Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 10th

Monday, 13th December: Another fairly mild, but grey and breezy morning, with the wind becoming more southerly.........

Selsey Bill: Quieter than the last couple of days, but there were still a few Kittiwakes, auks and Red-throated Divers on the move. Full log below. (CRJ/SR/IP/AH/GSh)

(0740-0940hrs) (SSW, F4-5)

Great Northern Diver - 1E, 1W, 2os

Red-throated Diver - 8E, 14W

diver sp - 1E

Slavonian Grebe - 2os

Great Crested Grebe - 1E, 2W, 1os

Gannet - 2E, 4W, 12os

Shag - 1E

Brent Goose - 3E

Red-breasted Merganser - 3E, 2os

Kittiwake - 60W

Guillemot - 3W, 2os

Razorbill - 18W, 2os

auk sp - 30W

Guillemot (above), Razorbill, Kittiwake & Red-throated Diver at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were 18 Avocets, six Snipe, six Lapwings, c40 Shovelers and c100 Teal around the pool, with c50 Wigeon on the field, whilst the Kingfisher and a Grey Wagtail were in the channel opposite. (AH/GSh)

Kingfisher (above) & Shoveler at the Ferry (AH)

Medmerry: Marsh Farm - A Short-eared Owl was out hunting in the vicinity of Marsh Farm at 10am this morning. (JW)

Church Norton: A flock of 61 Barnacle Geese were sat in a fairly tight flock in the main channel this morning, before taking off with some Brent Geese, of which there appeared to have been something of an arrival, too, with a lot of birds coming and going from the harbour.

Otherwise, there were a dozen Mediterranean Gulls, with lots of Knot, Dunlin and Grey Plover out on the mud, several big flighty flocks of Lapwing coming up from the far end and c30 Pintail among the Wigeon and Teal. (AH/GSh)

Barnacle and Brent Geese (above), Brent Geese & Mediterranean Gull at Church Norton (AH)

Sunday, 12th December: A grey and overcast, if milder, morning in a fresh south-westerly breeze, with belts of drizzly rain moving through later on.....

Selsey Bill: A total of 685 Kittiwakes east was the biggest count of the year, whilst otherwise 23 Red-throated Divers went west and seven Great Northern Divers and eight Slavonian Grebes were about, too. Full log below. (JA/SH/BI/AH/P&LH/SR/OM)

(0730-1115hrs) (SW, F5-6)

Great Northern Diver - 3E, 4os

Red-throated Diver - 10E, 23W, 1os

Slavonian Grebe - 6E, 2os

Gannet - 8E, 42W

Shag - 4E, 2os

Brent Goose - 2E

Shelduck - 6W

Shoveler - 4W

Common Scoter - 5E

Red-breasted Merganser - 8E, 5W, 5os

Sanderling - 3W

Turnstone - 32 ob

Mediterranean Gull - 1E, 13W, 12 os

Black-headed Gull - 200 on Oval Field

Kittiwake - 685E, 51W

Sandwich Tern - 1W

Guillemot - 1E, 10W, 3os

Razorbill - 34E, 24W, 3os

auk sp - 7E, 52W

Pied Wagtail - 2

Red-throated Divers (above), Great Northern Diver, Kittiwake, Guillemots, Shags, Gannets & Mediterranean Gulls at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were just a dozen or so Snipe, Lapwings and Avocets around the pool, along with the regular c50 Shovelers and c100 Teal. (AH)

Avocet (above) & Snipe and Teal at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: There were a few bits offshore before the weather set in, including six Eider, at least four Slavonian Grebes, six Red-breasted Mergansers and a dozen Gannets, whilst two of the Goosanders were in the harbour mouth.

A Peregrine was active in the harbour, and wo Avocets were present, but otherwise there were just the regular waders, including c300 Knot, plus plenty of Wigeon and Teal and up to a dozen Mediterranean Gulls, with one or two more off the beach.

There was also a Mistle Thrush briefly in the car-park and a couple of flocks of Long-tailed Tits in the Severals area. (JW/IP/DB/MB/CG/AH et al)

Mediterranean Gull at Church Norton (AH)

Saturday, 11th December: A complete change, with a slightly milder, very grey and almost still morning.....

Selsey Bill: A Red-necked Grebe went east early on, as did six Slavonian Grebes and six Shags, whilst a Long-tailed Duck and the first Fulmar for many weeks went west, and eight Great Northern Divers were offshore. Full log below. (SH/PB/JA/BI/SR/AH)

(0730-1000hrs) (NNW, F2)

Great Northern Diver - 8os

Red-throated Diver - 3E, 30W (inc a flock of 14), 3os

diver sp - 2W

Red-necked Grebe - 1E (0747hrs)

Slavonian Grebe - 6E

Great Crested Grebe - 2E, 2os

Fulmar - 1W

Gannet - 11E, 4W, 12os

Shag - 6E, 2os

Brent Goose - 13W

Wigeon - 10W

Teal - 1W

Shoveler - 2W

Eider - 4E

Long-tailed Duck - 1W

Common Scoter - 7E, 1W

Red-breasted Merganser - 12E, 10W, 14os

Oystercatcher - 2W

Grey Plover - 2E

Sanderling - 1

Turnstone - 8

Mediterranean Gull - 2os

Kittiwake - 22E

Sandwich Tern - 5os

Guillemot - 3E

Razorbill - 1E, 1os
auk sp - 10E, 4W

Sandwich Tern (above), Red-throated Diver & Sanderling at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: Early this morning, the Kingfisher and a Spotted Redshank were in the channel opposite and the pool held 34 Avocets, whilst up to 20 of the latter were still present later, along with at least 19 Snipe in the roadside reeds and the usual c50 Shoveler and c100 Teal, with a Stonechat and c50 Wigeon in the fields. (AH)

Spotted Redshank (above), Kingfisher, Snipe & Avocets around the Ferry (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: A Redwing, a Fieldfare, a Grey Wagtail and a Pied Wagtail were all around the farm this morning. (IP)

Fieldfare at Park Farm, Selsey (IP)

Church Norton: Despite the low tide, the still conditions produced a good haul of birds offshore, albeit distantly, including a Long-tailed Duck, six Eider, a minimum of ten Slavonian Grebes, six Red-breasted Mergansers, a Razorbill, at least two Sandwich Terns and at least five Red-throated Divers, with another seven heading west, along with two Avocets.

The Merlin was around the harbour all morning, initially on New Island and then Tern Island, whilst a Kingfisher and the four Goosanders were around the old harbour mouth and the Whimbrel, another Avocet and Red-breasted Merganser, c30 Pintail and c300 Knot were among the birds out on the mud.

Also, a Water Rail was heard in the first Several, but a Chiffchaff and a couple of reed Buntings were the only passerines of note. (BI/IP/AH/CRJ/AHu et al)

Later a mixed flock of thrushes numbering c.40 birds and including mainly Redwings & Fieldfares but also a few Mistle and Song Thrushes was on the airstrip by Grange Lane. (BI)

Merlin (above), Whimbrel (AH) & Avocets (IP) at Church Norton

Fishbourne Creek: This morning there were four Goldeneye and seven Red-breasted Mergansers in the channel, along with four Spotted Redshanks and four Greenshanks, whilst a Kingfisher, a Rock Pipit, a Grey Wagtail, a Yellowhammer and six Redwings were also noted. (GJ)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - It was quiet this morning, with jus six Stonechats, 13 Yellowhammers, two Green Woodpeckers and three Meadow Pipits counted along the banks, with a Merlin and wo Kestrels going over, but not a single wader was on the Stilt Pools. (S&SaH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane towards Ham - Twenty-eight Yellowhammers, 11 Reed Buntings and a number of Chaffinches were in their favourite hedge overlooking the field of seed-heads, whilst a further ten of the former were in trees nearby.

Around 18 Stock Doves, a Song Thrush, a Buzzard and a Kestrel were all I could find in the fields, and c500 Brent Geese flew in and landed in a field close to the water treatment works. (SR)

North Wall: The Spoonbill was in the Honer fields this morning, whilst a Rock Pipit, a Sparrowhawk and a few Golden Plovers were seen from the wall. (AW).

Spoonbill (above), Rock Pipit, Sparrowhawk & Golden Plovers around the North Wall (AW)

Ivy Lake: A Siberian Chiffchaff was with two Chiffchaffs along the middle part of the path between the lakes this afternoon. It came in to the call of Siberian, but most interestingly when I played the song of Siberian it sat right in front of us and started shimmering and flicking its wings. (AB)

Siberian Chiffchaff at Ivy Lake (AB)

Friday, 10th December: Another cold, bright and breezy morning in a decidedly brisk north-westerly.....

Selsey Bill: There wasn't to much going on, with just two Eider and two Sandwich Terns seen, whilst a few Kittiwakes went east early on, and then back west later. Full log below. (AH/BI/SR/IP)

(0750-0905hrs) (WNW, F6-7)

Great Northern Diver - 2E 1os

Red-throated Diver - 1W, 3os

diver sp - 2E

Great Crested Grebe - 1os

Gannet - 1W

Eider - 2os

Common Scoter - 1os

Red-breasted Merganser - 2E, 3W

Sanderling - 1

Turnstone - 12

Mediterranean Gull - 1E, 2W

Common Gull - 2E

Kittiwake - 58E, 68W

Sandwich Tern - 2W

Razorbill - 3W, 1os

auk sp - 64E, 3W

Pied Wagtail - 1W

Sanderling (above), Common Scoter & Red-breasted Mergansers at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: Not much change this morning, with 22 Avocets, ten Snipe, c60 Shovelers and c100 Teal on the pool, whilst the Kingfisher was again in the channel opposite. (AH)

Kingfisher (above) & Snipe around the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: The three Eider were again in the main channel this morning, along with a couple of Pintail, a dozen Great Crested Grebes and c500 Brent Geese, whilst most of the Knot, Grey Plovers and Dunlin were on the beach, flying back into the harbour in small flocks as the tide rose.

There were also two Chiffchaffs and two Goldcrests in the sheltered hedges along the path to the beach. (AH)