Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 29th

Thursday, 30th January: After overnight frost, a bright, but cold, morning in a moderate to fresh northerly breeze.......

Selsey Bill: There was a westward movement of 63 Red-throated Divers this morning, but, otherwise, it was quiet. Full log below. (AH/OM/SR/GSh)

(0800-0930hrs) (N, F4)

Great Northern Diver - 1W, 2os

Red-throated Diver - 63W

Great Crested Grebe - 1os

Red-breasted Merganser - 1W, 7os

Turnstone - 8

Mediterranean Gull - 2os

Sandwich Tern - 3os

Red-throated Diver (above) & Great Northern Diver at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were c30 Black-tailed Godwits and c400 Lapwings around the edge of the pool this morning, with a pair of Gadwall, six Shelducks, c20 Mallards, c60 Shovelers and c 200 Wigeon and Teal also about. (AH)

Gadwall (above) & Wgeon at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: Two Great Northern Divers on the sea, and two Red-throated Divers west were all that could be found offshore this morning, along with a handful of Mediterranean and Common Gulls among the Black-headed Gulls.

There were large numbers of Knot, Dunlin and Grey Plovers roosting near the harbour mouth, with two Bar-tailed Godwits, a Greenshank and the Whimbrel a little closer, whilst a Red-breasted Merganser, a few Wigeon and Teal and at least 1000 Brent Geese were also present.

Also, a Raven and a Peregrine went over, and two Firecrests and two or three Goldcrests were among a mixed tit flock in the sheltered hedges. (AH/OM/RS/RBe et al)

Firecrest (above), Great Northern Divers, Whimbrel, Greenshank, Common Gull & Mediterranean Gull at Church Norton (AH)

Wednesday, 29th January: The wind dropped right down overnight, leaving a grey and overcast morning in just a light westerly.......

Selsey Bill: Everything was fairly distant this morning, but there was a bit of variety, including the Red-necked Grebe heading went, a Fulmar heading east and two Slavonian Grebes on the sea. Full log below. (SH/P&LH/LP/AH/SR)

(0730-0900hrs) (W, F2-3)

Great Northern Diver - 2os

Red-throated Diver - 1E, 14W, 1os

Red-necked Grebe - 1W

Slavonian Grebe - 2os

Great Crested Grebe - 2W, 1os

Fulmar - 1E

Shag - 5E

Cormorant - 62E

Brent Goose - 1W

Common Scoter - 16W, 32os

Red-breasted Merganser - 9E 5W, 9os

Turnstone - 2

Mediterranean Gull - 1os

(1230-1430hrs) P&LH/SH)

Great Northern Diver - 3E, 1W, 5os

Red-throated Diver - 2E, 2W

Great Crested Grebe - 1os

Brent Goose - 1W

Wigeon - 1W

Common Scoter - 40os

Red-breasted Merganser - 5E, 17W, 5os

Turnstone - 21

Mediterranean Gull - 3os

Common Gull - 5E, 2os

Sandwich Tern - 1os

Mediterranean Gull at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were just c40 Black-tailed Godwits, c75 Shovelers and c200 Wigeon and Teal about this morning, along with a pair of Great Blacked Gulls, plus a Little Egret in the rife. (AH)

Little Egret (above) & Great Black-baked Gulls at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: There were plenty of birds about this morning on the rising tide, including six Red-breasted Mergansers, two Tufted Ducks, a dozen Pintail, the Whimbrel, c30 Grey Plovers, six Mediterranean Gulls, a Common Gull, a Little Grebe, plenty of the usual species and at least 500 Lapwings and Brent Geese.

A Redwing by the moat was the only unusual bird around the hedges, with a Jay and two Kestrels also noted. (P&LH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - The Merlin was about again today, along with two Marsh Harriers and six Buzzards, whilst a Water Rail and 14 Brent Geese were on the reserve, with two Red-breasted Mergansers on the pool opposite the Stilt Pool, a Snipe and an Avocet on the pool itself and c300 Lapwings and c100 Golden Plovers went over.

There was a very big count of 72 Yellowhammers along the banks, with ten Reed Buntings, 100 Linnets, 15 Chaffinches, a Chiffchaff and a Dartford Warblers also about. (S&SaH/PB)

Medmerry: Windmill to the Breach - There were a pair of Stonechats, a few Meadow Pipits and a flock of Linnets about today, whilst there were large numbers of waders in the tidal area, including two tagged Curlews (EB)

Stonechat (above), Meadow Pipit, Linnets & Curlew at Medmerry (EB)

Runcton: Around the village this morning there were two Mute Swans, three Shelducks, c50 Mallard, 20 Shovelers, 15 Teal, two Gadwall, 14 Tufted Ducks, eight Coots, three Moorhens, a Grey Heron, a Water Rail, Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers, two Song Thrushes and half a dozen Long-tailed Tits, and there were also eight Roe Deer about. (CRJ)

West Itchenor: There wasn't much on the water this morning, beyond a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers, half a dozen Great Crested Grebes, a couple of Little Grebes and c300 Brent Geese, though a Kingfisher and at least eight Rock Pipits were around the boat yard.

The only waders of note on this side of the harbour were a flock of 13 Snipe that flew up from the salt-marsh and a lone Black-tailed Godwit, but a distant vast mixed flock of many thousands of birds flew up from the far side, and included at least 150 Bar-tailed Godwits.

Also, a least one, and probably two, Tree-creepers were at Chalkdock Copse, with up to 20 Yellowhammers and three or four Redwings also in the vicinity. (AH)