10th - 11th December 2024

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)

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)