23rd -25th October 2021

Monday, 25th October: After a rainy start, another fairly bright and breezy morning, in a moderate southerly breeze.....

More from days gone by at the Bill:- Some readers will be interested in the following from 1966, which has very recently been supplied by a friend of HPKR (= Harry Robinson), and follows on from the recent photo of him outside the old Selsey Observatory hut. As a result, contact has been established with Harry, who now resides in Florida, having moved to the USA a good while ago.

The following three images are from the notebook he kept and as will be seen, includes a Bill checklist from the time. The notes are neatly hand-written and can be read fairly easily, but I have not been able to enlarge them by cropping for the purposes of the blog (although they can be zoomed once loaded). It is interesting to note some of the species, together with the written accounts, with notables such as Gull-billed Tern, Melodious Warbler and Quail (in off the sea) appearing on the list.

This additional material adds to the archive and gives a flavour of the birding at that time. It is hoped to add other similar snippets of information in the future....and perhaps the time is now due for an update on the History of Selsey Bill. (OM/Eds)

Selsey Bill data relating to 1966, from the notebooks of Harry Robinson (HPKR) and kindly supplied by Sam Krah. Note that the edge of Church Norton to the Severals was then included in the Bill recording area. (OM)

Selsey Bill: There was nothing unusual, but a mix of regular birds, including a Swallow and a few Brent Geese west and a Razorbill and two Guillemots on the sea. Full log below. (AH/IP/SR/PD)

(0740-0910hrs) (SW, F4-5)

Great Crested Grebe - 1os

Gannet - 1E, 17W, 20os

Brent Goose - 15W

Common Scoter - 1E

Red-breasted Merganser - 1E, 2W

Oystercatcher - 1W

Turnstone - 3E

Common Gull - 5W

Mediterranean Gull - 10E, 26W

Kittiwake - 1W

Guillemot - 2os

Razorbill - 1os

auk sp - 3W

Skylark - 7W

Swallow - 1W

Meadow Pipit - 2W

Pied Wagtail - 1W

Goldfinch - 55W

This afternoon, two Velvet Scoters went west together. (AW)

Velvet Scoters at the Bill (AW)

Ferry Pool: All the birds were roosting on the pool this morning, including c60 Black-tailed Godwits, 100 Lapwings, three Shelducks, c20 Wigeon, c40 Shovelers and c120 Teal. (AH)

Black-tailed Godwits on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: A vey large flock of c2000 (mainly Black-headed) Gulls was offshore, having drifted round from the Bill, and they drew in an Arctic Skua that chased them around a couple of times before moving on.

Otherwise, though, it was very quiet, with the harbour just holding the regular Whimbrel, a Bar-tailed Godwit, c50 Grey Plovers and c100 Dunlin, and the bushes just a Reed Bunting and a few Goldfinches, though a Buzzard was in the churchyard and two or three Jays were gathering acorns from the Holm Oak in the car-park. (AH/PD/LP)

Later on, a Merlin was sitting out on Tern Island. (LP)

Arctic Skua (above), Grey Plover, Buzzard & Jays at Church Norton (AH)

Sunday, 24th October: A warm, bright and breezy morning, with sun and white cloud in a fresh southerly breeze.....

Selsey Bill: There was just a bit of activity this morning, including 36 Brent Geese, 13 Kittiwakes, 184 Gannets and a Bonxie west and eight Siskins among a small amount of overhead migration. Full log below. (SH/PB/BI/AH/IP/P&LH/JA)

(0730-0930hrs) (SSW, F5)

Gannet - 1E, 184W

Brent Goose - 36W

Shelduck - 3E

Common Scoter 6E, 1W

Red-breasted Merganser - 1W

Turnstone - 30

Great Skua - 1W

Mediterranean Gull - 6W

Kittiwake - 13W

Guillemot - 1W, 1os

auk sp - 1E, 13W

Sandwich Tern - 1os

Skylark - 3W

Meadow Pipit - 17E

Pied Wagtail - 3W

Siskin - 8E

Linnet - 17E, 50W

Goldfinch - 17

Gannets (above), Brent Geese and Turnstones at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were just c40 Black-tailed Godwits, c50 Lapwings, five Shelducks, four Wigeon, c40 Shovelers and c80 Teal on the pool this morning. (AH)

Black-tailed Godwits and Lapwings on the Ferry (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: Almost all the activity was overhead this morning, including nine Siskins, two Swallows, a Grey Wagtail, a Peregrine, a Kestrel and two Sparrowhawks, with just ten Pied Wagtails on the fields. (S&SaH/PB/JA/IP)

Church Norton: There was little to report this morning beyond a Stonechat, three Reed Buntings and six Swallows along the front, 25 Golden Plovers over the harbour, two Gannets offshore and a flock of 50 Pied Wagtails over Greenlease Farm. (S&SaH/PB/JA/IP)

A rare sighting of JA (with SaH and PB) away from the Bill, at Church Norton (SH)

Honer and Bramber: It was very quiet this morning, with a Grey Wagtail and a Green Woodpecker at Honer Reservoir, plus two Swallows over.

There were just a Little Grebe, a handful of Tufted Ducks and 16 Gadwall among the Coots on the water, a large flock of Long-tailed and Blue Tits and a few Pied Wagtails and Goldfinches around the sewage works, and eight Cattle Egrets and a couple of Meadow Pipits and a Jay at Bramber. (AH/CRJ/RJS/aF))

Cattle Egret (above), Grey Wagtail, Green Woodpecker, Jay & Long-tailed Tits around Honer and Bramber (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - There were five (and possibly six) Dartford Warblers along the banks this afternoon, with ten Stonechats, three Yellowhammers, seven Skylarks and 20+ Meadow Pipits also about, with a Sparrowhawk and a Buzzard over.

There were also 200+ Golden Plovers and 100+ Lapwing out on the reserve. (S&SaH)

Saturday, 23rd October: A complete change this morning, mild and with heavy low cloud, with just a light north-easterly breeze early on, freshening a little as it veered to south-westerly.....

Selsey Bill: There was a bit of a selection this morning, including the first Slavonian Grebe of the autumn on the sea, an Arctic Skua and 47 Brent Geese west and a bit of overhead migration including a Lesser Redpoll, six Siskins, six House Martins and 13 Swallows. Full log below. (SH/BI/AH/SR/IP)

(0730-0930hrs) (NE, F2)

Slavonian Grebe - 1os

Gannet - 106W, 50os

Brent Goose - 47W

Shelduck - 3W

Common Scoter - 3E, 1W

Red-breasted Merganser - 4W

Turnstone - 11

Arctic Skua - 1W (d/p)

Mediterranean Gull - 6W

Sandwich Tern - 1os

Razorbill - 1W, 3os

auk sp - 3E, 2W

Swallow - 13E

House Martin - 6E

Meadow Pipit - 19W

Pied Wagtail - 2E, 2W

Jay - 2

Lesser Redpoll - 1E

Siskin - 6E

Linnet - 44W

Goldfinch - 30

Swallow (SR), Red-breasted Merganser & Fox surveying its destroyed home (AH) at the Bill

Ferry Pool: Five Snipe were by the roadside reeds early on, with two still present later, but otherwise the pool just held c50 Teal and Shoveler and a dozen or so Wigeon and Lapwings.

Also, seven Cattle Egrets were among the cows on Ferry Field this morning, whilst a Kingfisher was in the channel opposite. (AH)

Kingfisher (above), Snipe and Moorhen & Cattle Egrets around the Ferry (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: This morning there were c30 Pied Wagtails and c20 Meadow Pipits feeding in the fields, whilst both Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers were around the first line of Poplars and a female Stonechat was in the adjacent ditch. There was also a Chiffchaff in Park Lane. (IP)

Church Norton: A Short-eared Owl was up high over the spit, late this morning, before drifting back towards the North Wall, whilst very oddly a Red-throated Diver and a first-winter Gannet both came in from offshore and flew the length of the harbour, presumably heading for the Ferry, then Medmerry and the sea there.

Also of note, two Razorbills and a Guillemot were close offshore, with one or two more Gannets out to sea, the Dartford Warbler was again in the gorse in front of the Severals, a Stonechat was in the horse field, a Kingfisher was on the metalwork and a Greenshank was in the channel by the concrete slabs.

At least 100 Brent Geese dropped into the harbour from the east, with another 50+ carrying on west, and there were 50+ Wigeon and Pintail in the harbour, along with a Bar-tailed Godwit, eight Avocets, 23 Golden Plovers, plenty of Grey Plovers and Redshank and two Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

Around 20 Swallows went west over the horse field, but the only other migrant was a Blackcap in the Orchard in Greenlease Farm. (AH/IP et al)

Short-eared Owl (above), Red-throated Diver, Gannet, Razorbill, Brent Geese & Swallow at Church Norton (AH)

North Wall: There were three Rock Pipits along the wall this morning. (SP)

Sidlesham: This afternoon a Raven went over our garden, heading west. (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - One of the Great White Egrets was still present on the reserve this morning, along with a Marsh Harrier, a Kingfisher, five Egyptian Geese and 250+ Golden Plovers.

Also, three Dartford Warblers were along the banks, along with two Chiffchaffs, three Stonechats and two Yellowhammers, whilst at least 20 Swallows went over. (S&SaH)

Dartford Warbler (above), Great White Egret & Marsh Harrier at Medmerry (SH)