Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 22nd

Sunday, 24th November: Another very windy day, with a south-westerly gale blowing all morning, though it was dry, if overcast, and unseasonably mild........

Selsey Bill: There was less activity than yesterday, though an adult Little Gull went east and there were lots of Kittiwakes about again. Also, a probable first-winter Caspian Gull was off Hillfield Road, showing most of the right characteristics, but possibly with some other genes in it! Full log below. (SH/JA/BI/IP/LP/SP/AH/PA/KT/MRe/SR/RHa/ML et al)

(0700-1000hrs) (SSW, F7-8)

Great Northern Diver - 2E, 7W, 1os

Black-throated Diver - 1os, then W

Red-throated Diver - 2W

diver sp - 2E, 1W

Great Crested Grebe - 7W

Gannet - 32W

Brent Goose - 33W

Common Scoter - 4E, 3W, 20os

Red-breasted Merganser - 10E, 32W

Dunlin - 7W

Turnstone - 1E, 4W

Mediterranean Gull - 2E, 1W

Black-headed Gull - 84W

Common Gull - 3W

Caspian Gull - 1 probable os

Little Gull - 1E

Kittiwake - 86E, 40W

Razorbill - 1E

auk sp - 3W

(1415-1545hrs) (SH)

Great Northern Diver - 2os

Slavonian Grebe - 1os

Great crested Grebe - 1W, 1os

Brent Goose - 5W

Common Scoter - 2os

Red-breasted Merganser - 3W

Kestrel - 1

Kittiwake - 2W

Kittiwakes (above), Great Northern Diver, Common Scoter, Red-breasted Merganser (Ah) & probable Caspian Gull (AH above, lower two PA) at the Bill

Ferry Pool: It was much the same as yesterday this morning, with 28 Avocets and c40 Black-tailed Godwits still present, along with six Shelducks, a pair of Gadwall, c50 Shovelers and c80 Teal, and a (Grey Wagtail went over. AH)

Avocet (above), Shoveler & Gadwall and Teal at the Ferry (AH)

Park Farm, Selsey: A Chiffchaff was in the hedges this morning, with a Grey Wagtail, a Pied Wagtail and two Meadow Pipits in the fields. (SH)

Church Norton: There were lots of waders out on the mud this morning, including a Bar-tailed Godwit, c300 Knot, c50 Grey Plovers and c500 Dunlin, along with c50 Wigeon, a few Teal, four Great Crested Grebes, a Grey Heron, a couple of Little Egrets, a couple of Common Gulls and half a dozen Mediterranean Gulls.

Also, the big flock of 1000+ Brent Geese flew into the harbour from the fields behind the churchyard.(AH et al)

Knot (above) & Brent Geese at Church Norton (AH)

Late this afternoon there were ten Red-breasted Mergansers together in the harbour, with the Whimbrel and aa couple of Pintails also about, and the huge Brent Goose flock flew in again. (AH)

Red-breasted Mergansers (above) & Brent Geese at Church Norton (AH)

Saturday, 23rd November: A pretty wild and windy morning, with a gale-force south-westerly blowing under leaden skies, though it remained dry and was much milder than the last few days.........

Selsey Bill: The stormy weather produced a few birds this morning, including a relatively close Sooty Shearwater, the first seven Fulmars of the autumn, three Velvet Scoters, a large skua sp, a Black-throated Diver, 130 Kittiwakes and 457 Gannets, all going west. Full log below. (SH/JA/BI/AH/MRe/SR/P&LH)

(0705-1005hrs) (SW, F8)

Great Northern Diver - 1E, 1W, 4os

Black-throated Diver - 1W

Red-throated Diver - 1E, 1W

Great Crested Grebe - 3W

Sooty Shearwater - 1W (0825hrs)

Fulmar - 7W

Gannet - 457W

Velvet Scoter - 3W

Common Scoter - 1E, 5W

Red-breasted Merganser - 3E, 14W

Sanderling - 8W

Dunlin - 7W

Turnstone - 10W

skua sp - 1W

Mediterranean Gull - 1W

Common Gull - 4W

Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1E

Kittiwake - 130W

Razorbill - 1E, 15W, 2os

auk sp - 23W

Sooty Shearwater video (MRe)

Kittiwakes (above), Fulmar, Common Scoters, Red-breasted Merganser & Gannets at the Bill (AH)

(1045-1300hrs) (P&LH/PA)
Great Northern Diver - 2W
Black-throated Diver - 1W
Red-throated Diver - 6W
Slavonian Grebe - 1W
Great Crested Grebe - 1W
Gannet - 8W
Shag - 1W
Brent Goose - 2W
Shelduck - 1W
Common Scoter - 15W
Red-breasted Merganser - 8W
Oystercatcher - 1W
Bar-tailed Godwit - 2W
Turnstone - 3W
Mediterranean Gull - 4W
Common Gull - 1W
Kittiwake - 96E
Razorbill - 1W

(1500-1600hrs) (JA)
Great Northern Diver - 1os
Turnstone - 1W
Kittiwake - 3E, 2W
Razorbill - 3os

Black-throated Diver (above), Great Northern Diver, Kittiwakes, Bar-tailed Godwits, Red-breasted Merganser & Common Scoters at the Bill (PA)

Ferry Pool: There were 28 Avocets on the pool this morning, along with c40 Black-tailed Godwits, a handful of Redshank, six Shelducks, c50 Shovelers and c80 Teal. (AH)

Avocets (above) & Teal at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: The big flock of c1500 Brent Geese were on the fields behind the churchyard again this morning, and there were still 300+ Knot in the harbour, but there was little else to report beyond a handful of Grey Plovers, a few dozen Dunlin and Redshanks and the odd Pintail, Wigeon and Teal. (AH)

Knot (above) & Brent Geese at Church Norton (AH)

Friday, 22nd November: A cold and bright morning, in a brisk and blustery north-westerly breeze.....

Selsey Bill: The first Black-throated Diver of the autumn went west this morning and c50 Kittiwakes were among the offshore feeding flock. Full log below. (PB/AH/BI/IP/PA/SR/JA)

(0700-0930hrs) (NW, F4-5)

Great Northern Diver - 1os

Black-throated Diver - 1W

Red-throated Diver - 5E, 1W

Great Crested Grebe - 1E

Gannet - 5E, 3W

Shag - 1E

Little Egret - 1E

Brent Goose - 1E, 8W

Shelduck - 2W

Wigeon - 4E

Common Scoter - 2E, 4W

Red-breasted Merganser - 5E, 6W

Oystercatcher - 1W

Turnstone - 26

Mediterranean Gull - 7W

Kittiwake - 6E, 2W, 50os

Sandwich Tern - 2os

Razorbill - 6E, 43W

auk sp - 92E, 122W

Pied Wagtail - 1

Linnet - 1E

Goldfinch - 10E

Black-throated Diver (top two PA, lower AH), Red-throated Diver, Red-breasted Merganser & Mediterranean Gull (AH) at the Bill

Ferry Pool: There were 16 Avocets on the pool this morning, along with 38 Black-tailed Godwits and c60 Lapwings, with c30 Wigeon and c60 Shovelers and Teal also about. (AH)

Avocets on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: At least 1500 Brent Geese flew out of the harbour in small flocks and into the fields behind the church this morning, though otherwise there wasn't too much going on beyond c350 Knot, c500 Dunlin and c60 Grey Plovers among the usuals, and there were also at least 75 Teal and 50 Wigeon present.

A small party of Long-tailed Tits was it along the sheltered hedges, but not much else was showing, though the long-staying and remarkably elusive partial albino Blackbird popped up briefly.. (AH)

Brent Geese (above), Knot, Long-tailed Tit & Blackbird at Church Norton (AH)

North Wall: It was predictably quiet along the wall this morning in the very cold and windy conditions, though a Snipe was still on the Breech Pool and three Water Rails flew across and into the reeds, whilst Bearded Tits were calling from the reeds but not showing themselves and a Rock Pipit was along the rocks, as well as a Stonechat.

Along White’s Creek, it was mostly Wigeon, although two Grey Plovers and a few Redshanks were along the banks and further out there were just 50 Lapwing on the mud and a handful of Pintail and Teal on the water. (LP/CT)

Stonechat at the North Wall (LP)

Fishbourne Creek: A female Goosander was along the creek this morning. (KT)

Chichester Canal: A drake Goosander was on the canal north of Hunston this morning. (RBe)

Goosander on Chichester Canal (RBe)

Medmerry: Earnley - In the field south of the car park there were c100 Golden Plovers, along with a similar number of Starlings and c25 Lapwings. (RW)

East Head: A Great White Egret flew in to Snowhill Marsh and was visible from the car-park, and there was a Greenshank there, too.

Also, a flock of 132 Golden Plovers were on the salt marsh off Ellanore - seen from East Head. (RW)

Chichester GPs: There were four Great White Egrets on East Trout Lake this morning, with 28 Little Egrets and two Grey Herons also around the banks.

On the various lakes there were 16 Pochard, 62 Tufted Ducks, a pair of Gadwall, four Egyptian Geese, 33 Greylag Geese and 26 Canada Geese, but along the bushes there were just two Chiffchaffs, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a few Long-tailed Tits. (LP)