7th - 9th September 2023

Saturday, 9th September: Another morning of very warm sunshine and almost no breeze.... ......

Selsey Bill: A flock of 21 Cattle Egret - the highest count yet - flew in from way out to sea, eventually heading off east. Otherwise, there was a bit of visible migration overhead, including a Hobby, a Swift, a Tree Pipit and 19 Yellow Wagtails, but little moving offshore. Full log below. (SH/BI/IPMO-W/AH/P&LH)

(0600-0900hrs) (NE, F1-2)

Gannet - 18E, 10W

Shag - 8E, 2os

Cattle Egret - 21E (in one flock)

Wigeon - 6W

Common Scoter - 1E, 5W

Hobby - 1

Grey Plover - 2E

Dunlin - 1E

Turnstone - 6

Sandwich Tern - 9E, 5W

Swift - 1E

Swallow - 690E

Sand Martin - 46E

House Martin - 325E

Yellow Wagtail - 19E

Grey Wagtail - 13E, 2W

Pied Wagtail - 5E

Tree Pipit - 1W

Meadow Pipit - 3E

Wheatear - 3

Willow Warbler - 1

Chiffchaff - 3

Hummingbird Hawk-moth - 1

Cattle Egrets (LH top, AH lower two) (above), Sandwich Tern, Wheatear & Chiffchaff (AH) at the Bill 

Ferry Pool: There was a fair selection on the pool this morning, including two Spotted Redshanks, four Greenshanks, four Common Sandpipers, a Ringed Plover, two Snipe, 24 Black-tailed Godwits, 14 Lapwings, 17 Little Egrets, four Shovelers, four Shelducks and c30 Teal. 

Also, later on, a Red Kite was seen drifting south  over the Visitor Centre area. (AH/MB/P&LH et al)

Common Sandpiper (above), Greenshanks, Spotted Redshanks and Snipe & Ringed Plover and Lapwings at the Ferry (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: The fields held a tight flock of six Grey Wagtails and a couple of Yellow Wagtails, whilst around the actual farm there were four Pied Wagtails. A Green Woodpecker flew between two lines of poplars and at the east end of Park Lane a Great Spotted Woodpecker was in a large conifer. (IP)

North Wall: The first juvenile Curlew Sandpiper of the autumn was in White's Creek - over three week's later than the previous latest date, whilst there were also the short-billed Greenshank, c70 Ringed Plovers, two Knot, c30 Grey Plovers, a good number of Dunlin and ten Wigeon about.

Two Green Sandpipers were on the Breech Pool first thing, along with eight Snipe and a Spotted Redshank, with a Marsh Harrier, two Kingfishers, seven Cattle Egret and a handful of Yellow Wagtails also seen, along with a Clouded Yellow butterfly.

In the hedges at Halsey's Farm, there were two Lesser Whitethroats in the same bush, with two Whinchats and five Wheatears at Owl point and three Willow Warblers and a Goldcrest nearby, whilst a few Swallows and a Sand Martin were on the wires and a few more Swallows went over. (AHu/AB/BI/P&LH et al)

Curlew Sandpiper (above) & Sand Martin and Swallows at the North Wall (AHu)

This evening, a Ring-necked Parakeet - the first of the year on the Peninsula - was in the trees alongside White's Creek, before flying off south and then, an hour later, going back north over the Breech Pool. (TG/GJ et al)

Ring-necked Parakeet at the North Wall (TG)

Church Norton: There were at least 1000 hirundines - equally split between Swallows and House Martins, along with half a dozen Sand Martins, feeding over the Severals and the now harvested bean fields, drawing in two Hobbies, three Sparrowhawks, a Swift and a few Yellow Wagtails among them, with a few more of the latter, a Grey Wagtail and a Tree Pipit going over east, too.

A couple of Wheatears were along the spit, with a couple more by the second Several, a Grasshopper Warbler was seen briefly by visiting birders near the first Several, where a Cattle Egret, a Marsh Harrier, a Reed Warbler and a Sedge Warbler were also seen, and there were also a Spotted Flycatcher, a Goldcrest, half a dozen Whitethroats, Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs and a dozen Blackcaps scattered about.

Two Common Snipe feeding on the mud in the harbour between the concrete blocks and Tern Island was unusual, but otherwise there were just a couple of Whimbrel, a few Turnstones, Dunlin and Ringed Plovers, about, plus the usual Redshanks, Oystercatchers and Curlews and a few Pintail and Wigeon. (IP/MB/DB/AH/P&LH/K Britten et al)

Grasshopper Warbler (K Britten) (above), Blackcaps & Whitethroat (AH) at Church Norton

This evening there were two Greenshanks in the harbour, along with two Whimbrel and c50 Teal. (AH)

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

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - The hedges were quiet beyond the odd Whitethroat, Blackcap, Linnet and Yellowhammer, with just a Common Sandpiper, a Wigeon and a few Lapwing on the Stilt Pool. (JMo)

The Osprey was present this afternoon (K Britten) and was back in the dead trees again this evening, when there were also a Buzzard, six Cattle Egrets, a Yellow Wagtail, a Willow/Chiff and 59 Swallows seen (S&SaH).

Osprey at Medmerry (K Britten)

Friday, 8th September: A very muggy and warm, if mostly overcast, morning  with barely any breeze at all.......

Selsey Bill: A Tree Pipit and a few Yellow Wagtails and hirundines went over this morning, but the sea was quiet. Full log below. (BI/SR/IP)

(0630-0800hrs) (SE, F1)

Gannet - 3E, 2W

Shag -2os

Common Scoter - 1E, 1W

Oystercatcher - 1W

Turnstone - 20

Sandwich Tern - 11E

Swallow - 26E

Sand Martin - 9E

House Martin - 11E

Yellow Wagtail - 16W

Grey Wagtail - 3W

Pied Wagtail - 1W

Tree Pipit - 1E

Bottle-nosed Dolphin - 2os

Shags on a flat calm sea at the Bill (BI)

We are grateful to S&SaH for bringing this to our attention, from an original local Selsey publication (courtesy of Meryn Woodland). After the war, the site was eventually taken over by the Pontins holiday company - and we all know it's history thereafter! (Eds)

Ferry Pool: There were three Spotted Redshanks, two Greenshanks, two Common Sandpipers, three Snipe and a Ringed Plover on the pool this morning, along with c25 Black-tailed Godwits, four Shelducks and c40 Teal, whilst a Kingfisher and a Whimbrel were in the channel opposite. (AH/BFF et al)

Kingfisher (above), Snipe & Common Sandpiper at the Ferry (AH)

Selsey: There were at least four Goldcrests through the conifers in my garden this afternoon, together with a mixed flock of Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers. (AW)

Goldcrest (above) & Willow Warbler in a Selsey garden (AW)

North Wall: The hedges at Halsey's Farm held a Reed Warbler, couple of Lesser Whitethroats and Blackcaps and half a dozen Whitethroats, but a Wheatear, two or three more Whitethroats and similar of Cetti's Warblers, plus c30 Swallows over, was about it along the wall.

A Snipe, c20 Black-tailed Godwits and c40 Teal was it on the Breech Pool, with six Pintails and a Shoveler flying over, but White's Creek just held a Kingfisher, the short-billed Greenshank, half a dozen Turnstones, c40 Redshank and c40 Wigeon. (AH/TRH)

Kingfisher (TRH) (above), Reed Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat, Wheatear, Snipe & Pintails and Shoveler (AH) at the North Wall

Church Norton: A Yellow Wagtail flew over and four Wheatears were around the concrete blocks this morning, whilst c300 Swallows were around the Severals area and a Bar-tailed Godwit and c25 Great Crested Grebes were in the harbour. (BFF et al)

This evening the Wheatears were still around the concrete blocks, along with a Skylark, and a Greenshank and two Whimbrel were in the harbour, along with 50+ Redshanks, 50+ Wigeon and 200+ Teal, but no small waders at all on the rising tide. (AH)

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

Medmerry: Easton Lane to Marsh Barn - The Osprey was again sat out on the reserve this morning (BI), and it was still present, seen eating a fish, this evening (S&SaH).

Osprey in the mist at Medmerry (BI)

Thursday, 7th September: The spell of very warm weather continues, with another morning of unbroken sun in a light to moderate easterly breeze.......

Selsey Bill: There were a few Swallows and House Martins on the move this morning, whilst two Arctic Skuas going west was about the only activity offshore. Full log below. (SR/CRJ/AH/IP/RJS)

(0640-0900hrs) (ENE, F3)

Gannet - 11W

Shag - 4E

Teal - 1W

Common Scoter - 1E

Sparrowhawk - 1

Oystercatcher - 2E

Turnstone - 8

Arctic Skua - 2W

Sandwich Tern - 3E, 13W, 7os

Swallow - 282E

House Martin - 104E

Yellow Wagtail - 1E

Grey Wagtail - 1E

Pied Wagtail - 4

Wheatear - 1

Linnet - 11W

Shags (above) & Sandwich Tern at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: It was much the same as yesterday this morning, with the six Spotted Redshanks, three Greenshanks and three Common Sandpipers all still present, along with a dozen Lapwings, c30 Black-tailed Godwits, six Little Egrets, two Shovelers, four Shelducks, c40 Teal and c300 Black-headed Gulls. (AH)

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

North Wall: The Osprey was sat on top of one of the dead trees at Halsey’s Farm, before heading into the harbour and immediately catching a fish, whilst also at Halsey’s there were two Spotted Flycatchers, a Stonechat and two Wheatears.

In the bushes along the wall there was a large mixed flock of Whitethroats, Reed Buntings, Lesser Whitethroats, Blackcaps, Sedge Warblers, Long-tailed Tits and Blue Tits and the usual selection of Curlews, Black-tailed Godwits and Cattle Egrets were in the fields.

A juvenile Water Rail was on the Breech Pool, along with 12 Black-tailed Godwits and 16 Teal, a Spotted Flycatcher was by the sluice with a Cetti’s Warbler, a Kingfisher, and a couple of Reed Warblers, and along White’s Creek there was a Spotted Redshank, a Dunlin, six Turnstones, two Oystercatchers, two Bar-tailed Godwits, eight Black-tailed Godwits, three Wigeon, and lots of Redshanks, Lapwings, and Curlews, with a few Grey Plovers and Ringed Plovers further out. (LP/SP/JDW)

This evening, three Snipe were on the Breech Pool. (LP)

Osprey (above), Spotted Flycatcher, Stonechat & Kingfisher at the North Wall (LP)

North Mundham: A Spotted Flycatcher was in the garden this morning. (MJ)

Church Norton: Two Spotted Flycatchers, two Chiffchaffs and at least half a dozen Blackcaps were behind the hide and three Wheatears were along the concrete blocks, but most the hedges elsewhere were quiet, except for the area between the Severals, where a Whinchat, a Reed Warbler, half a dozen Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps and at least ten Whitethroats were around the path, with a huge flock of c100 Swallows, c500 House Martins and just a couple of dozen Sand Martins centred over the adjacent bean field.

A Peregrine and three Sparrowhawks were over the harbour, but the mud was quiet, beyond three or for Whimbrel and six Pintails among the regulars. (AH/CRJ/RJS/SR)

Spotted Fycatchers (SR top, AH lower) (above), Whinchat, Whitethroat, Sand Martin, Swallow, Whimbrel (AH) & Common Caarpet Moth (SR) at Church Norton

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - An Osprey was sat out on the distant dead trees this evening, with a Cattle Egret, a Whimbrel and two Greenshanks also on the reserve and a Raven, a Sand Martin, two Swallows, a Buzzard and a Kestrel over.

Also, five Wheatears, four Yellow Wagtails, five Willow Warblers, a Cetti's Warbler and two Yellowhammers were seen from the banks and the Egyptian Goose family was on the Stilt Pool. (S&SaH)