10th - 12th December 2025

Friday, 12th December: A mild but grey morning in a moderate southerly breeze.........

Selsey Bill: The Little Gull was about again, as was a Slavonian Grebe, a Black-throated Diver and a selection of the regular species. Full log below. (PB/PM/AH/OM)

(0730-1115hrs) (S, F4)

Great Northern Diver - 2E, 2os

Black-throated Diver - 1E

Red-throated Diver - 3E, 5W

Slavonian Grebe - 1os

Great Crested Grebe - 2os

Gannet - 3W

Shag - 9E

Brent Goose - 13E

Common Scoter - 5E, 45os

Red-breasted Merganser - 4E, 14os

Turnstone - 1

Little Gull - 1os

Mediterranean Gull - 12E

Common Gull - 3E

Great Black-backed Gull - 13E

Sandwich Tern - 1W

Kittiwake - 18E

Razorbill - 2E

auk sp - 2E, 2W

Shags (above) & Brent Geese at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There was nothing on the pool again this morning, though c40 Lapwings flew off from the field. (AH)

East Head: A Snow Bunting - the first for two years - was in their traditional site along the west side of the dunes, late this morning. (TS/BI/A/IP et al)

Snow Bunting at East Head (PA)

Fishbourne Creek: With the low tide this morning there were a Greenshank and a Spotted Redshank at the top of the creek, five Pintail off the sewage works and pair of Red Breasted Mergansers between the Sewage works and Dell Quay.
Also, the large flock of loafing gulls in the upper creek included c1000 Common Gulls, some Black-headed and Herring Gulls and two Great Black-backed Gulls. (RW)

East Beach Pond: A male Blackcap was along the west side path and two Chiffchaffs and two Goldcrests were in the trees around the pond early this afternoon. (OM)

Chiffchaffs at East beach Pond (OM)

Church Norton: There plenty of birds in the harbour this morning, including a Bar-tailed Godwit, 17 Avocets, c400 Golden Plovers and Lapwings, numerous Knot and Dunlin, c40 Brent Geese, two Great Crested Grebes, a few Wigeon and Teal and a female Marsh Harrier. (PB/PM)

Pagham Lagoon: The Black-necked Grebe was showing well again at the southern end this morning, and a Black Redstart was in the vicinity, too. (PA)

Black-necked Grebe (above) & Black Redstart at Pagham Lagoon (PA)

Marsh Farm, Sidlesham: There was a minimum of 70 Cattle Egrets in the fields adjacent to the dairy unit this morning, but there wasn't much else to report, with a Stonechat and a handful of Chaffinches and Pied Wagtails just about the only small birds seen all the way round, with a Marsh Harrier, a Buzzard, a dozen Curlews and 20 Stock Doves over and c85 Collared Doves in the hedge by the dairy about it, otherwise. (AH)

Cattle Egrets (above), Stonechat, Marsh Harrier and Collared Doves at Marsh Fam, Sidlesham (AH)

Chi GPs: Ivy lake complex - I looked at several lakes but concentrated on New Lake and Runcton Lake. The former held a small number of the regular diving ducks and also c35 Shoveler, whilst the latter held the most interest, with c,20 Pochard and c.45 Tufted Ducks the most prominent. Once again, the female Tufted showing some Scaup features was present; again quite distant and un-photogenic, diving frequently and at some angles inviting the belief it could perhaps be the scarcer species, before that band and extensive dark bill-tip dashed any hopes! (OM)

Tufted Ducks on Runcton lake. The female appears to show quite a large rounded head, compared to the male, and no obvious hint of a tuft, whilst the white blaze around the whole bill is fairly extensive (though doesn't show it well here). However, it is not bulkier than the male, there is no pale cheek colouration, it is rather brown overall and the bill tip seems extensively black with a hint of a pale band too. (OM)

Thursday, 11th December: Another fairly warm and pleasant morning of sunshine and white cloud in a moderate south-westerly, though clouding up later on.....

Selsey Bill: The first-winter Little Gull was about again this morning, and a dozen Sandwich Terns were seen, but otherwise it was just small numbers of a reasonable spread of species seen. Full log below. (SH/PB/AH/IP/RJS/MG)

(0730-1000hrs) (SW, F4)

Great Northern Diver - 1W, 1os

Red-throated Diver - 3E, 3W

Great Crested Grebe - 1W, 1os

Gannet - 1W

Shag - 1E, 2os

Brent Goose - 2W

Common Scoter - 3W, 60os

Red-breasted Merganser - 4W

Oystercatcher - 1E

Turnstone - 4

Little Gull - 1os

Mediterranean Gull - 2W, 1os

Common Gull - 1W

Great Black-backed Gull - 2W, 1os

Kittiwake - 7E, 8W

Sandwich Tern - 12W

Razorbill - 11W, 1os

auk sp - 28E, 1W

Pied Wagtail - 1

Little Gull at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There was not a bird on the pool, with the digger active in the field behind, though a Greenshank dropped in on the creek opposite, where there were half a dozen Redshanks and c30 Teal. (AH)

Greenshank and Redshank in Ferry Channel (AH)

North Wall: There were still at least 15 Yellowhammers along the bushes this morning, together with eight Reed Buntings and a few Greenfinches, a Marsh Harrier was in the trees behind the Breech Pool, and a Rock Pipit was along the wall.

All the usual species were out in the harbour, but the main focus of the morning was in clearing a large amount of the plastic debris that had accumulated along the rocks. (LP/SP/IH/CT/TRH)

And well done to the above for their efforts in clearing up some more of this terrible mess! (Eds)

Yellowhammer (above) & Reed Bunting at the North Wall (LP)

The North Wall crew doing there bit to help clear the debris in the harbour (LP)

Pagham Lagoon: The Black-necked Grebe was showing well again this morning, along with at least 15 Little Grebes, a Great Crested Grebe, two Pochard, half a dozen Tufted Ducks and 50+ Coots, plus a Kingfisher. 

(AH/LP/SP/IH/TRH/CT/AWi et al)

Black-necked Grebe (above) & Little Grebe on Pagham Lagoon (AH)

East side: There were vast numbers of birds along the side of the harbour this morning, including two Spotted Redshanks in White's Creek and c300 Black-tailed Godwits, c100 Grey Plovers, c500 Knot, c100 Dunlin and c15 Lapwings out on the mud, along with c400 Brent Geese, c80 Pintail, c150 Teal c300 Wigeon and a dozen Common Gulls. (AH/AWi et al)

Pintail (above), Common Gull and Wigeon, Knot & Brent Geese, Pintail and Black-tailed Godwits along the Est side (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - Two Dartford Warblers, two Cetti's Warblers, nine Stonechats, a Reed Bunting, 14 Yellowhammers, c20 Skylarks, c30 Linnets and c40 Meadow Pipits were along the banks this morning, with a Greenshank and c500 Brent Geese on the reserve and two Marsh Harriers, a Buzzard and a Kestrel over. (SH/PB)

Wednesday, 10th December: An unseasonably mild morning of sun and cloud in a moderate south-westerly breeze.......

Selsey Bill: The first-winter Little Gull re-appeared offshore again this morning and six Sandwich Terns were feeding near the Mile Basket, but it remains slow.

Encouragingly, the beach around the Bill, at least, is looking much better, with most of the plastic having been removed, though a lot of black bananas remain. Full log below. (IP/AH)

(0800-0900hrs) (SW, F4)

Great Northern Diver - 1W

Great Crested Grebe - 1os

Gannet - 2E, 14W

Shag - 2E

Red-breasted Merganser - 2E

Turnstone - 1

Little Gull - 1os

Kittiwake - 2W

Sandwich Tern - 6os

auk sp - 1E, 1W

Little Gull at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: The digger was in the field this morning, having laid shingle on the new islands, making it quiet, with just three Lapwings and c30 Teal present. (AH)

Teal (above), Lapwings, the digger and the new look at the Ferry (AH)

Pagham Lagoon: The Black-necked Grebe was still present and showing well at the south end of the lagoon early this afternoon. (MRe/LP)

Black-necked Grebe on Pagham Lagoon (LP)

North Wall: It was busier along the hedgerows this morning, with 12 Yellowhammers, ten Reed Buntings, a Goldcrest, a Meadow Pipit, a Song Thrush, four Greenfinches and a few Goldfinches, Blue Tits and Great Tits about, whilst around the fields were 14 Snipe, 17 Curlews, including one tagged bird, A7, seven Skylarks, a Kestrel, and both male and female Marsh Harriers.

Two Rock Pipits were along the rocks, a Grey Wagtail was by the sluice, and in the paddock there were two Pied Wagtails and two Stonechats. whilst over the harbour c1000 Lapwings and c500 Brent Geese were moving between there and the fields.

Also, disappointingly, the container debris is now spread all around the harbour with lots of plastic crates and sheeting all along the wall, down the east side, and out on the saltmarsh. (LP/AW/MJa)

Snipe (above), Marsh Harrier, tagged Curlew (AW), Brent Geese, Kestrel, Meadow Pipit, Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting & Skylark (LP) at the North Wall

Medmerry: A Pale-bellied Brent Goose was among c250 Dark-bellied Brent Geese on the west side of the reserve this afternoon. (HB )

Medmerry: Easton Lane to Wilson's Farm - At least 60 Yellowhammers were in the cover crops by Wilson's Farm, along with a handful of Reed Buntings and Chaffinches, whilst there were c20 Linnets and Skylarks, half a dozen Meadow Pipits, a pair of Stonechats and c50 Stock Doves around the fields south of the bank, and a dozen Egyptian geese were in one of the flooded fields along Easton Lane. (AH)

Yellowhammers (above) & Skylark at Medmerry (AH)