10th - 12th November 2023

Sunday, 12th November: A very overcast start to the morning in a fresh south-easterly breeze, though mostly dry, and brightening up later on...........

Selsey Bill: A juvenile Common Tern went east this morning, a steady flow of Brent Geese went west, three Swallows went over and there were several Great Northern and Red-throated Divers among the mix of regular species. Full log later. (SH/BI/SR/IP/AH)

(0650-0930hrs) (SE, F5)

Great Northern Diver - 1E, 1W

Red-throated Diver - 3E

Great Crested Grebe - 2W, 1os

Gannet - 7E, 2W

Shag - 2E

Brent Goose - 1E, 164W

Shoveler - 2W

Common Scoter - 1E, 5W, 23os

Red-breasted Merganser - 1E, 11W, 4os

Kestrel - 1

Oystercatcher - 1E

Ringed Plover - 2W

Sanderling - 1E

Turnstone - 18

Mediterranean Gull - 8os

Common Gull - 1E, 1W

Sandwich Tern - 2E

Common Tern - 1E

Guillemot - 1E

Razorbill - 1W

Swallow - 3

Pied Wagtail - 5E

Common Tern (above), Great Northern Diver, Red-throated Divers, Guillemot, Common Gull & Mediterranean Gull at the Bill (AH)

(1030-1145hrs) (CS)

Red-throated Diver - 1W

Gannet - 4os

egret sp - 1S

Common Scoter - 7E

Mediterranean Gull - 1os

Common Gull - 1os

This afternoon, four Velvet Scoters and 35 Common Scoters went east, along wityh four Red-throated Divers. Full log below. (SH/AE)

(1330-1500hrs)

Great Northern Diver - 1os

Red-throated Diver - 4E

Great Crested Grebe - 3E, 1W, 10s

Gannet - 31E, 5W

Brent Goose - 34W

Velvet Scoter - 4E

Common Scoter - 35E, 20os

Red-breasted Merganser - 1E

Turnstone - 3

Mediterranean Gull - 9os

Common Gull - 2E

Sandwich Tern - 1E

Velvet Scoters at the Bill (SH)

Ferry Pool: Two Spotted Redshanks were on the pool this morning, along with 17 Avocets, and three Cattle Egrets were on the field with the cows, whilst the usual wildfowl were still present, including, four Shelducks, c50 Shovelers, c150 Teal and c40 Mallards. (AH/CS)

Spotted Redshanks (above), Cattle Egret & Avocets at the Ferry (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: There were still 37 Brent Geese in the fields this morning, whilst a Sparrowhawk, a Kestrel, a Song Thrush and a Goldcrest were in the vicinity and a Grey Wagtail was at the beach end of Park Lane. (IP)

Church Norton: A total of seven Swallows were around the Severals this morning, and two Ravens flew over there, with another on the spit, along with a Stonechat, whilst the Severals also held a Reed Bunting,two Cetti's Warblers, two Green Wooodpeckers, a Sparrowhawk and a Kestrel.

The usual waders were all well represented in the harbour - Oystercatchers, Curlews, Redshank, Dunlin and Grey Plover - along with a couple of Knot, a flock of a dozen Black-tailed Godwits, ten Turnstones, a Lapwing and a small flock of Golden Plovers.

In addition to this, a flock of 11 Cattle Egrets were flying over the North Wall and again c500 Brent Geese and 50 Pintail were in the harbour, with a dozen Mediterranean Gulls and four Common Gulls among a large gathering of Herring Gulls offshore. (IP/AJW)

Also, along the west side of the harbour there were 380 Golden Plovers, 40 Lapwings, three Snipe and 220 Brent Geese, with a female Marsh Harrier over, whilst along the path there were two Redwings, three Goldcrests, a Reed Bunting, three Meadow Pipits and 15 Linnets. (CS)

North Wall: Around high tide this morning, the Eider and a Red Breasted Merganser were up near the North Wall, with a few Brent Geese and Wigeon further out on the water.

Also, a Grey Wagtail was in the paddock along with two Pied Wagtails, a Song Thrush, two Stonechats, three Chiffchaffs and a Jay, while further back there were two Marsh Harriers, a Buzzard, a Kestrel, five Snipe and 18 Fieldfares. (LP)

Eider (above), Red-breasted Merganser, Stonechat, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail & Song Thrush at the North Wall (LP)

Pagham Spit: A Sanderling was along the strand line together with 16 Turnstones, a Redshank, a Grey Plover and a Rock Pipit, while roosting on the outer spit, were 100 Grey Plovers and a similar number of Dunlin, along with 60 Mediterranean Gulls.

Two more Rock Pipits and three Meadow Pipits were further along the spit, and there were more Dunlin, along with 180 Oystercatchers out on the islands, but in the harbour at high water there were just the usual Brent Geese, Wigeon, Teal, Pintail and Great Crested Grebes. (LP)

Sanderling (above), Sanderling and Turnstones & Rock Pipit at Pagham Spit (LP)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - A Merlin and a Marsh Harrier, plus a Buzzard, were out over the reserve this morning, with c300 Golden Plover and 121 Brent Geese also on the reserve, whilst the high tide finally produced some waders on the Stilt Pool, in the form of 20 Snipe (including 17 together on the end of the long island), an Avocet, a Black-tailed Godwit, 25 Dunlin and 40 Ringed Plovers.

Also, the banks held four Dartford Warblers, nine Stonechats, a Chiffchaff, seven Goldcrests, four Cetti's Warblers and three Yellowhammers. (S&SaH)

Snipe (above) & Dunlin and Ringed Plovers at Medmerry (SH)

Medmerry: Windmill to the Breach - It was pretty quiet this morning, with a very elusive Black Redstart among the caravans being the highlight, with otherwise just a pair of Stonechats and a dozen Meadow Pipits at the windmill end and another pair of Stonechats, half a dozen Meadow Pipits and three Pied Wagtails at the breach end.

The tide was very high on the breach, with just 30 over so Dunlin, 20 Ringed Plovers, a dozen Oystercatchers and just a few Grey Plovers, Curlews and Redshanks about, along with seven Brent Geese. (AH)

Stonechat (above), Stonechat and Meadow Pipits, Meadow Pipits & Dunlin and Ringed Plovers at Medmerry (AH)

Saturday, 11th November: A beautiful autumn's morning, cold and crisp, with lots of sunshine in a light north-westerly breeze...........

Selsey Bill: There was a bit of a selection this morning, but no great volume and nothing out of the ordinary. Full log below. (SH/PB/BI/SR/IP/AH/P&LH)

(0640-0830hrs) (NW, F3)

Great Northern Diver - 1E, 1W, 1os

Red-throated Diver - 1W

diver sp - 1os

Great Crested Grebe - 3W

Gannet - 1E, 9W

Brent Goose - 1E, 27W

Shelduck - 4W

Wigeon - 5W

Common Scoter - 1E, 4W

Red-breasted Merganser - 1E, 9W

Sparrowhawk - 1

Oystercatcher - 2W

Curlew - 1W

Turnstone - 20

Black-headed Gull - 344W

Mediterranean Gull - 8W, 6os

Common Gull - 1W

Wood Pigeon - 480W

Swallow - 1

Pied Wagtail - 1

Meadow Pipit - 2N

Rook - 2S

(1300-1430hrs) (P&LH)

Great Northern Diver - 2W, 1os

Red-throated Diver - 2os

Great Crested Grebe - 1os

Gannet - 6os

Brent Goose - 1E, 27W

Common Scoter - 27W (in one flock), 1os

Red-breasted Merganser - 4W

Sparrowhawk - 1

Oystercatcher - 2W

Grey Plover - 1W

Ringed Plover - 13

Dunlin - 16W

Turnstone - 14

Mediterranean Gull - 4os

Common Gull - 1os

Kittiwake - 1W

Sandwich Tern - 5os

Pied Wagtail - 3

Ferry Pool: There were 17 Avocets, six Shelducks, c30 Wigeon, c60 Shovelers and c150 Teal around the pool this morning. (AH)

Also, a Water Rail, three Siskins, and two Fieldfares were around Red Barn Ditch this morning, while two Cattle Egrets and a flock of 21 Stock Doves flew over heading west. (AW)

Fieldfare (above), Water Rail, Stock Doves (AW) & Avocets (AH) around the Ferry

Park Farm, Selsey: Both a Grey and a Pied Wagtail, plus a Long-tailed Tit, were around the farm, whilst a flock of 45 Brent Geese were in the adjacent fields. (IP)

Long Pool: There wasn't too much along the hedges beyond a couple of Stonechats and half a dozen Reed Buntings, though c50 Golden Plovers, c200 Lapwings, c50 Redshanks and lots of Wigeon and Teal were at the far end of Ferry Channel. (AH)

Golden Plovers, Wigeon & Reed Buntings at the Long Pool (AH)

Church Norton: The harbour was very full of water at high tide, with few waders about, though five Snipe were on show, along with two Bar-tailed Godwits, a Turnstone and the usual roosting Dunlin, Grey Plovers, Redshanks and Oystercatchers, with c40 Pintail and c500 Brent Geese also about.

Thee weren't too many land-birds about, beyond a Reed Bunting, a Chiffchaff and a couple of Cetti's Warblers along the Severals and a Great Spotted Woodpecker at Greenlease Farm. (IP)

There were also two Sanderlings and 91 Mediterranean Gulls around the harbour mouth. (P&LH)

Pagham Spit: The Eider was again in the harbour this morning. (BI)

North Wall: By far the most unexpected sight was a Great Northern Diver flying high over the harbour, heading west.

Otherwise, just one Marsh Harrier was seen, along with a couple of Buzzards, whilst at least 500 Brent Geese were in the harbour before they headed off inland, with a handful of Pintail, lots of Wigeon and Teal and a good number of waders - including at least half a dozen Snipe, c40 Golden Plovers, c200 Lapwings, 50 Curlews and c100 Redshanks - roosting on the vegetation at high tide.

Also, a Rock Pipit was along the wall, with three Yellowhammers and at least half a dozen Reed Buntings, Chiffchaffs and Stonechats also seen, whilst three or four Cattle Egrets were in with the cows in the fields behind Owl Copse. (AH et al)

This afternoon four Marsh Harriers were seen - two adult females, an adult male and a second-year male, with two Buzzards, eight Snipe, two Water Rails, a Chiffchaff and 640 Brent Geese also noted. (S&SaH)

Great Northern Diver (above), Rock Pipit, Stonechat, Yellowhammer, Chiffchaff, Cattle Egrets & Brent Geese at the North Wall (AH)

Drayton House Pits: A Great White Egret was around the North pit this morning, with two Little Egrets, during my WeBS count. Duck numbers were very low yet again, but birds of interest included three Egyptian Geese, one or possibly two Kingfishers, a Water Rail and two Snipe. Cormorant is a species which rarely merits a mention, but a count of 30 is the largest number I can recall here and perhaps indicates some good feeding opportunities now. (OM)

Great White Egret and Egyptian Geese at Drayton House North pit (OM)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - Three Marsh Harriers were up together over the reserve this morning, with a Buzzard, a Sparrowhawk and a Kestrel  up, along with 15 Golden Plovers, with a couple of Dunlin and seven Brent Geese on the reserve and three Avocets and two Snipe on the Stilt Pool.

Also, four Dartford Warblers and 13 Stonechats were along the banks, together with two Goldcrests, three Cetti's Warblers, seven Pied Wagtails and c20 Yellowhammers. (S&SaH/PB)

Medmerry: Porthole farm to Ham Farm - There wasn't much at all to report this afternoon, with four Egyptian Geese and a pair of Stonechats about it at Porthole Farm, and another pair of Stonechats and a few Meadow Pipits at Ham Farm, with about 75 Brent Geese on the arable fields in-between. (AH)

Stonechat (above), Egyptian Geese & Brent Geese at Medmerry (AH)

Friday, 10th November: Yet another morning of heavy showers and brief sunny intervals in a fresh and blustery westerly......

Selsey Bill: Another fairly quiet morning, though a juvenile Little Gull was lingering offshore and an adult Little Gull, a Great Northern Diver and 84 Gannets went west. Full log below. (BI/SR/IP/AH)

(0645-0845hrs) (W, F5)

Great Northern Diver - 1W

Great Crested Grebe - 1W

Gannet - 6E, 84W

Shag - 2os

Brent Goose - 2W

Common Scoter - 8W

Red-breasted Merganser - 1E, 3W

Oystercatcher - 2W

Turnstone - 56

Mediterranean Gull - 30os

Kittiwake - 3W

Little Gull - 1W, 1os

Pied Wagtail - 1W

Goldfinch - 20

Little Gull (above), Gannet & Mediterranean Gulls at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were 15 Avocets and a lone Black-tailed Godwit on the pool this morning, along with c20 Wigeon, c60 Shovelers and at least 200 Teal. (AH)

Avocets at the Ferry (AH)

Pagham Spit: An Eider - possibly a first-winter male - was in the harbour this afternoon. (TG/TT)

North Wall: Around high tide this morning there was the usual mix of Wigeon, Teal, Pintail, Shelduck and Brent Geese on the water, 30 Grey Plovers were along the banks and a Marsh Harrier was over the reeds.

In the flooded fields behind the paddock there were 17 Redshank, 15 Golden Plover, 99 Lapwing, 23 Curlew, 24 Shelduck and two Pied Wagtails, with the first three Fieldfares of the autumn, 12 Long-tailed Tits, two Chiffchaffs, a Jay and a Green Woodpecker along the hedgerows. (LP/SP/IH) 

In the harbour there were a minimum of 40 Pintail and a Rock Pipit, a Stonechat and a few Meadow Pipits were around the metalwork. Offshore were c.20 Mediterranean Gulls and 12 Great Crested Grebes were on the new lagoon. Pagham Lagoon remained poor with just a few Tufted Ducks of note. (BI)

Fieldfares (above), Golden Plovers and Lapwing & Shelducks at the North Wall (LP)

Church Norton: The Whimbrel was again in the harbour, and a Snipe flew over, but few waders beyond a flock of roosting Redshanks and a few Grey Plovers were visible at high tide, with otherwise just a dozen Brent Geese, c40 Pintail and a few Wigeon and Teal about, whilst offshore a few Mediterranean and Common Gulls were lingering and two Gannets went west.

A Raven was briefly in the trees near the Mound, and three Green Woodpeckers were together by the first Several, but it was generally quiet, with three or four Stonechats, a couple of calling Cetti's Warblers and a couple of fly-over Skylarks and Meadow Pipits being about it. (AH/BI) 

This evening a Marsh Harrier went into roost at the Severals and a Buzzard, a Chiffchaff, a Stonechat and a Cetti's Warbler were in the area but there was little in the harbour other than six Brent Geese and three Grey Plovers. (SaH/SH)

Whimbrel (above), Stonechat & Gannet at Church Norton (AH)