Tuesday, 19th October: After a wet and windy night, another unseasonably mild morning, though with a fresh to strong south-westerly and mostly heavy cloud cover........
Selsey Bill: It was fairly quiet this morning, despite the conditions, with the highlight being a Merlin chasing a passerine across half the horizon, as both dived and stalled and veered about, before disappearing out of view with the outcome unknown. Full log below. (AH/SR/MO-W/GSh)
(0735-0905hrs) (SW, F6)
Gannet - 7E, 10W, 12os
Shag - 1os, then W
Common Scoter - 3E
Merlin - 1E
Curlew - 1E
Turnstone - 4
Common Gull - 1W
Mediterranean Gull - 3E, 1W
Kittiwake - 1E
Guillemot - 1W
auk sp - 1E
Razorbill - 3W, 20s
Meadow Pipit - 1W
Pied Wagtail - 2W
Shag (above), Razorbill & Gannet at the Bill (AH)
Ferry Pool: Five Avocets were again on the pool this morning, along with c30 Black-tailed Godwits and c200 Lapwings, c40 Shovelers, c30 Wigeon, c20 Teal and five Shelducks. (AH)
Fishbourne Creek: It was very quiet here on the high tide, though as many as a dozen Greenshank were roosting on the far side, along with a couple of Spotted Redshanks and 100+ Redshank.
Otherwise c30 Turnstones roosting on the boats, a handful of Lapwing,a lone Brent Goose and c80 Wigeon really was about it. (AH)
Greenshanks (above), Turnstones, Lapwing & Wigeon at Fishbourne Creek (AH)
Church Norton: It was very quiet this morning, with a Kestrel and a couple of Jays in the churchyard, five Chiffchaffs around the hide and bushes and a male Blackcap in the first Several. There were also two Marsh Frogs in the ditch there. (CRJ)
Later, a Greenshank was in the creek by the horse field and two Green Woodpeckers were in the churchyard. (GSh)
Greenshank (above) & Green Woodpecker at Church Norton (GSh)
Monday, 18th October: A grey and blustery morning, in a freshening southerly breeze, though it remains quite warm........
Selsey Bill: There were plenty of Gannets about, two Sanderlings went west and the Razorbill was feeding close inshore again, but it was generally quiet this morning. Full log below. (SR/AH/IP/AW)
Unfortunately, the full scale of the clearance in Bill House garden is becoming apparent, with not only the lovely bank of hebes being grubbed out, but also the tamarisk hedge along the front being cleared, to leave a very stark and barren - not to mention wind-swept - landscape.
(0735-0850hrs) (S, F4)
Great Crested Grebe - 1W
Gannet - 3E, 38W
Shag - 1E
Sparrowhawk - 1
Sanderling - 2W
Turnstone - 1W
Common Gull - 1W
Mediterranean Gull - 20os
Sandwich Tern - 1W
Guillemot - 1os
Razorbill - 1os
Meadow Pipit - 13W
Pied Wagtail - 1E, 6W
Linnet - 105E
Guillemot (above), Razorbill, Sanderling & Gannet at the Bill (AW)
Razorbill (above), Sandwich Tern & Gannet at the Bill (AH)
A very bleak and barren Bill House garden (AH)
Ferry Pool: There were two Greenshanks and five Avocets among c30 Black-tailed Godwits and c150 Lapwings on the pool at high tide, with at least 50 Shovelers, 20 Teal and five Shelduck also present.
Earlier, a Kingfisher and a Grey Wagtail were both briefly in the channel opposite. (AH)
Avocets (above) & Greenshank, Lapwings and Black-tailed Godwits on the Ferry (AH)
Honer Reservoir: The juvenile Purple Heron was seen again this morning, by a visiting birder, in the field immediately east of the reservoir. (Eds)
North Wall: At least 60 Cattle Egrets were spread among the fields north of the all this afternoon. (TG-P)
Church Norton: A Firecrest, a couple of Goldcrests and at least half a dozen Chiffchaffs were among a big, loose flock of Blue and Long-tailed Tits, moving through the hedges from the car-park towards the harbour this morning. Later, another Firecrest was in the bushes before the first Several, though the only other passerines noted were a pair of Ravens over Priory Wood, a Stonechat and a few Linnets and Meadow Pipits along the front.
A Greenshank, the Whimbrel and four Bar-tailed Godwits were among the waders present, with at least 50 Grey Plovers and 100+ Dunlin also about, whilst there were plenty of Wigeon, Pintail and Teal about, too, whilst later on, a Merlin was seen mobbing a Peregrine over Tern Island.
Also, at least 60 Gannets went west quite close inshore, with a Kittiwake and half a dozen Mediterranean Gulls among them. (AH/MP)
Kittiwake (above), Gannets, Raven, Stonechat, Greenshank, Bar-tailed Godwits & Bar-tailed Godwit, Grey Plovers and Dunlin at Church Norton (AH)
Sunday, 17th October: The mild spell of weather continues, with a moderate southerly breeze pushing off the early cloud-cover to leave another pleasant morning.....
Selsey Bill: It was quieter than yesterday, but there were still a Bonxie, an Arctic Skua, a Great Northern Diver and 300+ Gannets about, and a bit of overhead migration, too. Full log below. (SH/PB/BI/CRJ/AH/SR/AF)
(0715-1000hrs) (SSW, F4)
Great Northern Diver - 1W
Gannet - 25E, 334W
Brent Goose - 16W
Common Scoter - 1E, 1W
Red-breasted Merganser - 1E
Turnstone - 3
Great Skua - 1W
Arctic Skua - 1W (d/p)
Common Gull - 4W, 2os
Mediterranean Gull - 17os
Kittiwake - 21W
Sandwich Tern - 1W, 1os
Guillemot - 1W
Razorbill - 2E, 1W, 1os
auk sp - 21E, 12W
Swallow - 3W
Meadow Pipit - 33W
Pied Wagtail - 14W
Linnet - 182W
finch sp - 200W
(1120-1150hrs) (SH)
Red-throated Diver - 1E
Great Crested Grebe - 1W
Gannet - 1E, 17W
Mediteranean Gull - 2W
auk sp - 1W
Great Northern Diver (above) & Gannet at the Bill (AH)
sunrise over the Rampion Wind Farm from the Bill (SH)
Ferry Pool: Two Egyptian Geese were on the pool early on, and there were also c20 Black-tailed Godwits, c150 Lapwings, six Shelducks, c25 Teal and c50 Shovelers present, whilst a Kingfisher was in the channel opposite. (AH)
Kingfisher (above) & Egyptian Geese around the Ferry (AH)
Medmerry: Stilt Pool - The two Spoonbills were again present this morning. (per Birdguides)
Park Farm, Selsey: Two Grey Wagtails, a Pied Wagtail, 50+ Meadow Pipits and a few Linnets were around the fields this morning, with a Buzzard over. (S&SaH)
Meadow Pipits and Linnet at Park Farm, Selsey (SH)
Church Norton: There wasn't much to report this morning, though a Water Rail and six Stonechats were along the Severals and 24 Brent Geese were in the harbour. (S&SaH)
Long Pool and west side: The Kingfisher was in the channel again this afternoon, with four Avocets, two Bar-tailed Godwits and a Snipe also about, whilst the hedges and fields held a Grey Wagtail, a Pied Wagtail, a Yellowhammer, two Reed Buntings, eight Stonechats and a dozen Chiffchaffs.
Also, a Peregrine, a Buzzard and two Kestrels went over. (S&SaH)
Kingfisher in Ferry Channel (SH)
Honer Reservoir: The juvenile Purple Heron was in its favoured field early on, (per Birdguides), but not later on, when there were quite a few people looking for it.
At least a dozen Swallows were around the adjacent sewage works, along with three Grey Wagtails, and up to ten Chiffchaffs and a couple of Goldcrests were in the hedges there.
At least another ten Chiffchaffs were along the hedges in Honer Lane, whilst there were several large mixed flocks of Linnets and Goldfinches, numbering several hundred of each, around the nearby cabbage fields.
On the reservoir, there were two Little Grebes, two Teal, four Tufted Ducks and 33 Gadwall among the many Coots.(AH)
Grey Wagtail (above), Swallow, Chiffchaffs, Linnets and Goldfinches & Gadwall around Honer Reservoir (AH)
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