Thursday, 19th December: Another very windy day, with a brisk and blustery north-westerly lowering the temperature despite plenty of sunshine...........
Selsey Bill: A minimum of ten Sandwich Terns were offshore, though, otherwise, it was quiet again. Full log below. (AH/SR)
(0750-0905hrs) (NW, F6)
Great Northern Diver - 2E, 1os
Red-throated Diver - 3E, 11W
Gannet - 3W
Brent Goose - 3W
Red-breasted Merganser - 2E
Turnstone - 4
Mediterranean Gull - 1os
Sandwich Tern - 10os
auk sp - 2W
Great Northern Divers (above) & Mediterranean Gull at the Bill (AH)
Ferry Pool: There were just half a dozen Black-tailed Godwits and Lapwings on the field, along with c200 Wigeon, with c75 Shovelers, c150 Teal and c30 Mallards on the pool. (AH)
Black-tailed Godwits and Wigeon at the Ferry (AH)
Church Norton: A very distant Red Kite went west over the trees at the far end of the harbour, though, otherwise, it was similar to yesterday, with lots of birds, but not much variety, other than there were almost no Brent Geese to be seen.
The birds in the harbour, though, included at least 400 Knot, 800 Dunlin and 200 Grey Plovers out on the mud, along with a few Wigeon, Teal and Shelducks, and at least 800 Golden Plovers and 1500 Lapwing flying up from the North Wall area.. (AH)
Red Kite (above), Golden Plovers & Knot at Church Norton (AH)
Runcton: On the reservoir this morning there were 30 Shovelers, 17 Tufted Ducks and four Cormorants, and nearby there were 30 Mallards, 26 Teal, six Coots, two Moorhens, two Common Buzzards, a Chiffchaff a Jay, and eight Roe Deer. (CRJ)
North Wall: A Stonechat, a Mistle Thrush and a Pied Wagtail were along the wall this morning, and a Fox was tucked up out of thee wind, enjoying the sunshine. (EB)
Stonechat (above), Mistle Thrush, Pied Wagtail & Fox at the North Wall (EB)
Wednesday, 18th December: A near gale-force south-westerly was the main feature this morning, bringing some light drizzle under heavy cloud early on, before a few sunny spells later......
Selsey Bill: It was another quiet morning, with just a few of the regular species about. Full log below. (SH/SR/AH)
(0740-0910hrs) (SW, F6-7)
Great Northern Diver - 1W, 1os
Red-throated Diver - 1E
Great Crested Grebe - 3W, 1os
Shag - 1E
Brent Goose - 6E, 1W
Common Scoter - 2W
Red-breasted Merganser - 2E, 9W
Great Northern Divers at the Bill (AH)
Ferry Pool: There were at least 250 Lapwings and similar of Wigeon about this morning, along with 24 Avocets, c50 Black-tailed Godwits, c80 Shovelers, c150 Teal and c50 Mallards. (AH)
Teal (above), Shovelers & Lapwings at the Ferry (AH)
Church Norton: There were lots of birds about this morning, but not much out of the ordinary, with at least 300 Knot, 100 Grey Plovers and 800 Dunlin on the mud, c500 Golden Plovers and 1000 Lapwings intermittently flying up from the far end, along with a handful of Mediterranean Gulls and the usual scattering of Shelducks, Wigeon and Teal, whilst huge numbers of Brent Geese were coming and going from the fields as the shooters passed through. (AH/RS)
Mediterranean Gull (above), Little Egret and Grey Heron, Knot, Dunlin and Grey Plovers & Brent Geese at Church Norton (AH)
North Wall: The huge flocks of Lapwing and Golden Plover were again in the harbour before being moved off by the rising tide, and a few Wigeon, Teal, and Shelduck were on the water.
The male Marsh Harrier was over the reeds and in the Honer fields there were c1200 Brent Geese, 64 Curlews and 27 Black-tailed Godwits but it was otherwise quiet in the strong winds, although in the paddock there were five Meadow Pipits, two Stonechats, two Pied Wagtails and a Green Woodpecker. (LP)
Stonechat (above), Pied Wagtail & Brent Geese at the North Wall (LP)
Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - The Short-eared Owl was present again today, near marsh farm, with a Raven, a Sparrowhawk, two Buzzards and a Kestrel also about, whilst c50 Golden Plovers and c200 Lapwings came up from the reserve, two Snipe were on the stilt Pool and two Red-breasted Mergansers and a Great Crested Grebe were on the big pool opposite.
The banks were fairly slow in the windy conditions, but still produced a Dartford Warbler, two Stonechats, six Goldcrests, a Chiffchaff, a Reed Bunting and five Yellowhammers. (S&SaH)
Chichester GPs: Ivy Lake Complex - There were 74 Pochards, 33 Tufted Ducks, a Shoveler, a female Wigeon, 14 Canada Geese and three Egyptian Geese on Ivy Lake this morning, and six Gadwall on Nunnery Lake, but the other lakes held very little with just a few more Tufted Ducks and a couple of Great Crested Grebes about.
A Green Woodpecker was in the horse field, but apart from a few Blue Tits and Great Tits, there was nothing else along the bushes. (LP)
Pochard (above), Wigeon, Gadwall, Egyptian Goose, Green Woodpecker & Pochards, Tufted Ducks and Egyptian Goose at Chichester GPs (LP)
Tuesday, 17th December: A cool and overcast morning with the breeze a little lighter and from more towards the south......
Selsey Bill: It was quiet again this morning, with just a few distant Gannets and the odd diver about. Full log below. (AH/SR/IP)
(0750--0905hrs) (SSW, F4-5)
Great Northern Diver - 1E, 1os
Red-throated Diver - 2E, 7W
diver sp - 1E
Great Crested Grebe - 2os
Gannet - 1E, 3W, 30os
Shag - 6E
Red-breasted Merganser - 1E, 3W
Mediterranean Gull - 1E
Sandwich Tern - 5os
Sandwich Tern at the Bill (AH)
Ferry Pool: There was just one Shoveler and a Little Egret on the pool late this morning, with the RSPB busy in the fields. (AH)
Shoveler on the Ferry (AH)
Church Norton: There were at least three Slavonian Grebes, a Great Northern Diver and a Red-throated Diver offshore from the harbour mouth this morning, with another four of the latter and three Kittiwakes going west.
Also, three Sandwich Terns were in the harbour, along with the Whimbrel, four Bar-tailed Godwits and c200 Knot, with c1000 Golden Plovers flying up from the far end and there were still plenty of Brent Geese about. (C Holter)
Medmerry: Windmill to the Breach - The Purple Sandpiper was present around the breach again this morning on the rising tide, along with four Sanderlings, two Greenshanks and at least 100 Ringed Plovers, 50 Turnstones, 200 Grey Plovers and 1000 Dunlin, with c80 Brent Geese, a Great Crested Grebe, a couple of Pintail and c50 Wigeon and Teal also present.
Offshore there were two Red-breasted Mergansers on the water and seven Red-throated Divers flew east, but three Pied Wagtails were the only passerines seen. (AH)
Purple Sandpiper with Dunlin and Grey Plovers (above), Greenshank, Sanderling, Ringed Plovers, Turnstone, Ringed Plovers and Dunlin & Brent Geese at Medmerry (AH)
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