New Year's Day, Thursday, 1st January: It remains cold and bright, but the wind shifted to the west overnight and freshened considerably.....
Just a reminder that The Review of the Year for 2025 is available on the header bar above. (Eds)
Selsey Bill: Over 1000 distant auks went east and all the regular species were present, but none of the scarcer ones seen recently showed up for the big gallery of watchers. Full log below.
(JA/SH/BI/IP/MRe/PM/PB/MRB/AB/P&LH/OM/SM/AT/AH)
(0730-0930hrs) (W, F5-6)
Great Northern Diver - 3W, 1os
Red-throated Diver - 20E, 32W, 6os
diver sp - 1E
Great Crested Grebe - 3W, 1os
Gannet - 6E, 130W
Shag - 1E
Wigeon - 1W
Pintail - 1W
Common Scoter - 1E, 29W
Red-breasted Merganser - 5E, 9W
Oystercatcher - 1E, 1W
Turnstone - 2W, 1 present
Mediterranean Gull - 2E, 1W
Great Black-backed Gull - 14W, 2os
Kittiwake - 4E, 76W
Sandwich Tern - 10os
Guillemot - 1E, 1W
Razorbill - 45E, 6os
auk sp - 1321E, 94W
Red-throated Diver (above), Guillemot, Razorbills & Mediterranean Gull at the Bill (AH)
A large gallery (AH) (above) & the New Year's sunrise (LH) at the Bill
Ferry Pool: There were two Avocets, c40 Black-tailed Godwits, c200 Golden Plovers, c1500 Lapwings, c80 Shovelers, c200 Teal, c500 Wigeon and c90 Canada Geese around the pool and fields this morning, whilst in Ferry channel a Greenshank dropped in and showed well. (AH/PB/MRB/OM et al)
Greenshank (above) in Ferry channel (OM) and Black-tailed Godwit and Lapwings (below) & Golden Plovers and Lapwings at the Ferry (AH)
Church Norton: There was a lot of activity offshore again this morning, including the Long-tailed Duck, a Slavonian Grebe, two Red-breasted Mergansers, a Great Northern Diver, at least six Red-throated Divers and c15 Great Crested Grebes on the sea and up to five Sandwich Terns and c25 Gannets actively feeding, with one or two Common and Mediterranean Gulls about, too.
The Peregrine was very busy in the harbour, chasing and downing a Kingfisher which fortunately escaped into the trees, before repeatedly upsetting the waders, and a couple of Marsh Harriers and a Buzzard were about, too, whilst the three first-winter White-fronted Geese were seen flying west along the North Wall.
Among the vast numbers of Dunlin, Knot and Grey Plovers present, there were two Greenshanks, two Bar-tailed Godwits and 32 Avocets, whilst c200 Golden Plovers and c500 Lapwings came up from the far end, whilst wildfowl included c40 Pintail, 50 Teal and c100 Wigeon, with c200 Brent Geese at the far end, with a couple of Little and Great Crested Grebes about, too.
There were very few small birds about, though a Stonechat and a Chiffchaff were along the path to the beach and two Redwings were in the field behind the car-park. (AB/PB/MRB/PM/AH/OM/P&LH/SM/AT/MB/DB/IP/MRe et al)
Red-throated Divers (above), Long-tailed Duck and Great Crested Grebes, Sandwich Tern, Gannets, Common Gull, Greenshanks and Redshanks & Marsh Harrier at Church Norton (AH)
Pagham Lagoon: There was no sign of the Black-necked Grebe this morning, or this afternoon, though six Pochard, 35 Tufted Ducks, 15 Little Grebes and a Water Rail were noted. (IP/MRe/BI/NM/AH)
Pochard on Pagham Lagoon (AH)
North Wall: The three first-winter White-fronted Geese were showing well in the fields today, whilst a Greenshank and a Water Rail were on the Breech Pool and two Avocets and c200 Golden Plovers and Lapwings were in White's Creek.
Also, two Coal Tits were in Pagham churchyard, a Fieldfare was flying around the fields and six Rock Pipits and a Reed Bunting were along the wall, with a Peregrine, two Marsh Harriers, a Kestrel and a Sparrowhawk about, too.
(AW/MJa/BI/IP/MRe/NM/AH/AWi/S&SaH et al)
White-fronted Geese (BI top, AH lower two) (above), Coal Tits, Greenshank, Water Rail & Golden Plovers (AH) at the North Wall
Fishbourne Creek: Three Goldeneye were in the creek today, with a Spotted Redshank, a Kingfisher and six Snipe also about, whilst a pair of Coal Tits were in Apuldram church car-park..(AW/MRe/IP)
Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - A Dartford Warbler, two Goldcrests, five Stonechats, three Skylarks and c20 Linnets were along the banks this morning, with a Marsh Harrier, a Buzzard and two Kestrels over.
Also, around the reserve, there were a Snipe, a Water Rail, six Egyptian Geese, c300 Brent Geese, 18 Golden Plovers and c100 Lapwings. (S&SaH)
Chichester GPs: Two Egyptian Geese, 29 Greylag Geese and a pair of Gadwall were on the water, with a Goldcrest and a few Long-tailed Tits in the hedges. (MRe/IP)
Drayton: A Woodcock and a Tree-creeper were at a private site nearby today and c.40 Cattle Egrets were at Drayton crossroads. (BI)
Tree-creeper (above) & Cattle Egret at Drayton (BI)
