Tuesday, 12th September: A grey and humid morning, mild and still in almost no breeze...........
Selsey Bill: There wasn't much going on, with a Yellow Wagtail and two Wheatears just about the only migrants. Full log below. (SR/AH)
(0705-0805hrs) (NNW, F2-3)
Gannet - 3E, 22W, 8os
Turnstone - 5
Sandwich Tern - 1E, 3W
Common Tern - 1W
Swallow - 7E
House Martin - 10E
Yellow Wagtail - 1E
Grey Wagtail - 1W
Wheatear - 2
Wheatear (above) & Sandwich Tern at the Bill (AH)
On a clear day! Of interest, the Peninsula and Bill as viewed recently from Elmer Rocks (Middleton-on-Sea). On the clearest of days even the Bill House and the large yellow house at the Bill-tip can be made out. (OM)
Ferry Pool: There were four Spotted Redshanks and three Greenshanks on the pool this morning, along with three Snipe, six Dunlin, a Ringed Plover, c30 Black-tailed Godwits, c20 Lapwings, 12 Little Egrets, four Shelducks, c30 Teal and c500 Black-headed Gulls. (AH)
Snipe (above) & Spotted Redshanks and Lapwing at the Ferry (AH)
North Wall: A flock of 11 juvenile Curlew Sandpipers were in White's creek this morning on the rising tide, with a dozen Dunlin, a couple of Turnstones, a Spotted Redshank, a Bar-tailed Godwit, c30 Lapwings and lots of Redshank, Wigeon and Teal, with a Kingfisher in the vicinity and a Grey Wagtail flying over.
There were also three Spotted Redshank were on the Breech Pool later, along with at least five Snipe, a Water Rail, c20 Black-tailed Godwits and c30 Lapwings, with a Greenshank in the harbour nearby.
Mostly the bushes were quiet, but one large, loose, roaming flock made its way along the wall to Owl Copse, containing up to eight Sedge Warblers, three Lesser Whitethroats and Whitethroats, at least four Blackcaps and a dozen Chiffchaffs, with five Reed Buntings going the other way and a Wheatear on the rocks..
There were still a dozen young Cattle Egrets in Owl Copse, with a dozen adults at Halsey's Farm, along with 14 Little Egrets and five Grey Herons, but the bushes there were devoid of birds. (LP/SP/AH/NM)
Curlew Sandpipers (above), Bar-tailed Godwit, Sedge Warblers, Lesser Whitethroat, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Wheatear & Reed Bunting at the North Wall (AH)
Church Norton: Early this afternoon, four Brent Geese went west over the beach - the first returning birds of the autumn. (SaH)
Later, there were at least four Spotted Flycatchers behind the hide, along with a couple of Blackcaps and half a dozen Chiffchaffs, with a couple of Wheatears on the concrete blocks..
Also, four Bar-tailed Godwits were in the harbour, along with a dozen Grey Plovers and c40 Dunlin and Ringed Plovers. (AH)
Spotted Flycatchers (above) & Chiffchaff at Church Norton (AH)
Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - The Osprey was out on the reserve again this evening, along with a Merlin, two Kestrels, nine Cattle Egrets, 22 Yellow Wagtails and a Kingfisher, whilst nine Brent Geese went over, heading west.
There was a bit of activity along the banks, too, including a Whinchat, five Stonechats, a Dartford Warbler, three Meadow Pipits, a Willow/Chiff, three Cetti's Warblers and two Yellowhammers. (S&SaH)
There was a bit of activity along the banks, too, including a Whinchat, five Stonechats, a Dartford Warbler, three Meadow Pipits, a Willow/Chiff, three Cetti's Warblers and two Yellowhammers. (S&SaH)
Monday, 11th September: After a grey and breezy start, another warm morning of sunshine and white cloud in a moderate south-westerly.......
Selsey Bill: Two Hobbies going west were the highlight, with just a bit of visible migration going on for a good turn-out of watchers. Full log below. (PB/PM/MO-W/SR/IP/AM/AH/CN/P&LH)
(0615-0900hrs) (SW, F3)
Gannet - 10E, 22W
Shag - 1E, 1os
Wigeon - 9W
Hobby - 2W
Kestrel - 1
Oystercatcher - 1W
Knot - 1E
Turnstone - 15
Mediterranean Gull - 10E
Sandwich Tern - 13os
Swallow - 28W
Sand Martin - 4W
House Martin - 73W
Yellow Wagtail - 2W
Grey Wagtail - 14W
Pied Wagtail - 5W
Meadow Pipit - 17W
Willow Warbler - 1
Chiffchaff - 1
Bottle-nosed Dolphin - 1E
Hobby (above), House Martin, Chiffchaff & Sandwich Tern at the Bill (AH)
Ferry Pool: There were two Spotted Redshanks, three Greenshanks, a Common Sandpiper, two Snipe and four Dunlin on the pool this morning, along with a dozen Lapwings, c30 Black-tailed Godwits, 14 Little Egrets, three Shelducks and c40 Teal, whilst a Kingfisher and a Whimbrel were in the channel opposite. (AH)
Late in the morning, an Osprey went east over Ferry Field and the Visitor Centre. (RP)
Greenshanks (above), Common Sandpiper, Whimbrel & Black-tailed Godwits at the Ferry (AH)
Church Norton: A Short-eared Owl flew in and landed on the salt-marsh late this morning, whilst a Hobby was chasing hirundines - c150 Swallows and a handful of Sand Martins and House Martins - over Greenlease Farm.
A male Redstart behind the hide was the best of the few passerine migrants about, with just a few Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Whitethroats scattered about the bushes and a Wheatear on the beach, whilst two Ravens went over and a Small Copper butterfly was along the beach.
There were a few waders in the harbour, including three Bar-tailed Godwits, a Black-tailed Godwit, two Whimbrel, 20 Curlews, three Knot, 63 Grey Plovers, 33 Turnstones, 224 Dunlin and 151 Ringed Plovers, with 22 Little Egrets, eight Teal and ten Pintail also seen. (AW/AH/PB/PM/CN/P&LH et al)
Redstart (above), Blackcap, Pintails & Small Copper at Church Norton (AH)
This evening, three juvenile-type Marsh Harriers were circling over the harbour heading slowly west, whilst on the mud there were seven Bar-tailed Godwits, two Whimbrel and six Dunlin among the regulars. (AH/AW)
Marsh Harriers (above), Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel & Bar-tailed Godwit and Whimbrel at Church Norton (AH)
Two Marsh Harriers were also seen in flight over the back fields and reeds, later joined by a Buzzard, whilst a couple of Cetti's Warblers were calling from the general area, although passerines were rather few.
Along White's creek, as the tide began to drop, ten Pintails were in a tight flock, whilst c.60 Wigeon were scattered around the edges.
Moving further along the East side, as the waders began to move in on the receding tide, a single juvenile Curlew Sandpiper was eventually located amongst the Dunlin, Ringed Plovers and Redshanks, together with a Knot, eight Bar-tailed Godwits and 40+ Grey Plovers. On the saltmarsh further out into the harbour, there were three adult-type Yellow-legged Gulls roosting amongst other gulls, which included a Lesser Black-backed Gull; the Yellow-legs eventually deigning to confirm their identities to us beyond doubt by standing and giving a leg-show! (OM/BFF)
This evening, a Barn Owl was at Halsey's Farm. (LP)
Spotted Redshank with Greenshank on the Breech pool, Pintails in White's Creek and Yellow-legged Gulls from the East side mudflats (OM) & Kestrel at the North Wall (AD)
A Corn Bunting was along the banks, with 24 Yellowhammers, and there were also a Dartford Warbler, four Willow/Chiffs, four Stonechats and two Cetti's Warblers about. (S&SaH)
Sunday, 10th September: Another very warm and muggy day, with just a very light SSW breeze and plenty of early sunshine, before the arrival of heavy and thundery clouds, giving periods of showery rain, then brightening again.......
Selsey Bill: Another morning of little sea movement, but with a fair bit of 'viz-mig' variety going on. Hirundines were particularly noticeable, with four-figure counts of both House Martin and Swallow heading east. A pod of 15 Bottle-nosed Dolphins going east was also worthy of mention. Full log below (SH/BI/JA/IP/AH/MO-W/SR/RJS)
(0600-0845hrs) (SSW, F1-2)
Gannet - 19E, 11W
Shag - 5E
Turnstone - 6
Mediterranean Gull - 3E, 1W
Sandwich Tern - 8E, 5W
Great Spotted Woodpecker - 1
Swallow - 1759E
Sand Martin - 13E
House Martin - 1932E
Yellow Wagtail - 25E
Grey Wagtail - 4W
Pied Wagtail - 4W
Meadow Pipit - 8W
Tree Pipit - 2E
Wheatear - 2
Chiffchaff - 1
Bottle-nosed Dolphin - 15E
Shag (above), Sandwich Tern & House Martin at the Bill (AH)
Ferry Pool: There were four Spotted Redshanks, four Greenshanks,, a Common Sandpiper and three Snipe on the pool this morning, along with 15 Lapwings, 22 Black-tailed Godwits, 16 Little Egrets, four Shovelers and c40 Teal. (AH)
Snipe (above) & Greenshanks at the Ferry (AH)
Park Farm: A Kestrel was in the fields, occasionally sat on the telegraph wires by the farm, but the only other birds of note here were a Chiffchaff and three Pied Wagtails that flew over, along with a couple of Yellow Wagtails, and three Blackcaps feeding on blackberries. (IP)
Church Norton: The Harbour was very full of water, so few waders seen, though there was a flock of 15 Bar-tailed Godwits in the marsh, and two Whimbrel nearby. A male Pintail, a pair of Wigeon and five Teal were also present, and three Wheatears were around the concrete blocks, plus two Kingfishers seen from the bench.
There was also another Wheatear on the beach opposite the second Several and a Lesser Whitethroat on the path, whilst a Sandwich Tern flew west along the beach and a Gannet went in the same direction further offshore.
A roving tit flock near to Bluebell Wood included two Goldcrests and at least four Long-tailed Tits. A large number of hirundines, including a single Sand martin, were present around the Greenlease Farm area, where a Hobby was hunting over the fields. (IP/RJS et al)
East Side: On the rising tide this morning there were three Curlew Sandpipers in the channel, along with 100 Ringed Plovers, 60 Grey Plovers, 50 Dunlin, a Bar-tailed Godwit, eight Turnstones and lots of Redshanks, Lapwings and Curlews.
Also, a Lesser Black-backed Gull was on the mud and 60 Wigeon and 8 Pintail were on the water, whilst the flock of eight Cackling Geese flew over. (LP/MR)
Curlew Sandpipers (above), Curlew Sandpiper and Redshank, Wigeon & Cackling Geese along the East side (LP)
North Wall: A Kingfisher was by the sluice and three Spotted Redshanks, eight Snipe, 20 Black-tailed Godwits and 40 Teal, plus a Sedge Warbler, were on the Breech Pool, but it was quiet along the wall, with just a Lesser Whitethroat and a couple of Whitethroats and Cetti's Warblers, plus at least four Jays, along the hedgerow and a Wheatear along the rocks.
At least 15 juvenile Cattle Egrets were in Owl Copse, suggesting there were some very late broods this summer, whilst at Halsey's Farm, half a dozen Whitethroats and a couple of Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs were in the hedges. (LP/CT/DHi/AH et al)
The Sidlesham Quay circuit was fairly productive this morning, the highlights being a Grasshopper Warbler along the path near Owl Point and three Spotted Flycatchers together near Halsey’s Farmhouse.
Otherwise, a few Yellow Wagtails went over, several Blackcaps and Willow Warblers were around the pond and the first autumn Skylarks were around the saltmarsh. (BI)
This afternoon, there were a female Marsh Harrier, a Buzzard, a Sparrowhawk and two Kestrels out hunting, with 28 Cattle Egrets seen, whilst a Whitethroat, three Lesser Whitethroats, a Chiffchaff and four Cetti's Warblers were along the wall, with 50 Swallows over.
Also, up to ten Snipe were on the Breech Pool, along with two Kingfishers and 25 Black-tailed Godwits, whilst a Curlew Sandpiper, a Grey Plover and two Spotted Redshanks were in White's Creek. (S&SaH)
Spotted Redshanks and Black-tailed Godwit (above), Snipe, Cattle Egret, Whitethroat, Blackcap, Chiffchaff & Jays at the North Wall (AH)
Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - Bird of the day was a juvenile Cuckoo seen near the Stilt Pool - the second latest record this century.
Otherwise, the Osprey was out fishing again, with two Ravens, 150 Swallows and a Kestrel also going over, and three Cattle Egrets were on the reserve, whilst two Dartford Warblers and a Cetti's Warbler were along the banks and a single Egyptian Goose was on the Stilt Pool. (S&SaH)
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