19th April 2026

Sunday, 19th April: A very pleasant and sunny morning, cool early on, but warming up, in just a light to moderate northerly breeze......

Selsey Bill: There was a reasonable selection of species this morning, including a female Black Redstart briefly in the gardens and the first Swift of the year, but sea passage remains minimal. Full log below. (SH/BI/IP/AH/P&LH/RW et al)

(0540-0910hrs) (N, F3)

Great Northern Diver - 2E, 6os

Red-throated Diver - 1W

Gannet - 2E, 11W

Brent Goose - 2E

Shelduck - 2E, 1os

Shoveler - 5W

Gadwall - 2E

Mallard - 2

Common Scoter - 8E

Red-breasted Merganser - 2E

Oystercatcher - 4E

Sanderling - 1

Mediterranean Gull - 61E, 2W

Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1os

Great Black-backed Gull - 4os

Sandwich Tern -

Common Tern - 57E, 35os

Little Tern - 4E, 10os

auk sp - 1E

Swift - 1N

Swallow - 3N

Pied Wagtail - 1

Black Redstart - 1

Chiffchaff - 2

Common and Sandwich Terns at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There wasn't too much around the pool this morning, with just a Little Ringed Plover, five Avocets, three Gadwall, eight Shovelers and seven Shelducks seen, with eight Black-tailed Godwits in the channel opposite.

There was just the usual mix of a few Whitethroats, Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs, too. (AH)

Little Ringed Plover, Avocet and Shovelers (above), Whitethroat & Chiffchaff at the Ferry (AH)

Honer Reservoir: The male Woodchat Shrike was in the flooded field again this morning, with a Whinchat in the vicinity, too. 

Also, a Garden Warbler, a Reed Warbler and two Blackcaps were in the hedges along the path towards Bramber Farm. (MJa/RPo/BI/MB et al)

North Wall: A Cuckoo flew over Halsey's Farm, mid-morning. (DH)

Park Farm, Selsey: Hirundines were back at the farm this morning, with, Swallows seen coming out of stables and c20 House Martins, and a few Swallows and a Sand Martin, plus a Pied Wagtail in the vicinity.

Also, a single Wheatear flew around the fields, a pair of Red-legged Partridges were at the eastern end and a few Skylarks were displaying, whilst at least two different Cetti's Warblers were calling around Park Lane. (IP)

Church Norton: A Lesser Whitethroat was in the stunted oaks next to the horse field, with a male Kestrel hunting over the field, whilst displaying Whitethroats were everywhere, along with a pair of Blackcaps and both Green Woodpecker and Great Spotted Woodpeckers in the area.

The harbour was dominated by c500 Mediterranean and Black-headed Gulls and c200 Sandwich Terns, with two Common and two Little Terns among them.

There were also seven Turnstones, seven Dunlin feeding together by the metalwork, four scattered Whimbrels, two Curlews and two Ringed Plovers, with a pair of Canada Geese on Tern Island, a pair of Mute Swans and a few shelducks seen, too. (IP)

Chichester GPs: A look around the Ivy Lake complex didn't produce much this morning, with half a dozen Pochard, c20 Tufted Ducks, four Egyptian Geese, including a leucistic bird and c20 Greylag and Canada Geese the only wildfowl, whilst along the path there were a Sedge Warbler, half a dozen Reed Warblers, two or three Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Cetti's Warblers and a pair of Reed Buntings. (AH)

Reed Warbler (above), Blackcap, Greylag Goose & leucistic Egyptian Goose at Chichester GPs (AH)