10th January 2025

Friday, 10th January: After a sharp frost, a  cold and mostly grey morning, but with just a fairly light easterly breeze........

A brief note to say that for those who have followed the Diary Notes for the pre-blog years, the entries for 1981-84 have now been added....Ring-necked Duck, Snow Geese and Little Owl at the Bill are amongst the latest updates, just click the link on the title bar. 
Note the reports begin with the oldest first (1975) and will gradually work their way up to 2012,thus adjoining the first of the blog years in 2013. (OM)

Selsey Bill: It was another interesting morning, with  a Velvet Scoter and a Long-tailed Duck offshore, along with c100 Common Scoters, and a few auks were on the move, too. Full log below. (JA/PB/BI/AH/SR)
(0740-0930hrs) (E, F3)
Great Northern Diver - 1E, 4os
Red-throated Diver - 14w, 3os
diver sp - 1E, 7W
Great Crested Grebe - 1os
Gannet - 5E, 3W
Shag - 7E, 2os
Wigeon - 6W
Long-tailed Duck - 1os
Velvet Scoter - 1os
Common Scoter - 2E, 4W, c100os
Red-breasted Merganser - 12E, 2W, 2os
Oystercatcher - 2E, 2W, 2 present
Lapwing - 1E
Mediterranean Gull - 3W, 4os
Common Gull - 4E, 5W, 2os
Kittiwake - 2E, 1os
Sandwich Tern - 2E
Guillemot - 1W, 1os
Razorbill - 19E, 95W, 19os
auk sp - 62E, 274W
Black Redstart - 1

A quick look between 1345 and 1415hrs just produced four Sandwich Terns west and c60 Common Scoter offshore. (JJE)

Velvet Scoter (above), Great Northern Diver, Sandwich Tern & Shags at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were no birds on the frozen pool this morning, with just two pairs of Wigeon in the channel opposite. (AH)

Selsey Peninsula: All three Long-eared Owls were present again today. (Eds)

Long-eared Owl on the Peninsula

Pagham Lagoon: The female Goldeneye was again on the lagoon today. (JJE)

North Wall: The flock of at least 15 Lesser Redpolls were showing well this morning along with a couple of Fieldfares, in the bushes around the cover crop field opposite Halsey's Farmhouse and Halsey's Barn.

The wall itself was quiet, though the Spotted Redshank was in Honer 1 field briefly and a Raven and two Marsh Harriers went over, whilst c80 Black-tailed Godwits, c300 Wigeon and a dozen or so Teal and Shovelers were in the creek at Halsey's Farm.

Another 200+ Black-tailed Godwits and similar of Lapwings were in the harbour, along with just four Knot and plenty of Grey Plovers, Dunlin, Wigeon and Teal, whilst at least 2000 Brent Geese flew in from the west. 

(AW/BI/AH/LP/SP/IH/TRH/CRJ et al)

This afternoon there were 83 Pintail, 85 Golden Plovers, c600 Lapwings, 227 Black-tailed Godwits, 479 Knot and 1400 Dunlin in the harbour, along with 15 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, whilst a Chiffchaff and a Reed Bunting were along the wall and a Stonechat and a Goldcrest were at Halsey's Farm. (JJE)

Late this afternoon, there was a Barn Owl at Halsey's farm. (BI)

Lesser Redpolls (top two AW, then LP, then AH) (above), Fieldfares (AW above, LP lower), Spotted Redshank, Raven, Marsh Harrier & Brent Geese (AH) at the North Wall

Fishbourne Creek: There were three Goldeneyes (two males and a female) and three Pintail off the Lavant outflow, where there were also a Kingfisher and two Grey Wagtails.

From Dell Quay there was very little on the water - just four distant Little Grebes being the pick, whilst a Common Seal swam down the creek, and on the receding tide there were three Greenshank at Fishbourne. (RW)

West Itchenor to West Wittering: Three Grey Partridges in fields just north of Rookwood were the highlight this afternoon, though four Linnets, two Meadow Pipits and three Goldcrests were the only other birds of note along the hedges.

There were plenty of birds in the harbour, though, including two Great Northern Divers, ten Red-breasted Mergansers, a Whimbrel, an impressive count of 150 Bar-tailed Godwits, 450 Knot, five Sandwich Terns and c250 Common Gulls, plus a Raven going over. (PA)

Chichester GPs: Ivy Lake - A look round today produced 23 Greylag Geese, 14 Shovelers, eight Gadwall, 13 Pochards and 11 Tufted Ducks.

Medmerry: Porthole Farm - Two Corn bunting were again in the hedges along the Medmerry Trail, together with a Reed Bunting, six Yellowhammers and a Redwing. (JJE)

Corn Bunting at Medmerry (JJE)