Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 17th

Saturday, 19th August: A return to strong south-westerlies, leaving a fairly bright and warm, but very blustery morning.....

Selsey Bill: A Peregrine was optimistically chasing a Gannet offshore, whilst two Arctic Skuas were chasing some of the large flock of Sandwich Terns, and also 17 Common Terns went west, a Common Sandpiper was along the beach and three Hummingbird Hawk-moths were around the wall. Full log below. (SH/PB/SR/IP/AH/CRJ)

(0600-0830hrs) (WSW, F6)

Gannet - 21E, 28W, 25os

Peregrine - 1os

Common Sandpiper - 1

Turnstone - 6

Arctic Skua - 2os

Kittiwake - 1W

Sandwich Tern - 26E, 17W, 70os

Common Tern - 17W

Swallow - 2

Sand Martin - 2

House Martin - 2

Arctic Skua (above), Kittiwake, Gannet & Hummingbird Hawk-moth at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were just 16 Black-tailed Godwits, two Lapwings, six Shelducks and 33 Teal on the pool this morning. (AH)

Teal on the Ferry (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: A Willow Warbler and a Pied Wagtail was it this morning. (IP)

Church Norton: A flock of five Little Terns, the first seen in well over a month, went west offshore, where there were also eight Sandwich Terns and a Common Tern, but the harbour just held the usual mix, including half a dozen Whimbrels, a Grey Plover, a handful of Turnstones and c50 Ringed Plovers and Dunlin.

There were very few migrants about this morning, with a Garden Warble near the hide and half a dozen scattered Whitethroats being about it, though three Swifts, c100 Sand Martins and c50 House Martins and Swallows went over.

Also, a Cattle Egret was quite mobile around the horse field, a Sparrowhawk and three Kestrels were around the Severals and a Jay was near the hide. (AH/IP/PB/CRJ/RBe)

Late this afternoon, a Pied Flycatcher was around the car-park area, though it was generally elusive, and one or two more migrants were around the churchyard and hide area, including the Garden Warbler, a Lesser Whitethroat and several Whitethroats and Willow Warblers. (BI)

Whimbrel (above), Whitethroat, Cattle Egret, Sparrowhawk, Sand Martin & Swallow at Church Norton (AH)

North Wall: Two Spotted Redshanks and the regular Greenshank were along White’s Creek this morning along with the usual Redshanks, Lapwings and Curlews, and further out 115 Canada Geese were on the mud along with two Greylag Geese, an adult Yellow-legged Gull, a Lesser Black-backed Gul and 34 Great Black-backed Gulls.
The Breech Pool held just three Teal and a Little Egret, a Sparrowhawk flew low over the fields, and a Wheatear was along the rocks. Just a handful of Little Egrets and four Grey Herons were around Owl Copse along with two Cattle Egrets, and two Little Grebes were on Owl Water, but it was quiet at Halsey’s Farm with just four Cattle Egrets in the fields and a Buzzard in the trees. (LP/CT)

This afternoon a Common Sandpiper, 15 Cattle Egrets and a few Black-tailed Godwits were around the area. (GM)

Yellow-legged Gull (above), Wheatear, Greenshank & Greylag and Canada Geese at the North Wall (LP)

Birdham: Both a Pied Flycatcher and a Spotted Flycatcher were in my garden to the north of the village this afternoon. (AB)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - The banks were quiet in the wind, with just two Whitethroats, a Willow Warbler, a Cetti's Warbler, a Stonechat and six Yellowhammers seen, plus a Yellow Wagtail on the reserve, with 15 Swallows, 25 Sand Martins, a sparrowhawk and two Kestrels going over.
A Greenshank was near the poplars, but two Common Sandpipers and he pair of Egyptian Geese and their three juvenile young were the only birds of note on the Stilt Pool. (S&SaH)

Friday, 18th August: A pretty dire morning of almost uninterrupted rain, varying from drizzly to heavy, in a fresh and blustery south-easterly breeze........

Selsey Bill: A big flock of gulls, with a few Gannets and Sandwich Terns, plus a Common Tern, among them, were feeding offshore, but there wasn't much else to see in the poor conditions. Full log below. (SR/AH/IP)

(0615-0815hrs) (ESE, F5-6)

Gannet - 3E, 14os

Turnstone - 1

Mediterranean Gull - 2os

Lesser Black-backed Gull - 2E

Sandwich Tern - 10E, 19os

Common Tern - 1os

Swallow - 1E

(1330-1430hrs) (SH)

Gannet - 4E, 1os

Knot - 2E

Turnstone - 16

Arctic Skua - 1os

Sandwich Tern - 2E, 48os

Common Tern - 3os

Sand Martin - 2E

(1520-1620hrs) (SR)

Gannet - 6E, 17os

Shag - 1os

Turnstone - 5

Sandwich Tern - 45E, 14os

Gannets at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were just nine Black-tailed Godwits, a Common Sandpiper, a Dunlin, an Avocet, seven Shelducks and 15 Teal on the pool this morning, along with six Cattle Egrets. (AH/BFF/DM)

Late in the morning, a Ruff dropped in briefly. (AB)

Black-tailed Godwit at the Ferry (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: A Whinchat and seven Wheatears were around the fields this evening, along with 15 Pied Wagtails and a Red-legged Partridge, whilst two House Martins and nine Swallows went over. (S&SaH)

Church Norton: There were no small birds about at all, except a handful of Swallows over, though the harbour held a little bit of a selection, including two Greenshanks, a Sanderling, a Bar-tailed Godwit, a Black-tailed Godwit, eight Whimbrels, a Grey Plover, 84 Ringed Plovers and c250 Dunlin.

A Peregrine was also out in the harbour, along with five Sandwich Terns and five Mediterranean Gulls. (AH/BFF/DM)

Greenshanks (above) & Whimbrel at Church Norton (AH)

Thursday, 17th August: A mostly grey, and very muggy morning in a moderate easterly breeze.....

Selsey Bill: A Golden Plover with two Redshanks on the beach and two Knot on the bar this morning were unusual, whilst two Yellow Wagtails and a few hirundines went over. Full log below. (SR/MO-W/AH/P&LH et al)

(0645-0915hrs) (ENE, F3)

Fulmar - 1W

Gannet - 13E

Shag - 4E

Teal - 2os

Common Scoter - 4E

Sparrowhawk - 1

Oystercatcher - 2W

Golden Plover - 1N

Knot - 2W

Sanderling - 4E

Redshank - 2N

Turnstone - 54

Sandwich Tern - 6E 7W, 3os

Swift - 5

Swallow - 104E

Sand Martin - 25E

House Martin - 33E

Yellow Wagtail - 2N

wagtail sp - 4N

Wheatear - 1

Willow Warbler - 2

Golden Plover (above), Sanderling, Sandwich Tern & Gannet at the Bill (AH)

(1400-1510hrs) (P&LH)

Gannet - 7E, 1W

Shag - 1E, 5os

Shelduck - 1

Turnstone - 42

Sandwich Tern - 7E, 6W

Swift - 2

Sand Martin - 2E

House Martin - 3

Shags at the Bill (LH)

Ferry Pool: There were just a Common Sandpiper, two Dunlin, an Avocet, 16 Black-tailed Godwits, c40 Lapwings, 22 Teal and eight Shelduck on the pool this morning, with up to a dozen Cattle Egrets among the cows. (AH/P&LH)

Common Sandpiper (above) & Teal at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: There were a lot less migrants around than yesterday, with the breeze not helping, though seven Yellow Wagtails on the beach, being harried by a Sparrowhawk was notable, with up to 11 Wheatears also in the vicinity, with six Willow Warblers and two Whitethroats in the hedges and c60 Sand Martins and c40 Swallows over.

There wasn't too much in the harbour, though a Peregrine went over, with two Shovelers new in the only change to recently, with otherwise just c40 Ringed Plovers, c20 Dunlin and c30 Redshanks on the mud, whilst five Sandwich Terns were on the beach. (P&LH)

North Wall: There were very few passerines about in the windy conditions, though a female Redstart was at Owl Point and three Wheatears were in the field there, and another of the latter, a Lesser Whitethroat and a couple of Whitethroats were along the wall, with a few Swallows and Sand Martins going over and a few more at Halsey's Farm.

Three Spotted Redshanks and the stubby-billed Greenshank were in White's Creek, along with lots of Redshanks and a few Lapwing, but a promising-looking Beech Pool just held a handful of Lapwing, plus a fly-through Kingfisher. (AH/LP/SP et al)

This evening a flock of five Green Sandpipers flew over the Breech Pool. (SP)