19th -21st October 2024

Saturday, 19th October:  An extremely damp start with heavy rain up to 8am, then clearing to leave a bright day with strong westerly winds...

Selsey Bill: (0730-1005hrs) (SSW F6) (SH/PB/SR/P&LH/BI)

Brent Goose -29W

Common Scoter - 34E 9W

Wigeon - 12W

Great Crested Grebe - 1E 1W

Gannet - 3E 19W 60os

Oystercatcher - 1E 1ob

Turnstone - 48

Common Gull - 1W

Mediterranean Gull - 6E 53W 6os

Kittiwake - 2W

auk sp. - 24E 40W

Razorbill - 87W

Skylark - 1N

Swallow - 12W

Meadow Pipit - 7N

Pied Wagtail - 3W

Chiffchaff - 1

Brent Geese passing west at the Bill (BI)

Ferry Pool: It was very quiet today: one Little Egret, 12 Black-tailed Godwits, 38 Shoveler & 34 Teal being the totals here. (SR)

Church Norton: A Dartford Warbler was in the gorse, a Kingfisher was on the metalwork and there were c.20 Skylarks and c.25 Meadow Pipits along the spit with c.50 Linnets. Along the Severals were two Chiffchaffs, two or three Blackcaps and a single Stonechat. In the harbour were numbers of Wigeon and Teal, Grey Plovers, Redshanks, Curlews and Little Egrets. (BI)

Dartford Warbler, Blackcaps and Stonechat at Church Norton (BI)

North Wall:  There was no sign of the Ring Ouzels this morning, but 12 Pied Wagtails were in the paddock along with two Stonechats, a Jay and a Green Woodpecker, a Raven flew over and two Marsh Harriers were further back over the reeds.

A Rock Pipit was along the rocks and the adult Yellow-legged Gull was again out on the mud, but otherwise it was just the usual selection of wildfowl and waders out in the harbour.

A Song Thrush and a few Reed Buntings, Greenfinches, Long-tailed Tits and Goldfinches were along the hedgerows, a Kingfisher flew over the Breech Pool, and at Halsey’s Farm, three Cattle Egrets were in the field, a Skylark was on the fence and four Swallows and a few Meadow Pipits flew over. (LP/MJa/MO-W/PB/SaH/SH et al)

Reed Bunting, Skylark & Stonechat at the North Wall (LP)

Chi GPs: Drayton House pit - The monthly WeBS count this morning found the majority of the birds on North pit, where there were two Great White Egrets with four Little Egrets, 90 Pochard, 24 Tufted Ducks, six Shoveler, two Snipe and a Grey Wagtail. Other totals of interest, jointly between the two pits, included 38 Great Crested Grebes, 25 Cormorants and eight Grey Herons., plus several Cetti's Warblers and eight Chiffchaffs. (OM)

(above) Great White Egret in flight and (lower two) a second bird with a Little Egret (OM)