Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 19th

Friday, 21st June: A very warm and sunny morning in just a light breeze, initially from the north-west before backing to the south-west. .....

Selsey Bill: Beyond a lot of Mediterranean Gulls offshore it was quiet, with a Grey Wagtail and a Great Spotted Woodpecker the meagre highlights from the land. Full log below. (BI/MRe/AH/MO-W/IP)

(0620-0800hrs) (NNW, F2)

Fulmar - 1W

Gannet - 2W, 4os

Common Scoter - 31W

Mediterranean Gull - 40W, c150os

Sandwich Tern - 2E, 10os

Common Tern - 1W

auk sp - 4E

Swift - 10

Great Spotted Woodpecker - 1

House Martin - 8

Grey Wagtail - 1W

Pied Wagtail - 1W, 2 present

Also, at 0825hrs, the summering female Eider was off Hillfield Road car-park. (ML)

(1510-1700hrs) (MRe)

Gannet - 2E, 1W

Common Scoter - !0E

Mediterranean Gull - 111W

Kittiwake - 2W

Sandwich Tern - 26E

Common Tern - 1E, 2os

Guillemot - 1W

Sandwich Tern (above), Swift & House Martin at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were two summer-plumaged Spotted Redshanks on the pool this morning, along with the two adult and two juvenile Little Ringed Plovers, 14 Avocets, 2 Redshanks, four Lapwings and a dozen Shelducks, plus the 11 ducklings. (AH/MO-W/MRe/NM/IP et al)

Spotted Redshanks (above), Little Ringed Plover & Avocets on the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: Three Great White Egrets were reported from the North Wall this afternoon. (per AT)

Donnington: A Red Kite went low over the B2201 late this afternoon. (IP)

Medmerry: Ham Farm - There were just two Corn Buntings around the big field this morning, though a third bird was unexpectedly sitting out right by the Ham Viewpoint.

Otherwise, there were plenty of Skylarks about, a displaying Meadow Pipit, c30 Linnets, a handful of Whitethroats, a couple of Reed Warblers, a Chiffchaff and a Buzzard and a Kestrel, whilst half a dozen Swallows, including several juveniles, were along Ham Road.

There were also half a dozen Cattle Egrets among the cows, with a pair of Brown Hares in the fields by the beach, along with good numbers of Meadow Browns.(AH)

Corn Buntings (above), Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Linnet, Swallow & Brown Hare at Medmerry (AH)

Thursday, 20th June: A very pleasant summer's morning for the longest day, with lots of sun in a light to moderate north-easterly breeze .....

Selsey Bill: A very slow morning, though lots of Mediterranean Gulls were offshore again. Full log below. (SR/AH/MO-W)

(0700-0830hrs) (NNE, F2-3)

Great Crested Grebe - 1E

Gannet - 3W

Common Scoter - 6E, 15os

Mediterranean Gull - 1E, 107W, c100os

Sandwich Tern - 15E, 4W, 6os

Common Tern - 1W

Swift - 2

House Martin - 6

(1630-1830hrs) (MRe)

Gannet - 2E, 1W

Mediterranean Gull - c200os

Sandwich Tern - 2E, 13W, 42os

Common Tern - 5os

Little Tern - 7W

Mediterranean Gulls at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: The first returning Spotted Redshank - a splendid summer-plumaged bird - was on the pool early this morning, along with two juvenile and two adult Little Ringed Plovers, 14 Avocets, c20 Redshanks and 20 Shelducks, including the family group. (MO-W/AH)

Spotted Redshank (above), Little Ringed Plover, Little Ringed Plover and Redshank & Shelduck family at the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool and West side: A look along the Long Pool and west side produced a couple of Yellowhammers, four Reed Buntings, two Lesser Whitethroats, four Whitethroat, two Chiffchaffs and two Reed Warblers, plus a few Linnets.

Also, Ferry Channel and the harbour held a Greenshank, 21 Grey Plovers, four Ringed Plovers, 29 Lapwings, five Whimbrel, eight Curlews and an Oystercatcher with a chick. (MRe)

East side:There must have been about 50 Shelducks, two Great Crested Grebes and a family of Mute Swans in the harbour, with waders including two Black-tailed Godwits, one or two Whimbrels and say eight Curlews, a Greenshank, 54 Redshank c20 Lapwings and a few Oystercatchers, along with 42 Grey Plovers, including one in full, brilliant breeding plumage and another partially so, and with them were five Dunlin.

There were also an adult Mediterranean Gull, a few Black-headed Gulls, two Herring Gulls, an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull and six Sandwich Terns present. (ARK per SOS)

Medmerry: Windmill to the Breach - It was very quiet this morning, with a Whitethroat the only bird of note at the windmill end, and a couple of Meadow Pipits and half a dozen Linnets and two Pied Wagtails at the breach end.

Around 100 Mediterranean Gulls and half a dozen Sandwich Terns were among a large roost near the breach, but a Ringed Plover and a couple of Curlews and Oystercatchers were the only waders about. (AH)

Whitethroat (above), Meadow Pipit, Linnet, Ringed Plover & Sandwich Terns at Medmerry (AH)

Wednesday, 19th June: After a cool start, quite a warm day, but always with a brisk north-easterly wind blowing.....

Selsey Bill: A Manx Shearwater, an Arctic Skua and three Little Terns all went west this morning. Full log below. (MRe/SH/SR)

(0530-0815hrs) (NE, F5-6)

Manx Shearwater - 1W

Fulmar - 1W

Gannet - 7E, 24W

Teal - 4W

Common Scoter - 4E, 2W, 18os

Oystercatcher - 1E, 2 present

Arctic Skua - 1W

Mediterranean Gull - c200os

Lesser Black-backed Gull - 7os

Sandwich Tern - 11E, 2W, 4os

Little Tern - 3E

Swift - 3W

Pied Wagtail - 1E

Ferry Pool: There were two fully-fledged juvenile Little Ringed Plovers on the pool with two adults this morning, and there were also two Black-tailed Godwits, 32 Redshanks, eight Avocets and 33 Shelducks, including 11 ducklings. (AH)

Later on, the first two returning Sand Martins of the year went over. (S&SaH)

Little Ringed Plovers (above), Black-tailed Godwits & Shelducklings at the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool: There wasn't much about in the wind, but a couple of Lesser Whitethroats, Whitethroats, Reed and Sedge Warblers were heard, with a couple of Reed Buntings and Linnets about, too. (AH)

East side: This morning along the east side of the harbour a good election of waders included a Greenshank, two Knot, two Bar-tailed Godwits, three Whimbrel, 24 Grey Plovers, three Lapwings , a dozen Dunlin and 15 Curlews, along with 14 Teal, six Gadwall and 15 Shelducks.

Also, in the bushes there were a Cuckoo, two Chiffchaffs, a Blackcap, a Whitethroat and two Cetti's warblers. (MRe)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - The two Little Ringed Plovers and two chicks were on the Stilt Pool this morning, along with16 adult and five well-grown young Avocets, the pair of Oystercatchers and three chicks, a Ringed Plover and a Redshank.

Along the banks there were c20 Yellowhammers and Whitethroats, two Chiffchaffs, six Reed Warblers, three Cetti's Warblers and three Reed Buntings, with four Swallows, a female Marsh Harrier, a Buzzard and two Kestrels over. (S&SaH)

Medmerry: Porthole Farm - A Cuckoo was sitting on the ground right in the middle of a newly cultivated field this evening, in the company of a displaying pair of Stock Doves, whilst almost all the other activity was in a couple of nearby bushes, including pairs of Yellowhammer and Linnet and a family of Whitethroats, plus a singing Reed Warbler, a long way from any reed-beds.

There was also a Pied Wagtail carrying food by the old barns and at least 300 Starlings were on the settling tanks. (AH)