Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 14th

Saturday, 16th October: After a grey start, and even some squally rain, a beautiful warm day, with the moderate breeze veering round from east to just west of south.....

Selsey Bill: There was a bit of variety this morning, including a Great Northern and two Red-throated Divers, a Bonxie, a couple of Guillemots, ten Red-breasted Mergansers and a bit of a westward movement of Kittiwakes, and a bit of vis-mig, too. Full log below. (SH/PB/SR/BI/AH)

(0700-1000hrs) (SSE, F3-4)

Great Northern Diver - 1os

Red-throated Diver - 1W, 1os

Great Crested Grebe - 1W

Gannet - 25E, 83W

Shag - 3E

Brent Goose - 16W

Pintail - 34E

Common Scoter - 1E, 1W

Red-breasted Merganser - 10W

Sparrowhawk - 1

Turnstone - 10

Great Skua - 1E

Mediterranean Gull - 13E, 8W

Common Gull - 2E, 6W

Kittiwake - 54W

Sandwich Tern - 3os

Guillemot - 2W

Razorbill - 5W

auk sp - 4E, 11W

Skylark - 9N, 20W

Swallow - 1E

Meadow Pipit - 60E, 36W

Grey Wagtail - 1W

Pied Wagtail - 20W

Chiffchaff - 1

Jackdaw - 60

Linnet - 172E

Goldfinch - 20

(1455-1555hrs) (SH)

Gannet - 2E, 4W

Shag - 1W

Mediterranean Gull - 20W

Sandwich Tern - 2W

auk sp - 1W

Great Northern Diver (above), Guillemot, Shag, Red-breasted Mergansers & Sandwich Terns at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: Early on, there were four Snipe at the front and c20 Lapwings and Black-tailed Godwits at the back this morning, with otherwise c50 Shovelers, c30 Teal and a handful of Wigeon and Shelducks, plus a Grey Wagtail over west. (AH)

Later on, there were 11 Cattle Egrets around the pool. (NR/TB)

Snipe at the Ferry (AH)

Honer Reservoir: The Purple Heron was still present this morning, showing well in its favoured field. (C Nye)

Park Farm, Selsey: Three Swallows were present this morning, along with two Stonechats, 30+ Meadow Pipits and 19 Pied Wagtails around the fields, with two Sparrowhawks, two Buzzards and a Kestrel also seen. (S&SaH)

Church Norton: A Spoonbill was out in the middle of the harbour this morning. (TB/NR)

Later two Dartford Warblers, eight Stonechats, four Reed Buntings, a Cetti's Warbler and a Chiffchaff were along the beach/Severals, with three Buzzards seen overhead and two Gannets were offshore. (S&SaH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - Highlight this morning was two Spoonbills - an adult and a juvenile - on the Stilt Pool, where there were also three Greylag Geese among the 100 or so remaining Canada Geese and a few Gadwall and Shovelers among the many Wigeon and Teal, but a dozen Lapwings were the only waders.
The banks held half a dozen Stonechats and a couple of Chiffchaffs and Yellowhammers, whilst there were c20 Skylarks, c50 Meadow Pipits and c300 Linnets about, with at least 200 Mediterranean Gulls among the flock following a tractor. (AH)

Spoonbills (above), Stonechat, Meadow Pipit, Linnets & Mediterranean and Black-headed Gulls at Medmerry (AH)

Medmerry: Coastguards to Breach Viewpoint - There was a sleeping Spoonbill in the pool behind the Breach Viewpoint on the low tide, along with two Greenshanks, eight Black-tailed Godwits, c30 Ringed Plover, two Stonechats, ten Meadow Pipits and six Pied Wagtails, with another four Stonechats and six Meadow Pipits further along. (SR).

Greenshank (above) & Stonechat at Medmerry (SR)

Friday, 15th October: Another mild and mostly grey morning, with some sunny intervals and a moderate westerly breeze.....

Selsey Bill: There wasn't too much of note this morning, though a Razorbill was feeding close inshore and two Swallows and a steady stream of Gannets went west. Full log below. (SR/BI/AH/AF/P&LH)

(0725-0855hrs) (W, F3)

Gannet - 9E, 38W

Common Scoter - 16E, 13W

Turnstone - 20

Mediterranean Gull - 3E

Sandwich Tern - 3os

Razorbill - 1os

auk sp - 6W

Skylark - 1W

Swallow - 2W

Meadow Pipit - 22W

Pied Wagtail - 14W

Jackdaw - 36W

Goldfinch - 17

Razorbill (above) & Gannet at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: Two Green Sandpipers were at the back of the pool this morning, before flying off west together, whilst three Spotted Redshanks were present early on, and there were also two Snipe, a handful of Lapwings and Black-tailed Godwits, eight Shelducks, c30 Teal and Wigeon and c50 Shovelers on the pool ,and at least six Cattle Egrets among the cows in Ferry Field. (AH)

Green Sandpiper (above) & Cattle Egret at the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: Early morning there were two Avocets amongst the regular waders and Wigeon in White's Creek, whilst at the Breech Pool were 48 Black-tailed Godwits, 30 Teal and a noisy Water Rail (or perhaps two!) . Three or four Chiffchaffs were active along the hedgerows and several Cetti's Warblers were singing but there was little else of note.

Further along at Halsey's Farm there were several more Chiffchaffs, a Blackcap and two Stonechats, plus a couple of Skylarks overhead, but it was otherwise very quiet. (OM)

Honer Reservoir: The Purple Heron was once again in its favoured field south of the reservoir this morning. (P Wells per SOS)

Church Norton: It was very quiet this morning, with little in the bushes beyond a couple of Chiffchaffs, and just a Stonechat and a few Linnets along the front, whilst Greenlease Farm just held a Green Woodpecker, a handful of Pied Wagtails and Meadow Pipits and c50 Mediterranean Gulls among a large flock of Black-headed Gulls.

The regular Whimbrel was in the harbour again, along with a brief Greenshank, two Bar-tailed Godwits, c30 Grey Plovers and 50+ Pintail. (AH/P&LH)

Stonechat (above), Whimbrel, Linnets, Green Woodpecker & Mediterranean and Black-headed Gulls at Church Norton (AH)

West Itchenor: A Chiffchaff was in full song outside the harbour office all morning. (PH)

Fishbourne Creek: A Black Swan was among the 92 Mutes in the channel, and there was c200 Wigeon present, with just a handful of Teal and around 20 Pintail among them.
Six Greenshank were feeding along the channel, along with 45 Black-tailed Godwits, c100 Lapwing and 39 Turnstones. A pair of Stonechats were along the hedges with a Cetti's Warbler, two Chiffchaffs, a Grey Wagtail, six Pied Wagtails, a Jay and two Great Spotted Woodpeckers also about. (SR)

Great Spotted Woodpecker at Fishbourne Creek (SR)

Birdham Pool & Chi Marina: Amazingly at least 52 Little Grebes were counted on the pool this morning - probably the most I can ever recall on such a small body of water - together with 12 Teal and eight Tufted Ducks. It was fairly dead at the Marina however, with just a couple of Grey Plovers, a few Curlews and Oystercatchers and a dozen Brent Geese on the mudflats.

The reedbed and pool were similarly quiet, with just a few Mallard, a calling Water Rail and a Cetti's Warbler showing on and off. (OM)

Little Grebes at Birdham Pool (OM)

Thursday, 14th October: A mild morning of sunshine and grey cloud in a moderate westerly breeze.....

Selsey Bill: Another morning with a bit of selection, but no volume, including a Tree Pipit over, a Merlin offshore, a Red-throated Diver and a Red-breasted Merganser east, a few more Razorbills/auks than of late Full log below. (SR/MO-W/AH)

(0740-0910hrs) (W, F3)

Great Crested Grebe - 1W

Red-throated Diver - 1E

Gannet - 6E, 19W

Shag - 1E

Brent Goose - 5W

Wigeon - 1W

Common Scoter - 2E

Red-breasted Merganser - 1E

Merlin - 1os

Turnstone - 23

Common Gull - 6W

Mediterranean Gull - 5W

Sandwich Tern - 3W, 1os

Razorbill - 36W

auk sp - 45W

Tree Pipit - 1E

Meadow Pipit - 14W

Grey Wagtail - 1W

Pied Wagtail - 17W

Red-breasted Merganser (above), Sandwich Tern, Brent Geese & a dramatic sunrise at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: Five Spotted Redshanks were roosting on the pool early on, whist there were also a handful of Lapwings and Black-tailed Godwits, c30 Wigeon and Teal and at least 50 Shovelers.

Three Cattle Egrets were again among the cows in Ferry Field, whilst a look round the Tramway circuit found at least half a dozen Blackcaps and two or three Chiffchaffs, but not too much else. (AH)

Blackcaps (above), Cattle Egret & Shovelers and Teal around the Ferry (AH)

Honer Reservoir: The Purple Heron was again in the fields south of the reservoir this morning. (NB)

Medmerry: Porthole Farm to Ham Farm - It was generally very quiet this morning, with a couple of Chiffchaffs and Grey Wagtails, plenty of Pied Wagtails and a few Linnets and Meadow Pipits around Porthole Farm, a few Yellowhammers and a Cetti's Warbler along the Medmerry Trail and another Cetti's Warbler and a few Meadow Pipits, Linnets and Skylarks around Ham Farm, where there were also several Migrant Hawkers. (AH)