Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 29th

Friday, 31st May: Another cool morning in the very fresh northerly breeze, though with a bit more sunshine than yesterday..........

Selsey Bill: A fairly distant flock of eight Manx Shearwaters and a Great Northern Diver went east this morning, and 33 Swifts came in off the sea from far offshore. Full log below. (BI/AH/SR/IP/OM/RJS/MG)

(0600-1100hrs) (N, F5-6)

Great Northern Diver - 1E

Manx Shearwater - 8E

Gannet - 14E, 17W, 4os

Common Scoter - 13E, 20W, 18os

Oystercatcher - 1W

Curlew - 2W

Arctic Skua - 1W

Mediterranean Gull - 3E, 4W

Kittiwake - 3E, 10W

Sandwich Tern - 5E, 8W, 4os

Common Tern - 2W

Little Tern - 1W

Swift - 37N

Swallow - 2N

House Martin - 9

Common Scoters (above), Sandwich Terns & Swift at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There was no sign of the Red-necked Phalarope this morning, though most of the rest of yesterday's birds were present, including a Dunlin, a Black-tailed Godwit, six Redshanks, eight Avocets, a drake Teal, a drake Shoveler, a drake Gadwall and 32 Shelducks. (AH/BI/OM et al)

Gadwall and Shelducks at the Ferry (AH)

Pagham Spit: This afternoon there were eight Little Terns on New Island, and at least 50 Swifts were over the spit. (LP)

Church Norton: A fairly quick look in the harbour this morning produced 12 Bar-tailed Godwits, two Whimbrel, a summer-plumaged Grey Plover, a Curlew and c30 Dunlin and Ringed Plovers, but the bushes just held a singing Blackcap and two Chiffchaffs. (AH)

Grey Plover (above), Bar-tailed Godwits, Whimbrel & Ringed Plovers at Church Norton at Church Norton (AH)

Runcton: Around the area this morning, a pair of Mute Swans at nest, an Egyptian Goose, two pairs of Shelduck with a total 24 ducklings, 20 Mallards, a pair of Gadwall, a pair of Tufted Ducks, a pair of Little Grebes, a male Marsh Harrier, two Buzzards, 17 Coots, a nesting pair of Black-headed Gulls, c100 Swifts, 20 Swallows, 15 House Martins, three Blackcaps, two Whitethroats, and two pairs of Reed Bunting. (CRJ)

Selsey: A Cuckoo was heard from our garden, to the north of the village, this afternoon. (S&SaH)

West Wittering: Two Red Kites, a Buzzard and c20 Swifts went over Ella Nore today. (SH)

Medmerry: Porthole Farm – There were c75 Swifts over the fields and settling tanks this evening, along with similar of House Martins, but only, perhaps, 30 Swallows. Just a few years ago similar numbers of the first two species would normally be dwarfed by many hundreds of the latter. (AH)

Swifts (above), Swallow & House Martins at Medmerry (AH)

Thursday, 30th May: A distinctly cool and very grey morning, with a few heavy showers, too, in a fairly fresh north-westerly breeze.......

Selsey Bill: It was quiet again in a fairly short watch this morning. Full log below. (AH/IP/SR)

(0740-0840hrs) (NW, F4-5)

Gannet - 1E, 6W

Common Scoter - 5E, 16W

Mediterranean Gull - 1E

Kittiwake - 5W

Sandwich Tern - 4W

Common Tern - 2W

Swift - 6

House Martin - 8

Kittiwake (above), Sandwich Tern & House Martins at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: A Red-necked Phalarope – the first one on the Peninsula since exactly this date in 2015 – was showing well all morning at the back of the pool, holding its own against a variety of species that dwarfed it.
Otherwise, there was a bit of variety, including the first Grey Wagtail seen in many weeks, a Little Ringed Plover, a Dunlin, a Black-tailed Godwit, six Redshanks, four Lapwings, eight Avocets, a drake Teal, a drake Shoveler and a good count of 48 Shelducks, whilst half a dozen Swallows and c20 Swifts were feeding overhead. (AH/SH/IP/SR/BI/PB/AB et al)

The Red-necked Phalarope remained on the pool all day and was still present at 1830hrs. (AW/IP/GD et al)

Red-necked Phalarope (above), Red-necked Phalarope and Redshank, Red-necked Phalarope, Avocet and Shelducks, Little Ringed Plover & Grey Wagtail at the Ferry (AH)

further images of the Red-necked Phalarope (D Carlsson)

Long Pool: There wasn't much to report along the pool this morning, with just a handful of Reed Warblers and a couple of Sedge Warblers singing along its length, with a couple of Reed Buntings and up to ten Linnets along the hedges and three or four Lapwings over the fields. (AH/AB)

Reed Bunting (above) & Lapwing along the Long Pool (AH)

Church Norton: Late this afternoon, there were up to ten Little Terns around the harbour mouth at high tide, along with a couple of Sandwich Terns, whilst waders included five Whimbrel, nine Bar-tailed Godwits and a flock of c30 Dunlin and c20 Ringed Plovers. (AH)

Earlier on, there were also a male Red-breasted Merganser offshore and a Turnstone in the harbour. (ARK)

Little Tern (above), Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel & Bar-tailed Godwits and Whimbrel at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool – There were 13 Avocet chicks on the Stilt Pool this evening, along with 25 adults, four Little Ringed Plovers, five Ringed Plovers and four Sanderlings, whilst a Buzzard, two Egyptian Geese and 18 Swifts went over the reserve.
Also, the banks held the usual mix of Reed, Sedge and Cetti’s Warblers, Reed Buntings, Yellowhammers and Whitethroats, pus a Lesser Whitethroat. (S&SaH)

Wednesday, 29th May: After more overnight rain and a grey start, eventually a warm and sunny morning in a moderate westerly breeze.......

Selsey Bill: It was predictably slow this morning, with just a few of the regulars species seen. Full log below. (AH/SR/PD/IP/P&LH)

(0630-0900hrs) (WSW, F4-5)

Fulmar - 1W

Gannet - 1E, 15W

Oystercatcher - 1E, 5W

Turnstone - 1W

Mediterranean Gull - 3W

Kittiwake - 4W

Sandwich Tern - 6E, 19W

Common Tern - 2W

Swallow - 2

House Martin - 10

(1640-1740hrs) (SH)

Gannet - 2W

Arctic Skua - 2os, then E

Mediterranean Gull - 15os

Kittiwake - 4os

Sandwich Tern - 28os

Guillemot - 1W

Common Tern (above), Fulmar, Gannet & Turnstone at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were 48 Shelducks on the pool this morning, along with a drake Teal, a drake Shoveler, eight Mallards, eight Redshanks, four Avocets, a Lapwing and two Dunlin, whilst later on, c20 Swifts were feeding over the pool. (AH)

Swift (above), Dunlin & Teal, Avocets and Shelducks on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: There were 14 Bar-tailed Godwits and five Whimbrel in the harbour this morning, along with just a couple of Curlews, Dunlin and Ringed Plovers, whilst two Little Terns and five Sandwich Terns were about, including a pair of the latter seen displaying and mating.

The Cuckoo was again active around the Severals, whilst a female flew along the hedges past the hide and off down the west side, but otherwise there wasn't much beyond a Chiffchaff singing by the Mound, a Whitethroat, a Reed Warbler and a few Linnets along the Severals and a Green Woodpecker that flew across the harbour (AH)

Cuckoo (above), Linnet, Green Woodpecker, Sandwich Terns & Bar-tailed Godwits at Church Norton (AH)

North Wall: A Cuckoo was calling at the back of Owl Copse this morning, and a Collared Dove was in the trees along with the usual mix of Grey Herons, Little Egrets and Cattle Egrets, whilst a few Reed Warblers, Sedge Warblers, Cetti’s Warblers and Reed Buntings were along the bushes and three Swifts and four Swallows were overhead.
Also, the Mute Swan family was along White’s Creek with seven cygnets, eight Tufted Ducks and a Great Crested Grebe were on the Breech Pool, and both male and female Marsh Harriers were up over the reeds. (LP/GHi/CT)