Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 4th

Thursday, 6th July: A fairly bright and increasingly warm morning, in a moderate westerly and then south-westerly breeze.......

Selsey Bill: There were large numbers of terns, gulls and Gannets feeding well offshore this morning, including 12 Little Terns, two Common Terns, 54 Sandwich Terns and 75 Mediterranean Gulls, with a further 150 of the latter sat on the shingle bar. Full log below. (SR/AH)

(0640-0810hrs) (W, F4)

Gannet - 7E, 54os, then W

Mediterranean Gull - 225os

Sandwich Tern - 54os

Common Tern - 2os

Little Tern - 12os

Swift - 2

House Martin - 8

Gannets (above) & House Martins at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: Just six Lapwings, two Black-tailed Godwits and two Shelducks were on the pool this morning, wit two Cattle Egrets among the cows. (AH)

Also, this afternoon, a White-letter Hairstreak was seen in Yeoman's Field. (RN)

Lapwings on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: The slightly tatty White Admiral seen a couple of days ago re-appeared this morning, in the same area, along the path to the beach. (HL)

White Admiral at Church Norton (HL)

This evening there was a vast gathering of gulls and terns feeding offshore with many more in the harbour, including rough estimates of c800 Mediterranean Gulls - by far the predominant species, c500 Black-headed Gulls, c50 Sandwich Terns and c20 Common Terns, plus a couple of Little Terns around their island. (AH)

There was also a Purple Hairstreak in the car-park, later on. (SR)

Selsey: At Park Farm there was an adult and two juvenile Kestrels atop the grain shute this morning, a Pied Wagtail and four House Martins were about and six Swallows were in and out of the stables.

Also, the estate beside the Selsey Centre held just one active House Martin nest and two families of Herring Gull with another on the roof of Dometic, whilst East Beach Walk Estate held eight active House Martin nests and seven Swifts were about. (SR)

Kestrels at Park Farm, Selesy (SR)

North Wall: A juvenile Goldcrest was in the trees by Little Welbourne this morning and a pair of Collared Doves were along the lane, with four Jays and two Green Woodpeckers in the trees by the stables. Three of the juvenile Marsh Harriers were sat in the bushes behind the reeds, with the adult male also around, and there was a steady stream of Sand Martins, along with a few Swallows and a Swift heading south over the wall and across the harbour.

Along White’s Creek there were just eight Redshanks, six Lapwings and a couple of Curlews, but out on Heron Island, there was an impressive collection of 38 Little Egrets and Cattle Egrets along with two Grey Herons, with another seven egrets in Owl Copse. (LP/SP)

Marsh Harrier (above), Little Egrets, Cattle Egrets and Grey Herons & Collared Doves at the North Wall (LP)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - There were only a dozen Avocets with a handful of small chicks on the pool this morning - hopefully the other families have moved out onto the reserve, whilst the Little Ringed Plovers only appeared to have one chick, and no sign of any Lapwing chicks, though both pairs of Oystercatchers had two well-grown young and the Egyptian Geese still had four goslings.

Otherwise, there were another pair of Little Ringed Plovers, two apparently sitting Ringed Plovers, four Lapwings and two Black-tailed Godwits present, with a Swift, half a dozen Sand Martins and c30 Swallows overhead.

The banks just held the usual mix, including two Dartford Warblers, two or three Reed Warblers, a Reed Bunting, a dozen Whitethroats and Yellowhammers and numerous Linnets and Skylarks. (AH)

This evening a Common Sandpiper was on the stilt Pool, with just eight adult Avocets present, plus the pair of Little Ringed Plovers and one chick - hopefully, as it is so small, it is from the second pair there.

A flock of eight early returning Golden Plovers went over, as did c75 Sand Martins, c50 Swallows and a Swift, whilst the banks held four Dartford Warblers, two Stonechats, three Reed Buntings, five Reed Warblers, three Sedge Warblers, c20 Whitethroats and a dozen Yellowhammers, including a newly fledged juvenile. (S&SaH)

Sand Martin (above), Swallows, Little Ringed plover and chick, Oystercatcher family, Egyptian Goslings, Whitethroat, Yellowhammer & Linnet at Medmerry (AH)

Chichester GPs: The female Red-crested Pochard was on Vinnetrow Lake this afternoon. (J Cheesewright)

Chichester Canal: A stroll along the canal this morning brought plenty of newly hatched Coot and Moorhen chicks, several singing Reed Warblers and Blackcaps, two Swifts and a few Swallows.

Highlights were a pair of Ravens busy in the cedar opposite Dudley Bridge, before departing west, and a Tufted Duck family (between Crosbie and Dudley Bridges), along with an unusually camouflaged Little Grebe chick! (RBe)

Raven (above), Little Grebe chick & Tufted Duck family along Chichester Canal (RBe)

Wednesday, 5th July: After early morning rain, a mostly grey, humid and mild day in a moderate westerly breeze....

Just a reminder that OM's personal review of 50 years of birding at the Bill is available from the title bar above.

Selsey Bill: It was another fairly slow morning, though six Little Terns went west and there were large numbers of Mediterranean Gulls and Sandwich Terns feeding distantly offshore. Full log below. (SR/AH)

(0650-0750hrs) (W, F5-6)

Gannet - 9W

Sparrowhawk - 1

Mediterranean Gull - 80os

Sandwich Tern - 61os

Common Tern - 1W

Little Tern - 6W

Pied Wagtail - 1

The first Balearic Shearwater of the summer went west at 1743hrs, and a dark-phase Arctic Skua went east this evening. Full log below. (SH)

(1630-1800hrs)

Balearic Shearwater - 1W (1743hrs)

Gannet - 30E, 6W, 17os

Arctic Skua - 1E

Mediterranean Gull - 12W, 28os

Kittiwake - 1W

Sandwich Tern - 40os

Common Tern - 1os

Mediterranean Gulls at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were just five Avocets, five Black-tailed Godwits and four Shelducks on the pool this morning. (AH)

Avocets on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: The Whimbrel, an Avocet and a Black-tailed Godwit were in the harbour this morning, along with a dozen Curlews and 25 Redshanks, and there were also four Common Terns, c20 Sandwich Terns and c40 Mediterranean Gulls on the mud.

The bushes were quiet, beyond a Reed Warbler, a Whitethroat and a Blackcap, plus half a dozen Swallows over. (AH)

Whimbrel (above), Avocet, Common Terns, Sandwich Terns, Swallow, Reed Warbler & Whitethroat at Church Norton (AH)

Chichester GPs: Ivy Lake Complex - The female Red-crested Pochard had moved across to Runcton Lake today and there was also 12 Great Crested Grebes, four Gadwall, two Tufted Ducks, six Swallows, a Sand Martin, four House Martins, a family of Mute Swans and a Great Spotted Woodpecker. in the vicinity.
At Triangle Lake six Common Terns were feeding on the lake, a Reed Bunting brought food to its young, a Reed Warbler could be heard, and nine Swifts and 12 House Martins were overhead. (SR)

Red-crested Pochard (above) & Great Crested Grebe at Chichester GPs (SR)

Medmerry: Stilt Pools - I was at the Stilt Pools early this afternoon and spotted a group of Avocets getting very agitated with a Cormorant on one of the islands at the far side of the pool.Closer inspection showed that the Cormorant had picked up a young Avocet - and not one of the smaller chicks - and was attempting to swallow it whole, which it eventually managed.

I can find some mentions online of Cormorants preying on very young ducklings, but no mention of them taking reasonably large Avocet chicks - I'm rather hoping it later regretted eating such a large and bony prey, otherwise it might get the taste for them and they have enough potential predators already. (D Papworth)

The rather gruesome sight of a Cormorant devouring whole an Avocet chick at Medmerry (D Papworth)

Tuesday, 4th July: After early morning rain, a mostly grey, humid and mild day in a moderate westerly breeze....

Editorial: I have already notched up fifty years of watching at the Bill and I'm not getting any younger as you will all know! During the pandemic lockdown I started a very personal review of things past and present and thought about putting it in writing, but never got around to it. Would you know how many times you've visited the Bill? How many miles do you think you've driven getting there? What is your current Bill list? To see my answer to these questions and more, visit my personal review page by clicking the link on the title bar. (OM)

Selsey Bill: There wasn't much in the poor conditions, though two Common Terns, 15 Sandwich Terns and c40 Mediterranean Gulls were sat on the shingle bar. Full log below. (SR/AH)

(0640-0755hrs) (W, F4-5)

Gannet - 2W

Mediterranean Gull - 48os

Kittiwake - 1W

Sandwich Tern - 35os

Common Tern - 2os

(1645-1745hrs) (SH)

Gannet - 17E, 9W

Kestrel - 1

Mediterranean Gull - 11W, 12os

Sandwich Tern - 14os

Ferry Pool: There were just two Avocets, five Black-tailed Godwits and four Shelducks on the pool this morning, with at least half a dozen Cattle Egrets among the cows at the back. (AH)

Church Norton: The most interesting sighting this morning was of a White Admiral butterfly - a woodland species very rarely encountered by the coast - that was among the Red Admirals on the brambles along the path to the beach. There were also several Marbled Whites about, along with a Hornet Hoverfly.

Bird-wise, it remains quiet, though a Little Tern, two Common Terns, c20 Sandwich Terns and c50 Mediterranean Gulls were in the harbour, along with 12 Curlews and c25 Redshanks.

A Blackcap, a Chiffchaff, half a dozen Whitethroats, two or three Reed Warblers, a Reed Bunting, a dozen Linnets and family parties of Long-tailed and Blue Tits were also seen, along with two Sparrowhawks over the Severals. (AH)