20th - 22nd August 2024

Thursday, 22nd August: A pretty miserable morning of squally rain showers being driven through by a near gale-force south-westerly.......

Selsey Bill: The stormy weather failed to produce anything of note this morning, though the large feeding flock was still offshore and four Knot went west. Full log below. (PA/SR/IP/AH/MO-W)

(0600-0845) (WSW, F7)

Gannet - 4E, 24W, 12os

Knot - 4W

Turnstone - 12

Mediterranean Gull - 3E, 8W, 40os

Lesser Black-backed Gul - 1W

Kittiwake - 1W

Sandwich Tern - 12W, 20os

Common Tern - 3os

auk sp - 1W

A Black Tern, 26 Common Terns and a Fulmar west were the meagre rewards for a lot of hours this afternoon! Full log below. (PB/SH/PA/MRe/JA/AH)

(1400-1915hrs)

Fulmar - 1W

Gannet - 2E, 12W

Turnstone - 24

Mediterranean Gull - 9W

Sandwich Tern - 33W

Common Tern - 26W

Black Tern - 1W

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

Ferry Pool: Unsurprisingly, given the conditions, there was little on the pool, with just 32 Black-tailed Godwits, three Avocets and c20 Teal present. (AH/MO-W)

Early this afternoon, the Semi-palmated Sandpiper was back on the pool again, along with a Green Sandpiper and a Curlew Sandpiper. (RJS/CS/PA et al))

Black-tailed Godwits on the Ferry (AH)

Mill Pond Marsh: The Wood Sandpiper was back on the field this morning, along with a Greenshank, a Common Sandpiper, a Lapwing, three Black-tailed Godwits, six Teal, a Grey Heron and four Little Egrets. (MO-W/AH/RJS/CS et al)

Wood Sandpiper (above) & Greenshank on Mill Pond Marsh (AH)

Sidlesham: A Redstart - the first of the autumn - was seen briefly a couple of times along Cow Lane early this morning. (PA)

Church Norton: There was very little to report this morning, with a dozen Swallows along Rectory Lane the only passerines seen, and a Greenshank, three Whimbrel, two Dunlin, c60 Redshanks and a few Oystercatchers, Curlews and Little Egrets, plus 80 or so Black-headed Gulls, being about it for the harbour. (AH/RJS)

Greenshank (above) & Swallows at Church Norton (AH)

Wednesday, 21st August: Another breezy but fairly warm morning, with more sun and less cloud than yesterday, but still with the brisk westerly persisting.......

Selsey Bill: There was a very large feeding flock along the Mile Basket Line, with many birds drifting off west, but not too much else was going on. Full log below. (PB/SH/SR/IP/AH)

(0615-0800hrs) (WSW, F5)

Gannet - 8E, 57W, 50os

Teal - 4W

Common Scoter - 2E

Ringed Plover - 1W

Sanderling - 2W

Turnstone - 39

Mediterranean Gull - 47W

Sandwich Tern - 2E, 63W

Common Tern - 17W

Swallow - 10W

House Martin - 2

Mediterranean Gull (above), Common Scoters & Turnstones at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There wasn't much going on this morning on the low tide, with just the Wood Sandpiper being very elusive at the front and a Common Sandpiper at the back of note beyond the usual mix of eight Avocets, 20 Lapwings, 33 Black-tailed Godwits and c50 Teal. (AH/PB)

Wood Sandpiper (above) & Common Sandpiper at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: The bird of the day was a Merlin along the beach early on, whilst the Osprey was back patrolling the harbour mid-morning.

At least two Wheatears were on the concrete blocks and another was along the beach, but the bushes were fairly quiet again, though a Spotted Flycatcher, a Garden Warbler and half a dozen or so Blackcaps, Whitethroats and Willow Warblers were dug out among the numerous Long-tailed and Blue Tits, whilst c20 Swallows and a pair of Stock Doves were along Rectory Lane. 

With the RSPB out on the mud, and then the Osprey over, the harbour was quite quiet, but at different times a dozen Grey Plovers, a couple of Whimbrel and 15-20 Ringed Plovers and Dunlin were on the mud, with at least 25 Little Egrets and 75 Curlews were seen in flight. (AW/PB/AH et al)

Merlin (above), Wheatear (AW), Osprey, Osprey and Oystercatcher, Willow Warbler, Stock Dove, Grey Plovers, Whimbrel, Little Egrets (AH) & Emperor dragonfly (AW) at Church Norton

This evening, the Semi-palmated Sandpiper was back in the harbour, among c20 Dunlin and c40 Ringed Plovers opposite the benches. (AH)

Semi-palmated Sandpiper (above) & Semi-palmated Sandpiper, Dunlin and Black-headed Gull at Church Norton (AH)

Mill Pond Marsh: There were just a Greenshank and a Snipe on the field this afternoon. (S&SaH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - A Wheatear, four Yellow Wagtails, four Dartford Warblers, a Whitethroat and five Yellowhammers were along the banks this morning, with a Swift, c30 Swallows and similar of Sand Martins going over.

There wasn't too much else about, though, with just two Common Sandpipers on the Stilt Pool, a Kingfisher and three Cattle Egrets on the reserve and a female Marsh Harrier and three Buzzards and Kestrels overhead. (S&SaH)

North Wall: There were 30 Swallows on the wires at the end of the lane, and lots more, along with many Sand Martins, went over during the morning, whilst a Green Woodpecker was in the paddock and a Marsh Harrier, a Sparrowhawk and a Kestrel were all up together further back.

There were lots of Redshanks along White’s Creek, but otherwise just a few Lapwings and Curlews were on the mud and on the Breech Pool the usual mix of Mallards, Teal and Gadwall were joined by 18 Canada Geese and four Greylag Geese, with seven Black-tailed Godwits the only waders there, and a Water Rail briefly emerged from the reeds.

The cows in the Honer fields were accompanied by 32 Cattle Egrets, and the family of Little Grebes were on Owl Water, but it was quiet elsewhere with just a Whitethroat, a Greenfinch and a House Sparrow along the hedges. (LP/JDW/CT/GHi)

Also, this afternoon there were two Green Sandpipers near Owl Point and there were two Snipe on the Breech Pool. (S&SaH)

Swallow (above), Little Grebe, Gadwall & Greylag Goose and Canada Goose at the North Wall (LP)

Tuesday, 20th August: A mix of quite warm sun and cloud this morning, though in a fresh and blustery westerly breeze....

Selsey Bill: A very slow morning, with nothing moving offshore or overhead! Full log below. (SR/IP/AH/MO-W)

(0700-0800hrs) (WSW, F5)

Gannet - 1E, 8W, 20os

Turnstone - 17

Sanderling - 5

Mediterranean Gull - 1W

Sandwich Tern - 2E

House Martin - 4

Hummingbird Hawk-moth - 1

Turnstones (above) & Hummingbird Hawk-moth at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: The Semi-palmated Sandpiper was still present late this morning with four Dunlin, but otherwise there were just a Green Sandpiper, two Common Sandpipers, eight Avocets, c30 Black-tailed Godwits, three juvenile Shelducks and c40 Teal present. (AH/MO-W/SM et al)

Green Sandpiper (above), Common Sandpipers & Avocets at the Ferry (AH)

Mill Pond Marsh: The Wood Sandpiper was present early on (MRe), but not later, when there were just a Greenshank, two Green Sandpipers, a Lapwing and a Black-tailed Godwit present (AH).

Greenshank on Mill Pond Marsh (AH)

East Head: A White was Stork was reported from the fields near the car-park his morning - possibly the one seen at Medmerry on Sunday. (per PH)

Runcton: South of the village this morning there were a pair of Mute Swans with two well-grown juveniles, 20 Canada Geese, 50 Mallards, six Gadwall, seven Tufted Ducks, five Little Grebes, two Buzzards, ten Coots, a Water Rail, three Green Sandpipers, a Common Sandpiper, 70 Black-headed Gulls, ten Swallows, five Sand Martins, 19 Pied Wagtails, 16 Yellow Wagtails, a Whinchat and two Brown Hares. (CRJ)

North Wall: The Osprey was seen over the harbour again late this morning. (MMcK)

Osprey at the North Wall (MMcK)

Church Norton: Most of the small birds were keeping low this morning, but a big roving flock along the sheltered hedges did include a couple of Lesser Whitethroats and a handful of Whitethroats, Blackcaps and Willow Warblers among large numbers of Long-tailed and Blue Tit, with another handful of Whitethroats and similar of Linnets along the front, along with a fly-over Yellow Wagtail,  whilst a flock of c20 House Martins also contained a couple of Sand Martins and Swallows.

The harbour was quiet, too, with a couple of Sandwich Terns and Whimbrel the only things of note beyond the regular Oystercatchers, Curlews and Redshanks. (AH/IP/LP/TRH/SM et al)

Willow Warbler (above), Blackcap and Whitethroat & Long-tailed Tit at Church Norton (AH)

There wasn't much about in the harbour this evening, though two juvenile Knot were among c100 Ringed Plovers and Dunlin - including an odd-looking leucistic-type one of the latter, with a couple of Whimbrel and c50 Redshank also present. (AH)

Knot (above), Whimbrel & Dunlin (including leucistic-type in lower picture) at Church Norton (AH)