Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 10th

Tuesday, 13th December: Another cold and grey morning, though with a distinctly fresher north-easterly breeze adding a bit of extra bite............

Selsey Bill: Another morning with just a few of the regular species, though a Velvet Scoter was on the sea before flying off west, a drake Eider was sat out on the bar and a Redshank was briefly on the Oval Field.. Full log below (SR/AH)

(0750-0905hrs) (NE, F4-5)

Great Northern Diver - 1E

Red-throated Diver - 2E

Gannet - 22E

Shelduck - 1W

Eider - 1os

Velvet Scoter - 1os, then W

Common Scoter - 1W, 1os

Red-breasted Merganser - 2E

Kestrel - 1

Turnstone - 1

Mediterranean Gull - 2E

Sandwich Tern - 1E

Eider (above), Red-breasted Merganser & Mediterranean Gull at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: The pool remains frozen, with, again, just a few Wigeon, Teal and Redshank in the channel. (AH)

Fishbourne Creek: A Spotted Redshank, three Greenshanks and an Avocet were the most interesting birds along the main channel, which was otherwise very full of regular species, including 2000+ Brent Geese, 500+ Wigeon, 100+ Teal, c300 Black-tailed Godwits, c500 Dunlin, c100 Grey Plovers and a few Turnstones and Ringed Plovers.

A Kingfisher was along the Lavant outflow, whilst half a dozen Yellowhammers and a couple of Reed Buntings were along the harbourside hedges, together with a couple of Goldcrests and a few Greenfinches, Goldfinches and Chaffinches. (AH)

Greenshank (above), Spotted Redshank, Common Gull and Mallards, Avocet, Kingfisher, Yellowhammer, Black-tailed Godwit and Dunlin & Brent Geese at Fishbourne Creek (AH)

Monday, 12th December: A cold and grey morning, in just a light north-easterly breeze............

Selsey Bill: Three Cattle Egrets flew out to sea and headed off east, whilst two Bar-tailed Godwits also went east and 15 Common Scoters were offshore. Full log below. (AH/IP/SR)

(0800-0900hrs) (NE, F2)

Great Northern Diver - 1os

Red-throated Diver - 1E, 2os

Gannet - 6E, 13W

Shag - 1E

Cattle Egret - 3E

Brent Goose - 2E

Common Scoter - 2E, 15os

Red-breasted Merganser - 4os

Kestrel - 1

Bar-tailed Godwit - 2E

Turnstone - 7

Mediterranean Gull - 2E

Sandwich Tern - 1os

Razorbill - 6os

auk sp - 1E

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

Ferry Pool: The pool is still frozen solid, with just c40 Teal and a few Wigeon and Redshanks in the channel opposite. (AH)

North Wall: A female Shoveler was in White’s Creek this morning, with a few Mallards, Wigeon and Teal, and a Kingfisher flew down the channel, whilst further back there were some Pintail and Shelducks and out on the mud there were a few Redshanks, Grey Plovers, Dunlin and Curlew.

A pair of Peregrines were in one of the dead trees at Halsey’s Farm and a Rock Pipit and a Stonechat were on the rocks along the wall, while a few Brent Geese flew over, but apart from a Green Woodpecker in the paddock, that was about it. (LP)

Rock Pipit (above), Stonechat, Shoveler & Curlew at the North Wall (LP)

Church Norton: There were about 300 Knot sat together off the concrete blocks, whilst all the many Grey Plovers and Dunlin were widely spread on the mud, with five Avocets and four Black-tailed Godwits also present, along with 300+ Teal and 100+ Wigeon, but there was nothing on the sea at all.

Two Rock Pipits were along the path to the beach, whilst a few Skylarks and Greenfinches were along the beach and two Jays and a handful of Long-tailed Tits were nearby. (AH)

Rock Pipit (above), Wigeon, Avocet and Knot & Knot and Teal at Church Norton (AH)

Pagham Spit: The Snow Bunting was still in its usual place at the end of the spit, and a Kingfisher was in the channel nearby, with 16 Skylarks and a Stonechat also around.

Out in the harbour there were three Red-breasted Mergansers and 40 Pintail, with hundreds of Dunlin, Knot and Grey Plover around the banks. (LP/TG)

Snow Bunting (above), Kingfisher & Stonechat at Pagham Spit (LP)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - A Marsh Harrier was about this afternoon, whilst three Dartford Warblers, a Yellowhammer and five Stock Doves were along the banks, and c400 Brent Geese, three Ringed Plovers and 40 Lapwing, plus lots of Wigeon and Teal were out on the reserve. (SR)

Later, a Barn Owl was out hunting the banks, a Kingfisher was in the rife by the car-park and c150 Skylarks were in the field near Marsh Barn. (AH)

Barn Owl at Medmerry (AH)

Sunday, 11th December: After a very cold and grey start, the temperature rose a little as the light breeze shifted east, but the sky got darker as sleety drizzle set in........

Selsey Bill: A Long-tailed Duck went east, and two Redshanks - unusual at the Bill - went west, but again it was otherwise just local movements of the regular species. Full log later. (SH/BI/AH/IP/CRJ)

(0730-0930hrs) (NE, F2-3)

Great Northern Diver - 6os

Red-throated Diver - 3E, 2W, 1os

diver sp - 2E

Great Crested Grebe - 1E

Gannet - 6W

Brent Goose - 1os

Shelduck - 1W

Wigeon - 10E

Shoveler - 4E

Common Scoter - 5W, 13os

Long-tailed Duck - 1E

Red-breasted Merganser - 10os

Redshank - 2W

Turnstone - 1

Mediterranean Gull - 1E

Sandwich Tern - 1os

Razorbill - 1E

auk sp - 2E, 3W

Redshanks (above), Common Scoters & Red-breasted Mergansers at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: The pool remains birdless and completely frozen, with just a few Redshank and Wigeon in the channel opposite. (AH)

Church Norton: There wasn't much to report beyond a Kingfisher and a Stonechat along the spit, and distant views of the Snow Bunting on the other side of the harbour, along with plenty of the regular waders and wildfowl. (S&SaH)

Offshore there were at least three Slavonian Grebes, three Great Crested Grebes and a smart drake Eider. (BI)

Late this afternoon, three female Eider were offshore, whilst the Greenshank re-appeared in the harbour among the Redshanks. (AH)

Greenshank and Redshank at Church Norton (AH)

Pagham Spit and Lagoon: Unsurprisingly, there was no sign of the Walrus, with it reported at Calshot, at the other end of the Solent, this morning.

The Snow Bunting was still present, though, along with a Kingfisher, a Rock Pipit and c20 Skylarks, whilst there were three female Goldeneyes together on the water, along with a Red-breasted Merganser, c50 Pintail and many Wigeon and Teal, with c50 Knot among the Grey Plovers and Dunlin.

A drake Pochard was the only bird of note on the Lagoon, along with a dozen Tufted Ducks and c20 Little Grebes. (AH)

Snow Bunting (above), Goldeneyes & Pintail at Pagham Spit (AH)

North Wall: There wasn't much doing this morning, with a Rock Pipit on the wall the only small bird beyond the common species, whilst the harbour was full of birds, including c1500 Brent Geese, c500 Wigeon, c200 Teal and c200 Lapwings and Black-tailed Godwits. (LP/AH)

Rock Pipit (above), Brent Geese & Wigeon at the North Wall (AH)

Chichester GPs: A quick look from along the causeway between Peckham and Vinnetrow Lakes produced c70 Pochard, c50 Tufted Ducks and a couple of Little and Great Crested Grebes among the 250+ Coots present on the unfrozen bits of water. (AH).

Pochards at Chichester GPs (AH)

Saturday, 10th December: Another very cold, but mostly bright, morning in just a light north-westerly breeze....

Selsey Bill: Four Goosanders and a Long-tailed Duck went east this morning, whilst two Sandwich Terns were offshore. Full log below. (SH/PB/BI/IP/P&LH/AH/SR)

(0730-0915hrs) (NW, F2)

Great Northern Diver - 2os

Red-throated Diver - 5E, 4W, 1os

Great Crested Grebe - 2W

Gannet - 1E, 5W

Shag - 3E

Common Scoter - 4E, 2W, 12os

Long-tailed Duck - 1E

Red-breasted Merganser - 5E, 7W, 4os

Goosander - 4E

Turnstone - 1

Sandwich Tern - 2os

auk sp - 2E, 1W

Pied Wagtail - 1W

Sandwich Tern (above) & Red-throated Diver at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: The pool was completely frozen again this morning, though c60 Wigeon were in the channel opposite and a Kingfisher flew through. (AH)

Pagham Spit: A Snow Bunting was still at the far end of the spit late this morning. (TG) The Snow Bunting wasn't present early on but there was a Rock Pipit along the metalwork and two KIngfishers were on the harbour side. Also, four Pale-bellied Brent Geese flew into and around the harbour before moving off east. (BI)

There was an amazing discovery this afternoon in the harbour of a Walrus - probably the first ever seen in Sussex - in the channel near the spit, before heading back out to sea. It could not be refound, though it was reported again on RBA at dusk. (per Twitter/T Hill)

Walrus from Pagham Spit (per Twitter: @ISO400photo)

Park Farm, Selsey: It was quiet today, with just a couple of Pied Wagtails on the fields, and, unusually, a Lapwing flew over south. (IP)

North Wall: Two Water Rails were around the frozen Breech Pool this morning, and a Kingfisher flew along White's Creek, whilst on the water a Little Grebe was with the usual Wigeon and Teal, and the Brent Geese were back and forth between the harbour and the fields.

On the rocks along the wall there were a few Robins and Wrens, and in the bushes, there were plenty of Dunnocks and Blackbirds, with six Yellowhammers and two Greenfinches, whilst at Halsey’s Farm there were eight Song Thrushes, a Marsh Harrier, a Buzzard and a Kestrel, and seven Snipe flew over. (LP/CT)

Yellowhammer (above), Song Thrush & Wren at the North Wall (LP)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - The Long-tailed Duck was still on the Stilt Pool this morning (suggesting that the one seen off the Bill in the last couple of days is a different bird), along with 11 Snipe and 15 Ringed Plovers, whilst c600 Brent Geese, two Egyptian Geese and six Snipe were on the reserve.

A good selection of raptors were seen, including a male Merlin, a sub-adult male and two female Marsh Harriers, a Sparrowhawk, thee Buzzards and two Kestrels, whilst the fairly quiet banks held three Dartford Warblers, two Goldcrests, two Reed Buntings, two Green Woodpeckers and nine Song Thrushes. (S&SaH/PB)

This afternoon there were two Short-eared Owls out over the reserve, near the derelict brick building, with one still there later and the other north of Marsh Farm, whilst a Barn Owl was also out during the afternoon. (P&LH/SH/AH et al)

Church Norton: A flock of ten Barnacle Geese were in the harbour at high tide, drifting towards the Ferry, whilst there were also two Great White Egrets out in the middle of the saltmarsh, with a probable flock of four heading east over Pagham village, seen somewhat distantly from the spit.

Up to eight Slavonian Grebes were spread out on the sea, along with two sub-adult male Eiders and a flock of a dozen Red-breasted Merganser, whilst off of the second Several, a feeding Sandwich Tern and a Red-throated Diver were seen, with a flock of three more of the latter also going west.

The harbour was full of birds, with another dozen Red-breasted Mergansers, at least 80 Pintail and many Wigeon and Teal on the water, and at least 15 Avocet and 200 Knot were among the many Grey Plovers and Dunlin present, whilst both a Peregrine and a Marsh Harrier were about, and a Lesser Black-backed Gull and a Kingfisher was near the harbour mouth..

Passerines were fairly sparse, though a Rock Pipit along the path was unusual, with a Chiffchaff and three or four Goldcrests seen around the churchyard and car-park, and another of the latter, a Dartford Warbler and a Cetti's Warbler around the Severals, whilst a Mistle Thrush was in Rectory Lane, where there were also still 330 Golden Plovers and c500 Lapwings. (AH/IP/P&LH/SR et al)