4th - 6th November 2023

Monday, 6th November: Another pleasantly warm morning of sun and white cloud in a moderate westerly breeze......

Selsey Bill: It was generally quite quiet, though a Leach's Petrel appeared to go east midway out, but at one point four or five large gulls went after it - though it seemed agile enough to avoid them - and we lost it from view.

Also, a Little Gull was lingering offshore, 77 Brent Geese went west and a Swallow went east. Full log below. (KT/SR/IP/AH)

(0650-0900hrs) (WNW, F4)

Great Northern Diver - 1W

Great Crested Grebe - 1os

Leach's Petrel - 1E (0730hrs)

Gannet - 4W, 1os

Brent Goose - 77W

Common Scoter - 6W, 1os

Red-breasted Merganser - 1W

Turnstone - 43

Mediterranean Gull - 4os

Common Gull - 1W

Little Gull - 1os

Sandwich Tern - 1W

Swallow - 1E

Pied Wagtail - 1N

Little Gull (above) & Brent Geese at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There wasn't much change on the pool this morning, with just a dozen Canada Geese and c50 Teal and Shovelers spread around the banks. (AH)

Shovelers and Teal at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: There wasn't too much out of the ordinary this morning, though a Little Gull was in the harbour, along with at least 200 Mediterranean Gulls, plus the usual Grey Plovers and Dunlin, half a dozen Brent Geese and a few Wigeon and Teal.

The hedges around the churchyard and hide were very quiet beyond a couple of Goldcrests, but at least half a dozen Chiffchaffs and Stonechats were along the Severals, together with a couple of Meadow Pipits and Reed Buntings, whilst a Kingfisher was around the horse field before flying towards the concrete blocks and at least two Sparrowhawks, a Buzzard and a Kestrel were over the Priory. (AH/RBe/JMo et al)

This afternoon, a Marsh Harrier was over the harbour. (A Egan)

Chiffchaffs (above), Stonechat, Meadow Pipit, Sparrowhawk, Mediterranean Gull & Grey Plover at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry: Breach area - A Wheatear was at Toe End, at the west end of the caravan park this afternoon. (TG-P),

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pools - At least ten Dartford Warblers were seen in the gorse bushes, along with good numbers of Yellowhammers, Stonechats, Meadow Pipits and Skylarks.

A Short-eared Owl was flushed from the edge of the path and two Marsh Harriers were hunting over the reserve, whilst at least 100 Stock Doves flew west in three flocks, but other than displaying Teal there was little of note on the pools. (AW)

Dartford Warbler (above), Marsh Harrier, Teal & Stock Doves at Medmerry (AW)

Sunday, 5th November: A fairly unremarkable morning's weather, with a brisk westerly breeze pushing through lots of white cloud, with some warm, sunny intervals between......

Selsey Bill: It was fairly quiet this morning, though there were still a few Little Gulls and a Merlin about, with a big movement of over 4500 Wood Pigeons, plus 65 Stock Doves among them, the most conspicuous activity. Full log below. (SH/BI/MRB/SR/IP/AH/CRJ/RJS/AHu/MO-W/DB/MB/RAI)

(0645-1000hrs) (W, F5-6)

Great Northern Diver - 2W

Red-throated Diver - 1W

Great Crested Grebe - 1os

Gannet - 5E

Shag - 2E, 2os

Brent Goose - 40W

Eider - 1W

Common Scoter - 3E, 3W

Red-breasted Merganser - 2E

Sparrowhawk - 1

Merlin - 1

Kestrel - 1

Oystercatcher - 1W

Redshank - 2W

Turnstone - 65

Mediterranean Gull - 4W, 1os

Common Gull - 2W

Kittiwake - 7E, 12W

Little Gull - 1E, 1W, 3os

Sandwich Tern - 1W

Wood Pigeon - 4601W

Stock Dove - 65W

Pied Wagtail - 2N

Meadow Pipit - 21N

Goldfinch - 30N

Siskin - 1N

The first Red-necked Grebe of the autumn went east this afternoon, and there were also three Great Northern Divers sat on the sea together. Full log below. (SH)

(1330-1430hrs)

Great Northern Diver - 3os 

Red-necked Grebe - 1E

Great Crested Grebe - 5E, 1os

Gannet - 4W

Brent Goose - 2W

Sanderling - 2W

Turnstone - 18

Mediterranean Gull - 1W

Common Gull - 2W

Little Gull - 1W

Pied Wagtail - 3

Little Gull (above), Common Gull, Wood Pigeons and Stock Doves (AH), Shag, Turnstones & a good turn-out (CRJ) at the Bill

Ferry Pool: This morning, on a very flooded pool, there were a Grey Heron, a Little Egret, a Little Grebe, 18 Canada Geese, 46 Shovelers and 97 Teal, with a Stonechat in the field (CRJ/AH)

Little Grebe (above) & Teal at the Ferry (AH)

Pagham Spit: A female Black Redstart was on metal railings along the beach, heading towards the spit.

Also a Short-eared Owl was in the harbour until it was seen off by a Peregrine that was, otherwise, mostly sitting out on the island. (TT)

Also, four Tufted Ducks and two Little Grebes were on the Lagoon and five Long-tailed Tits were along the Spit.

A total of 200 Brent Geese were spread between the spit and the harbour, where there were also 120 Wigeon, and six Pintail, plus two Lesser Black-backed Gulls and some Common Gulls on the mud, but waders were in short supply, with just a few Turnstones, Grey Plovers and Redshanks about, together with a single Bar-tailed Godwit. (LP)

Tufted Ducks on Pagham Lagoon (above) & Brent Geese and Wigeon from Pagham Spit (LP)

North Wall: A Kingfisher was by the sluice and a Jay was around the stables, two Stonechats were in the bushes and three Marsh Harriers, two Buzzards and two Kestrels were also about, whilst the flooded Honer fields held just three Shovelers, and in the fields further back there were 200 Lapwings.

In the hedgerows there were four Reed Buntings and two Yellowhammers, and at Halsey’s Farm, 200 Canada Geese were by the rife and two Cattle Egrets were with the cows. (LP/JDW)

Later, a Red-breasted Merganser was fishing in White's Creek. (TT)

Marsh Harrier at the North Wall (LP)

Late this afternoon, a Short-eared Owl was hunting over reeds, and two female-type Marsh Harriers, a Sparrowhawk, three Buzzards and a Kestrel were also about.

Also, three Spotted Redshanks, a Snipe and c40 Brent Geese were in the harbour, 20 Cattle Egrets were in the fields at the back, and a Kingfisher, three Stonechats, two Goldcrests, four Cetti's Warblers,, three Reed Buntings and a Pied Wagtail were along the wall. (S&SaH/AH)

Spotted Redshanks and Wigeon at the North Wall (AH)

Church Norton: A probable Arctic Tern was feeding at the far end of the main channel this morning, whilst a Peregrine, three Ravens and c20 Siskins went over and a Kingfisher was by the horse field, but the bushes were quiet beyond a calling Firecrest in the churchyard.

A flock of 13 Avocets, a Greenshank, a Whimbrel and c50 Knot were the best of the waders present in the harbour, with lots of Dunlin and Grey Plovers, plus at least 30 Mediterranean Gulls, about, too. (RAI/AH/IP/P&JW/GM/RJS et al)

probable Arctic Tern (above), Grey Plovers & Dunlin at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - There were possibly two different Merlins around the reserve this morning, along with a female Marsh Harrier and four Kestrels, whilst an Avocet was on the Stilt Pool.

The banks were quiet in the wind, but there were still two Dartford Warblers, five Stonechats, three Cetti's Warblers and three Yellowhammers about. (S&SaH)

Saturday, 4th November: Another morning of wild weather, with a near gale-force south-easterly early on bringing heavy rain with it, before it shifted south-west, leaving a morning of brief sunny spells and some very heavy downpours......

Editorial: As it says below, it was another remarkable morning's sea-watch, in what has without doubt been a quite amazing autumn period for seabirds at Selsey Bill. There have been unprecedented Bill and even county totals for some species, such as Balearic, Sooty and Cory's Shearwaters and of course the recent movement of Leach's Petrels following Storm Ciaran. Our little patch has really made its mark on the national scene these last couple of weeks. But this doesn't all just happen without observers to note it all by recording these events....

When this ageing old duffer set up the blog in 2013 I had hoped it would both encourage existing Peninsula observers and attract new interest from visitors. I can truly say I feel these objectives have largely been achieved. I really must pay tribute to the 'regulars' who now visit the Bill daily and have contributed to the increasing number of records which form part of the county archive, whilst I have personally eased back a little. Those that compile the official Bill log, the statistics and assist with the Blog daily output (they know who they are) deserve my special thanks - but more than that they deserve the thanks of all who now visit and refer to the Blog for their free, daily, current and updated information.

There is one person however to whom our gratitude merits a name-drop....it is our very own Andy House (AH). He now deals with the majority of the processing and output of daily reports, whilst somehow fitting in daily life and an (alleged) job. He is ever-enthusiastic about the blog, providing many of the photos (and even one of a Cory's!) whilst putting in many hours in the field each day...I don't quite know how he does it. Add to that his admin duties for the Sussex Ornithological Society and it would cause most folks to burn out. I hope this doesn't sound too self-indulgent, but it's true to say that without AH the blog would not be what it is today, so please make allowances and do treat him kindly as a replacement would be mighty hard to find! (OM)

Selsey Bill: It was another remarkable morning's sea-watching, with three Leach's Petrels east, a close Storm Petrel, a Cory's Shearwater, two Manx Shearwaters, a Pomarine Skua and a few Little Gulls west and fantastic views of a Merlin taking a Meadow Pipit on the beach. Full log below. (SH/BI/SR/IP/AH/JDa/HW/ESt/AB/AW et al) 

(0645-1130am) (SSE, F6-7, veering SW, F5)

Great Northern Diver - 2W

Great Crested Grebe - 2W, 1os

Cory's Shearwater - 1W (0955hrs)

Manx Shearwater - 2W

Leach's Petrel - 3E (0807, 0928 & 0930hrs)

Storm Petrel - 1W (0910hrs)

Gannet - 8E, 6W

Shag - 1os

Wigeon - 93E, 4W

Pintail - 5W

Common Scoter - 7E, 6W

Red-breasted Merganser - 1E, 1W

Merlin - 1

Sanderling - 15W

Turnstone - 1W

Pomarine Skua - 1W (1102hrs)

Mediterranean Gull - 1E, 2W

Common Gull - 7W

Kittiwake - 1E, 1W

Little Gull - 1E, 10W

auk sp - 1W

Wheatear - 1

Meadow Pipit - 2

Merlin and Meadow Pipit (AH) (above), Leach's Petrel (ESt),  Pomarine Skua, Little Gull (AW), Great Northern Diver, Kittiwake & Common Scoters (AH) at the Bill

The excitement proved not to be done just yet, with the discovery this afternoon,of a Grey Phalarope, lingering close offshore, just to the east of the Bill, and at one point flying in and landing in a puddle on the path between the watchers! 

There were also another Leach's Petrel east (at 1245hrs) and several more Little Gulls, too. Full log below. (AW/AB/SH/SaH/AH/RHa/SR/IP/BI et al)

(1130- 1600hrs)

Great Northern Diver - 2os

Leach's Petrel - 1W (1245hrs)

Gannet - 3W

Shag - 2E, 1os

Wigeon - 28W

Red-breasted Merganser - 1W

Grey Phalarope - 1os

Turnstone - 2E

Mediterranean Gull - 6W

Common Gull - 3W

Lesser Black-backed gull - 1os

Kittiwake - 2W, 1os

Little Gull - 2W, 2os

Sandwich Tern - 3os

Rock Pipit - 1W

Grey Phalarope (top two AW, next wo SH, next one SR, last two AH) (above), Grey Phalarope and Black-headed Gull (AH), & Little Gulls (AW top, AH lower) at the Bill

Ferry Pool: A Greenshank flew in to the back of the pool, but otherwise there were just c150 Lapwings, c30 Teal and c40 Shovelers spread around the edges. (AH)

Greenshank at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: A quick look between showers didn't produce much - just two or three Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests in the hedges, and very few waders in the harbour beyond a couple of Bar-tailed Godwits, c20 Grey Plovers and c50 Dunlin and Redshanks, plus a few Mediterranean Gulls among the roost. (AH)

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