16th - 17th September 2026

Thursday, 17th September: A wet and windy morning, with persistent drizzle interspersed with heavy showers pushed through on a fresh and blustery south-westerly, before slowly brightening up.......

Selsey Bill: A slow morning in the poor conditions, with 11 Common Terns and six Common Scoters west the best. Full log below. (IP/AH)

(0700-0815hrs) (SW, F5-6)

Gannet - 1E, 24W

Common Scoter  - 6W

Oystercatcher - 2W

Turnstone - 8

Mediterranean Gull - 1E

Great Black-backed Gull - 3W

Sandwich Tern - 6W

Common Tern - 11W

Swallow - 36W

Sandwich Tern (above), Gannet & Common Scoters at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were just five juvenile Shelducks, a Lapwing and a Redshank on the pool, with another half a dozen of the latter, three Avocets and c20 Teal in the channel opposite. (AH)

Avocet (above) & Shelduck at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: There were at least a dozen Chiffchaffs in the sheltered hedges this morning, along with three Blackcaps and a big roaming flock of Blue, Great and Long-tailed Tits, whilst least 50 swallows went over, heading west.

The harbour was fairly quiet in the rain, but there were a Greenshank, two Whimbrel, four Grey Plovers, a dozen Curlews and Oystercatchers and c30 Redshank spread around, along with c20 Teal. (AH)

Blackcaps (above), Chiffchaffs, Greenshank & Whimbrel at Church Norton (AH)

Wednesday, 16th September: After a cool start, a pleasant morning of warm sun and white cloud in a moderate north-westerly breeze.....

Selsey Bill: A Common Tern west was the only thing of note offshore, and visible migration was fairly slow until a long, loose flock c400 House Martins went west well offshore, with a similar number then accumulating over the houses before drifting off west, too. Full log below. (AH/IP)

(0645-0830hrs) (NW, F4)

Gannet - 10W

Sparrowhawk - 2

Oystercatcher - 1W

Turnstone - 12

Mediterranean Gull - 37W, 2os

Great Black-backed Gull - 3os

Sandwich Tern - 2E, 6W

Common Tern - 1W

Great Spotted Woodpecker - 1

Swallow - 105W

Sand Martin - 5W

House Martin - 842W

Yellow Wagtail - 2W

Grey Wagtail - 2W

Meadow Pipit - 34W

Wheatear - 1

Chiffchaff - 4

Rook - 1E

Linnet - 3W

Goldfinch - 5

House Martin (above), Chiffchaff, Sparrowhawks & Sandwich Terns at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There were just two juvenile Shelducks, a Lapwing and c60 roosting Lapwings on the pool this morning, and just a fly-through Kingfisher, two Black-tailed Godwits, the two Avocets, half a dozen Redshanks and c20 Teal in the channel opposite. (AH)

Lapwing (above) & Black-tailed Godwit at the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool: The Osprey was fishing over the saltmarsh at the end of Ferry Channel high tide late this afternoon, whilst two Snipe, four Turnstones, five Curlews, seven Little Egrets and three Grey Herons were among the roostring birds.

Two Tufted ducks were on the pool, whilst a Blackcap, two Chiffchaffs, a Linnet and two Reed Buntings were along the path, with 47 Meadow Pipits, seven Swallows and a Sparrowhawk going over. (IP) 

Church Norton: There was a good fall of 41 Chiffchaffs between the Severals and Bluebell Wood this morning, with a Spotted Flycatcher, six Blackcaps, two Sedge Warblers and three Reed Warblers in the vicinity, too, whilst two Yellow Wagtails, three swallows and 19 Meadow Pipits went over. (MRe)

The Osprey was fishing at the back of Tern Island late this afternoon. (RP)

North Wall: Two Grey Wagtails were by the sluice and a Spotted Redshank, a Greenshank, 22 Black-tailed Godwits and c120 Redshanks were along White’s Creek, whilst further out there were c50 Wigeon, 12 Pintail, c60 Teal and the Shelduck family.

A Redshank was along the rocks, and in the bushes along the wall there were three Wheatears, 18 Reed Buntings, four Blackcaps, a Stonechat, two Cetti’s Warblers and six Greenfinches, whilst twelve Cattle Egrets were around the cows in the fields, and a Peregrine flew over and across the harbour.

At Halsey’s Farm a smart male Redstart was along the bushes, and three Meadow Pipits, a Snipe and a Lapwing were by the rife, with the Kingfisher in its regular spot at the far end. (MJa/LP/DHo/CT)

Redstart (above), Wheatear, Stonechat & Redshank (LP), Snipe, Cetti's Warbler, Meadow Pipit, Wheatear & Grey Wagtails (DHo) at the North Wall

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - The banks were fairly quiet this morning, with just three Wheatears, a couple of Whitethroats and a dozen Chiffchaffs seen, along with a handful of Yellowhammers and Linnets, whilst c25 Yellow Wagtails and a dozen Skylarks were in the fields.

There was a continuous westward movement of hirundines, involving c200 House Martins, c100 Swallows and c50 Sand Martins, with c50 Meadow Pipits and c100 Linnet5s going over west, too.

The only waders on the Stilt Pool were two Greenshanks, a Redshank and c20 Lapwings, with another c20 Redshanks by the poplars, with only other things of note being a couple of Common Blues and at least 25 Clouded Yellows. (AH)

Yellow Wagtail (above), Wheatear, Chiffchaff, Yellowhammer, Meadow Pipit, Swallow, Greenshanks and Lapwing, Common Blue & Clouded Yellow at Medmerry (aH)

This evening two Short-eared Owls were high over the reserve, mobbing a Marsh Harrier, whilst an Osprey flew in, carrying a fish, and landed opposite Marsh Barn and a tiny male Merlin was chasing the Meadow Pipits.

Other than that excitement, there were just a Chiffchaff, a Cetti's Warbler, two Yellowhammers and two Kestrels noted. (S&SaH)

Osprey at Medmerry (SaH)