1st - 3rd December 2024

Tuesday, 3rd December: A chill morning, though with some hazy sunshine and just a light north-easterly breeze....

Selsey Bill: It was another quiet morning, though 44 Brent Geese went west and a flock of c50 Common Scoters were distantly viewable offshore. Full log below. (IP/AH/SR)

(0735-0835hs) (NE, F2-3)

Red-throated Diver - 1W

Great Crested Grebe - 1os

Shag - 1E

Brent Goose - 11E, 44W

Common Scoter - 2E, 5W, 50os

Red-breasted Merganser - 4E

Oystercatcher - 1W

Mediterranean Gull - 1os

auk sp - 1EW

Pied Wagtail - 1

Meadow PIpit - 1N

Ferry Pool: There were 16 Avocets on the pool and c50 Black-tailed Godwits and two Snipe flew up from the fields, with c80 Wigeon and Shovelers and c150 Teal also present, whilst a flock of 20+Long-tailed Tits moved through. (AH)

Snipe (above), Avocet, Black-tailed Godwits & Long-tailed Tit at the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: A Peregrine was sat out in the middle of the harbour early on, and there were plenty of waders on the mud along the east side, including c1000 Lapwing, c650 Golden Plover, c500 Dunlin, 32 Ringed Plovers, three Bar-tailed Godwits, 20 Black-tailed Godwits, eight Curlews and c100 Redshanks. Also, a Lesser Black-backed Gull and three Common Gulls were about, and there were good numbers of Brent Geese, Wigeon, Teal, Pintail and Shelducks on the water, as well as 2 Great Crested Grebes.

Elsewhere it was very quiet, with just a Song Thrush, a pair of Stonechats and a Great Spotted Woodpecker in the paddock, and a Robin and a few Blackbirds along the wall. (LP/GHi)

Golden Plovers and Lapwings at the North Wall (LP)

Marsh and Chalder Farms: A circuit around the two farms this morning produced nine Cattle Egrets, four Little Egrets, a Buzzard, seven Pied Wagtails, a Grey Wagtail, ten Yellowhammers, a Chiffchaff, eight Long-tailed Tits, 24 Chaffinches, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and three Jays. (SR)

Fishbourne Creek: This morning there were three Greenshanks and a Spotted Redshank along the creek, where later two Greenshanks were in the roost.

Also, a Pintail was off the Lavant outflow and at Dell Quay there were nine Red-breasted Mergansers downstream, whilst a Kingfisher and an Egyptian Goose were along the far shore. (RW)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - The banks were quite quiet this morning, with just a Dartford Warbler, a Stonechat, a couple of Meadow Pipits and a dozen Yellowhammers and Linnets seen, plus c30 Stock Doves, to Grey Herons, a Buzzard and a Kestrel over.

At least 20 Lapwings were on the Stilt pool, along with three Snipe, a Redshank and a Dunlin, plus a couple of Little Grebes and Tufted Ducks and c30 Teal, with many more of the latter and Wigeon out on the reserve, along with 50+ Redshanks, and c40 Golden Plovers flew up from the far side. (AH)

Yellowhammers (above), Stonechat, Snipe and Lapwing, Snipe and Dunlin & Lapwings at Medmerry (AH)

Monday, 2nd December: A fairly mild, bright and breezy morning in a fresh westerly........

Selsey Bill: It was slow going this morning! Full log below. (IP/AH/PA)

(0725-0840hrs) (W, F5)

Great Northern Diver - 1E

Great Crested Grebe - 1E, 2W

Gannet - 1E, 5W

Brent Goose - 6E, 10W

Common Scoter - 3W

Red-breasted Merganser - 8E, 9W

Mediterranean Gull - 1os

Sandwich Tern - 1E

Pied Wagtail - 1

Later in the morning, a Velvet Scoter went west. (AW)

Velvet Scoter at Selsey Bill (AW)

Ferry Pool: There were 22 Avocets on the pool this morning, with c40 Black-tailed Godwits and a dozen Lapwings on the field at the back, and there were large numbers of wildfowl about, including c80 Shovelers, c60 Wigeon and c150 Teal, plus 20 Mallards and two Shelducks. (AH)

Avocets, Shovelers and Teal (above) & Teal at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: There were plenty of birds about this morning, including a Merlin along the spit, and waders including two Greenshanks, a Whimbrel, a Black-tailed Godwit, c500 Knot, c300 Grey Plovers, c40 Ringed Plovers, and c1000 Dunlin, with a huge flock of Golden Plovers and Lapwings coming up from the far end of the harbour.

There were also four Red-breasted Mergansers, three Sandwich Terns, six Common Gulls, 20 Mediterranean Gulls, c40 Pintail and a Kingfisher around the harbour, whilst a Pale-bellied Brent Goose was among the flock of c2000 Dark-bellied Brent Geese behind the churchyard.

A Stonechat, a Rock Pipit, ten Meadow Pipits, five Skylarks and c50 Linnets were along the beach and spit, with two Firecrests, two Goldcrests and up to four Chiffchaffs were around the sheltered hedges. (PA)

Pale-bellied Brent Goose (above), Chiffchaff & Knot and Dunlin at Church Norton (PA)

North Wall: A Grey Wagtail, two Stonechats, four Meadow Pipits, a Jay, and a Green Woodpecker were around the paddocks, with two Marsh Harriers over the reeds further back and a Rock Pipit was along the rocks.

Out in the harbour on the rising tide there was a large number of Lapwings, along with plenty of Golden Plovers, Grey Plovers, Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwits and a few Snipe, with lots of Teal, Wigeon, Shelduck, Pintail and Brent Geese on the water.

The Breech Pool was quiet, although a Cetti’s Warbler and a Water Rail called from the reeds and in the Honer fields there were 32 Curlews and 26 Black-tailed Godwits along with a lone Brent Goose. (LP)

Grey Wagtail (above), Stonechat, Jay, Meadow Pipit, Rock Pipit, Curlews and Black-tailed Godwits & Golden Plovers and Lapwings at the North Wall (LP)

Chichester GPs: Ivy Lake complex - Sadly, what was most striking this morning in a look around the main pits was just how few birds there were on the water, with a total of just six drake Pochards, c25 Tufted Ducks and Mallards, an Egyptian Goose, three Greylag Geese, 22 Canada Geese, six Great Crested Grebes and c50 Coots spread around all the pits.

The only other things of note were two Grey Herons and six Little Egrets, plus a few Cormorants and Herring Gulls. (AH)

Pochards (above), Egyptian Goose & Greylag Geese at Chichester GPs (AH)

Sunday, 1st December: A pretty dismal morning of persistent drizzle and intermittent heavy rain in a fresh and blustery southerly breeze, though it remains quite mild.....

Selsey Bill: Two Slavonian Grebes were offshore this morning and a few Gannets and divers were about, too. Full log below. (SH/PB/MRB/AH/SR/IP)

(0730-0915hrs) (SSW, F4)

Great Northern Diver - 4W, 1os

Red-throated Diver - 4E, 2W

Slavonian Grebe - 2os

Great Crested Grebe - 2W, 4os

Gannet - 21E, 11W

Brent Goose - 20E, 9W

Common Scoter - 9W

Red-breasted Merganser - 2E, 2W

Kestrel - 1

Oystercatcher - 4W

Mediterranean Gull - 1E

Common Gull - 1E

Kittiwake - 1E

Sandwich Tern - 4E, 1W

Razorbill - 1E

Slavonian Grebes (above), Gannet, Sandwich Tern, Red-breasted Merganser and as much sun as we saw this morning at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were 24 Avocets on the pool this morning, but no other waders, with, otherwise, just c50 Shovelers and Teal, four Shelducks and a few Mallards. (AH)

Shoveler (above) & Avocets on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: Two Greenshanks were in the harbour this morning on the rising tide, with c75 Ringed Plovers and plenty of Grey Plovers among the waders roosting in the harbour mouth, and a flock of 17 Snipe flew over, whilst a dozen Pintail and Shelducks, c50 Wigeon and Teal, a Little Grebe and two or three Great Crested Grebes were on the water.

There were also two Sandwich Terns, a Common Gull and three Mediterranean Gulls in the harbour and at least 1000 Brent Geese and a dozen Curlews on the fields behind the churchyard, with a Chiffchaff and a couple of Goldcrests in the sheltered hedges and two Sparrowhawks over together. (AH/PB/MRB)

Greenshanks (above), Snipe, Common Gull & Grey Plover and Shelduck at Church Norton (AH)

North Wall: A Little Owl was at the paddocks at dusk this evening, with a Marsh Harrier and a Buzzard about, too, along with a Snipe, two Stonechats, three Reed Buntings and two Cetti's Warblers. (S&saH)

A little earlier, a Barn Owl was briefly out at Halsey's Farm. (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to Marsh Barn - A quick look before the rain set in this morning produced just four Redwings and a Buzzard. (S&SaH)

West Wittering: A Coal Tit has been coming to the garden feeders recently. (GM)

Coal Tit in a West Wittering garden (GM)