1st - 3rd October 2023

Tuesday, 3rd October: Chimet offline this morning but windy.com giving F3-4 winds from the NNW...staying dry with the mild weather continuing...

Selsey Bill: It was mainly just Meadow Pipits and Wagtails this morning though six Bottle-nosed Dolphins did move east. Full log below. (SR/IP/AW)

(0710-0840hrs) (NNW F4)

Gannet - 2W

Shag - 1E

Mediterranean Gull - 3os

Sandwich Tern - 2os

Swallow - 32W

House Martin - 2W

Meadow Pipit - 174W

Grey Wagtail - 3W

Pied Wagtail - 12E, 52W

Chiffchaff - 3 gardens

Linnet - 8W

Bottle-nosed Dolphin - 6E

Meadow Pipit, above, (SR) & Sandwich Tern (AW) at the Bill

A Wryneck, this first on the peninsula this year, was reported from Beacon Drive on the Broadreeds estate this morning at 0745hrs. (per ebird/S.Pretorius)

Ferry Pool: It was just the regular species this morning: 16 Shoveler, 11 Teal, 62 Lapwing, 36 Black-tailed Godwits, five Little Egrets and three Meadow Pipits. (SR)

Waders, ducks and gulls on the Ferry (SR)

East Side:  The Yellow-legged Gull was showing well on the east side this morning. (TRH)

Yellow-legged Gull at East side (TRH)

Church Norton: This afternoon there were 10 Pied Wagtails and three Meadow Pipits on the fields at Greenlease. A Marsh Harrier was hunting over the back of the Severals, with c100 Swallows over the old horse field. 

Along the spit there were eight Meadow Pipits, six Stonechats, a Skylark and a Wheatear. A female Kestrel was hunting over the beach with a male in the churchyard. At high tide there was little to be seen in the harbour other than two Great Crested Grebes. (AW)

Marsh Harrier, Stonechat, Wheatear, Great Crested Grebe & Kestrel at Church Norton (AW)

North Wall: This evening there were nine Stonechats at Halsey's Farm and seven Chiffchaffs and four Cetti's Warblers were along the wall. Waders included a Snipe and a Greenshank and 20 Swallows flew over. A Marsh Harrier was also noted over the reeds. (SaH/SH)

Monday, 2nd October: A rather grey start to the day with light winds from the ENE...some showers also forecast...

Selsey Bill: A quiet morning in the gloom today although a steady stream of departing Swallows were noted mid-morning. Full log below.  (IP/SR/MO-W/AW)

(0710-0855hrs) (NE F1) 

Shag - 14E

Turnstone - 1

Mediterranean Gull - 1os

Sandwich Tern - 2os

Swallow - 75

House Martin - 1

Meadow Pipit - 42N

Pied Wagtail - 2N

Wheatear - 2

Chiffchaff - 1

Linnet - 25E

This afternoon a Shag flew west. (AW)

Wheatear (SR) (above), Swallow & Shag (AW) at the Bill

Ferry Pool: The concealed pool held a Snipe, a Little Egret, nine Black-tailed Godwits, a Curlew and five Teal. The main pool had 40 Lapwing, six Shoveler, two Shelduck, seven Black-tailed Godwits, a Pied Wagtail and a Cetti's Warbler. 

A tiny Marsh Frog was along the edge of the Discovery Area pool and the Tramway held two Jays, six Swallows, seven Chiffchaffs, thee Blackcaps and a Cetti's Warbler. A Little Grebe was at Red Barn Ditch as was a Shore Crab (SR)

Blackcap & Marsh Frog and at the Tramway, Little Grebe & Shore Crab at Red Barn Ditch (SR)

North Wall: Six Stonechats, two Jays, two Great Spotted Woodpeckers, a Blackcap, a Chiffchaff, a Kestrel, and a Lapwing were around the paddock this morning and a Grey Wagtail was by the sluice. Along White’s Creek, there was the usual Greenshank, two Bar-tailed Godwits, eight Dunlin, 12 Wigeon. six Teal, and four Pintail. 

A Sparrowhawk was behind the Breech Pool and 100 Swallows, 40 House Martins and 20 Meadow Pipits were overhead. Along the hedgerow, were 20 Chiffchaffs, two Blackcaps and 10 Reed Buntings, and a Raven flew over Owl Copse. (LP/CT/TRH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to Stilt Pools -  A Sparrowhawk was near Easton Lane this evening and three Cattle Egrets were again with the livestock. Along the banks were four Dartford Warblers, three Cetti's Warblers, four Chiffchaffs , a Reed Bunting and a Yellowhammer and two Snipe were on the Stilt Pool...it was slow going this evening! (SaH/SH)

Sunday, 1st October: Remaining mild, with a south-southwest F3-4 breeze...

Selsey Bill:  Two Eider passed through this morning, two Little Egrets dropped on to the beach and there was again some viz-mig including a Merlin heading north. Full log below. (SH/PB/SR/IP/MO-W/P&LH et al)

(0645-0900hrs) (SSW F3-4)

Gannet - 2E, 77W, 15os

Shag - 17E

Little Egret - 2E

Common Scoter - 1W

Eider - 2W

Merlin - 1N

Kestrel - 1

Curlew - 1E

Oystercatcher - 1W

Arctic Skua - 1E 

Mediterranean Gull - 47W, 6os

Razorbill - 1W

auk sp -2W

Skylark - 7S

Swallow - 158E

Meadow Pipit - 126S

Grey Wagtail - 1W

Pied Wagtail - 16W

Linnet - 24

(1230-1330hrs) (SH)

Gannet - 2E, 15W

Turnstone - 7

Mediterranean Gull - 3W

Razorbill - 3W

Swallow - 3W

(1400-1500hrs) (P&LH)

Gannet - 3os

Shag - 2os

Brent Goose - 5W

Turnstone - 2

Mediterranean Gull - 5os

Sandwich Tern - 4os

Razorbill - 3W, 2os

Swallow - 27E

Little Egret at the Bill (BI)

Later, the 14 Eider seen at Church Norton flew west before returning east. (AW)

Eider at the Bill (AW)

Ferry Pool: Two Spoonbills were on the pool early on, but not later, otherwise it was just the regular Lapwings, Black-tailed Godwits and wildfowl. (PB)

Old Coastguard Station:  A seawatch from here this morning yielded three Gannets west and 82 Meadow Pipits, 116 Swallows, seven Skylarks and six Pied Wagtails east. (BI)

Park Farm: A Hobby flew across the fields at Park Farm, where also a Buzzard flew low and a Sparrowhawk cruised high over. Six Chiffchaffs were also here along with two Pied Wagtails on the farm roof and a Jay appeared to bury an acorn in the North East corner. (IP)

Medmerry: Breach - Today there were c.50 Dunlin feeding out on the mud and a small flock of Linnets near Toe End. (BI)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to Stilt Pools - Raptors this morning included a Marsh Harrier, four Buzzards and a Sparrowhawk and there were again Cattle Egrets with the cattle (5) whilst the Egyptian Goose count had risen to nine. Two Greenshank were on the mud at low tide and c.100 Wigeon flew east over the reserve. Along the banks were singles of Whinchat and Wheatear, ten Stonechats, three Cetti's Warblers and three Dartford Warblers. 

Other small birds included three Chiffchaffs. 300 Linnets and 15 Yellowhammers and viz-mig accounted for c.100 Swallows, a single House Martin, c.100 Meadow Pipits and a Pied Wagtail. A return trip this afternoon produced a Peregrine and a Merlin perched on fence posts out on the reserve and two sparrowhawks over. (SaH/SH/PB)

Marsh Farm: Eleven Cattle Egrets, including some young birds, were spread around the fields but other than a few Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests in Sidlesham churchyard and c.12 Meadow Pipits over small birds were in short supply this morning. (BI) 

Cattle Egrets at Marsh Farm, Sidlesham (BI)

Church Norton: A Spotted Flycatcher was present today as was a Blackcap and two Wheatears. As yesterday, six Stonechats were around the Severals (this time with two males), along with two Reed Buntings, a few Chiffchaffs and a male Blackcap in the "Whitethroat" bush. 

What appeared to be a family group of six Jays were around the concrete wall at the back of the horse field and four Ravens were among a corvid flock over Bluebell Wood where also two Grey Wagtails flew over. Wader numbers were low again in the Harbour, apart from c.100 Dunlin and the usual Redshank, Oystercatcher and Curlew.There were, however, also three Grey Plover, three Turnstone, a Whimbrel, a Ringed Plover and a Bar-tailed Godwit. present. 

A Common Gull was in the Gull roost along with a couple of Mediterranean Gulls and wildfowl included eight Pintail, 30 Teal, six Wigeon, a Shelduck and five Mute Swans as well as the lone Brent Goose. Five Sandwich Terns flew west close inshore, as did 14 Eider, whilst five Gannets also went west further out. The only raptor noted today was a Marsh Harrier over the harbour. (IP/P&LH)

East Beach: A worn Convolvulus Hawk-moth was in a trap today. (SR)

Convolvulus Hawk-moth in Selsey (SR)