Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 22nd

Thursday, 24th February: A cold and windy morning, with a strong south-westerly pushing through a bank of rain and heavy cloud, followed by bright sun as the wind shifted north-west............

Another item of interest from times past. It's unlikely that many of the older observers - and almost certainly none of the more recent folks - will recall the short-lived sea-watching 'hide' at the Bill. In early 1983 the then owners of Bill House were very friendly and gave permission to erect such a hide at the far end of their garden. My enquires revealed that an old wooden bus shelter was surplus to requirements near Arundel, and amazingly I got the okay from the bus company to have it if I could collect it. My frantic efforts revealed that Barry Collins would kindly do the honours and transport it in his works van. Chris Janman was roped in to help and lo and behold before long the said shelter was on its way to the Bill.

It had been a struggle but somehow we managed to get it into position (I think with a bit of extra help) and suddenly, there it was. Then the reality kicked in. For a start it was now mid-May and most sea-watching had stopped, with few observers left, so there was little appetite to help with the carpentry that would be necessary to secure and customise it. It would need a fair bit of work to make it suitable, but surely all would be well? Well, no actually.

To cut a long story short, I perhaps hadn't thought it through! The local kids and the odd dosser soon made use of it during the summer months when few if any birders were around. The odd bit of vandalism started, then it became an occasional tourist toilet, then damage from autumn storms made it unstable. It never really got going as a hide and soon fell into an embarrassing state of disrepair. It was actually a relief when a year later the owners sold Bill House and new owners arrived, soon clearing away the whole mess. But not before certain regulars had nick-named it 'Mitchell's Folly' ...and the below photos still give me shivers today! (OM)

Loading the shelter from the roadside at Arundel, with Barry Collins and Chris Janman in action

A perilous journey, but Barry arrives at the Bill with the shelter

In position in Bill House garden, 15th May 1983 - the new sea-watching hide is born....but it soon died !!

Selsey Bill: It remains quiet, though a Great Northern Diver and three Slavonian Grebes were on the sea and two Fulmars went west. Full log below. (SR/AH/IP)

(0715-0845hrs) (SW, F7)

Great Northern Diver - 1os

Red-throated Diver - 1E

Slavonian Grebe - 3os

Great Crested Grebe - 1W

Fulmar - 2W

Brent Goose - 2W

Shelduck - 1W

Red-breasted Merganser - 2E, 2W

Oystercatcher - 1

Turnstone - 4

Mediterranean Gull - 12os

Sandwich Tern - 1W

Fulmar (above), Sandwich Tern & Mediterranean Gull at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: A pair of Pintail and three Avocets were the only birds other than Shovelers and Teal on the pool, whilst c100 Wigeon were on the fields and the two Water Rails were again in Red Barn Ditch. (AH)

Later on, the Merlin was again by the feeders - but again too quick for a photograph! (RP)

Water Rails (above), Avocet & Pintail and Shovelers at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: A Red-breasted Merganser and a dozen Pintail were around this morning along with c30 Wigeon and c50 Teal, whilst c50 Brent Geese were near the harbour mouth before flying up the harbour.

Otherwise, the Whimbrel was on the mud, along with c200 Knot, c50 Grey Plovers and c500 Dunlin, plus the usual Redshanks and Curlews, but that was about it. (AH)

Pintails (above), Brent Geese, Grey Plover & Knot and Dunlin at Church Norton (AH)

North Wall: A Spotted Redshank was in White's Creek this morning, whilst a Grey Wagtail and a Rock Pipit were by the Salthouse.

Six Grey Herons and a Little Egret were out on their island and a large flock of maybe 1000 Brent Geese dropped into the harbour, whilst a pair of Great Crested Grebes were in the Breech Pool and at Halsey's Farm there were 110 Black-tailed Godwits, 120 Wigeon and a single Common Gull. (LP/PC/CT)

Spotted Redshank (above) & Brent Geese at the North Wall (LP)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - Two Dartford Warblers were along the banks this afternoon, along with a Skylark and a flock of c100 Linnets, whilst c50 Brent Geese were out on the reserve.

Five Ringed Plovers were the only waders on the Stilt Pool, though a Greenshank was on the large pool opposite. (S&SaH)

Wednesday, 23rd February: After a frosty start, an altogether better morning of sunshine and much lighter winds, though clouding up later as the south-westerly breeze freshened again.......

Selsey Bill: Another slow morning, though six Slavonian Grebes and four Great Northern Divers were about. Full log below. (SR/AH/NS/IP)

(0720-0850hrs) (SSW, F3)

Great Northern Diver - 2W, 2os

Red-throated Diver - 1E, 2W

Slavonian Grebe - 2W, 4os

Great Crested Grebe - 1W

Turnstone - 4W

Mediterranean Gull - 7os

Sandwich Tern - 2os

Pied Wagtail - 1

Great Northern Diver (AH) (above) & Sandwich Tern and Mediterranean Gull (SR) at the Bill

Ferry Pool: A dozen Snipe were in the reeds and a dozen Black-tailed Godwits were roosting on the pool this morning, with up to 100 Shovelers, c50 Teal and c150 Wigeon also about.

Also, a Spotted Redshank was in the channel opposite and two Kingfishers were chasing each other about before the regular one returned to its usual spot. (AH)

Spotted Redshank (above), Kingfisher, Snipe, Wigeon & Shovelers at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: The Whimbrel was seen from the hide this afternoon and there was a large flock of around 700 Brent Geese toward the North Wall but, apart from that, it was the usual mix of wildfowl and waders. (SR)

North Wall: A Great White Egret flew low over Halsey's Farm late this afternoon, whilst four Glossy Ibises flew out of the rife there, two Barn Owls were hunting the fields and 1000 or so Brent Geese flew into the harbour.

Also, 38 Cattle Egrets, 12 Little Egrets and six Grey Herons went into the Owl Copse rife. (S&SaH)

West Itchenor: There were two Sandwich Terns in the main channel this morning, along at least 1000 Brent Geese, c50 Grey Plovers and 500 Dunlin, but not much else beyond a couple of Great Crested and Little Grebes.

A large female Peregrine went over, whilst a Tree-creeper was in the second bit of woodland at Chalkdock Copse. (AH/IP)

Peregrine (above), Sandwich Terns, Brent Geese & Dunlin at West Itchenor (AH)

Tuesday, 22nd February: A marginally less windy morning, though still a blustery mix of sunshine and cloud on the fresh south-westerly.....

A bit more from the archives: It remains fairly quiet bird-wise, so for general interest now seems a good time to add a few more photos from earlier times, as we move forward to 1982-83.....I should add all photos are my own unless otherwise stated (as if you couldn't guess!) (OM)

above left: Dec 1982 and the late Beryl and Charles James arrive with their yacht (actually they found it washed up on the beach), whilst (right) a rare sight as Tim Parmenter arrives at the Bill.

below left: Spring 1983 - 'Chas and Dave' alias Chris Janman and Dave Smith (from Worthing) posing in the sunshine outside Bill House in spring 1983 and (below) Tim Parmenter again, on probably his last visit, finding the pace too much with Mervyn Jones. Tim is well known in East Sussex, being a former Hon. Recorder for the SOS and regular bird ringer, whilst Mervyn was a co-founder of the Pom King challenge.

Spring 1983: (above) A rather chopped image of Bill House garden, looking awfully barren, when it was just a children's play area....come to think of it, nowadays it looks rather similar again, bar the swings and roundabout, following the recent stripping of the vegetation there!

(below) Barry and Margaret Collins with their mini-traveller. Note behind them the sign and fence, declaring the Oval field as the private property of the old Pontin's holiday camp.

Selsey Bill: It remains quiet, though a couple of Great Northern Divers and a Shag were about. Full log below. (SR/P&LH/AH)

(0725-0840hrs) (WSW, F5-6)

Great Northern Diver - 1W, 1os

Shag - 1os, then W

Brent Goose - 4W

Red-breasted Merganser - 2E, 1W, 7os

Turnstone - 28

Mediterranean Gull - 7os

Kittiwake - 1W

Razorbill - 1E, 3W

auk sp - 1W

(1200-1400hrs) (P&LH)

Great Northern Diver - 2W

Slavonian Grebe - 2W

Red-breasted Merganser - 2W

Mediterranean Gull - 14os

Kittiwake - 6W

Sandwich Tern - 3os

Shag (above) & Brent Geese at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: A drake Pintail was among the usual Shovelers and Teal this morning, whilst there were also two Snipe, three Avocets and a dozen Black-tailed Godwits present, with c200 Wigeon in the fields. (AH)

Snipe (above), Shovelers, Black-tailed Godwit & Pintail, Teal and Shovelers at the Ferry (AH)

Medmerry: Porthole Farm to Wilson's Farm - Three Grey Partridges were in the maize stubble fields at Porthole Farm, but the only birds around the sewage farm were 100+ Pied Wagtails, c500 Starlings and lots of Black-headed and Herring Gulls.

A pair of Stonechats were between the farms, whilst the cover crop field west of Wilson's Farm still held 50+ Yellowhammers and Reed Buntings, 200+ Linnets and Goldfinches, a few Chaffinches and Greenfinches and at least 40 Skylarks and similar of Stock Doves. (AH)