16th - 18th September 2025

Thursday, 18th September: Another blustery, overcast morning, mild and very muggy, too....

Selsey Bill: Arctic Skuas were the most notable birds this morning, with a pale-phase going west then back east, close-in, followed by five dark/juvenile birds west, along with a couple of juvenile Kittiwakes and just a few terns. Full log below. (AH/IP)

(0710-0840hrs) WSW, F4-5)

Great Crested Grebe - 2W

Gannet - 11W

Mallard - 2W

Common Scoter - 4W

Oystercatcher - 2W

Turnstone - 32

Arctic Skua - 1E, 5W

Mediterranean Gull - 11W

Kittiwake - 2W

Sandwich Tern - 8W

Common Tern - 3W

Swallow - 15W

Arctic Skuas (above), Kittiwakes, Common Terns & Sandwich Tern at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: A Common Sandpiper, six Teal and a few Black-headed Gulls were it this morning. (AH)

Honer Reservoir: A late morning look turned up a Grey Phalarope on the reservoir today, feeding along the (surprisingly low) water's edge.

There were also six Gadwall on the reservoir, with a flock of c20 Yellowhammers along the adjacent hedge, with a few Chiffchaffs and a couple of Whitethroats present, too, plus a dozen Swallows over. (AH/BI/PA et al)

Grey Phalarope (above), Gadwall, Yellowhammer & Whitethroat at Honer Reservoir (AH)

Church Norton: There were nine Spoonbills roosting together in the harbour this morning, whilst an Avocet flew in with six Shelducks, but the harbour was quiet, otherwise, on the high tide, beyond a dozen Pintail and a few Wigeon and Teal.

Also, the two Spotted Flycatchers were still behind the hide, along with a few Chiffchaffs, whilst a couple of Goldcrests and a Mistle Thrush were in the churchyard and a handful of Swallows and House Martins went over. (AH/RS/RBe/JDa et al)

Spoonbills (above), Avocet and Shelducks, Spotted Flycatcher, Goldcrest & Chiffchaff at Church Norton (AH)

Chichester GPs: Ivy Lake complex - There were 52 Shovelers on the pits today, along with two Gadwall, three Pochard, 57 Tufted Ducks, 22 Egyptian, six Greylag and 30 Canada Geese, plus seven Little Grebes, 16 Great Crested Grebes and a Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Also, 17 Chiffchaffs were along the hedges, along with a Goldcrest, with a Kingfisher, a Yellow Wagtail, a Grey Wagtail and two Swallows seen, too. (PA)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - A Merlin went over the reserve this evening, as did a Peregrine, two Buzzards and four Kestrels, whilst two Greenshank were near the poplars.

Two Wheatears were along the fairly quiet banks, with three Stonechats, six Chiffchaffs, a Cetti's Warbler, a Yellowhammer, a Yellow Wagtail and a Pied Wagtail also seen, and 21 Sand Martins and 14 Swallows went over. (S&SaH)

Wednesday, 17th September: A very grey and blustery morning throughout, though dry after a rainy start....

Selsey Bill: A total of 104 Common Terns and 67 Sandwich Terns went west, along with an Arctic Skua, a few waders, three Sand Martins and 184 Swallows. Full log below. (PM/AH/IP)

(0630-0900hrs) (SWS, F5-6)

Great Crested Grebe - 1os

Gannet - 24W

Grey Heron - 1W

Common Scoter - 7W

Grey Plover - 3W

Dunlin - 7W

Common Sandpiper - 1W

Turnstone - 23

Arctic Skua - 1W

Mediterranean Gull - 70W

Common Gull - 1W

Kittiwake - 1W

Sandwich Tern - 67W

Common Tern - 104W

Razorbill - 2W

auk sp - 1W

Swallow - 184W

Sand Martin - 3W

Yellow Wagtail - 1E

Common Terns (above), Sandwich Tern, Mediterranean Gull, Sand Martin & Swallow at the Bill (AH)

Early this afternoon, four Sooty Shearwaters and three probable, but distant, Balearic Shearwaters went west, though not too much else was going on. Full log below. (MRe/AH)

(1045-1330hrs) 

Sooty Shearwater - 4W (1 @ 1204hrs, 1 @ 1310hrs, 2 at @ 1330hrs)

Balearic Shearwater - 3W (probables)

Gannet - 29W

Dunlin - 7W

Common Sandpiper - 1W

Arctic Skua - 1W

Mediterranean Gull - 4W

Kittiwake - 2W

Sandwich Tern - 4E, 28W

Common Tern - 3E, 26W

auk 2W

Swallow - 8W

(1545-1700hrs) (SH)

Balearic Shearwater - 1W

Mediterranean Gull - 1E

Sandwich Tern - 1W

Common Tern - 1W

(1730-1915hrs) (MRe)

shearwater sp - 1W 

Gannet - 1W

Bar-tailed Godwit - 1W

Arctic Skua - 1W

Mediterranean Gull - 1W

Kittiwake - 1W

Sandwich Tern - 39W

Common Tern - 3W

Little Tern - 1W

Razorbill - 1W

Common Terns (above), Common Sandpiper, Dunlin & Gannet at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were just a Redshank and c150 Black-headed Gulls on the pool this morning. (AH)

Mill Pond Marsh: A Common Sandpiper was the only bird on the flooded field this morning. (AH)

Common Sandpiper at Mill Pond Marsh (AH)

Church Norton: The six Spoonbills were in the harbour again this morning and a Marsh Harrier went over low, putting up just a Whimbrel and a few Knot, Dunlin and Grey Plovers, plus a dozen Pintail and c50 Wigeon.

The two Spotted Flycatchers were still behind the hide, along with a handful of Blackcaps, whilst at least five Willow Warblers were with c20 Chiffchaffs moving along the sheltered hedges, and there were also two Kingfishers in the harbour and c40 Swallows, ten House Martins and a couple of Sand Martins over. (AH/RS)

Willow Warblers (above), Chiffchaff, Spotted Flycatcher, Blackcap, Marsh Harrier, Spoonbills & Pintail at Church Norton (AH)

This afternoon the Wryneck was again in the Severals, but ten Chiffchaffs, a Blackcap and a Goldcrest, plus a Swallow, five House Martins and nine Sand Martins were about it for land birds.

Two Black Terns and a Little Tern flew in among a small flock of Sandwich Terns, before going back out, with 55 of the latter and two Common Terns seen earlier.

Also, two Spoonbills were about, along with a Curlew Sandpiper, ten Sanderlings, 20 Dunlin, 30 Knot, a Whimbrel and 18 Black-tailed Godwits. (AWi/PA)

Wryneck (above) & Sanderlings at Church Norton (PA)

Tuesday, 16th September: Another windy morning, with a fresh and blustery westerly blowing throughout, though with a reasonable amount of warm sun between the fast-moving clouds....

Selsey Bill: A Merlin watched traversing almost the whole horizon east without looking like it was coming in to shore was the highlight this morning, with a bit of visible migration going on, too, but apart from an early flurry of Kittiwakes, an unidentifiably distant shearwater and a few terns it was slow offshore. Full log below. (PM/AH/IP/KJ/NR et al)

(0630-0900hrs) (W, F6)

Great Crested Grebe - 1W, 1os

shearwater sp - 1W

Gannet - 1E, 4W

Shag - 9E, 1W

Merlin - 1E

Oystercatcher - 1

Ringed Plover - 12W

Sanderling - 1W

Common Sandpiper - 1

Turnstone - 19

Mediterranean Gull - 32W

Kittiwake - 84W

Sandwich Tern - 15E, 48W

Common Tern - 6E, 11W

Swallow - 43W

Grey Wagtail - 2W

Tree Pipit - 1W

Meadow Pipit - 53W

Ferry Pool: There were just three Teal and c100 Black-headed Gulls on the pool this morning. (AH)

Mill Pond Marsh: Four Black-tailed Godwits and a Little Grebe were the only birds on the flooded field this morning, and there was nothing in the bushes either. (AH)

North Wall: An Osprey went low over the wall this morning, along with a Buzzard, and a Wheatear was on the rocks. (EB)

Osprey (above), Buzzard & Wheatear at the North Wall (LP)

Medmerry: Ham Farm - There were two Whinchats present this morning. (LL)

Church Norton: It was third time lucky this morning, with a Wryneck finally giving itself up to more than the initial finders, with the bird along the front of the Severals showing well on occasions, though mobile.

Also along the front, there were a Whinchat and half a dozen Stonechats, with two or three Whitethroats and Chiffchaffs about, too, whilst three Wheatears were on the concrete blocks and two Spotted Flycatchers, a Whitethroat and a few Chiffchaffs were around the hide.

An Osprey went over the harbour and a Spoonbill was present, with 16 Pintail and 32 Wigeon about, along with 100+ Dunlin and a few Knot, Grey Plovers, Ringed Plovers and Turnstones, with a House Martin and a dozen Swallows over. (AH/PM/KJ/NR/Aw/IP/BI/MRe/EB et al)

Early this afternoon, six juvenile Spoonbills dropped it on the harbour and there were also two Knot and a Whimbrel about. (JC)

Wryneck (PM top two, AH middle two, AW lower two), Whinchat (AH top two, PM lower), Stonechat (PM), Spotted Flycatchers (PM top, AH lower), Chiffchaff & Whitethroat (AH) at Church Norton

This evening there was a lot of activity on the rising tide, with birds coming and going throughout, with highlights being a juvenile Little Gull, two Black Terns, two Arctic Terns, c25 Common Terns and similar of Sandwich Terns, plus c80 Mediterranean Gulls, whilst waders included a juvenile Curlew Sandpiper, c20 Knot and Grey Plovers, c40 Ringed Plovers and at least 100 Dunlin.

Also, all six Spoonbills were still present, with c20 Pintail and c50 Wigeon and Teal in the harbour, and a Wheatear, a Kingfisher, a Marsh Harrier and a few Swallows and House Martins also seen. (AH/LP)

Little Gull (above), Black Tern, Common and Sandwich Terns, Arctic Terns, Common Terns and Mediterranean Gulls, Curlew Sandpiper, Knot & Spoonbills at Church Norton (AH)