1st - 2nd May 2026

Saturday, 2nd May: After a very murky and grey start, the morning slowly improved into bright and warm sunshine in just a light south-westerly breeze.......

Selsey Bill: A predictably quiet morning after yesterday's excitement, with a Velvet Scoter and two Arctic Skuas among a very modest eastwards passage, whilst eight Great Northern Divers and over 70 Little Terns offshore added some interest. Full log below. (JA/SH/PB/BI/PA/IP/AH/MRB/AGB/JBo et al)

(0500-1530hrs) (WSW, F2-3)

Great Northern Diver - 8os

Great Crested Grebe - 1E

Gannet - 19E, 10W

Shelduck - 7E

Velvet Scoter - 1E

Common Scoter - 84E, 8W

Oystercatcher - 12E, 15W

Ringed Plover - 3W

Sanderling - 6E, 9W, 1 present

Dunlin - 1W

Whimbrel - 2E

Bar-tailed Godwit - 40E, 6W

Turnstone - 1W

Arctic Skua - 4E

Mediterranean Gull - 8E, 1W, 2os

Common Gull - 1E

Great Black-backed Gull - 2E, 2W, 12os

Sandwich Tern - 200E, 66os

Common Tern - 32E, 8os

'Commic' Tern - 2E

Little Tern - 1E, 72os

Razorbill - 1E

auk sp - 1E, 1W

Swift - 1N, 1 present

Swallow - 48N

House Martin - 8

Wheatear - 1

Highlight of a quiet afternoon watch was a Puffin that went east, well offshore. Full log below. (JA/SH et al)

(1620-1800hrs) 

Great Northern Diver - 1os

Red-throated Diver - 2E

Oystercatcher - 1E

Dunlin - 5E

Whimbrel - 2E

Great Black-backed Gull - 1E, 7os

Sandwich Tern - 8E, 12os

Common Tern - 2E

'Commic' Tern - 2E

Little Tern - 1E, 24os

Puffin - 1E (1640hrs)

Little Terns (above), Dunlin & Shelducks and Oystercatchers at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There was a change this morning, with all the small waders, bar a Little Ringed Plover, moving out and 24 Black-tailed Godwits moving in, whilst there were three Bar-tailed Godwits, four Greenshanks and at least seven Whimbrel in Ferry Channel, with over a dozen of the latter and Bar-tailed Godwits and 120 Dunlin off the Tramway.

Also, 14 Avocets, six Gadwall, four Shovelers and 44 Shelducks were on the pool and three or four Painted Ladies were about, too.. (PA/AH)

Greenshank (above), Whimbrel and Bar-tailed Godwit, Avocets & Painted Lady at the Ferry (AH)

This evening there were two Greenshanks on the pool, with two more, four Bar-tailed Godwits, a Whimbrel and three Redshanks in the channel opposite. (AH)

Greenshanks (above), Greenshank and Bar-tailed Godwit & Bar-tailed Godwits at the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool: At least a dozen Reed Warblers and half a dozen Sedge Warblers and whitethroats were along the pool and hedges this morning, together with four Reed Buntings and 20 Linnets, whilst the pair of Little Grebes had at least two tiny chicks with them and the pair of Shovelers were in Ferry Channel, along with half a dozen Redshanks, and a Painted Lady flew through.. (AH)

Reed Warbler (above), Whitethroat, Linnet, Shoveler & Little Grebe family at the Long Pool (AH)

Church Norton: A Whinchat and a Lesser Whitethroat were along the front this morning, though the hedges were generally quiet, whilst out in the harbour there were 28 Bar-tailed Godwits, eight Whimbrel, c40 Little Terns and c200 Sandwich Terns. 

Also, a Painted Lady was in the car-park.(AGB/MRB/JBo/AH)

Whimbrel (above), Little and Sandwich Terns & Painted Lady at Church Norton (AH)

North Wall: A Cuckoo was calling all morning whilst moving between the paddock and Halsey’s Farm, and along the reeds and bushes there were many Reed Warblers, Sedge Warblers, Reed Buntings, and Whitethroats.

Two Shovelers and two Gadwall were on the Breech Pool, but there were just six Cattle Egrets, a Linnet, and two Skylarks around the fields, whilst a Song Thrush and a Pied Wagtail were in the paddock, and two Swallows were on the fences by the stables, but the only other sighting of note was six Painted Lady butterflies on the wing. (LP/JDW)

Cuckoo (above), Swallow & Song Thrush at the North Wall (LP)

East Side: On the rising tide there were c180 waders along the East Side, including three Greenshanks, 12 Whimbrels, 16 Bar-tailed Godwits, 95 Dunlin, 36 Grey Plovers, and 19 Knot, whilst six Sandwich Terns and a Brent Goose were about, too, and two Lesser Whitethroats and two Whitethroats, plus a few Painted Ladies were along the bushes. (LP/S Keen)

Greenshank (above), Whimbrel, Grey Plover & Grey Plovers and Knot along the East side (LP)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - Two Cuckoos were about this morning, whilst 28 Whitethroats, a Lesser Whitethroat, a Blackcap, four Chiffchaffs, 14 Reed Warblers, seven Sedge Warblers, a Stonechat, four Reed Buntings and eight Yellowhammers along the banks.

Also two Common Terns were around the reserve, along with a Cattle Egret, two Egyptian Geese, a Marsh Harrier and a Kestrel, whilst a Sandwich Tern went east offshore. (S&SaH)

Friday, 1st May: As the wind eased, a warm and sunny morning in a moderate breeze, initially from the east before veering to the south-east.....

Selsey Bill: Highlight by a distance for a big gathering of observers were the two Bee-eaters that flew in from the south-east at 1035hrs and lingered around the area for a good 45 minutes before drifting off south.

Otherwise, there was some activity offshore, though not as much as anticipated, including a close Pomarine Skua and three distant ones, five Arctic Skuas, a Velvet Scoter, a Black-throated Diver and a few waders, plus a Hobby in off. Full log below.(JA/SH/PB/PM/BI/IP/AB/JF/RHa/AH/OM/AHu//MRe/LP/SP/JFi/JDa/KT/LGRE et al)

(0500-1200hrs) (ESE, F4)

Great Northern Diver - 1E, 5os

Black-throated Diver - 1E

Red-throated Diver - 2E

diver sp - 1E

Fulmar - 3E

Gannet - 52E, 13W

Brent Goose - 14E

Shelduck - 2E, 2W

Velvet Scoter - 1E

Common Scoter - 190E, 18os

Hobby - 1N

Peregrine - 1E

Oystercatcher - 3E, 2W

Sanderling - 1W

Whimbrel - 23E

Bar-tailed Godwit - 47E

Common Sandpiper - 1

Turnstone - 1W

Pomarine Skua - 4E (1 at 0938hrs & 3 at 0950hrs)

Arctic Skua - 5E, 1os

Mediterranean Gull - 1E, 3W

Common Gull - 20E, 1W

Lesser Black-backed Gull - 2E

Great Black-backed Gull - 38E, 1W, 6os

Kittiwake - 14E

Sandwich Tern - 123E, 90os

Common Tern - 38E

'Commic' Tern - 50E

Little Tern - 4E, 32os

Razorbill - 1E

Bee-eater - 2 (1035-1120hrs)

Swift - 1N

Swallow - 9N, 2 present

House Martin - 6

Pied Wagtail - 1N, 1 present

Bee-eaters (AH top 3, PM middle 4, AB lower 3) (above), Pomarine Skua (PM), Arctic Skua, Black-throated Diver, Kittiwakes & Little Tern (AH) at the Bill

Bee-eater spotters (above), distracted by a rare moth (OM) & OM prepared for all eventualities (AH) at the Bill

(1200-1900hrs) (PB/AHu/SH/OM/I{P/JA/AH/JFi et al)

Great Northern Diver - 2os

Red-throated Diver - 2E

Gannet - 5E, 4W

Brent Goose - 16E

Eider - 2E

Common Scoter - 16E

Oystercatcher - 3W

Whimbrel - 4E

Common Sandpiper - 1

Arctic Skua - 6E, 1os

Mediterranean Gull - 10W, 2os

Black-headed Gull - 19W

Great Black-backed Gull - 7W, 8os

Sandwich Tern - 9E, 100os

Little Tern - 3E, 36os

Razorbill - 2os

Swallow - 15N

House Martin - 1

Bottle-nosed Dolphin - 2os

Arctic Skua at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were still one Little Stint and two Wood sandpipers on the pool this morning, along with three Common Sandpipers, three Bar-tailed Godwits, a Black-tailed Godwit, a Little Ringed Plover, 14 Avocets, two Redshanks, six Shovelers, eight Gadwall and 28 Shelducks. (AH/AB/OM/KT et al)

Bar-tailed Godwits (above), Little Ringed Plover & Wood Sandpiper and Avocet at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: A summer-plumaged Curlew Sandpiper was in the harbour this evening, along with eight Whimbrel, a Curlew and 44 Bar-tailed Godwits, plus c20 Little Terns and c250 Sandwich Terns. (AH)

Curlew Sandpiper (above), Curlew Sandpiper and Bar-tailed Godwit & Whimbrel at Church Norton (AH)

West Itchenor: Two Grey Partridges were in fields just south of Chalkdock Copse this morning. (GM)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool -  Along the banks today were 22 Whitethroats, two Lesser Whitethroats, four Dartford Warblers, nine Reed Warblers, five Sedge Warblers,, four Chiffchaffs, three Cetti's Warblers, five Reed Buntings and six Yellowhammers, plus Swallow over, whilst the Stilt Pool held a Greenshank, eight B ar-tailed Godwits and three Common Terns.

Also, a Slow-worm was seen and a Buzzard was seen carrying off an Adder. (S&SaH)

Buzzard with an Adder at Medmerry (SaH)