23rd - 25th July 2025

Friday, 25th July: An increasingly warm and muggy morning under grey skies, with just a light northerly breeze blowing........

It is with great sadness that I report the death of Tony Hill. Tony was very much part of the North Wall birdwatching community and indeed was an enthusiastic member of the first North Wallcreepers team to compete in the New Year bird race.

As well as a keen birdwatcher Tony was also a butterfly enthusiast, in which capacity he became a friend of Richard Williamson, the eminent naturalist. Tony saw most of the UK butterfly breeding species and had a particular wish to see a Swallowtail butterfly; the photo was taken this summer the day before that ambition was finally achieved.

He will be much missed by all his friends. 

Ian Honeyman

Long-time North Wall regular, Tony Hill this summer (IH)

Selsey Bill: A very unexpected female/juvenile Black Redstart popped up by the play-park on the Oval Field and was then around the Bill House area this morning, but there was little else to report. Full log below. (AH/IP/P&LH)

(0700-0830hrs) (N, F2)

Gannet - 2E, 1W, 1os

Oystercatcher - 2E

Dunlin - 3W

Mediterranean Gull - 8E, 7W

Sandwich Tern - 34E, 36W

Common Tern - 2E, 1W

Little Tern - 1W

Swift - 11

House Martin - 23

Pied Wagtail - 1N

Black Redstart - 1

Sandwich Tern at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There was nothing on the pool early this morning, though a Whimbrel was in the channel opposite. (AH)

Honer Reservoir: A juvenile Cuckoo pitched up on the roadside wires briefly this morning, though quickly moved on, but there was nothing bar a couple of skulking Whitethroats and a Green Woodpecker along the hedges.

The small amount of water remaining on the reservoir was popular, with two Common Sandpipers, a juvenile Little Ringed Plover, two Teal, a juvenile Shelduck, c40 Mallards, an Egyptian Goose, a Greylag Goose and c150 Canada Geese all present, and there were also five Cattle Egrets in the adjacent grass field.  (AH)

juvenile Cuckoo (above), Green Woodpecker, juvenile Little Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper, Egyptian Goose & Cattle Egret at Honer Reservoir (AH)

Halsey's Farm: Around 60 Swallows and half a dozen Sand Martins were on the wires along Rookery Lane late this morning. (P&LH)

Church Norton: The first Willow Warbler was back this morning, with a Sedge warbler, seven Whitethroats, two Blackcaps and a Reed Bunting also about, along with 15 Swallows over.

There wasn't too much in the harbour, though at least 75 Sandwich Terns were about, along with three Common Terns and 15 Mediterranean Gulls, and waders seen included six Whimbrel, five Curlews and c25 Redshanks. (P&LH)

Birdham: A Willow Warbler was in a garden in the village this morning. (SH)

Pagham Spit: What was presumably the Wheatear of two days ago was still present by the harbour mouth this morning, whilst c25 Turnstones, a dozen Ringed Plovers and a couple of Dunlin were around the adjacent shingle.

The two nearby islands appeared to have been vacated, though there were still a lot of Sandwich Terns and Black-headed Gulls around Tern Island, and at least a dozen Little Terns and many Sandwich Terns were feeding offshore. (AH)

Wheatear (above), Little Tern, Dunlin, Ringed Plover & Turnstones at Pagham Spit (AH)

North Wall: Most of the action this morning was around Halsey’s Farm,, where two Willow Warblers were in the tamarisk, five Meadow Pipits, two Linnets, six Cattle Egrets and a Skylark were around the fields, and two Kingfishers, two Little Ringed Plovers, three Common Sandpipers, two Snipe, two Lapwings, a Redshank and two Teal were along the rife.

There were lots of Reed Warblers and Sedge Warblers along the reeds and bushes, but on the Breech Pool, where the water level has now risen considerably, there was just a Tufted Duck and a few Mallards.

Five Black-tailed Godwits were along White’s Creek, with four more further down, and at the far end a Greenshank and a couple of Dunlin were on the mud, as were three Whimbrel and three Grey Plover, whilst a Song Thrush was by the sluice and another Willow Warbler, two Pied Wagtails, 18 Long-tailed Tits, eight Swallows and a Great Spotted Woodpecker were around the paddock.

 (LP/MJa/IH/JDW/SP/GHi/EB/D.Homer) 

In addition to the above, two Crossbills, a red male and a female/juvenile type flew north over the wall at 0610hrs, a Green Sandpiper was in the creek at Owl Point, where a Common Tern flew over, and the moulting Spotted Redshank was in White's Creek. 

Circa 100 Sand Martins and Swallows were around the Lagoon, five Willow Warblers were flycatching in the tamarisk nearby, along with a few Chiffchaffs, and two Cetti's Warblers were laong the path. The Lagoon held held three Tufted Ducks, a Little Grebe, 36 Coots and 2 Moorhens, two Little Terns were fishing in the creek & four Mediterranean Gulls were out on the mud. A Kingfisher was also reported at the sluice and it or another was later at the breech pool. (BI)

Willow Warblers (above), Song Thrush, Kingfisher, Linnet (LP), Reed Warbler, Little Ringed Plover and Lapwing , Lapwing & Curlew (EB) at the North Wall

Thursday, 24th July: Despite the moderate northerly breeze, it was a pleasantly warm morning of sunshine and white cloud......

Selsey Bill: The first Fulmar in a month went east this morning, but otherwise it was just the regular species. Full log below. (AH/IP)

(0650-0805hrs) (NNW, F3-4)

Fulmar - 1E

Gannet - 3E, 6W

Turnstone - 5W

Mediterranean Gull - 14W

Sandwich Tern - 17E, 4W, 10os

Common Tern - 2W

Swift - 20

Green Woodpecker - 3

Swallow - 15E

Sand Martin - 5N

House Martin - 12

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

Ferry Pool: There was just the one Black-tailed Godwit on what remains of the pool this morning. (AH)

Black-tailed Godwit at the Ferry (AH)

Sidlesham: A White Stork - presumably a Knepp bird - was over the Anchor pub on the main road, heading east at lunchtime today. (AB)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - There were three Greenshanks and four Common Sandpipers on the Stilt Pool this morning, along with half a dozen Lapwings, a Black-tailed Godwit and a couple of Oystercatchers, whilst up to four Whimbrel were around the reserve and ten or so Common Terns were around the rafts.

The banks were fairly slow, though a couple of Dartford Warblers were about, along with a dozen Whitethroats, at least four Stonechats and Skylarks, a Reed Bunting, half a dozen Yellowhammers and many Linnets and Goldfinches, plus a couple of Sand Martins and a dozen Swallows over. (AH/IP)

Greenshanks (above), Common Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Common Terns, Stonechats and Linnet, Yellowhammer & Whitethroat at Medmerry (AH)

 

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)