4th September 2026

Friday, 4th September: A morning of near gale-force south-westerlies, mild and grey with the odd spell of drizzle.....

Selsey Bill: The highlight of another busy morning was two Cory's Shearwaters heading west together in fairly leisurely fashion, just inside the Mile Basket Line at 0746hrs, and allowing all present some decent views.

There was also another big push of birds going west, including 728 Sandwich Terns, 154 Common Terns, three Black Terns, a Little Tern, two Arctic Skuas and 247 Gannets. Full log below. (BI/CRJ/AH/IP/P&LH)

(0600-1000hrs) (SW, F7)

Great Crested Grebe - 1os

Cory's Shearwater - 2W (0746hrs)

Gannet - 5E, 247W, 31os

Oystercatcher - 4W

Ringed Plover - 2W

Sanderling - 2E

Turnstone - 61

Arctic Skua - 2W

Mediterranean Gull - 139W

Black-headed Gull - 649W

Common Gull - 8W, 1os

Lesser Black-backed Gull - 5W

Great Black-backed Gull - 6W, 3os

Sandwich Tern - 8E, 728W, 20os

Common Tern - 3E, 154W

Little Tern - 1W

Black Tern - 3W

Swallow - 19W

House Martin - 5

A bit later there was another pulse of Sandwich Terns through. Full log below -

(1040- 1155hrs) (P&LH)

Gannet - 11W

Kestrel - 1

Turnstone - 69

Mediterranean Gull - 76W

Common Gull - 2W

Great Black-backed Gull - 12W

Sandwich Tern - 81W

Common Tern - 5W

Swallow - 21W

(1345-1445hrs) (P&LH) 

Gannet - 4W

Oystercatcher - 3

Turnstone - 2

Mediterranean Gull - 47W

Sandwich Tern - 6W

Arctic Skua (AH top two, LH lower) (above), Black Tern (AH top two, LH lower), Common Terns, Sandwich Terns, Gannet (AH) & Common and Black-headed Gull (LH) at the Bill 

Ferry Pool: There was just a juvenile Shelduck on the pool this morning, with a Greenshank and a handful of Redshanks and Teal in the channel opposite. (AH)

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

Church Norton: There were just a few migrants about, including a Garden Warbler, a Willow Warbler and a handful of Blackcaps and Whitethroats around the sheltered hedges, with a Whinchat in the horse field, three Wheatears along the spit and a dozen Swallows over.

The harbour was fairly quiet, though there were three Greenshanks, three Whimbrel, a Bar-tailed Godwit, a Black-tailed Godwit, 15 Dunlin and a couple of Ringed and Grey Plovers on the mud, along with a roosting flock of 65 Sandwich Terns. (AH/P&LH)

Greenshank (above), Whimbrel, Sandwich Terns (AH), Wheatear & Greenshank, Little Egret and Curlew (LH) at Church Norton 

This evening a Little Tern and two Common Terns were among c40 Sandwich Terns in the harbour at high tide. (AH)

Little Tern (above) & Sandwich Tern at Church Norton (AH)

Medmerry: Ham Farm - A Short-eared Owl was over the solar panels between Ham and Golf Links Lane early this afternoon. (JWo)

West Itchenor: An Osprey was hovering over Chichester Harbour, viewed from Chalkdock early this afternoon, and a bit later, what was probably a different one went west past Itchenor jetty. (PH)