Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 20th

Friday, 22nd July: The first proper rain in weeks duly arrived late this morning, as a gloomy, overcast morning in a fresh south-easterly slowly gave way to drizzle and then heavy thunderstorms...........

Selsey Bill: The first Kittiwake for several weeks, going east, along with a few Sand Martins, were the only birds out of the usual mix, though there were quite a few Gannets about. Full log below. (SR/AH/IP)

(0640-0810hrs) (ESE, F5-6)

Gannet - 24E, 4W, 5os

Mediterranean Gull - 7E, 8W

Common Gull - 1W

Kittiwake - 1E

Sandwich Tern - 15E, 2W

Swift - 4

Sand Martin - 9E

This evening at 1830hrs there were 40 Turnstone and ten Dunlin on the beach. (B Smith)

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

Ferry Pool: A Spotted Redshank was at the back early on, with otherwise just a Common Sandpiper, six Redshanks, c25 Dunlin, c30 Black-tailed Godwits and the Shelduck family present. (AH)

At 1330hrs a Little Stint was with four Dunlin on the pool, with two Common Sandpipers and 19 Black-tailed Godwits. (MD).

Spotted Redshank (above), Black-tailed Godwits & Common Sandpiper at the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: Six Little Ringed Plovers on the nearly dried out again Breech Pool this morning, along with a dozen Lapwings and four Black-tailed Godwits, whilst the short-billed Greenshank was again in White''s Creek.

A Marsh Harrier was over Owl Point, whilst at least four Whimbrels were out in the harbour, along with six Grey Plovers and c200 Dunlin, but there wasn't much else to report beyond a couple of Reed Buntings and Linnets along the wall and a pair of Jays a Halsey's farm. (JDW/LP/AH)

Little Ringed Plover (above), Whimbrel, Greenshank & Dunlin at the North Wall (AH)

This evening a fine summer-plumaged Curlew Sandpiper was on the Breech Pool before flying into the harbour. (SP et al)

Curlew Sandpiper at the North Wall (SP)

Church Norton: The harbour was very quiet this evening, with no waders bar couple of Whimbrel and Ringed Plovers, though there were at least a dozen, and possibly more, Little Terns feeding and taking fish to the island, whilst there were just 20 Sandwich Terns, of which at least eight were juveniles, and a handful of juvenile Mediterranean Gulls present, but that was it. (AH)

Little Terns (above) & Sandwich Terns at Church Norton (AH)

Thursday, 21st July: A cool and grey start in a moderate northerly breeze, warming up later in hazy sunshine.......

Selsey Bill: The first returning Sanderling dropped in on the beach, an adult and juvenile Common Terns went west and there were a few Sandwich Terns and Gannets about, whilst 50 Swifts were over the houses. Full log below. (SR/AH/IP/P&LH)

(0645-0830hrs) (NNW, F3-4)

Gannet - 9E, 12os
Common Scoter - 1E
Oystercatcher - 3E
Sanderling - 1W
Mediterranean Gull - 3E, 1W
Sandwich Tern - 49os
Common Tern - 2W
Swift - 50
Swallow - 1
Sand Martin - 1
House Martin - 6

Sanderling (above), Common Tern, Mediterranean Gull & Sandwich Terns at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: A Green Sandpiper was at the back this morning and a Knot dropped in, whilst there were also three Common Sandpipers, c20 Dunlin, c30 Black-tailed Godwits, half a dozen Redshanks and Lapwings, plus the Shelduck family, on the pool. (SH/AH/IP)

There were also a Kingfisher, a Lesser Whitethroat and six Whitethroats around Red Barn Ditch. (AT/P&LH)

Common Sandpiper at the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool: A juvenile Cuckoo flew out of the reeds and off over the harbour this morning, whilst at least 30 Sand Martins went over, too, but the hedges just held a Whitethroat and a Reed Bunting. (SH)

East Beach: A Striped Hawkmoth was in the trap this morning. (SR)

Striped Hawkmoth in an East Beach garden (SR)

Church Norton: A juvenile Peregrine was over the harbour this morning, whilst two Whimbrel, six Ringed Plovers and 116 Dunlin were on the mud, with a Common Tern among the Sandwich Terns, and there were still plenty of Little Terns and Mediterranean Gulls about. (BFF/DIS/DM)

This evening the harbour was very quiet, with perhaps a dozen Little Terns around their island and just c40 Sandwich Terns and c20 Mediterranean Gulls around the metalwork, along with a mix of waders, including a Common Sandpiper, c20 Dunlin, c35 Turnstones and a Whimbrel. (AH)

Little Tern (above), Sandwich Tern & Turnstones and Oystercatcher at Church Norton (AH)

North Wall: Up to seven elusive Little Ringed Plovers, 12 Redshanks and a few Lapwings and Black-tailed Godwits were on the Breech Pool, along with a Roe Deer, whilst 'Stumpy' the short billed Greenshank, plus another, were in White's Creek, along with 30 more Redshanks, six Black-tailed Godwits and a few Oystercatchers and Curlew before the arrival of a Peregrine sent everything up. The Peregrine was unsuccessful in its hunt despite having three or four attempts and moved on, to be seen again later near Owl Copse, where it put up a group of 40+ Cattle and a few Little Egrets.

At Owl Water there were two Kingfishers, who were very visible throughout the morning, sitting in the same tree, whilst a juvenile Stonechat was along the wall and a Kestrel was around the paddocks, together with the regular Swallows, Greenfinches, Goldfinches and Linnets.

There was also a Clouded Yellow along Church Lane. (JDW/LP/TG/BFF/DIS/DM/P&LH et al)

This evening there were eight Little Ringed Plovers on the Breech Pool and over 500 Swallows overhead. (SP/LP)

Peregrine (above), Kingfisher, juvenile Stonechat, Kestrel, Greenshank and Redshanks, Little Ringed Plovers, Redshank and Lapwings & Roe Deer and Lapwings at the North Wall (LP)

Honer Reservoir: Very little was to be seen on the reservoir, apart from a Green Sandpiper, whilst my highlight this morning was a charm of around 60 Goldfinches on thistles on the west side of Honer Lane, just north of the cottages. (JDW)

Goldfinches at Honer Reservoir (JDW)

Marsh Farm, Sidlesham: At least 40 Cattle Egrets were at Chalder Farm this morning. (AT)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - There was a good selection of waders on the Stilt Pool his evening, including seven Common Sandpipers, eight Little Ringed Plovers, three Ringed Plovers, a Greenshank, 15 Dunlin and five Avocets, including a juvenile.

Around 150 Sand Martins and Swallows were overhead, along with a Peregrine, two Shovelers were on the reserve and a Dartford Warbler was on the banks, along with a couple of Whitethroats and Reed Warblers and ten Yellowhammers. (S&SaH)

Medmerry: Porthole Farm to Ham Farm - A family of Stonechats, a Reed Bunting carrying food, a couple of Yellowhammers and up to a dozen Whitethroats were all that could be found at Porthole Farm, plus a singing Blackcap and a Chiffchaff on the edge of the water treatment works compound.

There were two more families of Stonechats at Ham, with up to three Corn Buntings, half a dozen Skylarks and 50+ Linnets around the big barley field and adjacent banks, with one or two Whitethroats and Yellowhammers spread about, too.

Also, a Marsh Harrier was out over the reserve, but only a handful of Swallows and a couple of Sand Martins were seen. (AH)

Stonechats (above), Marsh Harrier, Whitethroat, Chiffchaff, Reed Bunting & Yellowhammer at Medmerry (AH)

Runcton. There were lots of butterflies around the village fields this morning, including two Painted Ladies, lots of Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns, and single Peacock and Brown Argus. (CRJ)

Brown Argus (above), Gatekeeper, Painted Lady & Peacock at Runcton (CRJ)

Wednesday, 20th July: It was a little cooler this morning than the last couple of days, with a typical English summer's day of sun and fast moving cloud on a moderate westerly breeze.....

Selsey Bill: It was a quiet morning, though two juvenile Little Terns went west together, and there were a few more Gannets about than of late. Full log below. (SR/AH/IP)

(0650-0805hrs) (WSW, F4)

Gannet - 6E, 8W, 1os

Mediterranean Gull - 1E, 1os

Sandwich Tern - 24os

Little Tern - 2W

Swift - 2

House Martin - 3

(1755-1840hrs) (SH/B Smith)

Gannet - 2E, 5W

Arctic Skua - 1W

Mediterranean Gull - 2W

Sandwich Tern - 4os

Little Terns and Mediterranean Gull (above), House Martin & Chicory art the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were three Common Sandpipers, two Little Ringed Plovers, three Avocets, two Redshanks, c40 Black-tailed Godwits and the Shelduck family on the pool this morning. (AH)

Common Sandpiper at the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: There was some movement in and out of the Breech Pool this morning, including up to five Little Ringed Plovers, a Spotted Redshank, five Dunlin, 12 Lapwings, seven Black-tailed Godwits, five Dunlin and a Curlew, whilst a pair of Pied Wagtails were also around the pool. and Kingfishers were seen at either end of the wall.

There was plenty of activity around the Heronry, too, but no sign of any Cattle Egrets in nearby fields. A pair of Buzzards were in the willows along Pagham Rife, where the Mute Swan family are thriving, and there was encouraging signs of a Greenfinch revival with two family groups along Honer Lane, one at the reservoir end and another along the Rife. (JDW/LP/TG/GHi)

This evening a Greenshank and three Grey Plovers were in the harbour and two Little Ringed Plovers and ten Black-tailed Godwits were on the Breech Pool.

Also ten Sand Martins and 20 Swallows went over and a flock of c30 Greenfinches were at Halsey's Farm. (S&SaH)

Cattle Egrets (above) Mute Swan family (JDW), Little Ringed Plover & Dunlin (LP) at the North Wall

Honer Reservoir: There were just 12 Coots, two Mute Swans, a Little Grebe and a pair of Grey Wagtails present this morning. (JDW)

East Side and Pagham Spit: A Greenshank and a few Whimbrel were along the channel, with lots of Redshank, Curlew and Oystercatchers, and the lone Brent Goose was out on the mud along with a group of 42 Cattle Egrets.

There were a few Linnets along the spit and a couple of Great Crested Grebes were on the water. Out on the new island at least six Little Terns were regularly bringing in fish but there was not much else around. (LP/TG)

Church Norton: There were masses of terns and gulls in the harbour, with the island seemingly abandoned for the year, with some barely fledged youngsters among the 300+ Sandwich Terns present, with similar numbers of Black-headed Gulls, c100 Mediterranean Gulls and just a handful of Common Terns.

There were up to 70 Little Terns in the harbour, too, flying up together at one point, whilst at least ten fledged juveniles were observed and there was still a constant flow of adults bringing fish back into their still occupied island.

There wasn't too much else of note, though, with waders including three Whimbrel, five Turnstones, up to a dozen Ringed Plovers and c150 Dunlin, whilst half a dozen Skylarks were along the spit, a couple of Sand Martins and 20 Swallows went over and a Lesser Black-backed Gull and 20 Mediterranean Gulls were among the mixed flock in the fields opposite the end of Rectory Lane. (AH)

Little Terns (above), Sandwich Terns, Ringed Plover & Lesser Black-backed Gull at Church Norton (AH)

This evening there were again large numbers of Sandwich Terns, Mediterranean and Black-headed Gulls in the harbour, including many youngsters and at least 60 Little Terns came up from around their island, flying around before settling, suggesting they might be on their way shortly. (AH)