Sunday, 24th April: The prolonged spell of north-easterly winds continues, with another bright, but very breezy morning, cool early on, but warmer later....
Selsey Bill: It was much quieter than yesterday, though there was still a fair selection early on, including a Black-throated Diver and five Little Gulls east, whilst several Bonxies were lingering offshore and the pod of Bottle-nosed Dolphins were seen again. Full log below. (JA/SH/BI/PB/IP/SR/CN/AH et al)
(0535-1035hrs) (NE, F4-5)
Great Northern Diver - 6os
Black-throated Diver - 1E
Red-throated Diver - 3E, 3os
diver sp - 1E
Great Crested Grebe - 1E
Fulmar - 2E, 2W
Gannet - 119E, 27W
Mallard - 2os
Common Scoter - 22E, 16W
Sparrowhawk - 1 (seen taking a Goldfinch)
Oystercatcher - 1E, 2W
Bar-tailed Godwit - 8E
Whimbrel - 8E
Turnstone - 11E, 2W
Great Skua - 8E, 4os
Arctic Skua - 2E
Little Gull - 5E
Sandwich Tern - 55E, 30os
Common Tern - 8E
'Commic' Tern - 8E
Little Tern - 4os
Razorbill - 2E
auk sp - 7E, 10W
Pied Wagtail - 3N
Swallow - 8N
Wheatear - 1
Willow Warbler -1N, 1 present
Linnet - 4N
Bottle-nosed Dolphin - 10E
This afternoon the first two Black Terns of the year went east, as did two Pomarine Skuas and seven Arctic Skuas. Full log below. (SH/JA)
(1530-1830hrs)
Great Northern Diver - 2os
Fulmar - 1W
Gannet - 23E, 5W
Common Scoter - 3E
Oystercatcher - 1W
Whimbrel - 8E
Great Skua - 1E, 1os
Pomarine Skua - 2E
Arctic Skua - 7E
Mediterranean Gull - 1W
Kittiwake - 5E
Sandwich Tern - 32os
Common Tern - 10E
Little Tern - 1E
Black Tern - 2E
Swallow - 9N
Bonxie (above) & Sandwich Tern at the Bill (AH)
Ferry Pool: The pool held a Whimbrel, four Avocets, 15 Black-tailed Godwits, eight Teal, 16 Shelducks and c0 Shovelers early this morning, whilst there were three Spotted Redshanks together in the channel opposite, with up to eight Whimbrel in the adjacent harbour.
The Tramway circuit just held the usual suspects, mostly heard, including Chiffchaffs, Whitethroats, Blackcaps and Linnets. (AH)
Spotted Redshanks (above), Whimbrel & Whitethroat at the Ferry (AH)
Church Norton: There were still at least 50 Bar-tailed Godwits, along with six Black-tailed Godwits and and five Whimbrel in the harbour this morning, along with couple of Curlews, but few other waders, whilst at least five Little Terns and a Common Tern were among the many Sandwich Terns, Mediterranean and Black-headed Gulls and a Peregrine, a couple of Swallows and a Yellow Wagtail went over the harbour.
Also, a Wheatear was in the horse field, a House Martin went over Priory Wood, whilst a couple of Whitethroats, a Sedge Warbler, a Reed Bunting and a Blackcap were along the front, together with three Gadwall, whilst 20 Swallows went over. (IP/CN/AH & the SOS)
Little and Sandwich Terns (above), Mediterranean Gull & Bar-tailed Godwits at Church Norton (AH)
North Wall: The Short-eared Owl was back hunting around the Breech Pool this evening and a Cuckoo flew through. (AW)
Cuckoo at the North Wall (AW)
Medmerry: Medmerry Trail and Porthole Farm - A Whinchat was seen along the trail this morning, near the solar farm. (BI)
Late this afternoon, a male Whinchat was further along the trail, between Porthole and Ham Farms - it would seem that they were different birds, with the earlier one a female type.
Otherwise, it was quiet, though, with just c20 Swallows over the settling tanks and just the odd Chiffchaff, Whitethroat and Yellowhammer in the hedges, along with plenty of Linnets. (AH)
Whinchat at Medmerry (AH)
Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - A female Marsh Harrier was over the reserve his morning, as were Buzzard, three Kestrels, three Whimbrel and a Swallow, whilst the banks held a Wheatear, a Chiffchaff, a Sedge Warbler, a Yellowhammer, three Reed Buntings and 13 Whitethroats.
A Common Sandpiper and two Little Ringed Plovers were on the Stilt Pool. along with seven Bar-tailed Godwits, six Black-tailed Godwits, two Dunlin, 30 Avocets, a lone Brent Goose and the pair of Egyptian Geese with a single gosling. (S&SaH)
Chi GPs - Drayton House pits: The selection of geese between the two pits included at least a dozen each of Canada and Greylag and five Egyptians. The North pit held most interest however, with at least 14 Pochard, up to 20 Tufted Ducks and a pair of Mallard with a new brood, but it was Grey Herons that stole the show.
The ground-nesting pair previously reported were again present with a bird still sitting, but a further check of the area produced what seems to be a second ground-nesting pair at the opposite end of the pit on a reedy platform - time will tell! This appears to be the first breeding record for these pits and their nesting style is fairly unusual.
At least 15 singing Reed Warblers were present, plus several Cetti's Warblers and a few Blackcaps, whilst a Bullfinch was again in a suitable breeding area, calling but unseen before it broke cover and flew across the railway line to disappear into bushes. Finally, a raptor seen only briefly before disappearing was probably a female-type Marsh Harrier (OM)
Mallard with brood, Grey Heron at presumed new nest site(below) and (bottom) sitting bird on original ground nest. (OM)
Saturday, 23rd April: The breeze remains fresh and firmly in the north-east, so another bright and blowy morning, quite mild despite the wind direction....
Selsey Bill: It was a busy morning, with some notable eastward counts, including 113 Little Gulls, 14 Bonxies, 290 Bar-tailed Godwits and 75 Whimbrel, whilst two Tree Pipits, a Sand Martin, 24 Swallows and two Yellow Wagtails flew in off the sea.
Also, a pod of at least ten Bottle-nosed Dolphins, including several calves, went east relatively close in. Full log below. (JA/SH/PB/BI/IP/AH/SR/CRJ et al)
(0545-1300hrs) (NE, F5)
Great Northern Diver - 3os
Red-throated Diver - 5E, 3os
Great Crested Grebe - 3E
Fulmar - 3E, 5W
Gannet - 61E, 91W, 15os
Brent Goose - 4E
Shelduck - 2E
Mallard - 2os
Common Scoter - 142E
Red-breasted Merganser - 1E
Sparrowhawk - 1
Kestrel - 1N
Oystercatcher - 2E, 1W
Golden Plover - 8N
Grey Plover - 5E
Sanderling - 3E
Dunlin - 9E
Whimbrel - 75E
Bar-tailed Godwit - 290E
Turnstone - 6E
Great Skua - 14E
Arctic Skua - 4E
Mediterranean Gull - 1E
Little Gull - 113E
Kittiwake - 5W
Sandwich Tern - 143E
Common Tern - 155E
Arctic Tern - 8E
Little Tern - 5E
Razorbill - 7E, 11W
Guillemot - 1W
auk sp - 2E, 11W
Yellow Wagtail - 2N
Pied Wagtail - 1N
Tree Pipit - 2N
Meadow Pipit - 2N
Swallow - 24N
Sand Martin - 1N
Wheatear - 3N
Bottle-nosed Dolphin - 10E
Bottle-nosed Dolphins (SR) (above), Arctic Skua, Fulmar & Gannets (AH) at the Bill
This afternoon the first Hobby of the year came in off the sea, along with 31 Swallows, whilst six Arctic Skuas and four Bonxies went east. Full log below. (B&MC/SH/JA/AH/McK)
(1400-1800hrs)
Red-throated Diver - 1E
diver sp - 1W
Fulmar - 2W
Gannet - 41E, 18W, 6os
Common Scoter - 2E
Red-breasted Merganser - 2E
Hobby - 1N
Dunlin - 2E
Bar-tailed Godwit - 41E
Whimbrel - 13E
Great Skua - 4E, 1os
Arctic Skua - 6E
Kittiwake - 5W
Sandwich Tern - 36E, 10os
Common Tern - 11E, 2os
auk sp - 2W, 1E
Swallow - 31N
Arctic Skua (above) & Gannet at the Bill (AH)
Ferry Pool: A Snipe was again on the pool this morning, along with four Avocets, six Black-tailed Godwits, a pair of Tufted Ducks, four Teal, eight Shovelers and 15 Shelducks, whilst five Gadwall and a couple of Swallows went over.
Also, a Cattle Egret was again on the field and both Spotted Redshanks were again in the channel opposite, along with the Bar-tailed Godwit and 15 Black-tailed Godwits. (AH)
There was also a Grass Snake in the Discovery Area pond, with the odd Blackcap, Whitethroat and Chiffchaff singing in the vicinity. (SR)
Bar-tailed Godwit (above), Spotted Redshank, Snipe, Black-tailed Godwits (AH) & Grass Snake (SR) at the Ferry
Park Farm, Selsey: There were a few birds in the sheltered hedges around the farm and north of the village, including a Willow Warbler, two Chiffchaffs, a Lesser Whitethroat, two Whitethroats and five Blackcaps, with two Wheatears and two Pied Wagtails in the fields and three Swallows over. (S&SaH)
Honer Reservoir: The two Common Sandpipers were again on the reservoir this morning and a Swallow was along Honer Lane, butt was very quiet along the Rife with just a Chaffinch, a few Goldfinches a couple of Common Whitethroats seen. (LP)
Common Sandpiper at Honer Reservoir (LP)
North Wall: Four Whimbrel were in White's Creek this morning, along with along with the regular Greenshank, a Black-tailed Godwit, two Redshank, six Wigeon 14 Teal and the lone Pintail.
A Cuckoo was around early on, and the male Marsh Harrier made a brief appearance, while the lone Brent Goose was in Honer 2 field and there were a few Sedge, Reed and Cetti’s Warblers in the reeds. . (LP/PC)
Whimbrel (above) & Brent Goose at the North Wall (LP)
Fishbourne Creek: A Spotted Redshank and 12 Greenshanks were in the creek his morning, with a Stock Dove and a Black Swan also about. (AHu)
East Head: There were plenty of warblers this morning around Snowhill Creek - Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Sedge and Cetti's Warblers, but waders were a bit thinner on the ground, however, with just six Avocets seen and no sign of breeding activity, so a repeat of the last two years' nesting seems unlikely. (GM)
Medmerry: Coastguards to the windmill - A Willow Warbler was on the first rock armour, presumably a new arrival, whilst seven Whimbrel flew in over the cliff area while another two went east with a flock of ten Bar-tailed Godwits.
Also, three Gadwall were flying around and a Red-throated Diver also flew past heading east. (AW)
Willow Warbler (above), Whimbrel & Bar-tailed Godwits at Medmerry (AW)
Church Norton: A flock of c80 Bar-tailed Godwits were in the harbour for much of the morning, before flying off, leaving just a handful behind, along with a couple of Whimbrels and Curlews.
There wasn't too much else to be seen in the windy conditions, though at least three Little Terns were among the many Sandwich Terns, Mediterranean and Black-headed Gulls around the island, with the only passerines of note being the odd singing Chiffchaff and Blackcap. (AH)
There was also an Adder along the west side footpath (RS)
Later on, a Mistle Thrush and four Swallows were at Greenlease Farm, where, unusually, a Bar-tailed Godwit flew over, and there were also three Whimbrel seen going east offshore from the beach.(S&SaH)
Bar-tailed Godwits (above), Whimbrel, Sandwich and Little Terns (AH) & Adder (RS) at Church Norton
Medmerry: Porthole Farm - At least 100 Swallows and half a dozen House Martins were over the settling tanks this evening, with at least 200 Mediterranean Gulls with similar numbers of Black-headed Gulls on the stubble fields. (AH)
House Martin (above), Swallows, Mediterranean Gulls & Mediterranean and Black-headed Gulls at Medmerry (AH)
Friday, 22nd April: Another bright and very breezy morning in the blustery north-easterly....
Selsey Bill: Another slow morning, though a Manx Shearwater went west, up to five Bonxies were about and a Yellow Wagtail came in off the sea, whilst the gardens held a couple of newly arrived Blackcaps and Willow Warblers. Full log below. (SH/JA/IP/BI/KT/AH/OM/SR)
(0550-0950hrs) (NE, F5)Great Northern Diver - 1E, 3os
Red-throated Diver - 1E
Great Crested Grebe - 1os
Manx Shearwater - 1W
Fulmar - 3E, 8W
Gannet - 72E, 33W
Brent Goose - 6E
Common Scoter - 26E. 7W
Oystercatcher - 1E
Sanderling - 1
Bar-tailed Godwit - 10E
Whimbrel - 9E
Turnstone - 11E
Great Skua - 2E, 3os
Kittiwake - 1E, 9W
Sandwich Tern - 85E, 35os
Common Tern - 5E
'Commic' Tern - 1E
Little Tern - 2os
auk sp - 1E, 9W
Yellow Wagtail - 1N
Swallow - 3N
Linnet - 3N
Blackcap - 2
Willow Warbler - 2
Chiffchaff - 1
Sanderling (above), Fulmar, Sandwich Tern & Gannet at the Bill (AH)
There was a bit of eastward activity late this afternoon, including a mixed flock comprising 20 Arctic Terns, with probably four Common Terns among them, three flocks of Bar-tailed Godwits, totalling 104 birds, 17 Whimbrel and 12 Little Terns. Full log below. (JA/AH/S Hill)
(1545-1815hrs)
Red-throated Diver - 1E, 1os
diver - 1E
Fulmar - 1W
Gannet - 16E, 11W
Mallard - 3
Common Scoter - 2E
Oystercatcher - 2E
Grey Plover - 2E
Bar-tailed Godwit - 104E
Whimbrel - 17E
Great Skua - 1E, 1os
Arctic Skua - 1E
Mediterranean Gull - 2E, 2os
Common Gull - 1E
Sandwich Tern - 47E, 12os
Arctic Tern - 20E
Common Tern - 5E, 6os
Little Tern - 12E
auk sp - 2E, 2W
Common and Arctic Terns (above) & Whimbrel at the Bill (AH)
Ferry Pool: A Common Sandpiper was on the pool this morning, along with five Avocets, 15 Black-tailed Godwits, four Redshank, four Teal and a dozen or so Shovelers and Shelducks.
Two Spotted Redshanks were again in the channel opposite, along with a single male Bar-tailed Godwit and half a dozen Black-tailed Godwits, but the Tramway circuit was quiet, with a Lesser Whitethroat and the odd Chiffchaff, Whitethroat and Blackcap heard only as the wind kept birds low. (AH)
Common Sandpiper (above), Bar-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits & Spotted Redshanks at the Ferry (AH)
Honer Reservoir: There were two Common Sandpipers on the reservoir this evening, whilst a Cuckoo was along the nearby rife. (RHa)
North Wall: Two Swallows were around the paddocks this morning and the regular Greenshank was in White's Creek with just a single Redshank and a pair of Teal for company.
Two Linnets were along the wall and a Wheatear was on the rocks, while a Cuckoo was very active early on, and a Marsh Harrier was over the Breech Pool, which held just a pair of Gadwall, a pair of Shelduck and the lone Brent Goose.
Also, a few Sedge, Reed and Cetti’s Warblers were in the reeds along the wall, while the Green Woodpecker was still in its nest hole in the garden at Little Welbourne (LP/PC)
Wheatear (above), Greenshank & Green Woodpecker at the North Wall (LP)
Chichester GPs: A Red Kite went over Ivy Lake this morning, where there were also a couple of Common Terns. (AW)
Red Kite (above) & Common Tern at Chichester GPs (AW)
Birdham Pool: A Willow Warbler and a Sedge Warbler were heard singing and three or four Swallows were overhead this morning, whilst a pair of displaying Great Crested Grebes and six Little Grebes were on the water. (PH)
Medmerry Trail to Porthole Farm: A Red Kite and 100+ Mediterranean Gulls went over,and a Cattle Egret was feeding on Ferry Field, but the bushes were quiet beyond two or three Lesser Whitethroats, half a dozen Whitethroats, a Reed Warbler and the odd Chiffchaff and Blackcap, along with three Linnets, a Pied Wagtail and a Kestrel.
There were also some Early Purple Orchids out in bloom. (AH/BI/SR)
Cattle Egret (above), Whitethroat and Chiffchaff along the Medmerry Trail (AH)
Early Purple Orchid and Broad-bordered Bee-fly at Medmerry (SR)
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