Friday, 13th December: A cold and very murky morning of leaden skies and poor visibility, though the easterly breeze remains quite light.......
Selsey Bill: It was fairly quiet this morning, though two Slavonian Grebes, 26 Red-throated Divers and seven Shags went east. Full log below. (SH/BI/AH/KT)
(0730-0945hrs) (E, F3)
Great Northern Diver - 1W, 3os
Red-throated Diver - 26E, 1W, 2os
Slavonian Grebe - 2E
Great Crested Grebe - 1W, 1os
Gannet - 8E, 2W
Shag - 7E
Common Scoter - 7E, 46W, 50os
Red-breasted Merganser - 12E, 5W, 4os
Mediterranean Gull - 1os
Kittiwake - 3E
Guillemot - 1E
Razorbill - 7E, 1os
auk sp - 13E
Pied Wagtail - 1
Rock Pipit - 1
Red-throated Divers (above), Shags, Red-breasted Merganser & Common Scoters at the Bill (AH)
Ferry Pool: There were 28 Avocets and two Black-tailed Godwits on the pool this morning, but there were less wildfowl around, with just c50 Wigeon, Teal and Shovelers and c25 Mallards present. (AH)
Avocets (above) & Avocets and Black-tailed Godwits on the Ferry (AH)
Pagham Spit and Lagoon: A female Goldeneye was on the Lagoon this morning, along with six Little Grebes and three Tufted Ducks, while a Rock Pipit, three Skylarks and a Stonechat were along the spit.
There were lots of waders roosting on the offshore banks, with good numbers of Grey Plover, Knot, Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Turnstones and Oystercatchers present, while a Red-breasted Merganser was on one of the new lagoons and there were plenty of Brent Geese, Wigeon and Teal about. (LP/SP/TRH)
Goldeneye on Pagham Lagoon (above), Red-breasted Merganser, Ringed Plovers and Mediterranean Gull & Knot, Dunlin and Grey Plovers on Pagham Spit (LP)
North Wall: A Rock Pipit was along the wall this morning, and out in the harbour on the falling tide there was the usual mix of Lapwings, Golden Plover, Grey Plover, Knot, Dunlin, Redshanks and Curlews.
Also, a Marsh Harrier drifted over the harbour, and out in the fields there were 60 Curlews and 120 Brent Geese as well as a Roe Deer, but there were very few smaller birds about, though in the paddock there were a Jay, a Green Woodpecker, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Song Thrush and a Stonechat. (LP)
Rock Pipit (above) Redshank, Wigeon and Curlew & Roe Reer at the North wall (LP)
Church Norton: A Pale-bellied Brent Goose was among the huge Brent Goose flock behind the churchyard again early this morning. (AW)
Later, at high tide, three Greenshanks were roosting together by the concrete slabs, but there were few other waders on show beyond c40 Grey Plovers and c20 Knot on the metalwork and a few scattered Curlews and Redshanks
There were also c100 Brent Geese in the harbour, along with a couple of dozen Wigeon and Teal, whilst a Sparrowhawk flew along the path to the spit. (AH)
Pale-bellied Brent Goose (AW) (above), Greenshanks & Sparrowhawk (AH) at Church Norton
East Head: There was a remarkable sight this morning at Ella Nore, with five Grey Partridges seen to fly off the shingle bar and back into the fields.
There were also a Great Northern Diver and a Common scoter on the water there. (SM)
Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - There wasn't much going on at all along the banks this morning, with just a couple of Goldcrests and five Yellowhammers of note, though a dozen Egyptian Geese were out on the reserve, with a Merlin sitting out on a post and two Buzzards and two Kestrels going over. (S&SaH)
Thursday, 12th December: It remains cool and very overcast, though the breeze had eased a little more and shifted to due east this morning.......
Selsey Bill: The first Red-necked Grebe of the autumn went east early on, with a fair selection of species seen again, including three Slavonian Grebes, four Velvet Scoters and up to 80 Common Scoters. Full log below. (PB/PM/AH/IP/LP/SP)
(0745-1000hrs) (E, F3-4)
Great Northern Diver - 2E, 1W, 2os
Red-throated Diver - 18E, 4W, 3os
Red-necked Grebe - 1E (0805hrs)
Slavonian Grebe - 3os
Great Crested Grebe - 2W, 1os
Gannet - 18E, 4W
Shag - 5E
Brent Goose - 5W
Shelduck - 4E
Wigeon - 3W, 20os
Velvet Scoter - 3E, 1W
Common Scoter - 3W, 80os
Red-breasted Merganser - 20E, 4W, 3os
Oystercatcher - 1
Turnstone - 10
Mediterranean Gull - 6os
Common Gull - 1W
Kittiwake - 1E, 1W
Sandwich Tern - 2os
Razorbill - 1E, 11W, 2os
auk sp - 8E, 56W
Red-necked Grebe (above), Velvet Scoter, Great Northern Diver, Red-throated Diver & Mediterranean Gull at the Bill (AH)
Ferry Pool: At least 200 Wigeon were around the pool and fields this morning, though most species were in lower numbers than of late, with just two Avocets and 14 Black-tailed Godwits seen, along with c50 Shovelers, c100 Teal and c40 Mallards. (AH)
Avocet (above), Wigeon & Black-tailed Godwits and Shoveler on the Ferry (AH)
Church Norton: Two Pale-bellied Brent Geese were among the flock of c1000 Brent Geese behind the churchyard this morning, but there was no sign of the Black Brant.
The harbour was fairly quiet on the high tide, with two Bar-tailed Godwits, c50 Knot and c100 Grey Plovers among the roosting waders, many of which were in the harbour mouth, whilst wildfowl included c30 Pintail and c50 Wigeon and Teal.
The only thing offshore was a massive, but very distant, feeding flock, including c30 Gannets among many hundreds of gulls, with a Chiffchaff and a Great Spotted Woodpecker by the Mound, a Fieldfare, a Redwing and a Sparrowhawk over there, and two Green Woodpeckers along the start of the spit. (AH/PB/PM/LP/SP)
Pale-bellied Brent Goose and Dark-bellied Brent Geese (above), Chiffchaff & Grey Plovers and Knot at Church Norton (AH)
North Wall: There were a couple of Rock Pipits along the wall this morning and a Song Thrush at Halsey's Farm, whilst out in the harbour there were two Common Seals and many waders, including good numbers of Lapwings. (EB)
Rock Pipit (above), Song Thrush & Lapwings and Common Seals at the North Wall (EB)
Wednesday, 11th December: Another cold and very grey morning, with a bit of drizzly mist in the air, but the north-easterly breeze had abated slightly.........
Selsey Bill: A Long-tailed Duck and a Slavonian Grebe were about again, as were a few divers, though there was a little less on the move than the last couple of days. Full log below. (SH/PB/IP/AH)
(0730-0915hrs) (ENE, F4)
Great Northern Diver - 3E, 4os
Red-throated Diver - 12E, 4W, 1os
Slavonian Grebe - 1W
Great Crested Grebe - 3W, 3os
Gannet - 4E
Shag - 3E
Brent Goose - 1E, 8W
Shoveler - 3E
Long-tailed Duck - 1W
Common Scoter - 24os
Red-breasted Merganser - 10E, 3W, 3os
Oystercatcher - 1W
Mediterranean Gull - 1os
Razorbill - 1W
auk sp - 8W
Great Northern Divers (above), Red-throated Divers & Red-breasted Mergansers at the Bill (AH)
Ferry Pool: There were 28 Avocets and c50 Lapwings and Black-tailed Godwits about this morning, along with c75 Shovelers, c100 Teal and c150 Wigeon. (AH)
Avocets (above) & Avocets, Black-tailed Godwits and Teal at the Ferry (AH)
Church Norton: At least seven Marsh Harriers - including an adult and a sub-adult male - and possibly as many as ten, came in to roost in the Severals this evening. (S&SaH)
Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - There were c50 Snipe scattered around the Stilt Pool this morning when the tide was up, with a Greenshank on the pool opposite and c50 Brent Geese and c300 Lapwings out on the reserve.
The banks were quiet, though, with just a Stonechat, two Reed Buntings and ten Yellowhammers seen, and there were also two Marsh Harriers and a Kestrel about. (SH/PB)
Fishbourne Creek: The first Goldeneye of the autumn - a drake - was along the creek this morning, along with seven Red-breasted Mergansers, three Pintail, c100 Teal, c500 Wigeon, c50 Mute Swans and c1000 Brent Geese, with up to a dozen Great Crested Grebes and half a dozen Little Grebes also present.
There were large numbers of waders about, too, including c800 Dunlin, c50 Grey Plovers and Black-tailed Godwits, 100 Lapwings, c40 Turnstones and a dozen Ringed Plovers, with c30 Common Gulls also present. (AH)
Goldeneye (above), Red-breasted Mergansers, Pintail, Black-tailed Godwits & Dunlin at Fishbourne Creek (AH)
Merston: A Barn Owl was hunting over the fields near the A259 very early this morning. (BI)
Tuesday, 10th December: A cold and very overcast morning, with a prolonged spell of fine drizzle early on, in a brisk north-easterly breeze......
Selsey Bill: There were no great numbers about this morning, but a wide selection, including two Long-tailed Ducks (that flew in) and two Slavonian Grebes on the sea, a Velvet Scoter and two drake Eider that flew west and all three diver species again. Full log below. (AH/ML)
(0750-0935hrs) (NE, F6)
Great Northern Diver - 2E, 3os
Black-throated Diver - 1E
Red-throated Diver - 9E, 6W, 3os
Slavonian Grebe - 2os
Great Crested Grebe - 1os
Gannet - 3E, 1W
Brent Goose - 4E, 10W
Wigeon - 6W
Teal - 8W
Eider - 2W
Long-tailed Duck - 2os
Velvet Scoter - 1W
Common Scoter - 13W, 40os
Red-breasted Merganser - 3E, 6W
Turnstone - 12
Mediterranean Gull - 3os
Sandwich Tern - 1E
Razorbill - 1W
Great Northern Diver (above), Red-throated Divers, Eider, Teal and Common Scoter, Wigeon and Brent Geese & Sandwich Tern at the Bill (AH)
Ferry Pool: There were 31 Avocets on the pool again this morning, along with 16 Black-tailed Godwits, with c50 Lapwings on the field, and wildfowl comprised c60 Shovelers, c80 Wigeon, c50 Mallards and c150 Teal. (AH)
Lapwings (above) & Black-tailed Godwits, Avocet, Shoveler and Teal at the Ferry (AH)
Church Norton: A quick look failed to find anything beyond the usual in the 2000+ Brent Geese behind the churchyard, with most of them tucked in on the far side, whilst a bleak harbour held c50 Grey Plovers, c200 Knot, c500 Dunlin and a few Wigeon and Teal, and a flock of c275 Golden Plovers overhead, but not much else. (AH)
Golden Plovers (above) & Brent Geese at Church Norton (AH)
Sidlesham Common: A flock of 11 Cattle Egrets were with the cows again in the fields there, late this morning. (IP)
North Wall: There were plenty of Lapwings, Grey Plovers, Knot, Dunlin, Curlews and Redshanks out on the mud, and the usual mix of Wigeon, Teal, Pintail, Shelduck and Brent Geese on the water, and distantly towards the west side there was a huge flock of c1200 Golden Plovers, but elsewhere it was very quiet in the cold and windy conditions. (LP)
Pintail (above), Shelducks & Knot at the North Wall (LP)
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