Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 16th

Saturday, 18th November: It was back to wet and windy this morning, with a fresh and blustery south-westerly blowing through bank after bank of drizzly rain under leaded skies.......

Selsey Bill: The first two returning Slavonian Grebes of the autumn flew in from the east and dropped on the sea, whilst a close Black-throated Diver and three Red-throated Divers went west. Full log below. (SH/BI/SR/AH)

(0700-0915hrs) (SW, F5-6)

Black-throated Diver - 1W

Red-throated Diver - 3W, 1os

Slavonian Grebe - 2os

Great Crested Grebe - 1E, 3W, 1os

Gannet - 1E, 28W

Brent Goose - 6W

Wigeon - 6W

Common Scoter - 9E, 21W

Red-breasted Merganser - 3E, 5W

Oystercatcher - 1W

Dunlin - 4W

Turnstone - 18

Mediterranean Gull - 4W, 2os

Kittiwake - 3W

Black-throated Diver (above), Common Scoters & Brent Geese at the Bill (AH)

The Purple Sandpiper popped up again on the beach this afternoon, and nine Little Gulls went west. Full log below. (SH)

(1230-1345hrs)

Red-throated Diver - 1W

Gannet - 2E, 3W

Shelduck - 13W

Wigeon - 5W

Red-breasted Merganser - 1E

Kestrel - 1

Purple Sandpiper - 1

Turnstone - 6

Little Gull - 9W

Mediterranean Gull - 1E

Kittiwake - 1W

Sandwich Tern - 1W

Purple Sandpiper at the Bill (SH)

Ferry Pool: There were 24 Avocets at the back of the pool this morning, along with a handful of Redshanks, with two Little Grebes, two Shelducks, c60 Shovelers and c150 Teal also present, whilst three Little Egrets, c30 Wigeon and Mallard and just a handful of Lapwings were on the flooded fields. (AH)

Avocets at the Ferry (AH)

Pagham Spit: A Sandwich Tern was feeding in the harbour mouth early this afternoon. (JDW)

North Wall: The Short-eared Owl was seen out over the harbour with a Marsh Harrier this afternoon, but otherwise it was just the usual wildfowl and waders. (S&SaH)

Church Norton: The first-winter Eider was in the channel near Tern Island this morning, with a few Brent Geese, Teal and Wigeon about, too, whilst waders included the Whimbrel, two Bar-tailed Godwits, c50 Grey Plovers and c500 Dunlin.

Also, a Marsh Harrier went over and a Raven was in the field behind the churchyard, but a few Goldcrests were about it in the hedges. (AH)

Eider (above), Marsh Harrier, Raven, Brent Geese, Grey Plover & Dunlin at Church Norton (AH)

Friday, 17th November: A complete contrast this morning, with bright sunshine in a moderate westerly breeze.......

Selsey Bill: A Merlin was the best bird this morning, shooting between the houses before settling briefly on a roof, whilst there were also four Swallows still about and a bit of activity was going on offshore, including 116 Brent Geese, 24 Pintail and 28 Wigeon going west. full log below. (BI/SR/IP/AH)

(0700-0900hrs) (W, F4-5)

Great Crested Grebe - 1os

Gannet - 1E, 1W

Brent Goose - 5E, 116W

Shelduck - 7W

Wigeon - 24W

Pintail - 28W

Eider - 1E

Common Scoter - 20W

Red-breasted Merganser - 7W

Merlin - 1

Oystercatcher - 2W

Grey Plover - 1W

Sanderling - 30W, 1 present

Turnstone - 35

Mediterranean Gull - 1os

Sandwich Tern - 6os

Swallow - 4

Meadow Pipit - 7N

Pied Wagtail - 3W

Goldfinch - 15N

Merlin (above), Sanderling and Turnstones & BI checking the beach at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: The two Spotted Redshanks were once again on the pool this morning, though there were no Avocets, with otherwise a group of seven Little Grebes together, a Shelduck, c40 Shovelers and c100 Teal on the pool and c150 Lapwings on the fields. (AH)

Little Grebes (above) & Lapwings at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: A Dartford Warbler was showing well along the front this morning, with four Stonechats, a couple of Meadow Pipits and Reed Buntings and at least three Goldcrests also in the vicinity, though the hedges were generally quiet. Also, two Ravens went over the churchyard, with a Mistle Thrush there and another in Rectory Lane.

There were at least 100 Knot in the harbour, along with the Whimbrel, a couple of Bar-tailed Godwits, 50+ Grey Plovers and at least 800 Dunlin, but otherwise just a dozen Brent Geese and very few wildfowl. (AH/AW et al)

Dartford Warbler (above), Mistle Thrush, Whimbrel & Knot at Church Norton (AH)

West Itchenor: What was presumably the same Great Northern Diver, seen looking a bit sorry for itself a few days ago, was present again this morning, looking much healthier as it fished for crabs off of the ferry jetty. (PH)

Pagham Spit: Along the spit this morning were three Goldcrests and a Rock Pipit whilst in the harbour the Eider and two Red-breasted Mergansers were the pick of the many wildfowl. (BI)

North Wall: Two Goldcrests were down the lane this morning and another was along the path by the stables, where there were also 12 Long-tailed Tits, two Chiffchaffs, four Reed Buntings, three Meadow Pipits, two Skylarks, three Song Thrushes, a Grey Wagtail, two Pied Wagtails and a Jay.

Along White’s Creek there were just a few Redshank, Wigeon and Teal, but further out on the mud there were 100 Curlews and 250 Golden Plover. Two Rock Pipits were along the wall, two Marsh Harriers were behind the Breech Pool, two Snipe flew over, and at Halsey’s Farm there was a small mixed flock of Yellowhammers, Linnets and Reed Buntings.

Brent Geese numbers have increased significantly, with a steady stream heading back and forth from the harbour towards the area around Marsh Farm, with at least 1500 seen throughout the morning. (LP/SP/IH/TRH)

Rock Pipit (above), Pied Wagtail & Brent Geese at the North Wall (LP)

This afternoon the Short-eared Owl was showing well, working its way from the Breech Pool to Owl Point, and there were also two Marsh Harriers about, with lots of wildfowl in the harbour, and at least 1000 Brent Geese came up from the vicinity of Marsh Farm. (AH et al)

Short-eared Owl (above), Marsh Harriers & Wigeon at the North Wall (AH)

Thursday, 16th November: Even by recent standards, a truly miserable morning of more or less continuous heavy rain being driven through on a cold and strong north-easterly wind.......

Selsey Bill: A Long-tailed Duck - the first of the autumn - going west was the highlight of a very slow morning. Full log below. (AH/SR)

(0735-0850hrs) (ENE, F5-6)

Gannet - 4E

Brent Goose - 6W

Shelduck - 1W

Long-tailed Duck - 1W

Turnstone - 4

Mediterranean Gull - 5os

Sandwich Tern - 2E

Pied Wagtail - 1E

Sandwich Tern (above), Gannet & Mediterranean Gull at the Bill (AH)

This afternoon there were two Swallows feeding around the Bill area. (AW)

Swallow at the Bill (AW)

Ferry Pool: The two Spotted Redshanks were still present this morning, along with four Black-tailed Godwits, 25 Avocets, three Little Grebes, three Shelducks, c50 Shovelers, c50 Wigeon, c40 Mallards and c200 Teal, whilst a Marsh Harrier flew over, heading west. (AH)

Spotted Redshanks and Wigeon (above), Avocet, Marsh Harrier & Little Grebes at the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: The Short-eared Owl was out, hunting around the paddocks this evening, with a Merlin, a Peregrine, a Sparrowhawk, a Buzzard and four Marsh Harriers enjoying the improvement in the weather, with all four harriers up together and at least four going in to roost.

There were also three Water Rails around the Breech Pool, a Rock Pipit and two Cetti's warblers along the wall, seven Cattle Egrets in the fields and 500 Brent Geese in the harbour. (S&SaH)

Church Norton: The Whimbrel was about again today, but a few Curlews, Redshanks, Grey Plovers and 100 or so Dunlin were the only waders about, and there were no wildfowl at all, in the wind-blown harbour.

Also, there were three or four Goldcrests and a Chiffchaff in a sheltered bit of the churchyard and a Green Woodpecker along Rectory Lane. (AH)