Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 7th

Wednesday, 9th March: A bright and blowy morning, warming up after a chill start, with the brisk breeze from the south..........

Selsey Bill: There were over 400 Brent Geese heading east this morning, along with 35 Red-throated Divers, but there were many fewer ducks than yesterday. Full log below. (PM/IP/SR/MO-W/NS/AH/CN/AW)

Also - note the amended news from yesterday - after a corrected count, the total of Pintail was, in fact, 95 birds - a new day record for the Bill (Eds)

(0630-0915hrs) (S, F4-5)

Great Northern Diver - 2E, 2os

Red-throated Diver - 35E

Slavonian Grebe - 4os

Great Crested Grebe - 2os

Fulmar - 2W

Gannet - 3W

Shag - 2E

Brent Goose - 410E, 6W

Pintail - 2E

Eider - 3W

Common Scoter - 8E

Red-breasted Merganser - 23E

Curlew - 2E

Turnstone - 3E

Mediterranean Gull - 7E

Kittiwake - 4E

Sandwich Tern - 5E

Meadow Pipit - 3E

Pied Wagtail - 2E

Eider (above), Fulmar, Shags (AW) & Brent Geese (AH) at the Bill

(1615-1730hrs) (SH/AW)
Red-throated Diver - 1E, 1os
Slavonian Grebe - 2os
Great Crested Grebe - 1os
Gannet - 1E
Shag - 1W
Common Scoter - 3E
Red-breasted Merganser - 8os

Red-throated Diver (above) & Shag at the Bill (AW)

Ferry Pool: There were still c75 Shoveler and a few Teal on the pool, along with a handful of Redshanks and Black-tailed Godwits, whilst the Kingfisher was showing very well in the channel opposite, even catching a big fish. (AH/CN)

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

Long Pool: A Spotted Redshank was in Ferry Channel again today, and there were still at least 700 Golden Plovers in the fields along the west side. (CN)

Pagham Lagoon and Spit: On the Lagoon this morning there was just four Great Crested Grebes and six Little Grebes along with a single Tufted Duck.

The Spit was very quiet, too, with only a Kestrel, a couple of Dunnocks and three Linnets present. Out in the harbour there were c200 Brent Geese and 60 Wigeon, along with a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers and a few Common and Mediterranean Gulls.

Out on the mud there were small numbers of Grey and Ringed Plover, Dunlin and Bar-tailed Godwits as well as a few Turnstones. (LP)

Church Norton: A pair of Stonechats along the beach was the nearest to a suggestion of migration this morning, with the only other landbirds of note being a Red-legged Partridge and a handful of Stock Doves around Greenlease Farm.

The harbour was fairly quiet, though c200 Knot were on the mud, along with small numbers of Ringed Plovers, Grey Plovers and Dunlin, whilst wildfowl included c200 Brent Geese, a single Red-breasted Merganser and c50 Wigeon and Teal. (AH)

Ringed Plover (above),Knot, Red-legged Partridge, Stonechat & Stock Dove at Church Norton (AH)

Chichester GPs: Westhampnett Pit - There were ten Common Gulls among c400 Black-headed Gulls this afternoon. (CRJ)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - The banks just held a Stonechat, four Yellowhammers and three Reed Buntings this morning, along with c200 Linnets, whilst three Green Woodpeckers, three Buzzards and a Kestrel were also about.

Also, the Stilt Pool held 12 Avocets, three Black-tailed Godwits, half a dozen Dunlin, nine Ringed Plovers, two Lesser Black-backed Gulls and a Little Grebe, along with a selection of ducks. (IP/CN)

North Wall: The Short-eared Owl was out intermittently over the Breech Pool this evening, along with two Marsh Harriers, whilst two or three Snipe and half a dozen Pintail flew round and c50 Black-tailed Godwits and Wigeon were in the fields.

Also, the four Glossy Ibis and a dozen Cattle Egrets dropped into Owl Copse. (AH/PB/AM et al)

Short-eared Owl (above) & Glossy Ibises at the North Wall (AH)

Tuesday, 8th March: Another fairly cool morning, with a mix of hazy sunshine and cloud in a brisk south-easterly breeze....

Selsey Bill: There was finally some eastward migration this morning, including 187 Brent Geese, 85 Pintail, 35 Common Scoters, 33 Shovelers, 25 Tufted Duck and a Wigeon. Full log below. (SR/IP/AH)

The Pintail count of 95 was the all-time Bill day-record, beating 86, set in December 1982, and the best spring day-count ever by a distance, easily beating 53 east in March 2001. (Eds)

(0705-1005hrs) (SE, F6)

Great Northern Diver - 1E, 2os

Red-throated Diver - 7E, 1W, 1os

Great Crested Grebe - 2os

Fulmar - 1E

Gannet - 3E

Shag - 1E

Brent Goose - 187E

Wigeon - 1E

Pintail - 95E

Teal - 9E

Shoveler - 33E

Tufted Duck - 25E

Common Scoter - 35E, 1W, 4os

Red-breasted Merganser - 7E, 2os

Oystercatcher - 1

Curlew - 1E

Turnstone - 10

Mediterranean Gull - 2E

Common Gull - 2E

Kittiwake - 3E

Sandwich Tern - 1os

Skylark - 2E

(1350-1505hrs) (ESE, F6) (SR)

Red-throated Diver - 2E

Great Crested Grebe - 1E

Red-breasted Merganser - 2W

Sandwich Tern - 1os

Starling - 1N

Pintail (above), Pintail and Shoveler, Shovelers, Common Scoters and Tufted Ducks, Brent Geese, Mediterranean Gull & Common Gull at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were just 75 Shovelers, 40 Wigeon and eight Teal on the pool this morning. (AH)

Shovelers at the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool: A calling Cetti's Warbler and ten Tufted Ducks were all that could be found along the pool, but there was plenty of activity at the far end of Ferry Channel, including two Spotted Redshanks, 24 Avocets, half a dozen Grey Plovers and Black-tailed Godwits, four Pintail and plenty of Wigeon and Teal.

Also, a Jack Snipe flew up from the salt-marsh and there was a huge flock of c800 Golden Plovers and c100 Lapwings repeatedly flying up from the fields along the west side. (AH)

Spotted Redshanks (above), Pintail, Avocets, Teal & Golden Plover at the Long Pool (AH)

Runcton: Two Red Kites went over Runcton Mill today. (MJ)

East Head: A total of 25 Avocets were on Snowhill Creek this morning, whilst at Ella Nore spit there were a big flock of waders, including a Greenshank, two Knot, 40 Ringed Plovers, 40 Oystercatchers, 70 Grey Plovers and 350 Dunlin.

Also, oddly, there was a flock of 34 Shovelers on the water off the end of the spit - presumably birds that were on the move today. (PH)

North Wall: A pair of Green Woodpeckers and a Little Egret were in the horse paddock this morning while a Marsh Harrier showed briefly over the reeds, whilst in White's Creek there were 34 Black-tailed Godwits and 28 Redshank, with six Pintail and a few Teal and Wigeon.

The Breech Pool held just a single Great Crested Grebe but in the fields behind were 80 Wigeon and 22 Brent Geese. There were just a few Goldfinches and Greenfinches along the wall with a couple of Reed Buntings and a Chiffchaff.

At Halsey's Farm there was a pair of Shelduck and a few Teal with a couple of singing Skylarks over the fields. (LP)

This evening, the four Glossy Ibises came into roost at Owl Copse, along with 14 Cattle Egrets, three Grey Herons and a Little Egret, whilst the Short-eared Owl was again behind the horse paddocks and a male and two female Marsh Harriers were over the Breech Pool. (LP/S&SaH)

Green Woodpecker at the North Wall and pair of Shelduck at Halsey's farm (LP)

Monday, 7th March: A cold and bright morning in a freshening easterly breeze....

Selsey Bill: There was nothing moving this morning, though a flock of nine Eider were out by the Mile Basket and a Shag dropped in on the sea, as did a couple of Red-throated Divers. Full log below. (SR/IP/AH)

(0715-0830hrs) (E, F4-5)

Great Northern Diver - 1os

Red-throated Diver - 2os

diver sp - 1E

Gannet - 1W

Shag - 1os, then E

Eider - 9os

Common Scoter - 4E

Red-breasted Merganser - 4E, 3os

Oystercatcher - 1E

Turnstone - 1

Sandwich Tern - 3os

auk sp - 1E

Meadow Pipit - 1N

Shag at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: The only birds on the pool this morning were four Snipe at the front, four Shelducks and c80 Shovelers, whilst the Kingfisher was in its usual spot in the channel opposite. (AH)

Kingfisher at the Ferry (AH)

Chichester Canal: A Chiffchaff was along the banks, as were a few Goldfinches and Chaffinches, with a Grey Heron and a few Little Grebes, Coots and Moorhens on the water.

On the flooded field nearby, there were two Black-tailed Godwits, a dozen Gadwall and c30 Wigeon, whilst c30 Redwings flew over. (AH)

Chiffchaff (above),Little Grebe, Gadwall & Grey Heron at Chichester Canal (AH)

Marsh Farm, Sidlesham: A single Meadow Pipit and around 25 Cattle Egrets in one of the fields was about it around the farm, though a Coal Tit was singing in the churchyard, where there were also a Great Spotted Woodpecker and two Jays, with four Stock Doves by Church Farm. (AH)