Christmas Day, Saturday, 25th December: A pleasant morning of light cloud and the odd hint of blue sky, in a light easterly breeze............
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Selsey Bill: There was a bit on the move this morning, including 100+ Gannets and 50+ Kittiwakes, plus three Slavonian Grebes and a few Red-throated Divers. Full log later (SH/SR/IP)
(0740-0940hrs) (E, F3)
Great Northern Diver - 2E
Red-throated Diver - 10E, 16W, 6os
diver sp - 2E,1W
Slavonian Grebe - 3E
Gannet - 137E, 12W, 2os
Brent Goose - 2E
Eider - 5E
Red-breasted Merganser - 2W, 3E, 2os
Turnstone - 8
Kittiwake - 60E
Guillemot - 3E
Razorbill - 22E, 1os
auk - 102E, 5W
Pied Wagtail - 1
Red-throated Diver - 1E, 2W
Gannet - 10E, 90W
Red-breasted Merganser - 2os
Turnstone - 11
Common Gull - 1E, 1W
Kittiwake - 3W
Sandwich Tern - 4W
Guillemot - 8W, 1os
auk sp - 51W
Razorbill - 9W, 3os
Brent Geese at the Bill (SR)
Ferry Pool: There were 50+ Lapwings, 50+ Black-tailed Godwits and a single Avocet on the pool, along with two Gadwall among c60 Shovelers and c80 Teal, with six Snipe in the reeds, c50 Wigeon on the field and the Kingfisher in its usual spot in the channel opposite. (AH)
Kingfisher (above), Snipe, Lapwing & Teal at the Ferry (AH)
Church Norton: Two Firecrests were in the hedges along the path to the harbour this morning, with a Mistle Thrush was in the car-park, whilst a Dartford Warbler was in the gorse opposite the first Several and a couple of Meadow Pipits were nearby.
Nothing was on the sea, but five Red-throated Divers and four Red-breasted Mergansers flew west offshore, whilst at least 1000 Brent Geese and plenty of Grey Plovers, Knot and Dunlin were in the harbour, and at least 1500 Lapwings flew up from the far side. (AH)
Firecrest (above), Mistle Thrush, Red-breasted Mergansers & Grey Plover at church Norton (AH)
Later on, eight Red-throated Divers (five together close inshore), along with a close Black-throated Diver; a minimum of three Slavonian Grebes, two Razorbills, a Guillemot and a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers were on the sea, whilst a pair of Common Scoters flew west, along with a few auks, and a lot of Gannets were well offshore, with some sat together on the sea.
A Goosander flew into the harbour, where there were also four Red-breasted Mergansers, with 16 Avocets feeding in the channel and another close to the metalwork along with a lone Bar-tailed Godwit.
There was a female Marsh Harrier hunting over the first Several and at least thirty Pintail in the Harbour, along with both Peregrines, whilst a Cetti's called briefly from the Second Several and a a lone Goldcrest was amongst a roving flock of Long-tailed Tits in Bluebell Wood. (IP)
Red-throated Diver at Church Norton (IP)
Park Farm, Selsey: Five Red-legged Partridge were in the fields, whilst a flock of cc500 Golden Plover were viewable in the distance in flight. (IP)
Marsh & Chalder Farms: The path is now very muddy and the hedges have been roughly flailed so not surprisingly there was little to see in the misty gloom. The sheep are now in a field toward Fisher where I found 42 Cattle and five Little Egrets, with two Buzzards and a Kestrel about, too.
A total of 31 Pied Wagtails were with a flock of Chaffinches by the milking parlour and there was a chattering family of Long-tailed Tits with a single Goldcrest there, as well. (SR)
Cattle Egrets at Marsh Farm, Sidlesham (SR)
Christmas Eve, Friday, 24th December: A pleasant and mild morning, with a bit of hazy sun in a moderate southerly breeze, though with persistent rain setting in later .......
Selsey Bill: Five Eider were about and there were reasonable numbers of the regular species this morning. Full log below. (SH/BI/AH/SR)
(0740-0930hrs) (SSW, F4)
Great Northern Diver - 2os
Red-throated Diver - 11E, 14W
diver sp - 1E
Gannet - 20E, 17W
Brent Goose - 5E, 6W
Eider - 4E, 1os
Common Scoter - 2E
Red-breasted Merganser - 1E, 11W
Mediterranean Gull - 2W
Common Gull - 1W
Kittiwake - 14E, 10W
Sandwich Tern - 4os
Guillemot - 1W, 1os
Razorbill - 2E, 17W
auk sp - 13E, 92W
Guillemot (above), Red-throated Divers & Red-breasted Mergansers at the Bill (AH)
Ferry Pool: There were c80 Black-tailed Godwits on the pool this morning, along with two Avocets, a handful of Lapwings, c75 Shovelers and c100 Teal, whilst at least six Snipe were in the roadside reeds. (AH)
Shoveler (above), Snipe & Black-tailed Godwits at the Ferry (AH)
Medmerry: Porthole Farm - The Swallow was still around the sewage works this morning, though again elusive, and there were also three Chiffchaffs, a pair of Stonechats, half a dozen Long-ailed Tits and at least 100 Pied Wagtails in the vicinity. (SH)
Church Norton: Offshore this morning there were three Slavonian Grebes, three Eider and five Red-throated Divers, though all fairly distant, but the harbour only held the regular species, including c300 Knot and c500 Dunlin, c50 Grey Plovers and a few Wigeon, Teal and Pintail.
The bushes were quiet, though a dozen Meadow Pipits and a few Skylarks were along the start of the spit. (AH)
There was a bit more offshore at high tide this afternoon, including a feeding flock of 50+ Gannets, two Sandwich Terns, six Eider, a Red-throated Diver, two Red-breasted Mergansers and six Great Crested Grebes, whilst a Dartford Warbler was in the first Several. (SH/AH)
Eider (above) & Teal at Church Norton (AH)
Thursday, 23rd December: Another very grey morning, milder than of late as the breeze shifted south-west, bringing some drizzly rain with it later on.......
Selsey Bill: A drake Eider was offshore, before heading off west, and a Grey Heron flew straight out to sea, but little was moving this morning. Full log below. (AH/IP/SR/MO-W)
(0800-0930) (SSE veering SW, F3-4)
Red-throated Diver - 4E, 3W, 4os
diver sp - 1W
Great Crested Grebe - 1W
Gannet - 2E, 1W
Grey Heron - 1S
Brent Goose - 5E
Eider - 1os, then W
Red-breasted Merganser - 1E
Oystercatcher - 1E
Curlew - 13E, then W
Dunlin - 4E, 20W
Turnstone - 2E, 10W
Mediterranean Gull - 1os
Kittiwake - 1E
auk sp - 1E
Eider (above), Mediterranean Gull & Curlews at the Bill (AH)
Ferry Pool: There were c80 Lapwings and c50 Black-tailed Godwits on the pool this morning, but just two Avocets, whilst there were also c50 Shoveler and c100 Teal present again, with ten Snipe in the reeds and c40 Wigeon on the field. (AH)
Avocets and Black-tailed Godwits (above) & Lapwings at the Ferry (AH)
This afternoon, 30 Avocets were roosting on the pool. (AH)
Avocets on the Ferry (AH)
North Wall: The Spoonbill was on the breach pool along with a Snipe and the usual Mallards and Coots, with a flock of Long-tailed Tits by the stables and chattering Little Grebes along Owl Water. (SR)
Spoonbill at the North Wall (SR)
Pagham Lagoon: There was no sign of the Goldeneye in the dreadful conditions. Four Shovelers, c30 Little Grebes, c35 Tufted Ducks, a Kestrel and a calling Cetti's Warbler were all I could find. (SR)
Marsh Farm, Sidlesham: Up to 60 Cattle Egrets were spread around various fields, but otherwise it was very quiet, with just a handful of Pied Wagtails, c50 Chaffinches and c100 House Sparrows the only passerines seen, and c30 Curlews and 200 Brent Geese going over the only other birds of note. (AH)
Cattle Egrets (above) & Pied Wagtail at Marsh Farm, Sidlesham (AH)
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