Sunday 29 October 2023

29th - 31st October 2023

Tuesday, 31st October: After some early showers, a pleasant morning in just a light south-westerly breeze...........

Selsey Bill: It was a pretty quiet morning, with a Great Northern Diver on the sea and a slight passage of Brent Geese the highlights. Full log below. (SR/IP/AH/K Martin)
(0700-0845hrs) (SW, F3)
Great Northern Diver - 1os
Gannet - 1E, 1W
Shag - 4E
Brent Goose - 91W
Common Scoter - 14W
Turnstone - 1
Mediterranean Gull - 1E, 7W
Common Gull - 2E
Razorbill - 1os
Skylark - 1W
Pied Wagtail - 3E
Meadow Pipit - 3W
Chiffchaff - 1
Goldfinch - 3W

Brent Geese (above), Common Scoters, Shags (AH) & a rainbow over Bill House (SR) at the Bill



Ferry Pool: There were just a handful of Shovelers and Teal on the pool late this morning, with the RSPB out hedge-cutting in the fields. (AH)

Selsey: A heavily moulting Peregrine was on the church this morning. (AW)

Peregrine on Selsey church (AW)

Church Norton: There were two Black Redstarts in the churchyard this morning, favouring the church roof and gutters, whilst at least ten Goldcrests, c20 Long-tailed Tits and half a dozen Chiffchaffs were also there, with another half dozen of the latter scattered around the hedges and the Severals. 
Also, at least eight Stonechats, a couple of Reed Buntings  and a few Meadow Pipits were along the front, with a few Jays widely scattered, too, whilst 36 Brent Geese, including quite a few juveniles, and c150 Curlews were in the fields at Greenlease Farm.
There were plenty of Grey Plovers, Dunlin and the other regular waders in the harbour on the rising tide, but a feeding flock of nine Avocets were the only unusual things, whilst at least 200 Brent Geese were in the harbour mouth, and there were plenty of Wigeon and Teal, plus a handful of Mediterranean Gulls, also present. (AH/KJ/KF et al)



Black Redstarts (above), Goldcrest, Chiffchaff, Stonechat, Long-tailed Tit, Avocets & Brent Geese at Church Norton (AH)















Monday, 30th October: A much calmer day, though still with the odd heavy downpour, and quite mild in the moderate south-westerly breeze...........

Selsey Bill: It was a much quieter morning today, though a Merlin traversed the horizon, a fair way out, heading west, and a close flock of seven Eider went west, too, along with a bit of visible overhead migration. Full log below. (CRJ/SR/AH/IP/AW)
(0635-0935hrs) (SW, F4-5)
diver sp - 1W
Great Crested Grebe - 2W
Gannet - 1E, 18W
Shag - 11E
Brent Goose - 8W
Eider - 7W
Merlin - 1W
Turnstone - 6
Mediterranean Gull - 12W
Common Gull - 1W
Kittiwake - 3W
Sandwich Tern - 3W
Swallow - 3W
Pied Wagtail - 1W
Meadow Pipit - 18W
Siskin - 3W
Linnet - 146W
Goldfinch - 66W


Eider (above) & Mediterranean Gul at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were at least 400 Black-tailed Godwits present this morning, mostly in the flooded areas at the back of the field, whilst four Greenshanks and two Avocets were also about, along with 50+ Lapwings, c50 Teal and c75 Shovelers. (AH/BFF)

Greenshank (above), Avocets and Lapwings & Black-tailed Godwits at the Ferry (AH)


Church Norton: There were a few birds about this morning, including a very late female Redstart, a Dartford Warbler and six Stonechats along the front of the Severals, a Firecrest and a few Goldcrests in the churchyard and a Blackcap and a handful of Chiffchaffs near the hide, plus a Kingfisher along the west side and four Swallows over.
A Whimbrel was a surprise in the harbour, where there were also three Bar-tailed Godwits, c40 Grey Plovers, c300 Dunlin, c150 Brent Geese and lots of Wigeon and Teal. (AH/CRJ/BFF et al)


Kingfisher (above), Blackcap, Swallow, Whimbrel, Brent Geese & Dunlin at Church Norton (AH)






Medmerry: Toe End - A female Black Redstart was around the caravans near the breach this afternoon. (TG-P)

North Wall: Church Lane is still flooded so access is difficult, and all of the north fields are flooded and the footpath to Honer is totally impassable.
A Great Spotted Woodpecker, eight Long-tailed Tits and a Chiffchaff were by the stables and two Marsh Harriers were up over the reeds, whilst a Rock Pipit and two Pied Wagtails were by the sluice and 12 Snipe flew off the fields and 12 Reed Buntings, a few Goldfinches, a couple of Stonechats and a calling Cetti's Warbler were along the wall.
There were lots of birds in the flooded fields, including two Ruff, 50 Redshanks, two Spotted Redshanks, a Dunlin, 80 Lapwings, 20 Curlews and a very flighty flock of c500 Black-tailed Godwits in Honer 2, and c200 Black-headed and a few Redshanks and Curlews in Honer 3.
At Halsey’s Farm, a Greylag Goose was on the flooded fields along with over 300 Canada Geese, 30 Teal and a few Curlews, Lapwings and Wigeon, while on the fence posts at Owl Point, there were two Sandwich Terns, a Common Gull, six Meadow Pipits and a Skylark. (LP,JDW)



Black-tailed Godwits (top two JDW, lower LP) (above), Sandwich Tern, Rock Pipit, Greylag Goose,& Pied Wagtail (LP) at the North Wall




East Side: A Peregrine was sat on the outer spit early on, before relocating to the new Tern Island but there was just a few Brent Geese, Wigeon, Teal and Grey Plovers in the harbour on a very high tide.
A pair of Stonechats were by the Lagoon and further down the East Side, the group of Cackling type Geese were out on the mud and a few Pintail, and a single Gadwall were on the water.
A Flock of 20 Linnets flew over from the Slipe Field and four Green Woodpeckers were in the dog walking field. (LP)

Peregrine (above), Stonechat & Brent Geese along the East side (LP)









Sunday, 29th October: A pretty wild morning's weather, with some torrential downpours among the more or less ever-present drizzle and the brisk and blustery south-westerly reaching gale force during the frequent squalls........

Selsey Bill: It was another remarkable day at the Bill - with the Surf Scoter going west again early on, and four species of shearwaters recorded on the same day for the first time, comprising a Cory's Shearwater, 19 Sooty Shearwaters, five Balearic Shearwaters and a Manx Shearwater, all going west.
Also the first Great Northern and Black-throated Divers of the autumn were seen. Full log below. (SH/BI/PB/MRB/SR/IP/AH/MO-W/OM/CS)
(0630-1130hrs) (SSW, F6-7)
Great Northern Diver - 1W
Black-throated Diver - 1E
Great Crested Grebe - 2W
Cory's Shearwater - 1W (at 0842hrs)
Sooty Shearwater - 19W (5 at 0735, 3 at 0745, 3 at 0750, 5 at 0755, 2 at 0805 and 1 at 0900hrs)
Balearic Shearwater - 5W (4 at 0815 and 1 at 0820hrshrs)
Manx Shearwater - 1W
shearwater sp - 2W (at 0757hrs)
Gannet - 3E, 139W
Shag - 8E
Brent Goose - 8W
Surf Scoter - 1W (0640hrs)
Common Scoter - 2E, 2W
Red-breasted Merganser - 1E
Sanderling - 1W
Knot - 1W
Turnstone - 35
Mediterranean Gull - 3W, 2os
Kittiwake - 29W
Sandwich Tern - 4E, 4os
auk sp - 1W
Meadow Pipit - 1N
Linnet - 7

Great Northern Diver (above), Sandwich Tern & Gannet at the Bill (AH)


A Purple Sandpiper went west, but it was otherwise back to normal service this afternoon! Full log below. (SH/SR/AW)
(1430-1530hrs)
Gannet - 3E, 11W, 10os
Shag - 7W
Purple Sandpiper - 1W
Kittiwake - 4W
Sandwich Tern - 1W

Purple Sandpiper at the Bill (AW)

Ferry Pool: There were a lot of birds roosting at the back, including at least three Spotted Redshanks, three Greenshanks, c80 Redshanks, 12 Avocets, c60 Black-tailed Godwits and c200 Lapwings, along with four Shelducks, c60 Shovelers and c100 Teal. 
Also, what was presumably the flock of eight Cackling-type Geese, that have been intermittently present for a long time, went over west. (AH)

Spotted Redshank (above), Spotted Redshank, Lapwings and Teal, Avocets & Cackling Geese at the Ferry (AH)



Church Norton: There wasn't much to see in the harbour on the very big tide, though a Marsh Harrier went over and c100 Brent Geese were along the west side, with otherwise, just a few Grey Plovers, Redshanks, Curlews, Wigeon and Teal seen, and not much in the bushes beyond a handful of Goldcrests and a couple of Jays. (P&JW/AH)

Grey Plover (above) & Teal at Church Norton (AH)










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