17th - 19th July 2024

Friday, 19th July: After a hazily grey start, a very warm and sunny morning in just a light north-easterly breeze........

Selsey Bill: There were a few more species about this morning, with a flock of ten Little Terns going east and c50 Swifts over the houses the most noteworthy. Full log below. (SR/AH/IP)

(0700-0815hrs) (NE, F2-3)

Gannet - 2E, 1W

Little Egret - 1N

Common Scoter - 6W

Oystercatcher - 1W

Mediterranean Gull - 1W

Sandwich Tern -  16E, 8W

Common Tern - 3E

Little Tern - 10E

Swift - c50

Swallow - 19E

House Martin - 3

Sandwich Tern (above) & Swifts at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There wasn't much new on the pool, with a Common Sandpiper, a Little Ringed Plover, the Snipe, three adult and five juvenile Avocets, 16 Black-tailed Godwits, a Teal and the Shelduck family all present, plus half a dozen Cattle Egrets were with the cows and a Whimbrel was in the channel opposite. (AH)

Snipe (above), Common Sandpiper, Avocet & Black-tailed Godwits and Shelducks at the Ferry (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to Marsh Barn - A Great White Egret was feeding in Ruth's Marsh (by the poplars) on thee high tide, late this morning. (GR)

East side: Three adult Yellow-legged Gulls were on the mud this morning. (BI)

Church Norton: A good total of 18 Little Terns were in the harbour, feeding and roosting, along with eight Common Terns and c25 Sandwich Terns, whilst waders included six Whimbrel, 15 Turnstones, five Ringed Plovers, eight Grey Plovers, c20 Redshanks and a few Curlews and Oystercatchers.

Also, a Sparrowhawk and half a dozen Swallows went over, but the bushes remain very quiet. (AH)

Little Terns (above), Little Tern and Common Tern, Common Tern, Whimbrel & Turnstones at Church Norton (AH)

This evening half a dozen Little and Common Terns, c30 Sandwich Terns and Mediterranean Gulls and c50 Black-headed Gulls were on the mud before a Marsh Harrier went through and dispersed them.

Also, waders included a Common Sandpiper, five Whimbrel and four Ringed Plovers. (AH)

Common Tern, Little Tern, Sandwich Tern and Black-headed Gulls (above), Common Tern & Sandwich Tern at Church Norton (AH)

Thursday, 18th July: Another morning that started heavily overcast before giving way to warm sun, with the breeze light to moderate and from the east....

Selsey Bill: It was one of the quietest mornings of the year! Full log below. (SR/AH)

(0700-0800hrs) (E, F3)

Gannet - 1W

Common Scoter - 17os, then E

Oystercatcher - 1W

Sandwich Tern - 9E, 4os

Swift - 15

House Martin - 5

Sandwich Terns (above) & House Martin at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There wasn't too much change this morning, with the Snipe, a Common Sandpiper, an adult and a juvenile Little Ringed Plovers, three adult and five juvenile Avocets, nine Black-tailed Godwits and the Shelduck family making a familiar list. (AH)

Little Ringed Plover (above), Snipe, Common Sandpiper & Black-tailed Godwit at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: There wasn't too much about this morning, with c50 Sandwich Terns, eight Common Terns, including two juveniles, plus c20 Mediterranean Gulls, being about it on the rising tide.

Two Common Sandpipers on the mud together, four Whimbrel and a dozen Redshanks were the only waders present beyond the usual Curlews and Oystercatchers, and landbirds were non-existent, bar a couple of Swallows over. (AH)

Tis evening all the terns - one Little Tern, four Common Terns and 23 Sandwich Terns, plus 11 Mediterranean Gulls - were on the far side, whilst seven Whimbrel, six Common Sandpipers, two Turnstones, 16 Ringed Plovers, including three young, 15 Dunlin, 35 Curlews and 47 Redshanks were on the mud.

Also, a Barn Owl was viewed distantly over the North Wall, a Sparrowhawk went over and a single flock of c100  Sand Martins went over the harbour at dusk. (MRe/SR)

Common Sandpipers (above), juvenile Common Terns, Sandwich Tern & Sandwich Terns and Mediterranean Gulls at Church Norton (AH)

North Wall: A Common Sandpiper was along White’s Creek this morning, and further out in the harbour there were 36 Dunlin, 14 Grey Plovers and the usual Redshanks, Lapwings and Curlews.

An Egyptian Goose was an unusual sighting on the Breech Pool, where the Great Crested Grebe parents were busy feeding their young, and as the water level drops, five Black-tailed Godwits were feeding before relocating to the harbour, with the now regular Common Tern also about.

The usual mix of Grey Herons, Cattle Egrets and Little Egrets were around Owl Copse and at Halsey’s Farm, a Lesser Whitethroat, a Blackcap, a Common Whitethroat, a Sedge Warbler, and a Juvenile Greenfinch were along the hedges, a juvenile Little Grebe was on the rife, and 2 Skylarks were singing over the fields. Also, two Linnets were along the wall, a Green Woodpecker and two Stock Doves flew over and a Yellowhammer and a Reed Bunting were along the bushes behind the paddock. (LP/SP)

Lesser Whitethroat (above), Sedge Warbler, Common Sandpiper, Egyptian Goose, Cattle Egret, Great Crested Grebe family & juvenile Little Grebe at the North Wall (LP)

Medmerry: Medmery Trail - A Grasshopper Warbler - probably the first returning passerine migrant - was in the big patch of brambles along the Trail, just south of the sewage works this morning, and there was also a Sedge Warbler in the vicinity. (MW)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - Three Dartford Warblers were along the banks this evening, together with four Whitethroats, six Reed Warblers, a Stonechat, a dozen Greenfinches, a Reed Bunting and c25 Yellowhammers, with three Sand Martins and four swallows over.

A pair of Avocets with a juvenile were on the Stilt Pool, along with two Little Ringed Plovers, a juvenile Ringed Plover, a Common Sandpiper, a Dunlin, a Redshank, a Sandwich Tern and a Pied Wagtail. (S&SaH)

Wednesday, 17th July: After a grey and muggy start, the morning slowly brightened to leave more or less unbroken sunshine in a light south-westerly breeze.....

Selsey Bill: There were quite a few Swifts about, and eight Bottle-nosed Dolphins, but not much else was going on offshore. Full log below. (AH/SR/P&LH)

(0655-0840hrs) (NNW, F2)

Gannet - 5E, 4W

Oystercatcher - 2E

Mediterranean Gull - 2os

Sandwich Tern - 4E, 3W, 6os

Common Tern - 5W

Swift - 28

Sand Martin - 2E

House Martin - 17

Pied Wagtail - 1E

Bottle-nosed Dolphin - 8E

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

Ferry Pool: There were still three adult and five juvenile Avocets on the pool this morning, along with an adult and a juvenile Little Ringed Plovers, two Common Sandpipers, 21 Black-tailed Godwits and the Shelduck family, whilst seven Cattle Egrets flew in with the cows in the fields at the back. (AH)

Also, later on, there were three Little Ringed Plovers present, along with the Snipe and three Teal, with five swallows over. (P&LH)

Common Sandpiper (above), Little Ringed Plover, Black-tailed Godwits & Shelduck family at the Ferry (AH)

East Wittering: A search of House Martin nests this morning was disappointing, with only one occupied nest found. (SR).

Church Norton: A summer-plumaged Black Tern was among the birds on the metalwork this morning, present for a while, though generally elusive, whilst there were good numbers of its congeners spread around the harbour, including eight Little Terns, a minimum of 25 Common Terns, including at least four juveniles and at least 125 Sandwich Terns, with many youngsters among them, with at least 50 Mediterranean Gulls present, too.

Among the waders seen were a minimum of four Whimbrel, four Turnstones, half a dozen Ringed Plovers, a dozen Curlew and c25 Redshanks, whilst three Swallows went over. (AH/SR/P&LH/KT et al)

Black Tern with Common and Sandwich Terns (above), Little Terns, Common Tern, Little, Common and Sandwich Terns & Whimbrel at Church Norton (AH)

Later on, the Black Tern was out on the shingle bar beyond the end of the spit, among a mass of Common and Sandwich Terns, which also included at least 20 Little Terns and c30 Mediterranean Gulls. (KT)

Black Tern and Little Tern at Church Norton (KT)

This evening there were less terns about, though still c20 Common and c50 Sandwich Terns were around, along with seven Mediterranean Gulls, with waders including eight Whimbrels, three Common Sandpipers, 23 Ringed Plovers, including a very young chick on the mud with its parents and five juveniles, a Knot and 14 Dunlin. 

There were also c200 Sand Martins over the wheat fields along Rectory Lane. (AH/MRe)

Also, the Black Tern was still on the shingle bar until well into the evening, before eventually being pushed off by the tide. (SP)

Ringed Plover chick (above), Whimbrel, Common Sandpiper & Common and Sandwich Terns at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - An adult and a juvenile Avocet, two Little Ringed Plovers, a Ringed Plover, two Common Sandpipers and three Redshanks were on the stilt Pool this evening, with a Kingfisher and three Cattle Egrets seen on the reserve.

Around 150 Sand Martins and just six Swallows went over, but the banks were quite quiet, with just a Reed warble, half a dozen Whitethroats and eight Yellowhammers noted. (S&SaH)