7th - 9th April 2024

Tuesday, 9th April: After a stormy night, with one of the highest tides on record, a pretty cool and blustery morning of gale-force westerlies blowing through the odd squally shower and the odd glimpse of sunshine........

Selsey Bill: The very unexpected highlight of what was, otherwise, a predictably slow morning was a Leach's Petrel at 0750hrs. It appeared over the houses behind us, quite high in the air, heading out to sea, with its flight initially suggesting a Common Sandpiper, but eventually, some way out it dropped down and began behaving like a petrel as it made its way slowly westwards, with what was presumably the same bird seen again shortly afterwards just west of the Mile Basket. 

Otherwise, a drake Pochard west was unusual, but nothing went east and there were just a few Great Northern Divers and Sandwich Terns about. Full log below. (IP/AH/SR/AW)

(0705-0905hrs) (W, F8-9)

Great Northern Diver - 5os

Great Crested Grebe - 1W

Leach's Petrel - 1W (0750 and again at 0815hrs)

Gannet - 1W

Pochard - 1W

Common Scoter - 1E, 4W

Turnstone - 6

Sandwich Tern - 6os

Swallow - 1E, 1W

Remarkably, what was presumably a different Leach's Petrel went through west close in at 1620hrs on a very quiet afternoon watch. Full log below.(SH/AW)

(1610-1750hrs)

Great Northern Diver - 2os

Leach's Petrel - 1W (1620hrs)

Brent Goose - 1W

Oystercatcher - 3E

Turnstone - 1

Sandwich Tern - 1E, 4os

Pochard (above), Sandwich Tern, Great Northern Diver (AH), Common Scoter, Swallow & the view across to Culver Cliff on the Isle of Wight (AW) at the Bill

Ferry Pool: Everything was tucked in at the back this morning, including 38 Avocets, c50 Black-tailed Godwits, a Greenshank, six Redshanks, a Mediterranean Gull, eight Shelducks, a drake Gadwall  and c30 Teal and Shovelers.

Also, note that the very high tide last night flooded along the path to the hide and Discovery Area, right through to the Visitor Centre and the car-park, with another big tide due today. (AH)

Greenshank, Redshanks, Avocets, Black-tailed Godwits and Shelducks (above), Gadwall, Avocets (AH) & Little Egret and Mute Swans along the flooded path to the hide (AW) at the Ferry (AH)

Fishbourne Creek: A Long-tailed Duck - presumably the wintering bird - was off the Lavant oufall. (PH)

Chichester GPs: A first-winter Little Gull was back on Runcton Lake this morning, and there were 25 Swallows, 15 Sand Martins and three House Martins around the other pits, but nothing else of particular note. (SM)

Little Gull at Chichester GPs (SM)

Church Norton: There was very little to see this morning, with a lone Brent Goose, c20 Shelducks, a dozen or so Curlews and Oystercatchers and a Sandwich Tern and two Common Gulls among a few Black-headed Gulls the only birds in the harbour, and two Jays and two or three Chiffchaffs the only birds in the hedges. (AH)

Brent Goose (above) & Boo stood at the high-tide mark along the path to the harbour at Church Norton (AH)

Chichester Canal: The number of Blackcaps had increased from last week, with at least 11 along the banks and seven Chiffchaffs. There were three new families of Mallard, the first for this year, and eight Coots plus two Mute Swans were sitting tight on their nests. Little Grebes were heard but not seen and five Long-tailed Tits were about, too. (SR).

Mallard family at Chichester Canal (SR)

Monday, 8th April: A morning of hazy sun and cloud, cool early on, but warming up later, with the moderate breeze initially from the south before backing to south-east......

Selsey Bill: It was one of those mornings where conditions looked promising for a good crowd, and indeed started promisingly, with the first two Little Terns of the spring going east, but quickly tailed off, with just a single dark-phase Arctic Skua east of note thereafter. Full log later. (BI/PB/MRB/PM/KT/LP/AH/IP/P&LH/CRJ/SR/AW)

(0600-1000hrs) (SSE, F4-5)

Great Northern Diver - 4os

Red-throated Diver - 7E

Gannet - 1W

Grey Heron - 2W

Brent Goose - 12E

Shelduck - 2W

Shoveler - 2E

Eider - 7E, 2W, 2os

Common Scoter - 63E, 14os

Red-breasted Merganser - 1E, 2W

Sparrowhawk - 1

Oystercatcher - 4E, 3W

Whimbrel - 3E

Turnstone - 4E, 11W

Arctic Skua - 1E

Mediterranean Gull - 8os

Common Gull - 4E

Sandwich Tern - 19E

Common Tern - 5E

Little Tern - 2E

Swallow - 6N

Meadow Pipit - 7N

Linnet - 33E

Chaffinch - 2

(1630-1730hrs) (SH)

Great Northern Diver - 3os

Gannet - 1E., 1W

Brent Goose - 5E

Common Scoter - 6os

Red-breasted Merganser - 2os

Oystercatcher - 6E

Bar-tailed Godwit - 4E

Sandwich Tern - 19E

Eiders at the Bill (AW)

Ferry Pool: The Green Sandpiper was back on the pool today, though there were fewer birds otherwise, including just 22 Avocets, c100 Black-tailed Godwits, four Shelducks, four Gadwall and c30 Teal and Shovelers. (KT/AH)

Black-tailed Godwits and Avocets on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: A Peregrine sitting out on the metalwork in the harbour and a Greenshank tucked in among a few roosting Redshanks were the highlights of a very quiet harbour this morning on the fast rising tide.

A visiting birder reported a Wheatear on the beach, and a Swallow came in off the sea, but otherwise there were just a few Linnets near the gorse, a pair of Blackcaps by the Mound and a scattering of singing Chiffchaffs. (AH/LP/TS et al)

Peregrine (above), Greenshank, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Linnets & Marsh Frogs at Church Norton (AH)

Sunday, 7th April: A quite warm and sunny morning, though with the south-westerly breeze decidedly brisk and blustery.....

Selsey Bill: A very quiet morning, with just a few Swallows coming in, a few Brent Geese, Common Scoters and Sandwich Terns east and two Great Northern Divers offshore. Full log later. (SH/JA/PB/MRB/BI/IP/MO-W/AH/LP/SR)

(0600-0830hrs) (SW, F5-6)

Great Northern Diver - 2os

diver sp - 2E, 1W

Gannet - 1E, 2W

Brent Goose - 17E

Shelduck - 1E, 2W

Tufted Duck - 1E

Common Scoter - 36E, 15W

Bar-tailed Godwit - 15E, 5W

Turnstone - 7

Mediterranean Gull - 4E, 2W

Common Gull - 9E

Sandwich Tern - 33E, 3os

Swallow - 10N

Meadow Pipit - 2N

Ferry Pool: There was a bit of a selection on the pool at high tide this morning, including the Spotted Redshank, a Greenshank, c30 Redshanks, 28 Avocets, c100 Black-tailed Godwits, a drake Gadwall and c25 Shovelers and Teal, whilst five Cattle Egrets were in the fields to the back and ten Swallows went over. (PB/MRB/AH et al)

Spotted Redshank and Teal (above), Greenshank, Black-tailed Godwits and Redshanks, Avocet, Cattle Egrets & Gadwall at the Ferry (AH)

East side: The Whitethroat was again in the hedges by the old golf course. (NB)

North Wall: A Reed Warbler was at Halsey's Farm this evening. (RHk)

Long Pool: A sedge Warbler was singing along the pool this afternoon. (AB)

Park Farm, Selsey: There were three Swallows, a Chiffchaff and two Pied Wagtails about this afternoon. (S&SaH)

Church Norton: A Whitethroat popped up briefly behind the hide, with a Willow Warbler and a Blackcap there, but a scattering of singing Chiffchaffs were the only other migrants seen, though a Skylark and c20 Linnets were along the beach.

The harbour was predictably quiet on the fast rising tide, though a Peregrine was briefly sat out on Tern Island and a Whimbrel and a few Ringed Plovers and Dunlin were about, along with a dozen Sandwich Terns, whilst a noisy flock of c30 Mediterranean Gulls came and went again a couple of times. 

There were also a Speckled Wood and several Peacocks along the sheltered hedges.(AH/PB/MRB/BI et al)

This afternoon two Chiffchaffs and a Cetti's Warbler were around the Severals, with a Sparrowhawk nest building nearby and a Kestrel over, whilst three Jays, four Sparrowhawks and another Sparrowhawk were around Greenlease Farm. (S&SaH)

Willow Warbler (above), Chiffchaff, Linnet, Mediterranean Gulls and Speckled Wood at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry: Medmerry Trail to Ham -  There were two Marsh Harriers (female and immature male) and lots of Skylarks and Linnets at Ham this morning, with five Bent Geese flying over, whilst two singing Sedge Warblers were along the trail, together with three Blackcaps, a Willow Warbler, several Chiffchaffs, a female Stonechat and two Yellowhammers, with eight Swallows, three Buzzards and a Kestrel going over. (IP)

Medmerry: Easton lane to the Stilt Pool -  The banks were predictably quiet in the wind, but a Dartford Warbler, two Chiffchaffs, four Cetti's Warblers and four Yellowhammers were found, with two Swallows, a Buzzard and three Kestrels over.

The Stilt Pool just held three avocets, a Sandwich Tern and 15 Mediterranean Gulls. (SH)

Hunston Church to Fisher: Not much was about in the high winds, with a Swallow, two Yellowhammers, three Skylarks, a Blackcap, ten Chiffchaffs, eight Linnets, c30 Goldfinches, two Jays, a Green Woodpecker, two Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 25 Mediterranean Gulls, two Buzzards, two Shelducks and three Mallards making up the list. (SR)

Chichester GPs: A Common Sandpiper was on Copse Lake today (AB), whilst two Common Terns were on Runcton Lake (AW)

Common Tern at Chichester GPs (AW)