4th - 6th March 2025

Thursday, 6th March: After a misty start, a pleasantly warm and hazily sunny morning in a light easterly, that veered to the south later on.....

Selsey Bill: A shift in the wind brought a good count of 356 Brent Geese east this morning, along with 44 Pintail, with three Wigeon and 20 Teal dropping in on the sea, whilst the first-winter drake Eider and the Black Redstart were both about again. Full log below. (SR/AH)

(0800-1015hrs) (ESE, F3-4)

Great Northern Diver - 4os

Red-throated Diver - 1E

Great Crested Grebe - 3os

Brent Goose - 356E, 1W

Wigeon - 3os

Teal - 20os

Pintail - 44E

Eider - 1os

Common Scoter - 3os

Red-breasted Merganser - 5os

Oystercatcher - 1E, 1 present

Turnstone - 1E, 6 present

Mediterranean Gull - 2E

Common Gull - 2E

Black Redstart - 1

Goldfinch - 1

Brent Geese (above), Pintail, Brent geese and Pintail, Black Redstart and Mediterranean Gulls at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: Around 30 Black-tailed Godwits and c50 Lapwings and Pintail were on the field this morning, with nine Shelducks, six Gadwall, c50 Teal and c80 Shovelers around the pool. (AH)

Wigeon (above) & Shovelers and Lapwings at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: There were still at least 1000 Brent Geese present this morning, split between the field and the harbour, but a pair of Pintail, c25 Shelducks and just a few Wigeon and Teal were the only other wildfowl present.

Also, the Greenshank and the Whimbrel were both present again, along with 22 Black-tailed Godwits, c50 Grey Plovers, c100 Knot and c500 Dunlin, but a pair of Mistle Thrushes behind the churchyard were the only passerines of note. (AH)

Knot (above), Greenshank, Black-tailed Godwit, Pintail, Brent Geese & Mistle Thrush and Brent Geese at Church Norton (AH)

Wednesday, 5th March: It was more or less a white-out this morning, with dense fog persisting until nearly midday in the still conditions..........

Diary notes: Pre-blog years (1975-2012) I am pleased to say that this paper is now complete and I hope it will give a flavour of some of the highlights from earlier, pre-blog years. Just click the link on the title bar. May I thank those readers who have favourably commented already and I hope this document will be of interest and add to the archive. (OM)

See the update below from Adam Taylor at the RSPB - everything is ready and waiting for the gulls and terms to return! (Eds)

“A huge thanks to all who came along to one of our public volunteering sessions on Tern Island over the last few months, bar a small bit of clearance left to do around the edge of the fence we are now ready to go for the nesting season.

We will be deploying decoys and call lures on the island in the coming weeks to try and encourage the mixed gull colony back to the safety of the site, as well as erecting the temporary electric fences on the smaller islands ready for our Little Terns.

As always, this work is a product of hundreds of combined hours of manpower, and we wouldn’t have been able to do it without your support!

Adam Taylor, Site Manager for the RSPB Eastern Solent Reserves”

Build it and they will come! Tern Island ready and waiting for the return of its colony. (AT)

Selsey Bill: Unsurprisingly, sea-watching was effectively a write off this morning, with more heard than seen. Full log below. (AH)

(0740-0840hrs) (NE, F1-2)

Turnstone - 14

Mediterranean Gull - 6E

Sandwich Tern - 2os

Pied Wagtail - 1

Chiffchaff - 1

Goldfinch - 1

Later on, an Eider was on the sea and the Black Redstart was on the railings by Bill House. Full log below. (P&LH)

(1310-1410hrs) Red-throated Diver - 1os

Great Crested Grebe - 5os

Gannet - 1E

Eider - 1os

Turnstone - 1

Black Redstart - 1

Black Redstart at the Bill (LH)

Ferry Pool: All that could be discerned through the fog this morning were a couple of Shelducks and Gadwall, three Canada Geese and a dozen Shovelers. (AH)

Later on, there six Gadwall, four Shelducks, c30 Teal and c50 Shovelers on the pool and c100 Lapwings on the field. (AH)

Teal on the Ferry (AH)

Selsey Peninsula: There was still at least one Long-eared Owl present today. (Eds)

Church Norton: With visibility almost down to zero yards, a handful of Wigeon and Teal and a couple of Grey Plovers and Redshanks ere all that could be seen in the harbour, though a couple of Mediterranean Gulls and a flock of Brent Geese could be heard overhead. (AH)

Later, as visibility improved, a Greenshank, the Whimbrel, 15 Black-tailed Godwits, five Knot, nine Ringed Plovers, 25 Grey Plovers and c60 Dunlin were seen in the harbour, along with six Pintail and c500 Brent Geese, whilst a Mistle Thrush was in the hedges. (P&LH)

North Wall: Both Little Owls were again present this evening around Little Welboune. (IP)

Tuesday, 4th March: Following another sharp frost, lovely sunny morning in a light northerly breeze.....

Selsey Bill: About as quiet as would be expected in a light northerly breeze and a flat low tide, with six Brent Geese east the only possible migrants. Full log below. (IP/AH/SR)

(0735-0835hrs) (N, F1-2)

Great Northern Diver - 5os

Red-throated Diver - 1E

Brent Goose - 6E

Red-breasted Merganser - 9os

Oystercatcher - 3E, 2W

Sandwich Tern - 1os

Pied Wagtail - 1

Linnet - 1

Brent Geese (above) & a newly-renovated green triangle at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were still c40 Black-tailed Godwits and c100 Lapwings present this morning, along with six Shelducks, six Gadwall, c50 Teal, c80 Shovelers and c100 Wigeon. (AH)

Later on, the Green Sandpiper was back on the roadside pool. (LP)

Black-tailed Godwits (above) & Shovelers at the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool: Along the path this morning there were three Yellowhammers, a Reed Bunting, a Cetti's Warbler, a Meadow Pipit and six Linnets, whilst a Snipe dropped into the adjacent fields and Ferry Channel held a dozen Teal, half a dozen Redshanks and a Grey Plover. (AH)

Yellowhammer (above), Reed Bunting, Linnet, Grey Plover & Teal at the Long Pool (AH)

Church Norton: Late this afternoon the drake Long-tailed Duck was offshore, along with four Great Crested Grebes, whilst a Barn Owl was over the horse field and a Greenshank, the Whimbrel and c30 Black-tailed Godwits were in the corner of the harbour opposite and c1000 Brent Geese were still behind the churchyard. (JC/AH)

Greenshank (above), Greenshank and Redshank, Whimbrel & Black-tailed Godwits at Church Norton (AH)

West Wittering: Two Firecrests were at the harbour end of Ella Nore Lane this afternoon. (SH)

Fishbourne Creek: On the low tide this morning off the Lavant outfall there were 200 Brent Geese, 22 Pintail and a Gadwall, whilst at least three Greenshanks were along the creek, and from Dell Quay there were four Great Crested Grebes and two Little Grebes.

Also, amongst the commoner roosting gulls were two Mediterranean, eight Lesser Black-backed and two Great Black-backed Gulls. (RW)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - There were eight Stonechats, two Reed Buntings, two Cetti's Warblers and 45 Yellowhammers along the banks this afternoon, with two Kingfishers, a Water Rail, two Snipe, five Avocets and c40 Golden Plovers, including one in summer plumage, plus a Brown Hare, on the reserve, whilst a Peregrine, a Marsh Harrier and a Buzzard went over. (S&SaH)

Medmerry: Windmill to Ham Farm - There was very little to report this afternoon, though a Dartford Warbler and a few Linnets were along the banks and a few Redshanks ere in the tidal area. (EB)

Dartford Warbler (above) & Redshank at Medmerry (EB)

1st - 3rd March 2025

Monday, 3rd March: The spell of settled weather continues, with a pleasantly sunny morning, after another sharp frost, and the breeze remaining light and from the north-east.....

Selsey Bill: Nothing was moving again, but there was a bit of a selection of the regular species present, including a Slavonian Grebe, five Great Northern Divers and six Sandwich Terns. Fulllog below. (PA/AH/IP/SR)

(0700-0900hrs) (NE, F2)

Great Northern Diver - 1E, 4os

Red-throated Diver - 5E, 1os

Slavonian Grebe - 1os

Great Crested Grebe - 1E, 1os

Gannet -  2W

Mallard - 2E

Shag - 8E, 1W

Common Scoter - 5E

Red-breasted Merganser - 2E, 1W

Oystercatcher - 8W, 4 present

Mediterranean Gull - 5E

Sandwich Tern - 6os

Meadow Pipit - 1

Pied Wagtail - 1

Red-throated Divers (above), Great Northern Diver & Sandwich Tern at the Bill (AH)

Selsey: What was presumably yesterday's Red Kite was seen again this morning over West Street (AW), Asda again! (MRe) and then Park Farm (SaH)

Ferry Pool: It was very similar to recent days this morning, with, c40 Black-tailed Godwits and c100 Lapwings present, including several of the latter displaying, along with six Shelducks, six Gadwall, c50 Teal, c80 Shovelers and c150 Wigeon spread around the pool and field. (AH)

Lapwing (above) & Shovelers, Gadwall, Shelduck and Lapwing at the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: A Spotted Redshank was along White’s Creek this morning, and a Kingfisher flew out from the sluice, but it was otherwise just the regular species, including a few Wigeon and Teal, two Pintail, two Grey Plovers, 22 Redshanks and further out c1000 Brent Geese.

A Rock Pipit was along the wall and four Chiffchaffs, a Reed Bunting and two Long-tailed Tits were in the bushes, and at the Owl Copse the Grey Herons were again busy with their nests, but it was quiet around the paddocks, with just a Song Thrush, a Pied Wagtail, a Kestrel and a Green Woodpecker about, with both male and female Marsh Harriers further back and three Buzzards circling high up. (LP/CT/MJa)

Spotted Redshank (above), Grey Heron, Rock Pipit & Kestrel at the North Wall (LP)

This evening the two Little Owls were at Little Welbourne, whilst a Barn Owl was along the wall, the pair of Marsh Harriers were interacting over the reed-beds, with another female in the vicinity, and the Spotted Redshank was again in White's Creek. (LP/AH/ABi et al)

Little Owls at the North Wall (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to Wilson's Farm - A single Corn Bunting was in the cover crop field at Wilson's Farm today, with 60-70 Yellowhammers also there, whilst a displaying Marsh Harrier and c350 Golden Plovers were over the reserve. (PA).

Yellowhammer at Medmerry (PA)

West Itchenor: A look around Chalkdock Copse area today produced two Tree-creepers, a Coal Tit, two Firecrests and four Chiffchaffs. (PA)

Tree-creeper (above) & Coal Tit at West Itchenor (PA)

West Wittering: Ella Nore to Rookwood - A look along the harbour this morning produced a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers, c300 Brent Geese, c40 Shelducks, c50 Redshanks, c20 Grey Plovers and Curlews and c300 Dunlin.

Also, a couple of Goldcrests were at the bottom of Ella Nore Lane, four Red-legged Partridges were between there and Rookwood, where there were a Firecrest, a couple of Goldcrests, a Chiffchaff and a pair of Mistle Thushes. (AH)

Firecrest (above), Chiffchaff, Mistle Thrush, Red-breasted Mergansers, Brent Geese & Red-legged Partridges at West Wittering (AH)

Sunday, 2nd March: Another fine morning, after a frosty start, in a fairly light, if chill, easterly breeze.....

Selsey Bill: Three Great Northern Divers and a Slavonian Grebe were on the sea this morning, but there was, again, no hint of migration. Full log below. (SH/PB/MRB/BI/IP/AH/P&LH/SR/OM/DC)

(0630-1030hrs) (ENE, F3)

Great Northern Diver - 1E, 3os

Red-throated Diver - 4E, 2W, 1os

Slavonian Grebe - 1os

Great Crested Grebe - 5os

Gannet -  3E, 1W

Shag - 1E

Shelduck - 2E

Common Scoter - 8E, 2W

Red-breasted Merganser - 2E, 6W, 4os

Oystercatcher - 10W, 2 present

Sanderling - 1

Turnstone - 13W

Mediterranean Gull - 11E, 3os

Sandwich Tern - 3E

auk sp - 1W

Pied/alba Wagtail - 1N

Linnet - 9

Sanderling (above), Sandwich Tern & Red-breasted Merganser at the Bill (AH)

Selsey: A Red Kite was circling over Asda, at the north of the town, early this afternoon. (MRe)

Ferry Pool: There were 12 Avocets, c40 Black-tailed Godwits and c100 Lapwings about this morning, along with five Mute Swans, four Shelducks, four Gadwall, c80 Teal and Shovelers and c150 Wigeon, with a Buzzard over and two Red-legged Partridges were in the field to the south  (AH/PB/MRB)

Black-tailed Godwits (above) & Lapwings at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: The Greenshank was still present in the harbour this morning, along with the Whimbrel, four Bar-tailed Godwits, three Black-tailed Godwits, seven Avocets, a few Ringed Plovers and Turnstones, c50 Knot and Grey Plovers and c400 Dunlin, whilst at least 2000 Brent Geese, including the Pale-bellied bird, were still coming and going from the fields and a scattering of Pintail, Wigeon and Teal were also present, but three Mistle Thrushes and two Stock Doves were all the hedges had to offer.. (AH/P&LH/PB/MRB)

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

North Wall: A Spotted Redshank was by the sluice, and along White’s Creek there were still a few Wigeon, Teal and Pintail, as well as a Little Grebe, a Grey Plover, and a few Redshanks, whilst a Canada Goose was on the Breech Pool and two Bearded Tits flew over the reeds.
Also, at least six Cetti’s Warblers were calling along the wall, with two Chiffchaffs, a Reed Bunting, two Long-tailed Tits and a few Greenfinches in the bushes and a Rock Pipit on the rocks.
Early on at Owl Copse, six Cattle Egrets were with three Little Egrets and 12 Grey Herons in the trees, and later a lone Redwing was present, with four Buzzards circling way up high, whilst at Halsey’s Farm, a Skylark was singing and 32 Meadow Pipits were over the fields, and in Honer 2 there was an impressive count of 101 Curlews.
The paddocks was quieter than recently, with just a single Pied Wagtail on the grass, and a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Green Woodpecker in the trees, and a Jay was along the lane, (LP/MJa/SP)

This evening, the two Little Owls were again at Little Welbourne. (NM)   

Redwing (above), Great Spotted Woodpecker, Spotted Redshank & Curlews at the North wall (LP)

Sidlesham: A flock of 13 Redwings went over high, late this afternoon, and the wintering Firecrest was still along Cow Lane. (PA)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - A Dartford Warbler, five Stonechats, five Reed Buntings, five Greenfinches, a Pied Wagtail and c50 Yellowhammers were along the banks today, with 11 Avocets, two Black-tailed Godwits and a Ringed Plover on the Stilt Pool and a Greenshank, c200 Golden Plovers and four Buzzards on/over the reserve. (S&SaH)

Later, a look from Earnley to the Stilt Pool found four Golden Plovers on the field to the west of the road towards the beach, with at least six Skylarks on the other side of the road. At the Stilt Pools there were ten Avocets, five Dunlin, four Ringed Plovers and two Black-tailed Godwits, whilst at Marsh Barn there were three Stock Doves, with more in the nearby fields which also had a flock of c50 Linnets. (RW)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to Wilson's Farm - All that was to be found late this afternoon was around the cover crop field at Wilson's Farm, and included at least two Corn Buntings, a dozen Reed Buntings, c80 Yellowhammers and c150 Linnets. (AH)

Corn Bunting (above), Yellowhammer, Corn Buntings and Yellowhammers & Linnets at Medmerry (AH)

Drayton Pits: The surprise of the day here was a Nuthatch calling from the cottages near the car park but otherwise small birds were at a premium with just a few Great & Blue Tits along the hedgerows. On the water were c.50 Pochard, c.20 Canada Geese and two Egyptian Geese whilst a Jack Snipe and two Common Snipe flushed from the reedbeds. In the fields opposite were 49 Greylag Geese and by the crossroads there were 52 Cattle Egrets and five Little Egrets present. (BI)

Saturday, 1st March: A crisp and bright morning after another sharp frost, with the breeze from the north-east, light early on before steadily freshening.....

Selsey Bill: Two surprisingly early Whimbrel went east and three Slavonian Grebes were on the sea, but it was generally slow again. Full log below. (SH/BI/IP/AH/SR)

(0630-0830hrs) (NNE, F3)

Great Northern Diver - 2os

Red-throated Diver - 1W, 2os

Slavonian Grebe - 3os

Great Crested Grebe - 2os

Gannet - 1W, 1os

Shelduck - 5E

Common Scoter - 6E, 10W

Red-breasted Merganser - 5W 2os

Oystercatcher - 8W

Whimbrel - 2E

Curlew - 1E

Turnstone - 22W

Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1os

Sandwich Tern - 4os

auk sp - 2E

Greenfinch - 1

Sandwich Tern at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were four Avocets, c25 Black-tailed Godwits and c150 Lapwings present this morning, along with a Little Grebe, six Gadwall, four Shelducks, c50 Teal, c80 Shovelers and c120 Wigeon. (AH)

Black-tailed Godwits (above), Black-tailed Godwits and Wigeon & Avocets and Shovelers at the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: A Spotted Redshank was along White’s Creek this morning, as well as a few Redshanks, Wigeon, Teal, and Pintails, and much further out was a mixed group of c200 Grey Plovers, Knot and Dunlin, with c100 Brent Geese on the water.

A Great Crested Grebe was on the Breech Pool and a Bearded Tit flew over the reeds there, whilst a Chiffchaff was by Owl Copse where, the Grey Herons were busy with nest maintenance, and two Little Grebes were on the water.

At Halsey’s Farm a Skylark was singing and four Black-tailed Godwits were by the rife, but apart from a couple of Buzzards up high, and two Long-tailed Tits and a Reed Bunting along the bushes, it was generally very quiet. (LP/MJa/JDW)

This evening, a Barn Owl was at Halsey's Farm, the Little Owl was at Little Welbourne and six Cattle Egrets were back in Owl Copse, whilst a Cetti's Warbler, a Chiffchaff, four Snipe and a Marsh Harrier were seen from the wall. (S&SaH/LP)

Spotted Redshank (above) & Buzzard at the North Wall (LP)

Selsey Peninsula: There were still two Long-eared Owls present today. (Eds)

Church Norton: There were a lot of birds in the harbour this morning, including at least 2000 Brent Geese, with the Pale-bellied bird among them, c30 Pintail and similar of Wigeon and Teal.

Among waders present were a Greenshank, 14 Bar-tailed Godwits, ten Avocet, a handful of Ringed Plovers and Turnstones, c30 Knot, c100 Grey Plovers and c800 Knot, whilst a Peregrine and a couple of Marsh Harriers were seen distantly over the far side of the harbour, but four Great Crested Grebes were all that could be seen offshore. (AH)

Pale-bellied Brent Goose (above), Brent Geese, Greenshank & Dunlin, Knot and Grey Plovers at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - Two Dartford Warblers, three Chiffchaffs, five Stonechats, c20 Reed Buntings and c50 Yellowhammers were along the banks this morning, with a Sparrowhawk, a Kestrel and two Buzzards over.

Also, six Avocets, three Dunlin and eight Ringed Plovers were on the Stilt Pool and four Mediterranean Gulls, ten Brent Geese and c200 Golden Plovers were on/over the reserve. (S&SaH)