23rd - 25th July 2022

Monday, 25th July: A very blustery and mostly overcast morning, though warm when the sun popped out, with the breeze fresh and from the west.............

Selsey Bill: There were a few Gannets and Sandwich Terns heading west, but it was generally slow-going. Full log below. (SR/AH/IP)

(0645-0800hrs) (WSW, F5)

Gannet - 1E, 21W

Common Scoter - 2E

Oystercatcher - 2W

Turnstone - 6W

Mediterranean Gull - 1os

Sandwich Tern - 3E, 25W

Swift - 7

Swallow - 2W

Later on, nine Kittiwakes together and a distant shearwater sp. moved east ahead of the rain front.

(1030-1200hrs) (SW, F5-6) (BI)

Gannet - 3E, 5W

shearwater sp. - 1E (1109 hrs)

Whimbrel - 2W

Kittiwake - 9E, 1W

Sandwich Tern - 1W

LIttle Tern - 1W

Common Seal - 1

Sandwich Tern at the BIll (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were again four Common Sandpipers on the pool, along with a Little Ringed Plover, two Teal, 16 Dunlin, four Redshanks, c30 Lapwing and c50 Black-tailed Godwits, plus the Shelduck family. (AH)

This evening along Ferry Channel there were a Greenshank, two Common Sandpipers, a  Whimbrel, a Great Crested Grebe and a Mute Swan with its cygnet. (SR)

Little Ringed Plover (above), Common Sandpipers & Teal at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: There were still up to 40 Sandwich Terns in the harbour this morning, including a dozen juveniles, and there were also up to a dozen Little Terns present, mostly around their island.

There weren't many waders about, though a couple of Whimbrel and a dozen or so Curlews, Dunlin and Ringed Plovers, along with c80 Redshanks, were on the mud before the tide got too high, whilst the lone Brent Goose was again present, but the only passerines seen were four Skylarks on the spit. (AH)

Sandwich Terns (above), Little Terns, Ringed Plover & Skylark at Church Norton (AH)

North Wall: There were six Great Crested Grebes, ten Redshank, two Whimbrels and the regular Curlews and Oystercatchers in Whites Creek and along the East side this morning, Also a post-breeding gathering of gulls - mainly Black-headed and Mediterranean - were all along the edge of the channel mudflats towards the harbour mouth, with perhaps up to 80 of the latter species.

On the Breech Pool there were 110 Redshank, 70 Dunlin, 16 Black-tailed Godwits, eight Lapwing, six Little Ringed Plovers, two Pied Wagtails and the Shelduck family.

Also, the Swallows were still around the stables, four Sand Martins went over and a Marsh Harrier was further back above the reservoir.(LP/OM/PC/JDW)

Little Ringed Plover (above), Whimbrel and Redshank, Dunlin & Pied Wagtail at the North Wall (LP)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - The summer-plumaged Curlew Sandpiper was still on the Stilt Pool this evening, along with three Common Sandpipers, seven Dunlin, three Black-tailed Godwits, six Avocets, including the juvenile, and at long last, the pair of Ringed Plovers with a small chick.

The banks were quiet in the windy conditions, with just ten Yellowhammers seen, whilst overhead there were just two Sand Martins, four Swallows, a juvenile Marsh Harrier, a Sparrowhawk and four Kestrels. (S&SaH)

Chichester GPs: Ivy Lake complex - At least ten Common Terns were around the lakes this evening, including a pair with a juvenile on Ivy Lake.

At least 50 Sand Martins and perhaps a dozen Swallows were feeding over Ivy Lake, whilst the pair of Great Crested Grebes still had their two young on Deep Lake, but beyond a few Gadwall and Tufted Ducks there wasn't much else to report. (AH)

Common Terns (above), Sand Martin & Great Crested Grebes at Chichester GPs (AH)

Sunday, 24th July: Another warm and mainly bright morning in a brisk south-westerly breeze.......

Selsey Bill: There was a bit of westward tern movement this morning, and a Whimbrel and five Sand Martins went west, too. Full log below. (SH/SR/AH/JA/IP/P&LH)

(0615-0830hrs) (WSW, F4)

Great Crested Grebe - 3os

Gannet - 6E, 11W

Common Scoter - 3E

Whimbrel -1W

Mediterranean Gull - 1E, 6W

Sandwich Tern - 2E, 44W

Common Tern - 5W

Little Tern - 9W

Swift - 1

Sand Martin - 5W

House Martin - 4

Green Woodpecker - 1

Sandwich Terns (above), Mediterranean Gull (AH) & Green Woodpecker (SR) at the Bill

Ferry Pool: There were four Common Sandpipers at the back of the pool early on, with another in the channel opposite, but otherwise it was quiet, with just a dozen Black-tailed Godwits and Dunlin, a couple of Redshanks and Lapwings, plus the Shelduck family, present.

A look round the Tramway circuit produced a couple of Lesser Whitethroats and half a dozen Whitethroats, but nothing else of note. (AH)

Common Sandpiper (above) & Whitethroat around the Ferry (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: There were a minimum of 25 Pied Wagtails in the fields, but nothing else of note. (IP)

Church Norton: The Harbour still held 25 Sandwich Terns, with a steady flow of them entering the harbour still carrying fish, with at least six juveniles still around, there were also over 20 Little Terns present, the majority of which were around their island, with some still landing there.

Half a dozen Turnstones, five Ringed Plover and two Whimbrel plus the usual Redshanks, Oystercatchers and Curlews amounted to the wader activity.

A Juvenile Green Woodpecker and a Great Spotted Woodpecker were around the Severals, with at least one of the eclipse Shovelers still present, and a Buzzard was in the general area. (IP)

This evening there were still c30 Sandwich Terns, including half a dozen juveniles on the mud, along with a few Mediterranean and Black-headed Gulls and a single Common Gull, whilst two or three Little Terns were fishing in the channels.

Waders included c50 Dunlin and Redshank and c20 Ringed Plovers, along with two Whimbrel and five Curlews. (AH)

Little Tern (above), Common Gull & Sandwich Terns and Mediterranean Gulls at Church Norton (AH)

North Wall: At high tide there were just a Great Crested Grebe and four Shelduck in Whites Creek, whilst later a pair of Greylag Geese dropped in.

There were still at least five Little Ringed Plovers on the Breech Pool along with c100 Redshank, 20 Dunlin, 16 Lapwing, 12 Black-tailed Godwits, a Pied Wagtail, a Teal and the Shelduck family., but just a single Cattle Egret, two Little Egrets and two Grey Herons were around their island. (LP/PC/CS)

Later on, the Breech Pool held 40 Redshank, 25 Dunlin, 16 Black -tailed Godwits, seven Lapwing and three Little Ringed Plovers. (JDW)

Greylag Geese (LP) (above), Redshanks and Lapwing & Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwit and Shelduck (JDW) at the North Wall

Pagham Spit: There were up to 30 Little Terns around the island and adjacent shingle, with birds still bringing in fish, whilst a mix of Dunlin, Ringed Plovers and Turnstones were also on the shingle, but beyond a pair of Linnets on the spit and c80 Mediterranean Gulls roosting in the harbour, there wasn't anything about. (AH)

Little Terns (above), Little Terns, Dunlin and Ringed Plovers & Linnet at Pagham Spit (AH)

Honer Reservoir: The water level is getting very low as they pump it out, with just a Common Sandpiper, two juvenile Pied Wagtails and a dozen Coots present, whilst c25 Swallows were along the lane. (AH/JDW)

Common Sandpiper (above) & Swallows at Honer Reservoir (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - A summer-plumaged Curlew Sandpiper was on the Stilt Pool this morning, along with a Little Ringed Plover, two Ringed Plovers, four Common Sandpipers, a Snipe, two Black-tailed Godwits, 11 Dunlin and five Avocets, including the juvenile.

There were also two Yellow Wagtails and a Dartford Warbler about, together with 20 Yellowhammers, a Reed Bunting and a Stonechat along the banks, with four Sand Martins, 20 Swallows, two Buzzards ad four Kestrels going over.

Also, of note, were three Brown Hares on the reserve and a Clouded Yellow. (S&SaH/PB)

The Curlew Sandpiper was still present this evening and a Barn Owl was out hunting, too. (AB)

Curlew Sandpiper (above) & Curlew Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper and Dunlin at Medmerrry (SH)

Saturday, 23rd July: A return to fine weather, with a warm and sunny morning in a moderate north-westerly breeze, freshening as it backed to south-west....

Selsey Bill: Half a dozen Common Scoters, a Little Tern and a couple of Common Terns were seen this morning, though it remains slow. Full log below. (SR/AH/CRJ/IP)

(0645-0800hrs) (NW, F3)

Gannet - 2E

Common Scoter - 6E

Turnstone - 8E

Mediterranean Gull - 1E, 3W

Sandwich Tern - 9E, 13W

Common Tern - 1W, 1os

Little Tern - 1W

Swift - 14

House Martin - 6

Pied Wagtail - 1

(1230-1330hrs) (SH)

Gannet - 2E

Turnstone - 13

Mediterranean Gull - 1W

Sandwich Tern - 2E, 25W

Common Tern (above), Little Tern & House martin at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were five Common Sandpipers on the pool early on, though only one was present later, with otherwise just 18 Dunlin and 28 Black-tailed Godwits present, whilst later on a couple of House Martins went over and c200 Sand Martins were feeding in the corner of the cropped field beyond the pool. (SH/AH/CRJ)

Common Sandpiper on the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool: A Cuckoo flew out over Ferry Channel, heading for the Tramway this morning - presumably the same one as seen a few days ago.

Otherwise, though, it was quiet, though the Brent Goose and a Teal were in Ferry Channel, with passerines comprising a couple of Sedge Warblers and Reed Warblers, a Reed Bunting, a Chiffchaff and half a dozen Whitethroats and Linnets. (AH)

Cuckoo (above), Sedge Warbler, Whitethroat, Brent Goose & Teal along the Long Pool (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: A flock of 29 Pied Wagtails were in the fields, whilst a Kestrel was by the buildings. (IP)

Also, a flock of 15 Long-tailed Tits were in Manor Road. (S&SaH)

Church Norton: There was some migrant activity around the Second Several, with the first three returning Willow Warblers of the autumn seen, along with two Reed Warblers, a few Whitethroat and a Lesser Whitethroat, whilst the two Shoveler in eclipse plumage wee still there and an Adder was asleep under some brambles on the shingle bank. 

Also, three Green Woodpeckers were at the back of the First Several, including at least one juvenile, at least 20 Sand Martins were dotted around, including 12 that flew south in three groups along the beach, a Jay was at Greenlease Farm and a Buzzard was over Priory Wood.

The harbour still held 40-50 Sandwich Terns, with several young juvenile among them and up to 20 Little Terns, including  a couple of juveniles sat out and adults taking in fish to their island, plus a Common Tern and a few Mediterranean Gulls, including a juvenile.

Also, a Peregrine went over, the Brent Goose was in the main channel and waders included a Greenshank, two Whimbrels, a dozen or so Turnstones, Redshanks and Curlews and half a dozen Ringed plovers, including the pair and two well-grown juveniles by the concrete blocks. (IP/AH)

Sandwich Terns (above), Greenshank, Whimbrel & Peregrine at Church Norton (AH)

This evening the Greenshank was showing well on the rising tide, and there were also a Common Sandpiper, three Whimbrel, a dozen Turnstones, c50 Redshank and c40 Ringed Plovers, including the family by the concrete blocks, spread around the mud.

There were though, just a handful of Little and Sandwich Terns about, along with two juvenile Mediterranean Gulls, whilst a handful of Swallows went over. (AH)

Greenshank (above), juvenile Ringed Plover, Little Tern, Swallow, Dunlin & Redshanks at Church Norton (AH)

Fishbourne Creek: There were three Greenshank, seven Whimbrel, 23 Black-tailed Godwits and three Lapwings along the creek today, together with 202 Mediterranean Gulls, a single Common Gull and two Black Swans. (GJ)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - An adult and a juvenile Marsh Harrier were over the reserve together this morning, with the juvenile apparently trying to ge a food pas from the adult, and on a good morning for raptors there were also a Peregrine, two Sparrowhawks, two Buzzards and five Kestrels seen.

The banks were busy, too, with c20 Yellowhammers, seven Whitethroats, two Stonechats and two Reed Warblers seen, plus a Clouded Yellow, with c70 Sand Martins and c40 Swallows over.

A Whimbrel and eight Black-tailed Godwits were near the poplars, whilst the Stilt Pool held a Greenshank, a Little Ringed Plover, a Green Sandpiper, four Common Sandpipers, two Snipe, ten Dunlin, 11 Black-tailed Godwits and six Avocets, including the last juvenile. (S&SaH)

Greenshank (above), Snipe, Skylark& Clouded Yellow at Medmerry (SH)

East Side: Three Little Terns and 12 Sandwich Terns were along the banks of the channel this morning and a couple of Great Crested Grebes were on the water, whilst three Whimbrels and a few Dunlin were amongst the usual Redshank, Curlew and Oystercatchers, but that was about it. (LP)

Whimbrel along the East side (LP)

North Wall: There was no sign of yesterday's Curlew Sandpiper this morning, but the Breech Pool continued to host lots of birds with six Little Ringed Plovers, 70 Dunlin, 50 Redshank, 24 Lapwing, 15 Black-tailed Godwits, a single Teal and the Shelduck family all present, along with a few Reed Warblers, Sedge Warblers and Reed Buntings.

A mixed group of 54 Cattle and Little Egrets were out in the harbour, whilst a Whimbrel and the short billed Greenshank were in White's Creek and the Swallows were still busy around the stables. (LP/CT)

Greenshank (above) & Lapwings, Dunlin and Redshank at the North Wall (LP)