26th - 28th May 2022

Saturday, 28th May: After a chill start, a fairly warm and sunny morning, particularly after the moderate breeze worked its way round from north to south....

Selsey Bill: A very quiet morning, with 23 Common Scoters east the only thing of note. (SR/AH/JA)

(0640-0755hrs) (N, F3-4)

Gannet - 1E

Common Scoter - 23E

Dunlin - 1W

Mediterranean Gull - 2os

Sandwich Tern - 80os

Common Tern - 1os

Little Tern - 1os

auk sp - 2E

Swift - 2

Swallow - 1

House Martin - 10

Sandwich Tern at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were two Little Ringed Plovers at the back this morning, with the pool also holding exactly 100 Black-tailed Godwits, eight Avocets, three Redshanks, a drake Gadwall, the drake Shoveler and 24 Shelducks, and at least half a dozen Swallows went over. 

Also, a Broad-bodied Chaser was in the hedge by the Small Pool. (AH)

Avocet (above), Black-tailed Godwits and Shelducks & Broad-bodied Chaser at the Ferry (AH)

Selsey: A Striped Hawk-moth - a first for the garden, and part of the unprecedented influx into southern England this spring - was in the trap this morning. (JA)

Striped Hawk-moth at Selsey (AH)

Church Norton: There were two Cuckoos around the Severals all morning, whilst presumably one of these flew along the beach and then up very high and away over the sea, even being chased by a Black-headed Gull at one point, before eventually flying back in.

Otherwise, a Cattle Egret was in the horse field, with a Jay and a few Whitethroats  and Swallows about, and a Blackcap singing near the Mound, whilst the harbour held 33 Turnstones, a Sanderling, six Dunlin, two Bar-tailed Godwits, a Curlew and a couple of Ringed Plovers, with a couple of Common Terns among the numerous Sandwich Terns and at least 50 Little Terns on or around their new island home. (AH/IP)

Cuckoos (above), Cuckoo and Black-headed Gull, Cattle Egret, Turnstones & Jay at Church Norton (AH)

Friday, 27th May: A pleasant morning of white cloud and sun in a moderate westerly breeze..........

Selsey Bill: A few Common Scoters, a Whimbrel and a Fulmar were the only birds of note this morning. Full log below. (SR/AH/IP)

(0645-0815hrs) (W, F3-4)

Fulmar - 1W

Gannet - 1E, 2W

Common Scoter - 3E, 7W

Whimbrel - 1W

Mediterranean Gull - 2W

Kittiwake - 1os

Sandwich Tern - 120os

Common Tern - 6os

Little Tern - 4os

Razorbill - 1W

Swallow - 1

House Martin - 10

Common Tern (above), Sandwich Tern & House Martin at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were 18 Avocets on the pool this morning, though otherwise it was the regular handful of Redshanks, the drake Shoveler, c100 Black-tailed Godwits and 18 Shelducks, with the pair and four ducklings still in the channel opposite. (AH)

Avocets (above) & Black-tailed Godwit at the Ferry (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - There were lots of birds along the bushes and banks this morning, including at least a dozen Yellowhammers and Whitethroats, 30+ Skylarks and 100+ Linnets, with a few Reed and Sedge Warblers in the pools and a male Stonechat near the Stilt Pool. 

There were also a pair of Grey Partridges and a Cattle Egret near to Marsh Farm, along with a Brown Hare and good numbers of Common Blue butterflies..

At least six of the 20 Avocets present appeared to be brooding, but no chicks were seen, with two Little Ringed Plovers, two Lapwings, a Dunlin and a Black-tailed Godwit the only other waders about. 

The drake Wigeon was still present, whilst the pair of Egyptian Geese still had their now quite large gosling, at least three pairs of Canada Geese had young and a pair of Little Grebes on one of the small pools had four well grown young. (AH)

Grey Partridge (above), Whitethroat, Cattle Egret, Egyptian Geese, Yellowhammer, Lapwing, Little Grebes, Linnet & Brown Hare at Medmerry (AH)

North Wall: A Garden Warbler at Halsey's Farm this evening was unusual, as was a Yellowhammer along the wall, where there were also up to ten Reed Buntings and plenty of Reed and Sedge Warblers, along with ten Swallows, three Buzzards, two Sparrowhawks and a Kestrel over.

Also, a Little Ringed Plover was on the Breech Pool, at least 15 Cattle Egrets and at least six young Grey Herons were in Owl Copse and a Common Lizard was along the wall. (S&SaH)

Common Lizard at the North Wall (SH)

Chichester Canal: A Red Kite was seen over the canal today, eating a small rodent on the wing. (AW)

Red Kite at Chichester Canal (AW)

Medmerry: Porthole Farm: There was not much to report this evening beyond a dozen or so Swifts over the fields, and similar of House Martins and Mediterranean Gulls around the water treatment works. (AH)

Swifts at Medmerry (AH)

Thursday, 26th May: A little warmer than yesterday, though still with a blustery westerly pushing through banks of heavy cloud.....

Selsey Bill: An Arctic Skua popped up briefly well offshore, chasing terns, and a few Common Scoters went east and a Guillemot and a Fulmar went west. Full log below. (SR/AH)

(0650-0820hrs) (W, F4-5)

Great Crested Grebe -1W

Fulmar - 1W

Gannet - 3E, 13W

Common Scoter - 9E

Oystercatcher - 1W

Arctic Skua - 1os

Sandwich Tern - 39os

Common Tern - 2os

Little Tern - 4os

Guillemot - 1W

auk sp - 2W

Swallow - 2

House Martin - 10

Common Scoters (above), Fulmar & Gannet at the Bill (AH)

(1645-1815hrs) (SH/AH)

Manx Shearwater - 1E

Fulmar - 1E

Gannet - 31E, 4os

Arctic Skua - 1os

Kittiwake - 2W

Sandwich Tern - 50os

Common Tern - 1os

auk sp - 1E

Kittiwakes at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: Two Little Ringed Plovers were on the concealed pool, whilst eight Avocets, six Redshanks, c100 Black-tailed Godwits and a dozen Shelducks were on the main pool, and the family of the latter were again in the channel opposite. (AH)

Shelduck family (above) & Little Ringed Plover at the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: There were a pair of Gadwall and a pair of Great Crested Grebes in White's Creek this morning along with a few Oystercatchers and Shelduck, whilst a Little Ringed Plover was in the Breech Pool and four Cattle Egrets were in the field behind the pool.

Along the wall there were Sedge and Reed Warblers, along with a few Reed Buntings, and a Cuckoo flew through. The Grey Herons, Cattle Egrets and Little Egrets were active around the Heronry at Owl Copse and in the nearby bushes there were a Lesser Whitethroat, two Chiffchaffs and a Cetti’s Warbler.

At Halsey’s Farm, a Cattle Egret was by the Rife and in the surrounding fields there were two Linnets, a Stonechat and a few Skylarks. Also, a Sandwich Tern was fishing in the harbour, and four Swifts and a Buzzard flew over. (LP)

Chiffchaff (above), Cattle Egret and Grey Heron & Grey Herons at the North Wall (LP)

Church Norton: The Cuckoo was still being noisy in the trees behind the Severals, and there were two Cattle Egrets in the horse field, with a Whitethroat near the concrete wall.

Eight Sanderlings flew along the beach, but waders were hard to find in the harbour, where there were large numbers of gulls and terns feeding, and an even bigger flock was offshore, towards Bognor. (AH)

Cattle Egret (above), Whitethroat, Sandwich Tern and tern and gull flock at Church Norton (AH)

Chichester GPs: The pair of Red-crested Pochards were again on Peckham Lake (the small lake north of the causeway to the Lakeside caravan site), whilst a Common Tern and several Swifts were over the adjacent Vinnetrow Lake. (AH)

Red-crested Pochards at Chichester GPs (AH)