1st - 3rd December 2025

Wednesday, 3rd December: A pleasant morning of sun and the odd bit of grey cloud in a light to moderate south-westerly breeze.........

Selsey Bill: A first-winter Little Gull dropped in offshore, but promptly vanished in the waves this morning, whilst at least five, and possibly seven, Slavonian Grebes were about, along with good numbers of Red-breasted Mergansers. Full log below. (SH/PB/AH)

(0720-0935hrs) (SW, F3)

Great Northern Diver - 4E, 3os

Red-throated Diver - 6E, 4W

Slavonian Grebe - 2E, 5os

Great Crested Grebe - 1E, 1W, 2os

Gannet - 3E, 8W

Shag - 2E

Brent Goose - 2E, 4W

Common Scoter - 37W, 2os

Red-breasted Merganser - 20E, 9W, 7os

Dunlin - 70E

Little Gull - 1os

Mediterranean Gull - 2E

Kittiwake - 2W

auk sp - 19E

Pied Wagtail - 2

Great Northern Diver (above), Red-throated Diver, Common Scoters (AH) and a dramatic sky (PB)  at the Bill 

Ferry Pool: There were a lot of of birds on the pool this morning -  comprising two Avocets, three Redshanks, c200 Lapwings, c50 Shovelers, c100 Teal and c200 Wigeon, plus a dozen Shelducks and Mallards - until  they started shooting on the adjacent land and everything flew into the harbour.

There were more birds off the Tramway on the high tide, including c1000 Brent Geese before they started moving off westwards, 200 more Lapwings, three Snipe and a few Grey Plovers and Redshanks, whilst a Raven was around for several minutes before drifting off north. (AH)

Avocets (above), Lapwings, Brent Geese & Raven at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: There was a vast feeding flock well offshore this morning, a with a few Mediterranean Gulls among the many Herring and Black-headed Gulls - with up to 4000 birds present, but otherwise there was just a small flock of ten or so Common Scoters and another of similar numbers of Shovelers on the sea, plus seven Great Crested Grebes.

There were almost no waders or wildfowl in the harbour beyond a few Redshank, Pintail, Wigeon and Teal, though a Kingfisher was about and a big lock of Golden Plovers and Lapwings came up from the far end. (PB/AH)

Tuesday, 2nd December: A much better morning, with the fresh south-westerly slowly abating, leaving a mix of sun and some heavy cloud......

Selsey Bill: The clear, if unexpected, highlight this morning was a Black Guillemot going west, quite close in, at 0845hrs. This was not the bird seen recently in East Sussex, as that was seen there again this morning, though it may well have been the one reported an hour and a half later off Southsea in Hampshire. This is just the fifth for the Bill and the Peninsula this century and the first since 2019.

Also of note, the redhead Goosander went west, as did a total of 15 Great Northern Divers. Full log below. (AH/P&LH/KJ et al)

(0740-1010hrs) (SW, F5-6)

Great Northern Diver - 1E, 15W, 3os

Red-throated Diver - 5E, 7W

Great Crested Grebe - 3E, 10W, 1os

Gannet - 1E, 15W

Shag - 16E, 3W

Brent Goose - 7W

Common Scoter - 2E, 31os

Goosander - 1W

Red-breasted Merganser -10E, 7W

Turnstone - 2

Mediterranean Gull - 3W

Common Gull - 1W

Great Black-backed Gull - 10os

Kittiwake - 2W

Black Guillemot - 1W (0845hrs)

Razorbill - 3W

auk sp - 4E, 48W

(1330-1430hrs) (P&LH)

Great Northern Diver - 3os

Red-throated Diver - 1W, 1os

Slavonian Grebe - 1os

Great Crested Grebe - 1E, 1W, 1os

Gannet - 5E, 17W

Shag - 2W

Red-breasted Merganser -4E, 10W, 4os

Sandwich Tern - 2W

Black Guillemot (above), Great Northern Divers & Shag at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were a lot of birds on the pool this morning, including an Avocet, c40 Black-tailed Godwits, c200 Lapwings, six Shelducks, c50 Shovelers, c150 Teal and c200 Wigeon. (AH)

Teal (above) & Avocet, Black-tailed Godwits, Shovelers and teal at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: There were two Greenshank in the harbour this morning, along with large numbers of Knot and Dunlin, plus two Bar-tailed Godwits and a few Grey Plovers, with c100 Golden Plovers and c300 Lapwings coming up from the other end.

At least 40 Shelducks were in the harbour, along with similar of Brent Geese and a few Wigeon and Teal, plus eight Common Gulls and 33 Mediterranean Gulls, whilst a Kingfisher was about, catching a very large fish.

Also, a Firecrest was in the hedges by the car-park and two Stonechats and 15 Linnets were along the front, and a Muntjac Deer was in the field by the Mound.. (KJ/NR/KF/AH/P&LH/EB et al)

Greenshanks (above), Grey Plover, Knot, Dunlin and Grey Plovers, Linnets  (AH) & Muntjac Deer (EB) at Church Norton

North Wall: There were at least 20 Yellowhammers along the wall this morning, together with 12 Reed Buntings, four Greenfinches and 16 Goldfinches, and there was a notable influx of thrushes with five Redwings, nine Song Thrushes, and 18 Blackbirds along the bushes.

A Water Rail was again showing well by Owl Copse and a Shoveler was on the water, but it was quiet at Halsey’s Farm with just a few Black-tailed Godwits and Curlews in the fields.

Six Rock Pipits and a Kingfisher were along the rocks, and seven Snipe flew over, whilst out in the harbour around high tide it was just the usual mix of Brent Geese, Wigeon, Teal and Shelducks, but later as the tide dropped c800 Golden Plovers and c1000 Lapwing were out on the mud. (LP/MJa/JDW)

Redwing (above), Song Thrush, Yellowhammers, Reed Bunting, Rock Pipit, Water Rail & Brent Geese at the North Wall (LP)

Monday, 1st December: There was a reburn to very unsettled conditions this morning, with a near gale-force south-westerly pushing through banks of drizzly ran under leaden skies......

Selsey Bill: There was very little going on until good numbers of Gannets and a few Kittiwakes started moving west. Full log below. (IP/AH)

(0750-0935hrs) (SSW, F7)

Gannet - 175W

Shag - 3E

Common Scoter - 8W

Red-breasted Merganser - 2E, 3W

Oystercatcher - 1W

Turnstone - 8

Mediterranean Gull - 3W, 2os

Great Black-backed Gull - 8os

Kittiwake - 2E, 37W

Razorbill - 2E

auk sp - 6W

Gannets (above), Kittiwakes, Red-breasted Mergansers & Mediterranean Gull at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were 13 Avocets and 45 Black-tailed Godwits roosting on the pool this morning, with 14 Shelducks, c60 Shovelers, c40 Wigeon and c120 Teal also about. (AH)

Avocets and Shelduck (above), Black-tailed Godwits & Shovelers at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: There were c400 Knot and c800 Dunlin on the mud as the tide dropped this morning, along with c60 Grey Plovers, c20 Turnstones and just two Bar-tailed Godwits, and there were also c50 Brent Geese about, along with similar numbers of Wigeon and Teal.

Also, a couple of Goldcrests were in the sheltered hedges and a Kestrel, a Jay, a Green Woodpecker and a Great Spotted Woodpecker were in the churchyard. (AH)

Bar-tailed Godwit (above), Knot and Dunlin & Kestrel at Church Norton (AH)