrs) (JA)
Gannet – 1E
Whimbrel – 7E
Sandwich Tern – 12os
Common Tern – 10os
Little Tern – 7os

Ferry Pool: There were just a dozen Avocets, three Black-tailed Godwits, two Redshank and eight Shelducks around the pool this morning, with a Greenshank and four Whimbrel in the channel opposite. (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: A Lesser Whitethroat was singing in the hedges and a dozen House Martins were overhead this morning. (IP)

Church Norton: A Whinchat was along the footpath on the west side this morning (PM), whilst 20 or so Little Terns were in the harbour mouth (AT). There were however no reports/sightings of the Roseate Tern by lunchtime, but a Wheatear was on the spit and a few waders were in the harbour, consisting of several Bar-tailed Godwits, at least eight Whimbrel, nine Dunlin and four Ringed Plovers and Turnstones. (PM/OM/IP)

Whinchat (above), Little Tern & Whimbrel at Church Norton (PM)

This evening there were 11 Whimbrel and a Bar-tailed Godwit on the mud until spooked by a Peregrine that upset all the many Sandwich Terns and Black-headed Gulls, too, as it cruised back to its island. (AH)

Little and Sandwich Terns (above), Sandwich Terns, Sandwich Terns and Black-headed Gulls & Whimbrel at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry: Windmill area - Early this morning there was a Wheatear near the go-kart track, as well as three Sanderlings along the beach with a dozen Turnstones. (AW)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - A pair of Grey Partridges were in the field opposite the car-park this morning, whilst two Cuckoos were vocal in the area, too, and two Greenshank and a Whimbrel were on the mud near the poplars, along with three Avocets.

There were plenty of Whitethroats and Linnets about, along with a few Skylarks and two or three Yellowhammers and Reed Buntings, whilst, Reed and Sedge Warblers, Lesser Whitethroat and Blackcap were also heard and half a dozen Swallows were over the pools.

Three Egyptian Geese were on the reservoirs, with two more on the Stilt Pool, which was quiet beyond 24 Avocets and a dozen Canada Geese, whilst two Whimbrel were in the tidal area by the beach and three Sanderling went west offshore. (AH/TB/NR et al)

Warner Lane paddocks: A pair of Swallows were investigating the wooden stable and four Whitethroats were logged, whilst a Reed Warbler was singing stridently from the bushes, but remained unseen. Four Linnets and a Pied Wagtail were the best of the rest. (OM)

Northcommon Farm: It was notably quiet here with just a couple of Whitethroats, two Blackcaps and a Buzzard, until the surprise of a fairly elusive female Redstart at the back of the hedge by the playing field. (OM)

Female Redstart at Northcommon Farm (OM)

Wednesday, 5th May: Another cool and blustery day, with the wind remaining strong and from the west, pushing through a mix of sun and cloud and the odd squally shower.........

Selsey Bill: It was predictably quiet this morning, though a Yellow Wagtail dropped in on the Oval Field and a few Swifts came in off the sea. Full log below. (SH/IP/MO-W/AH/TR/SR/A&YF et al)

(0545-0900hrs) (WNW, F6)
Great Northern Diver – 4os
Great Crested Grebe – 3W
Gannet – 14E, 7W
Common Scoter – 9E
Sparrowhawk - 1
falcon sp – 1E (possibly an all-dark Hobby at 0555hrs)
Sanderling – 10W
Dunlin – 1W
Turnstone – 4W
Sandwich Tern – 95os
Common Tern – 6os
Little Tern – 12os
Guillemot – 2E, 1W
Razorbill – 1E
auk sp – 10E
Swift – 20N
Yellow Wagtail – 1N

Yellow Wagtail (above), Swift, Little Tern, Sandwich Tern & Common Scoters at the Bill (AH)

(1700-1745hrs) (SH/AW)
Gannet – 4E, 4W
Common Scoter – 4E
Sanderling - 1
Kittiwake – 4W
Sandwich Tern – 43os
Common Tern – 1os
Little Tern – 8os
Swift – 1N

Kittiwakes (above), Sanderling & Common Tern at the Bill (AW)

Ferry Pool: There were 14 Avocets on the pool this morning, along with three Black-tailed Godwits, four Redshanks, two Lapwings and 15 Shelducks, whilst a Greenshank and two Whimbrel were in the channel opposite. (AH)

Greenshank (above), Lapwing & Avocet at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: Early this morning there were around 300 Dunlin, 50 Ringed Plovers and two Sanderlings along the beach, with a near constant stream of Sandwich Terns carrying sand eels overhead. (AW)

Sanderlings (above), Dunlin & Sandwich Tern at Church Norton (AW)

Later, at least 20 Little Terns and ten Common Terns were among c250 Sandwich Terns this morning, but again there appeared to be few Mediterranean Gulls about.

There were very few waders about, but included five Bar-tailed Godwits, at least six Whimbrel and a dozen Dunlin, whilst the only passerines noted were a couple of Whitethroats and Blackcaps, though the Swallows appeared to be using the hole cut into the board to get into the hide. (AH/LP et al)

Bar-tailed Godwits (above), Whimbrel, Whitethroat, Sandwich Terns, Sandwich, Little and Common Tens & Sandwich Terns and Black-headed Gulls at Church Norton (AH)

This evening a Roseate Tern was among the very large and flighty gathering of terns in the harbour, put up at least once by a Peregrine, but generally preferring the mud to the island. (AH/IP/SH/SR/AW/RHa/DB et al)

Roseate Tern with Sandwich Terns and Black-headed Gulls at Church Norton (AH)

Tuesday, 4th May: A very blustery day, with the gale-force westerly persisting as it pushed through banks of cloud, though with the odd glimpse of sun in between.....

Selsey Bill: Two Manx Shearwaters went west and one east this morning, whilst four Swifts and a Hobby came in off the sea, but there was nothing really on the move otherwise. Full log below. (AM/MO-W/IP/SR/AH/AW et al)

(0515-0900hrs) (W, F8)
Great Northern Diver – 1os
Great Crested Grebe – 2W
Manx Shearwater – 1E, 2W
Fulmar – 1W
Gannet – 28E, 24W, 24os
Common Scoter – 18E
Hobby – 1N
Sanderling – 15W
Dunlin – 3W
Turnstone – 5
Sandwich Tern – c60os
Common Tern – 8os
Little Tern – 10os
auk sp – 2E
Swift – 5N
Swallow – 1N

(1700-1830hrs) (SH/PD/AH)
Great Northern Diver – 1os
Gannet – 55E, 5W
Mediterranean Gull – 1E
Sandwich Tern – 111os
Common Tern – 14os
Little Tern – 9os
auk sp – 9E, 2W
Swift – 5N

Manx Shearwaters (above), Gannet, Sanderling and Dunlin (AH, top, lower two AW) & Swift (AW) at the Bill

Ferry Pool: The pool held 22 Avocets, a Common Sandpiper, 14 Black-tailed Godwits, the pair of Lapwings and eight Shelducks this morning, whilst a flock of 200 Dunlin dropped in briefly on the small island.

Earlier, a Hobby went low over the channel opposite, where there were also a Greenshank and three Whimbrel present. (AW/AH)

This evening a Spotted Redshank, a Greenshank, a Common Sandpiper and a couple of Whimbrel were in Ferry Channel, whilst a male Marsh /harrier went over.

Also, a pair of Lapwings (presumably a pair from the arable fields along the Long Pool) were trying to navigate a path to the Ferry for their two chicks via the footpath past the pumps and the hide. (AB)

Hobby (AW, above), Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, Whimbrel & Avocets (AH) around the Ferry

North Wall: A Spoonbill was in the flooded field behind the Breech Pool this morning, before it flew off west. (LP)

Later, there were six Cattle Egrets, a Hobby and four Whimbrel seen in the area. (BFF/DM)

Spoonbill & with Grey Heron and Little Egrets at the North Wall (LP)

Church Norton: The birds on Tern Island were very flighty this morning, repeatedly taking to the air and often settling in the harbour - the pair of Peregrines were back on 'their' island, but weren't obviously the only cause of the unrest. Among the birds sitting out, though, there were around a dozen Little and Common Terns and as many as 300 Sandwich Terns, which was quite a sight.

Visiting birders reported two Spoonbills going west over the west side, but waders were few, however, comprising four Whimbrel, two Curlews, a Grey Plover and half a dozen Dunlin, but passerines were almost existent, though a couple of Blackcaps, a Whitethroat and a Swallow were seen. (AH/BFF/DM)

Peregrine (top DM, above AH), Blackcap (DM), Sandwich Terns & Little, Common and Sandwich Terns at Church Norton (AH)

This evening there were still huge numbers of Sandwich Terns and Black-headed Gulls, but it would appeared that the numbers of Mediterranean Gulls has greatly reduced. Otherwise there were still a dozen Common and Little Terns, a Bar-tailed Godwit, three Whimbrel and c50 Dunlin present. (AH)