Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 20th

Thursday, 22nd December: It was another fairly mild, but very murky, morning with leaden skies and intermittent drizzly squalls in a moderate south-westerly breeze...............

Selsey Bill: A total of 27 Red-throated Divers went west this morning, though otherwise it was just small numbers of the regular species. Full log below. (AH/SR)

(0810-0940hrs) (SSW, F4-5)

Great Northern Diver - 1os

Red-throated Diver - 2E, 27W

Great Crested Grebe - 6W, 1os

Gannet - 20W, 10os

Common Scoter - 8os

Red-breasted Merganser - 6E, 6W, 3os

Oystercatcher - 1

Turnstone - 3

Common Gull - 1W

Razorbill - 5W

Red-throated Divers (above), Gannet & Great Crested Grebes at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: A Marsh Harrier was hunting over the back of the fields this morning, whilst the pool held c60 Shovelers, c150 Teal, c20 Mallards and two Little Grebes, with c50 Wigeon on the fields. (AH)

Marsh Harrier (above) & Shoveler and Teal at the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: The male Marsh Harrier was about this morning, whilst a Rock Pipit and three Yellowhammers were along the wall. (IH)

Church Norton: The tide was very high in the harbour this morning, and there were almost no birds to be seen beyond a few Wigeon, Teal, Grey Plovers and Redshanks, with no birds whatsoever offshore.

Land-birds were few, too, though a Sparrowhawk went over, a Buzzard was along Rectory Lane and two or three Goldcrests were around the carpark. (AH)

This afternoon a Goldeneye and eight Avocets were in the harbour, along with c30 Pintail, c50 Brent Geese and c30 Grey Plovers. (SR)

Buzzard (above), Goldcrest, Grey Plover & Wigeon at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - A flock of 27 Fieldfares were in trees near the car-park this afternoon, but a Dartford Warbler, two Stonechats and a Yellowhammer, plus the Barn Owl out hunting, were all that could be seen along the banks.

Around 1000 Brent Geese were in the fields, with c500 Golden Plovers and Lapwings out on the reserve, whilst a female Marsh Harrier, a Buzzard and two Sparrowhawks were also about and wo Egyptian Geese were in the fields along Easton Lane. (SH)

Wednesday, 21st December: The shortest day was a very gloomy affair, with heavily overcast skies and drizzle never far away in a moderate south-westerly breeze..........

Selsey Bill: It was quiet again, with just a few of the regulars about. Full log below. (AH)

(0805-0905hrs) (SW, F4-5)

Great Northern Diver - 1os

Red-throated Diver - 3W

Great Crested Grebe - 1W

Gannet - 1E, 3W

Brent Goose - 24W

Common Scoter - 4E

Red-breasted Merganser - 14E, 3W

Kestrel - 1

Turnstone - 4

Mediterranean Gull - 2os

Common Gull - 1E

Red-breasted Mergansers (above) & Mediterranean Gull at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: Wildfowl continue to return to the pool, with c60 Shovelers, c150 Teal, a pair of Gadwall and four Shelducks present this morning, with c50 Wigeon on the field behind and c100 Lapwings over. (AH)

Shovelers and Teal at the Ferry (AH)

Pagham Spit: The Snow Bunting was once again at the end of the spit this morning. (TG)

Church Norton: The only birds seen offshore were a Red-throated Diver and two Mediterranean Gulls west and five Red-breasted Mergansers that flew out of the harbour together, whilst in the harbour there was a huge flock of roosting Knot, Dunlin, Ringed Plovers, Turnstones and Grey Plovers, plus a Bar-tailed Godwit, towards the harbour mouth, but few of anything elsewhere, whilst c100 Teal and just a few Wigeon and Brent Geese were were the only wildfowl about on the high tide.

Otherwise, a Kingfisher flew through and a dozen or so Skylarks and Greenfinches were on the spit, but that was about it. (AH)

Red-breasted Mergansers (above), Teal, mixed waders, Turnstones & Redshanks at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - The Barn Owl was out hunting successfully this afternoon. (AW)

Barn Owl at Medmerry (AW)

Tuesday, 20th December: After a grey start, a much nicer day than forecast, with lots of warm sunshine in a fairly light north-westerly breeze.......

Selsey Bill: Two Slavonian Grebes and three Great Northern Divers went east on a fairly slow morning. Full log below. (AH/IP)

(0755-0910hrs) (WNW, F3-4)

Great Northern Diver - 3E

Red-throated Diver - 2E

Slavonian Grebe - 2E

Great Crested Grebe - 4W

Gannet - 4E, 2W

Common Scoter - 12E, 8os

Red-breasted Merganser - 28E, 3W, 6os

Kestrel - 1

Turnstone - 8

Mediterranean Gull - 2E

Common Gull - 1E, 1W

Sandwich Tern - 2os

Great Northern Diver (above), Common Scoters & Gannets at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: The Spotted Redshank was again in the channel opposite, along with eight Redshanks and six Teal this morning, whilst a further 30 Teal and a dozen Shovelers were on the pool and 16 Canada Geese were on the field. (AH)

Spotted Redshank in Ferry Channel (AH)

North Wall: At high tide there were just a couple of Brent Geese and four Wigeon nearby in the harbour, and just a few Mallards on the Breech Pool, though further out there were 150 Black-tailed Godwits, 200 Lapwing, 100 Golden Plover and nine Avocets.

A Rock Pipit was along the wall and a few Yellowhammers and Reed Buntings were in the hedgerow, while at Halsey’s Farm a Kingfisher was fishing off the sluice. (LP/CT)

Rock Pipit (above), Kingfisher, Brent Geese & Black-tailed Godwits at the North Wall (LP)

Medmerry: Coastguards to the Breach - A Purple Sandpiper and a Greenshank were around the breach this morning, along with c20 Knot and Grey Plovers and c250 Dunlin, with a Red-breasted Merganser, c200 Brent Geese, c50 Wigeon and c200 Teal also present, but a Great Northern Diver and a Red-throated Diver, both flying east, were the only birds seen offshore.

A male Black Redstart was in the caravans at Toe End, with a pair of Stonechats and a dozen Meadow Pipits also in he vicinity, whilst another Black Redstart and half a dozen more Meadow Pipits were on the rough ground between the windmill and the beach. (AH)

Black Redstarts (above), Purple Sandpiper, Greenshank, Stonechat & Meadow Pipit at Medmerry (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - A Marsh Harrier was out hunting this afternoon, whilst a Peregrine was sat out on a fence-post on the reserve, and towards dusk, a Barn Owl was out and about, too.

At least three Dartford Warblers were along the banks, together with a couple of pairs of Stonechats and just a handful of Yellowhammers and Meadow Pipits, though it was generally quiet, whilst the Stilt Pool just held c50 Lapwings, eight Tufted Ducks and a few Teal and Mallards, with a Kingfisher and an Avocet in the channel opposite.

Also, unusually, a dozen Gadwall were feeding on the saltmarsh with the Wigeon, whilst towards dusk c300 Golden Plovers and c200 Lapwing flew up from the reserve and c500 Brent Geese dropped in. (AH)