4th - 6th September 2022

Tuesday, 6th September: After a night of heavy thunderstorms, a blustery morning of sunshine, cloud and the odd squally shower in a brisk south-westerly breeze..........

Selsey Bill: One Yellow Wagtail and a few Swallows overhead were the only hints of migration this morning. Full log below. (SR).

(0640-0800) (WSW F4-5)

Gannet - 8E, 6W

Kestrel - 1

Turnstone - 3

Sandwich Tern - 7E, 2W

Swallow - 17E, 78W, 4S

Yellow Wagtail - 1W

(1620-1735hrs) (SH)

Gannet - 2E, 11W

Sandwich Tern - 12W, 1os

Ferry Pool: A good number of birds were on the pool early this morning, including a Glossy Ibis feeding in the mud until it flew off in the direction of the harbour.

A Little Stint was at the back alongside three Snipe, two Dunlin, 72 Lapwing, five Shelduck, the Brent Goose and 36 Black-tailed Godwits, whilst the hedges held a Buzzard, a Cetti's Warbler and a Stonechat. (SR)

Glossy Ibis at the Ferry (SR)

Church Norton: The field behind the hide held a Wryneck, that at times showed particularly well, feeding around the anthills, whilst there were also four Spotted Flycatchers, a Lesser Whitethroat, a Blackcap, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and two Common Whitethroats, whilst the other Wryneck was reported as present again by other people..

The tide was rising rapidly in the harbour but 17 Pintail, three Great Crested Grebes, 25 Dunlin, 14 Ringed Plover and three Grey Plovers were seen. (SR/AH/AT et al)

Wryneck (SR) (above), Spotted Flycatchers (SR top, AH lower) & Lesser Whitethroat (AH) at Church Norton

North Wall: Two Spotted Flycatchers and a Willow Warbler were in the garden of Little Welbourne this morning, but it was very quiet along the wall at high tide, with just 12 Wigeon, 30 Grey Plovers, 20 Dunlin and a Turnstone in the harbour, while 12 Canada Geese and two Greylag Geese flew over.

There were a few Teal and Mallards on the Breech Pool and out by Heron Island there were five Grey Herons and eight Little Egrets along with 60 Redshank and two Greenshanks.

At Halsey’s Farm a Kingfisher was along the rife, a Whinchat was on the fence and a Whitethroat was in the hedgerow. (LP)

Spotted Flycatchers (above) & Wigeon at the North Wall (LP)

East side: A look along the side of the harbour just after high tide produced two Greenshank, eight Knot, c50 Dunlin, c20 Ringed Plovers, a Grey Plover and a dozen Pintail, with a few Swallows going over. (AH)

Greenshanks (above), Pintail & Pintails, Knot and Oystercatchers along the East side (AH)

Monday, 5th September: Another mild and mostly grey morning in a moderate southerly breeze, with the threat of rain never far away.......

Selsey Bill: It was pretty quiet this morning, though a few Swallows were about, as were two Shags. Full log below. (SR/AH/IP)

(0700-0830hrs) (SSW, F4)

Gannet - 2E, 25W

Shag - 1E, 1os

Turnstone - 8

Mediterranean Gull - 2E

Sandwich Tern - 2E, 12W

Swallow - 87E, 124W

Yellow Wagtail - 1E

Grey Wagtail - 1W

Pied Wagtail - 4E

Shag (above), Gannet, Sandwich Tern & Swallow at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: The Little Stint and three Dunlin were on the pool early on, together with three Grey Wagtails, but not later on, with otherwise two Snipe, c60 Lapwings and Black-tailed Godwits, ten Redshanks, c150 Teal, a single Wigeon and the Brent Goose, with a Common Sandpiper and a Kingfisher along the channel opposite. (AH/ABi)

Kingfisher (above) & Wigeon at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: The Wryneck was along the first Several again this morning, though often elusive, whilst, remarkably, a second bird was seen behind the hide, where there were also a Pied Flycatcher, at least four Spotted Flycatchers, a Garden Warbler and a Blackcap.

Three Whinchats were in the horse field, with a Wheatear on the concrete blocks and another along the beach, but two Whitethroats were the only other passerines along the Severals, save c30 Swallows going over.

Eight Wigeon went west along the beach and c20 Pintail were in the harbour, but the only wader of note was a single Whimbrel. (AH/LP/TS/DSa/P&JW/AW/LGRE et al)

Wryneck (top four - LP, lower - AW) (above), Pied Flycatcher, Spotted Flycatcher, Whinchats & Pintails (AH) at Church Norton

Medmerry: Ham Farm - The Osprey could be seen from the Viewpoint this morning and eight Corn Buntings were along Ham Road. (CRJ)

Medmerry: Eason Lane to the Stilt Pools - The Osprey flew out from its perch this evening and two minutes later was back with a fish! 

There were also a Hobby, a Sparrowhawk and four Kestrels about, with three different Kingfishers and three Egyptian Geese on the reserve and a Greenshank on the Stilt Pool,, and other observers reported the Glossy Ibis for the first time in a while.

The banks were quite busy, too, with four Whinchats, five Wheatears, a Dartford Warbler, seven Stonechats, 14 Yellow Wagtails and 12 Yellowhammers seen, along with c70 Sand Martins and c20 Swallows over. (S&SaH)

West Itchenor: There was a flock of 11 juvenile Curlews Sandpipers close in off of the jetty this morning. (PH)

Curlew Sandpipers at West Itchenor (PH)

Sunday, 4th September: A mild, but mostly overcast and blustery, day in a brisk southerly breeze....

Selsey Bill: Two Manx Shearwaters were seen early on, along with an Arctic Skua, but there wasn't too much else beyond the usual Gannets and Sandwich Terns, plus a Common Tern, with a few Yellow Wagtails and a steady stream of Swallows going east. Full log below. (SH/JA/BI/PB/MRB/AH/IP)

(0600-0900hrs)

Manx Shearwater - 1E, 1W

Fulmar - 1E, 1W

Gannet - 61E, 77W

Shag - 1E

Common Scoter - 2E

Sparrowhawk - 1

Turnstone - 5

Arctic Skua - 1W

Mediterranean Gull - 1E, 2W

Sandwich Tern - 24E, 27W

Common Tern - 1E

auk sp - 1E

Swallow - 184E

Sand Martin - 6E

Yellow Wagtail - 7E

Pied Wagtail - 1

(1500-1600hrs) (SH)

Gannet - 4E, 2W

Shag - 1W

Mediterranean Gull - 7W

Swallow - 1E

Gannet (above), Sandwich Tern & Swallow at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: A Little Stint was with three Dunlin on the pool this morning, with otherwise c40 Black-tailed Godwits, c50 Lapwings, c100 Teal, five Shelducks and the Brent Goose, with 71 Redshanks all together along the channel opposite..

There were also two Wheatears, a Stock Dove and two Buzzards on the fields. (PB/MB/AH et al)

This afternoon, a Black Tern dropped in for a couple of minutes before heading off west. (MB/DB et al)

Little Stint (above) & Little Stint and Dunlin at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: The Severals remains the most reliable of sites to see a Wryneck, and so it proved again today - well-found by BI - with one showing well, on and off, along the front of the first Several.

Two Swifts, a Kingfisher, a couple of Whitethroats and a few Sand Martins and Swallows, along with Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers, were all seen in the vicinity, whilst three Spotted Flycatchers were behind the hide.

A Fulmar went by close inshore and six Black-tailed Godwits were on the second Several, whilst in the harbour there were a Curlew Sandpiper, 11 near summer-plumaged Knot, two Whimbrels, a Bar-tailed Godwit, a Greenshank, five Grey Plovers and a few Dunlin and Ringed Plovers. (BI/IP/AB/PB/MB/AGB/CD/OM/AH/MB/DB/GK et al)

Wryneck (top - IP, next two - AB, lower three - AH) (above), Spotted Flycatcher, Curlew Sandpiper & Whimbrels (AH) at Church Norton

Park Farm, Selsey: Two Sparrowhawks ans a Buzzard were about the only birds seen today. (IP)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - Three Wheatears and seven Yellowhammers were about all the banks could offer in the wind, though there were still c50 Yellow Wagtails on the saltmarsh, and the Osprey, a Merlin,, a Buzzard and five Kestrels were also seen. (S&SaH)

The Osprey spent the whole time sat in a dead tree out on the reserve this afternoon, and an adult female Marsh Harrier was seen around the poplars twice, and there were also three Buzzards and two Kestrels present, .

There were c500 Sand Martins spread across the reserve, with maybe 50 Swallows and en House Martins also present, whilst four Wheatears were around the rocks, up to ten Yellowhammers and a Whitethroat were along the banks and about ten Yellow Wagtails flew over.

The Stilt Pool had no waders whatsoever, with two Redshanks by the sluice the only waders seen, with two Gadwalls over the only other thing of note. (IP/CN)

North Wall: It was extremely quiet here, with a Sedge Warbler and two Whitethroats the only small birds seen beyond c30 Sand Martins and c20 Swallows going over.

The harbour was equally quiet, with the short-billed Greenshank and a few Redshanks the only birds in White's Creek. (AH)