23rdJuly 2025

Wednesday, 23rd July: A fairly mild, but overcast, morning in just a light north-westerly breeze......

Selsey Bill: Four Little Terns and four Common Terns went west, and there were plenty of Sandwich Terns about this morning. Full log below. (AH/IP/LP)

(0700-0830hrs) (NW, F2-3)

Gannet - 2E, 2W

Oystercatcher - 3E, 1W

Mediterranean Gull - 1E, 15W, c100os

Sandwich Tern - 79E, 49W, 30os

Common Tern - 4W

Little Tern - 4W

Swift - 22

Sand Martin - 4

House Martin - 30

Linnet - 1

Sandwich Tern (above) & Little Tern at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were just three Black-tailed Godwits on the pool this morning. (AH)

Black-tailed Godwit at the Ferry (AH)

Mill Pond Marsh: The Greenshank and three Black-tailed Godwits were on the marsh, but otherwise there were just a couple of Little Grebes and a few Mallards on the water, and a handful of Swallows overhead. (LP)

Greenshank at Mill Pond Marsh (LP)

Pagham Spit: The first returning Wheatear of the autumn was on the spit this morning - two days ahead of the average date for the first bird back. (TG)

North Wall: A Common Sandpiper and at least four Whimbrel were in White's Creek this morning, along with c25 Black-tailed Godwits and c40 Redshanks, whilst further down the harbour there were c20 Grey Plovers and at least 150 Dunlin, along with four feeding Little Terns and a Kingfisher flying through.

The Breech Pool, though, just held a juvenile Little Ringed Plover, a Lapwing and half a dozen Black-tailed Godwits, with just a couple of Chiffchaffs and Reed Warblers along the wall and c30 scattered Swallows. (AH/CT)

Common Sandpiper (above), Little Ringed Plover, Whimbrel, Grey Plovers and Dunlin, Dunlin & Swallow at the North Wall (LP)

Church Norton: There were c150 Sandwich Terns spread around the mud and constantly flying up from their island, but just three Little Terns were about, and scattered across the harbour were c70 Redshanks, c30 Curlews, five Whimbrels, seven Dunlin and a Greenshank, but it was very quiet around the bushes with just a Whitethroat, a Buzzard and the leucistic Blackbird of note. (LP)

Sandwich Terns (above) & leucistic Blackbird at Church Norton (LP)

Fishbourne Creek: Before high tide this morning, the roost off Dell Quay contained ten Greenshanks, as well as a number of Redshanks and Curlews. (RW)

Ivy Lake Complex: There were 20 Egyptian Geese spread around the lakes this morning, as well as 18 Tufted Ducks and a Kingfisher, but otherwise it was just the regular Canada Geese, Greylag Geese and Great Crested Grebes, and it was quiet elsewhere, with just a Green Woodpecker along the path. (LP)

Egyptian Goose (above) & Green Woodpecker at Chichester GPs (LP)