Birding the Selsey Peninsula: 23rd

Sunday, 25th May: After a little overnight rain, a mostly bright morning, though with a strong and blustery westerly throughout..........

Selsey Bill: It was quieter this morning, though two Black Terns were in the distant feeding flock and 14 Sanderlings and a flock of 50 Grey Plovers went west. Full log below. (SH/PB/MRB/IP/AH/SR)

(0600-0830hrs) (WNW, F6)

Fulmar - 1W

Gannet - 3E, 13W

Common Scoter -27E

Grey Plover - 50W

Sanderling - 14W

Turnstone -1

Mediterranean Gull - 42W

Kittiwake - 2W

Sandwich Tern - 6W, 45os

Common Tern - 1W, 6os

Black Tern - 2os

Razorbill - 7W

auk sp - 1W

Swallow - 2

House Martin - 1

Sandwich Tern at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were still c60 Black-tailed Godwits on the fast evaporating pool this morning, but just two Avocets, two Redshanks, a drake Gadwall and 16 Shelducks were with them. (AH/PB/MRB)

Gadwall (above), Black-tailed Godwit & Avocets at the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: Three Swifts were high over the wall this morning and the male Marsh Harrier was also about, but there was nothing of note on the Breech Pool, and out in the harbour just a few Shelducks and, unusually, an Egyptian Goose.

A Cuckoo was in the bushes along the wall, but most of the smaller birds were laying low in the very windy conditions, whilst at Halsey’s Farm, a Kingfisher was along the rife, and there was a good mix in the trees with Chaffinches, Long-tailed Tits, two Great Spotted Woodpeckers, a Stock Dove, a Song Thrush, and a Jay all about. (LP/MRi/MJa/DHi)

Cuckoo (above), Chaffinch & Stock Dove at the North Wall (LP)

Church Norton: There were up to a dozen Little Terns around this morning, with a Common Tern and c30 Sandwich Terns and Mediterranean Gulls present, too, mostly sat out on the mud.

A few waders were about, too, on the rising tide, comprising 11 Bar-tailed Godwits, three Knot, two Turnstones, nine Dunlin, c20 Grey Plovers, and c30 Ringed Plovers, plus a Curlew and the regular Oystercatchers, but the calling Cuckoo and the Whitethroat and a Green Woodpecker behind the hide was about it elsewhere. (PB/MRB/IP/AH)

Little Terns and Sandwich Terns (above), Common Tern and Sandwich Terns, Bar-tailed Godwits & Bar-tailed Godwits, Dunlin and Mediterranean Gulls at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - There was a reasonable selection along the banks, despite the wind, including a Dartford Warbler, two Lesser Whitethroats, eight Whitethroats, a Sedge Warbler, two Cetti's Warblers, four Reed Warblers, three Stonechats, two Reed Buntings and a dozen Yellowhammers.

Otherwise, there were still just four Avocets on the Stilt Pool, a Common Tern was on the rafts, eight Egyptian Geese were out on the reserve and a Marsh Harrier, four Swifts and six Swallows went over. (S&SaH)

Chichester Canal: A look along the canal from the Birdham Road end produced a calling Cuckoo, at least five Chiffchaffs, three Cetti's Warblers, two Blackcaps and a dozen or more Reed Warblers, plus a family of Long-tailed Tits, but a couple of families of Mallard and a few Coots were all that were on the water. (AH)

Chiffchaff (above) & Reed Warblers along Chichester Canal (AH)

Saturday, 24th May: A change in the weather this morning, with a fresh and blustery westerly and heavily overcast skies, though the promised rain was not much more than early morning drizzle..........

Selsey Bill: A shift in wind direction brought a bit of activity this morning, including a pair of Velvet Scoters that dropped in on the sea before continuing west, 82 Common Scoters and a few more Brent Geese east, an Arctic Skua and a Great Northern Diver offshore and a Common Sandpiper and 24 Sanderlings also west. Full log later.

(SH/PB/BI/AHu/AH/SR/IP)

(0600-0900hrs) (WSW, F4-5)

Great Northern Diver - 1os

Fulmar - 1E, 4W

Gannet - 3E, 20W, 3os

Shag - 1E

Brent Goose - 19E

Mallard - 2

Velvet Scoter - 2os, then W

Common Scoter - 82E

Oystercatcher - 1E

Sanderling - 24W

Dunlin - 1W

Common Sandpiper - 1W

Turnstone - 7W

Arctic Skua - 1os

Mediterranean Gull - 60W, 20os

Kittiwake - 10W, 1os

Sandwich Tern - 20os

Common Tern - 1W, 7os

Little Tern - 3os

Guillemot -1W

auk sp - 2E, 1W

Swallow - 1

(1530-1630hrs) (SH)

Fulmar - 1W

Gannet -7W

Common Scoter - 1W

Oystercatcher - 1E

Mediterranean Gull - 30W

Sandwich Tern - 2os

Common Tern - 1os

Little Tern - 3os

A video of the Velvet Scoter is on our YouTube channel here: VELVET SCOTERS

Velvet Scoters (above), Kittiwake, Sanderlings, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern & Gannet at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: A Little Ringed Plover was at the back again this morning, though otherwise there were just two Avocets, four Redshanks, c60 Black-tailed Godwits and 16 Shelducks. (AH)

Little Ringed Plover (above) & Black-tailed Godwit on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: There were half a dozen Little Terns on the far side this morning, and at least a dozen Sandwich Terns and c40 Mediterranean Gulls were around the islands, whilst a selection of waders included a dozen Grey Plovers, half a dozen Ringed Plovers, eight Turnstones, a Dunlin and a couple of Whimbrel and Curlews, and there was also a single Brent Goose about.

Also, a Cuckoo was calling from the west side, a couple of Swallows went over, a Green Woodpecker was in the churchyard and the Whitethroat was singing near the hide, but that was about it. (AHu/IP/AH)

Sandwich Terns and Mediterranean Gulls (above) & Green Woodpecker at Church Norton (AH)

This evening in the harbour, there were three Knot, 12 Grey Plovers, three Whimbrel and eight Bar-tailed Godwits out on the mud and half a dozen Sandwich Terns flying about, with a Cuckoo still calling from the west side. (AH)

Knot (above), Grey Plover, Knot and Grey Plovers, Whimbrel & Sandwich Terns at Church Norton (AH)

North Wall: It was predictably quiet along the wall this morning in the windy conditions, although two Brent Geese were in the field at Halsey’s Farm early on, and a pair of Shelducks were along the rife with five newly hatched chicks.

Also, a Cuckoo was calling from the trees, and at Owl Copse the Grey Heron chicks were showing well, but at high tide there were just two Great Crested Grebes out in the harbour. (MJa/LP)

Shelduck family (above) & Grey Heron chicks at the North Wall (LP)

Mill Pond Marsh: There were two calling male Cuckoos and probably two different females around the reed-beds this morning, with several singing reed Warblers, a pair of Whitethroats and a Blackcap also present.

Also, a drake Shoveler, two families of Mallards, a Little Grebe, two Little Egrets and a pair of Grey Herons with a juvenile were on the flooded field and 18 Tufted Ducks were on the Mill Pond. (AH)

Cuckoo (above), Whitethroats, Shoveler & Little Egret at Mill Pond Marsh (AH)

Chichester Canal: A Cuckoo was calling and a Red Kite flew over this morning, other than that there were just a Song Thrush, the nesting Mute Swans, six Whitethroats, 13 Reed Warblers, five Chiffchaffs and plenty of young families of Coots and Blue Tits. (SR)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - There were just four Avocets, two Ringed Plovers, six Oystercatchers and two Egyptian Geese on the Stilt Pool this morning, with another dozen of the latter on the reserve, plus nine Swifts, a Swallow and a Buzzard over.

The banks were fairly quiet, with just the usual mix of species about, including two Lesser Whitethroats, half a dozen Whitethroats, five Stonechats, three Reed Warblers and Cetti's Warblers, a Reed Bunting and ten Yellowhammers. (S&SaH/PB)

Chi GPs: Drayton House pits - Breeding was well underway for a number of species on this morning's monthly WeBS count, the highlight being on the North pit, where the first brood of three Pochard was seen with a female, together with three other furtive pairs in the reeds, the males attending the females closely in suitable breeding habitat. Additionally another eight birds were loafing (seven males and a female) bringing the overall total to 15 adults, so it seems likely there will be further broods in the future.

Also on North pit were four Egyptian Geese (non-breeding), two pairs of breeding Greylag Geese with young, a pair of Canada Geese with a single gosling, two pairs of Mallards with broods and at least five Coot pairs with young.

On the South pit there were 26 Mallard of which two females had broods of young in tow, whilst the pair of Egyptian Geese that bred here earlier have four well-grown young. A few pairs of Coots also have young, though numbers of wildfowl are of course low at present during the breeding season. Reed Warblers and Cetti's Warblers are now much in evidence and half a dozen Swifts were high up over the lakes.

Drake Pochard (above) in reedbed (female was nearby) on North pit, whilst (below) female Pochard with the first brood of three young

Four Egyptian Geese (non-breeders) on the North pit and (below) pair of Greylag Geese with young

Friday, 23rd May: A cool, but bright start in a light north-easterly soon gave way to increasing cloud as the breeze freshened from the south-west......

Selsey Bill: The surprising thing this morning was a flock of 30 Brent Geese, plus a Pale-bellied Brent Goose, going east, five or six weeks after the bulk of the species' migration has finished, but it was otherwise very quiet. Full log below. (IP/SR/AH)

(0700-0800hrs) (NE, F2)

Gannet - 2E

Brent Goose - 30E

Pale-bellied Brent Goose - 1E

Mediterranean Gull - c50os

Sandwich Tern - 4os

Swift - 1

House Martin - 20

Dark-bellied Brent Geese and Pale-bellied Brent Goose (above) & Mediterranean Gulls at the Bill (AH)

(1530-1630hrs) (SH)

Gannet - 1E

Brent Goose - 2E

Common Scoter - 1E

Mediterranean Gull - 15W

Kittiwake - 1W

Sandwich Tern - 6os

Common Tern - 1os

Later, a Pale-bellied Brent went west past the Bill. (AW)

Pale-bellied Brent Goose at the Bill (AW)

Ferry Pool: There were c60 Black-tailed Godwits on the pool this morning, along with just a Little Ringed Plover, two Redshanks and 14 Shelducks. (AH/IP)

Little Ringed Plover (above) & Black-tailed Godwits at the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: Two Swallows were on the fence around the paddocks, and a Marsh Harrier was over the reeds, but elsewhere it was more of the same, with two Tufted Ducks and a Great Crested Grebe on the Breech Pool, and lots of Reed Warblers, Sedge Warblers, Reed Buntings and Whitethroats along the hedges and reeds.

At Halsey’s Farm, a Kingfisher was along the rife, a Cuckoo was calling from the trees, and ten Cattle Egrets were around the cows, while along the bushes were two Blackcaps, a Lesser Whitethroat, four Chiffchaffs, a Green Woodpecker, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, and a Jay. (MJa/LP/IH/SP/S&SaH)

Kingfisher (above), Swallow, Cattle Egrets, Sedge Warbler & Reed Warbler at the North Wall (LP)

Church Norton: This evening there were five Whimbrel, a Bar-tailed Godwit, eight Grey Plovers, two Sanderling, a dozen Dunlin and c50 Ringed Plovers out on the mud, whilst a couple of Sandwich Terns and Mediterranean Gulls flew around, but didn't settle. (AH)

Whimbrel (above), Bar-tailed Godwit and Ringed Plover, Grey Plovers & Ringed Plovers at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry: Chainbridge and Porthole Farm to Ham Farm - Two Short-eared Owls were out early this morning - one near Chainbridge and one on the reserve, with a Buzzard and a couple of Kestrels about, too, whilst up to six Corn Buntings, a couple of Reed Buntings, a Stonechat, two Cetti's Warblers, seven Reed Warblers and a dozen Whitethroats were about, but there was no sign of the Quail this morning at Ham.

At least another dozen Whitethroats and similar of Yellowhammers were around Porthole Farm, along with a handful of Swallows and c40 Mediterranean Gulls. (S&SaH/AH)