Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 22nd

Friday, 24th September: Another bright and breezy day, with plenty of sun and a moderate westerly breeze......

Selsey Bill: There a few Meadow Pipits, Swallows and wagtails over, with a 'diver sp' and 100+ Gannets west, and there were still lots of gulls offshore. Full log below. (BI/IP/AH)

(0700-0815hrs) (W, F3-4)

diver sp - 1W

Gannet - 125W

Turnstone - 2E

Great Black-backed Gull - c40os

Herring Gull - c1000os

Black-headed Gull - c2000os

Mediterranean Gull - c40os

Sandwich Tern - 2os

Swallow - 7E, 7W

House Martin - 4W

Meadow Pipit - 39W

Yellow Wagtail - 3W

Grey Wagtail - 5W

Pied Wagtail - 4W

Chiffchaff - 4

This evening’s numbers were as follows: (1730-1855hrs) (SW F3) (BI)

Gannet - 55os

Turnstone - 1W

Great Black-backed Gull - 30os

Herring Gull - 957os

Black-headed Gull - 1808os

Mediterranean Gull - 66os

Sandwich Tern - 3os

Meadow Pipit- 3W

Sandwich Tern at the Bill (AH)

North Wall: The juvenile Purple Heron was reported from the Summer Lane area this morning, around willows c.500 metres from the bridge, (per KJ/Birdguides). However, two good searches of the rife and north fields later on failed to find the Purple Heron but there were two Spotted Flycatchers along Summer Lane, a few Chiffchaffs in the willows and c.6 Buzzards thermalling overhead. (CS/BI)

Ferry Pool: A Snipe and two Spotted Redshanks were on the pool, with four more of the latter in the channel opposite. The pool itself was otherwise quiet, with just 20 Black-tailed Godwits, c60 Lapwings, two Shovelers and a dozen Teal on it, with c50 of the latter in the channel opposite. (AH) A Kingfisher was on the Discovery Area pool this afternoon and a Water Rail was in Ferry channel. (MP)

Spotted Redshank (above), Snipe and Teal around the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: It was quiet again, with a Whitethroat, half a dozen Blackcaps and a dozen Chiffchaffs in the sheltered hedges, c20 Swallows over and little in the harbour beyond the regular Curlews and Redshank, a few Wigeon and Pintail and 14 Great Crested Grebes in the main channel. (AH/AW)

Whitethroat (above), Blackcap & Chiffchaff at Church Norton (AH)

Hunston: This afternoon an Osprey was seen heading southwards over the general area of the golf course. (KJ)

Thursday, 23rd September: A shift round to a brisk westerly, in bright sunshine....after a clear and moonlit night.

Selsey Bill: There was an even bigger gathering of gulls - apparently feeding on Whitebait - off the beach this morning, but it was otherwise very quiet for lingering coastal migrants, unsurprisingly given the weather conditions! Full log below. (AH/SR)

(0700-0815hrs) (W, F4-5)

Gannet -42W

Turnstone - 2W

Great Black-backed Gull - c40os

Herring Gull - c2000os

Black-headed Gull - c3000os

Mediterranean Gull - c80os

Common Gull - 1W

Sandwich Tern - 1os

Swallow - 32W

House Martin - 1W

Meadow Pipit - 17W

Grey Wagtail - 1W

Pied Wagtail - 1W

Chiffchaff - 1

Meadow Pipit (above), Common Gull, Mediterranean Gulls & mixed gull flock at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were six Spotted Redshanks in the channel opposite this morning, along with a few Redshanks and c80 Teal, but the pool was quiet, with just a Snipe, c30 Black-tailed Godwits, c80 Lapwing, a Shoveler and c25 Teal present. (AH)

Snipe (above) & Spotted Redshanks around the Ferry (AH)

Selsey East Beach: There were just three Chiffchaffs and two Meadow Pipits around the pond and 37 Turnstones on the beach this morning. (SR)

Church Norton: It was very quiet here, with a Whitethroat and a handful of Chiffchaffs along the sheltered hedges and c30 Swallows and a House Martin over being the only migrants seen.

The harbour was quiet, too, with c50 Dunlin and a few Grey Plovers out distantly on the mud and c50 Pintail and 100+ Wigeon around the main channel. (AH/PC)

Whitethroat and Red Admiral (above), Swallow & Wigeon at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry: Breach area - A Spoonbill was reported from the tidal areas today. (per Birdguides)

Medmerry: Eston Lane to the Stilt Pools - A Hobby, a Marsh Harrier, three Buzzards, four Kestrels and two Ravens were all seen over the reserve this evening, whilst seven Cattle Egrets were on the fields and a Wheatear, two Stonechats 50+ Meadow Pipits were along the banks.

The Stilt Pools were quiet, with just a Greenshank, a Ringed Plover and two Black-tailed Godwits of note. (S&SaH)

Wednesday, 22nd September: After a cool and misty start, another lovely warm and sunny morning in a very light north-easterly breeze....

Selsey Bill: There was little in the way of migrants beyond a couple of Wheatears and Chiffchaffs, and just a few Swallows and wagtails over, but there was a huge feeding flock of 2000+ mixed gulls just off the beach before they slowly dispersed. Full log below. (AH/SR)

(0700-0815hrs) (NNE, F1-2)

Gannet - 5W

Turnstone - 4

Great Black-backed Gull - c80os

Herring Gull - c600 os

Common Gull - 5os

Black-headed Gull - c1500os

Mediterranean Gull - c40os

Swallow - 107E

House Martin - 1E

Yellow Wagtail - 1E

Grey Wagtail - 1E

Pied Wagtail - 1E

Meadow Pipit - 3E, 4W

Wheatear - 2

Chiffchaff - 2

Jackdaw - 15E (in one flock)

Linnet - 18E

Wheatear (above), Swallow, Common Gull & gull flock a the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: A Green Sandpiper was on the pool this morning, along with four Spotted Redshanks, c30 Black-tailed Godwits, c120 Lapwings, six Shelduck and c30 Teal, whilst a few Swallows went over east.

A Kingfisher flew through the channel opposite, where another 50 Teal were present, but the tramway circuit just held half a dozen or so Blackcaps and a dozen Chiffchaffs. (AH)

Green Sandpiper (above), Spotted Redshanks, Chiffchaff & Blackcap around the Ferry & sunrise over Ferry Channel (AH)

Church Norton: A Spotted Flycatcher was along the Severals this morning. (AW)

Spotted Flycatcher at Church Norton (AW)

Medmerry: Stilt Pools - The two Little Stints were reported again from the pools. (per Birdguides)

North Wall: There were still at least 100 Yellow Wagtails around the cows at Owl Point, with two Wheatears and a handful of Meadow Pipits there, too, but the wall was quiet for migrants, beyond a Lesser Whitethroat, a Sedge Warbler, two or three Blackcaps and a few Chiffchaffs, plus 50 or so Swallows over.

There were still at least ten young juvenile Cattle Egrets in Owl Copse, with another 20 birds scattered around the fields, whilst the three Ruff were among c80 Black-tailed Godwits and 30 Curlews in Honer 3 field before a Peregrine disturbed everything, but the harbour was quiet beyond plenty of Wigeon and a few Pintail. (AH)

This evening the Ruff count behind the wall had risen to five in Honer 1. (AW)