Diary notes: Pre-blog years (1975-2012):
by Owen Mitchell
This paper is a follow-on from the earlier 'History of the Blog' and 'Birding at Selsey Bill - a Personal Review' which can easily be found by clicking the relevant links on the title bar, so this current paper effectively completes a bit of a trilogy. As will be seen, the 'Personal Review' in particular already includes several examples of pages from my birding diaries. I have religiously kept detailed Birding Diaries/Yearbooks since I started birding way back in 1973. My first notebook from that year, followed by the 1974 edition, both sadly went astray after a house move, but I have kept my annual diaries since the year 1975 until the present (2024), this year marking my 50th consecutive year of these birding compilations.
Times change however, and these days I find myself spending increasing amounts of time in front of my computer, with some duplication involved in running both a diary and birding blog(s) and I've now reached the point where maintaining a written diary has now become a bit of a chore. I’m now well into my seventies and I've been giving things a lot of consideration, finally coming to some decisions. So, to cut a long story short, the time has come for me to bow to the inevitable and embrace digital recording more fully and I’ve already adopted some changes with the increased use of Bird Track, Bird Guides and other formats. I've therefore decided that 2024 will see my last diary in this format, completing fifty years of filling my bookshelves. Truly the end of an era.
The end of an era - 50 years of birding diaries. Note the various notebook styles until the loose leaf folder covers were adopted.
I’m still reasonably fit and active for my age at the present time, but I don’t take that for granted. Inevitably I am slowing down a bit, with health issues playing their part and me also doing less driving, resulting in fewer trips being made to the Peninsula. I've previously spent a huge amount of time at the Bill and on the journeys back and forth from home, but now feel the need to just step back a bit. I'm really pleased to see there has also been a welcome influx of fresh faces and younger blood on the Peninsula birding scene of late, so it's timely for them to carry the baton forward as I ease back. That doesn't mean I've lost interest or have given up going there, just that I make fewer visits now as suits my lifestyle best.
Well, if you've read this far, you might now be thinking 'OK, no more diary, so what?'.... which brings me to the point. Amongst these dusty diary pages there is a wealth of information on how bird numbers and populations have varied over time....flocks of Tree Sparrows, roosts of Short-eared Owls, numbers of Spotted Flycatchers, resident Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers and so on. Such details will be largely unappreciated to newer observers on the Peninsula. When I started the Selsey Blog in 2013 I could not imagine that it would turn out the way it has, and I am eternally grateful for the effort and assistance provided by Andy House along the way, for he has been the catalyst that made it all work.
Since the inception of the blog, there has been a great deal of data gathered, stored and documented in respect of the Peninsula's birds from 2013 to the present time. Prior to that however, from 2012 right back to 1975, this was not really the case. Certainly there are records for that period in the Sussex Bird Reports, published annually by the Sussex Ornithological Society (SOS) but that doesn't often capture the 'flavour' of the day. As small examples, my first diary-recorded visit to the Peninsula was on 6th Feb 1975, with Bernie Forbes, when we walked around the entire harbour and back (!), seeing amongst other things two Scaup and a roost of eight Short-eared Owls. And then on 27th October 1979 at the Bill, with Dick Senior and Mick Hay, we came across a Lapland Bunting, with back-up birds including a Little Auk, five Black Redstarts, three Tree Sparrows and five Redpoll. I could even tell you what the weather was like that day.
So, I wondered if it would be of interest to add some selected sightings reports from this period, starting from year 1975 and slowly moving up to 2012. I don't envisage a whole mass of data, but perhaps a couple of pages or so of interest from the relevant year, thus filling a data gap to some degree. This would be on an occasional basis, with updates as time and commitments allow. Have a read then of what follows - and see what birding patterns may or may not have changed....plus the odd scarcity. And do bear in mind I was new to birding in the 1970's....! Here goes, with the list being in reverse order, thus oldest entries at the bottom and gradually working up towards 2012, when it will connect with the first blog year of 2013.
A full house on the Wall at Selsey Bill in early May 2001 and memories of great times
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The 'Selsey Scorchers' Birdrace team, spring 1997. This grouping consists of (left-to-right) Chris Janman (CRJ), Mervyn Jones (MJ), Richard Prior (RP) and yours truly (OM). Bird races against other teams in early May were very much in vogue around this time and several combinations of team members took part over several years...
...and then, on 11th May 2002, the Scorchers won the race, recording a county record of 138 species in a day (I believe that record still stands). The happy team that day appear below, and were OM, Ads Bowley (AB), Paul Bowley (PB) and Richard Prior (RP).
2006: A strange year really, which included an adventurous trip to Kazakhstan, another trip to the Scillies, a foreign holiday, an absolute mega on the twitching front (Long-billed Murrelet) and an increasing number of local birding visits.....and yet it seems to have been rather quiet on the Peninsula, as far as rarities go. The usual spring sea-watching was well attended, as ever, with highlights such as Serin and Pom Skuas, but bird of the year was surely the Marsh Sandpiper that appeared in July. Note the Diary now has gone up-market with a printed label!
29th July: This was really the bird of the year, on what was clearly a rather leaner year than normal on the Peninsula. This bird stayed several days and showed well to all.
2005: My Diary system was well settled by this year, but looking back now it is obvious that I was spending more time, especially in the autumn, birding the local Climping & Elmer area and thus reducing my Peninsula visits. Holidays and long-distance twitching also played their part as my British (BOU) list comfortably passed 460. The usual migration watching and Pom chasing in the spring continued of course, but overall this was one of the less exciting years for Peninsula birding.
6th September: At last, my frequent visits to this pit paid off and I managed to find a Pec Sand before anyone else did! Once I'd put the news out I was soon joined by some of the regulars.
22nd May: A Gull-billed Tern close past the Bill was a very welcome Bill-tick for many - including me. I've left the following two days of Diary entries for interest, to show how quickly things can change to a rubbish day!
2004: This was to be a busy year for me. with two one-day twitches to Scilly, and another week there later, plus a twitch to Scotland, a foreign birding trip and other family commitments reducing my Peninsula visits somewhat. Even so, there were some good scarcities to be had there, if not any major rarities. And there was also another large flock of Pom's.........
20th September: This was a long-overdue Bill and county tick, and when it came it left no doubt, albeit my usual over-caution kicked in at first. Good views were had as the bird lingered a bit before eventually moving on. Having a camera at the ready was not the norm even then.
26th June: This was one I managed to attend whilst at work in the new 'warden's job' and it left no doubt with it's song. I didn't quite properly see it; just a flash of movement as it moved in the vegetation occasionally, but so be it. It was officially accepted and went on my year list in the circumstances.
16th May: Boy, do I remember this! The above is an abbreviated section of my Diary write-up at the time, but I'm sure there is enough to give the jist. Since this time there has been all sorts of folklore from other local observers, but these birds were in one complete flock and were quite majestic as they slowly passed. Poor old Bob Marchant must have felt robbed when he got the news and you couldn't have written the script. There was also other scenarios; the late great Chunky King from Hant's had been at the Bill over the preceding couple of weeks (he was celebrating his 70th birthday and brought cake and champagne) but on this day he was staying with a relative at West Sands (Medmerry) caravan park and had asked me to notify him if any Poms were around! Whilst the birds were passing I phoned him and offered to meet him at Hillfield Rd; Chunky was there just as fast as he could possibly drive, I set up my scope and he managed to get a distant view of the back end of the flock at least before it disappeared past the Mile basket. And of course there's another thing; sorry if it sounds as if I'm blowing my own trumpet here, but you may recall mentions of a previous 25 flock on 2nd May 1997 and the three observers in the '25 Club'....well there's only one member of the 'double 25 club' - guess who!
28th April: I'm fairly sure this sighting would be before the re-introduction at Knepp and elsewhere, so assumed it was likely to be a wild bird, but you never know.
2003: Following my house move late last year, the Diary records that inevitably my visits to the Peninsula were notably fewer this year. I still put in a good shift over the spring, recording some Poms and the usual migration, but there were also competing attractions and some good twitching to be had elsewhere, with such British firsts as Audouin's Gull and Black Lark. Additionally, a foreign birding trip and the regular Scillies trip in autumn would eat into my availability, whilst other factors were also now coming into play. My journey to the Bill and Peninsula since I moved had now become just that bit more tricky, and the Elmer/Climping area very close to home was beginning to attract more attention....especially when a Desert Wheatear appeared on the beach little more than a mile or so from home in early Nov! And as it turned out, it would not be a good year for Peninsula rarities.
1st October: A bit of a hard-luck story this....I'd watched the Drayton pit here for quite a while and checked regularly. As it happened I had family commitments in the morning, so planned to visit in the afternoon....too late as it turned out and Tim Edwards got the plaudits when he visited in the morning! Can't win them all, although I was a bit choked at the time, but eventually this pit would produce the goods again in the future.
18th August: As this short entry says, I started a part-time job on this date on a 6-month temporary contract, employed by the West Sussex County Council (WSCC), with a basic role of trying to get people to comply with the bylaws that existed at the nature reserve. It was a great job in some respects, although it also had a lot of challenges, especially when confronting dog owners, but there were other matters too such as fishing permits.
Inevitably I faced everything from pleasant acceptance to outright hostility and aggression from some folks, but 6 months came and went and I managed to remain in post for the best part of ten years, until the RSPB took over! I saw a few good birds during my employment and the role did evolve somewhat before I eventually fully retired.
21st July: This one still hurts to this day and I am always reminded of it from time to time (thank you Mr House!). I got news of the bird as I returned from a holiday with my wife and friends; I couldn't go immediately but paid at least two visits to the site thereafter with no success, though it was actually reported after I came back from holiday. Whatever; this remains one of my biggest Peninsula dips.
2002: My well-established Diary routine continued as ever, but now with the inclusion of a bit more detail, including birding holiday trips, emotions, extra photos and the odd bit of trivia. This year it also included details of a house move, which inevitably meant some changes to my lifestyle, when I moved from Barnham to my present abode at Middleton-on-Sea (which includes Elmer).This apart, it was, in general, another fairly good year with the added bonus of a mega-rarity on the Peninsula!
20th June: A mega, in the form of male Collared Flycatcher, caused panic to the locals and twitchers alike, but sadly for many it was a race against time, for the bird didn't stay too long and many were just too late to see it. The above grainy image is an enlarged copy of a copy (I think from an original by J. Lidster) but does give an idea of what a stunner it was.
13th June: I remember this bird well....there had been a little bit of an influx of Rosy Starlings nationally, though no hint of one on our patch. A small group of us were on the beach in front of the Wall at Bill House, looking around, when dear Barry Carter walked up for a chat, then casually announced "there's a Rose-coloured Starling down there!" I turned round and there it was - an adult fully pink and black bird about ten yards away! I'm not sure any of us were toting a camera around at that time so I don't think a photo exists, but the bird moved around with a small flock of Common Starlings before flying off - and I don't think it was reported again.
25th March: In order to set the scene and give perspective, I start by including entries for 23rd and 24th March. I was away on a birding trip in Spain the week before, with the 23rd being the day of our return after a good trip. Good, that is, until I got home and turned my pager on! The Diary entry reveals a host of emotions and the realisation I had a number of commitments. Long story short - I started by taking my wife out for dinner, arrangements were put on hold and then I dipped the gull next day, but persistence paid and I got the gull on 25th. (And yes, I even went for the Black-eared Wheatear in Cornwall a couple of days later).
2001: A varied year with ups and downs for all and some big changes for me personally. In the early months, a national foot-and-mouth restriction order came into effect, temporarily closing many public places, parks, footpaths and nature reserves; this in turn severely restricted Peninsula birders in some areas, such as Pagham Harbour, but fortunately the Bill and local beaches were largely ok, so things continued where possible. It was also the year that I officially retired from my career and I wasted no time in getting out and about. Several long-distance twitches were made as my UK life list climbed above the 450 mark, whilst an average spring and autumn on the Peninsula produced a few nice birds, as ever.
21st September: My official career retirement date. I hope readers will cut me a little slack here as I go somewhat 'off-piste' and allow me a bit of self-indulgence, but it was such a memorable time. Once again, it's funny how a day turns out sometimes. I began at the Bill which produced a few birds of interest, and as the notes above show, things suddenly developed from there. A stressful time for MJ and I as we started out for an Isabelline Wheatear, then a stroke of luck as we diverted for the Stint, then diverting back for the Issy Wheatear! A two-tick day. And would you believe it, just three days later, another two-tick day when we knocked off Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler and Green Heron. A handsome retirement present indeed, which explains why my number of Peninsula visits was down this year.
26th May: Funny how it goes sometimes...a fogbound morning at the Bill forced us to look elsewhere. The sewage works area at Sidlesham produced some nice species, before coming up trumps as the star bird appeared...a Collared Pratincole.
early May: It was a fairly good spring with some reasonable movements, including Pom Skuas and terns, and spirits were high amongst the observers. One of the fairly regulars was the late Mike Wearing and you usually knew he was around by his humour and volume. I had been reciting a bit of poetry a couple of times to keep us amused, so Mike decided to repay me and presented me with the above on one occasion. I've always kept it and put it in the Diary....happy days.
2000: Into the new Millennium! I recall it was all rather an anti-climax for me, as the clock ticked into the new year, where I was stuck in an office on a night shift. Things were in general quite orderly and the predicted computer crash didn't happen, most machines coping admirably. It was also a landmark birthday year as I turned 50, with my thoughts turning towards retirement from my career. That apart, it was business as usual on the birding scene, with the Peninsula still featuring large, interspersed with a good few twitching trips, especially in autumn.
24th & 29th September: On 24th I caught up with the Buff-breasted Sandpiper at Selsey West Fields, now known as part of Medmerry, though initially it was a bit had to track down. My next day out birding was the 29th, and as usual then I headed to the Bill. There were a few bits and pieces of interest, but nothing had prepared me for what happened from about 10:00hrs. In short, there were multiple sightings of Honey Buzzards and my notes from the time describe how it all unfolded....just fantastic!
1999: And then suddenly we were into the final year of the 20th century as the new Millennium beckoned. As I write it seems so recent, yet the changes all around make me realise that it's now a quarter of a century ago. The Diary records a mixed year for me; some great birds on twitches that boosted my life list, but a number of painful dips too, whilst the absence of Pontins and other development was already having an effect with far fewer scarce passerines recorded from the Bill area. Admin had improved though, a new personal computer and printer ensured things would become much neater, whilst a newer camera had also been acquired - not that I'd ever be much good with it. As ever though, my visits to the Peninsula continued as often as availability allowed.
July 1999: These two images were taken in the summertime and show the changing face of Selsey Bill due to (over) development..... Above, viewed from the east side, Pontins is nearing completion, and note the wide, green and tree-lined nature strip promised (ha!) whilst below is Bill House garden, looking west, where a new housing estate dominates on the old horse field, where once shrikes and Stonechats existed.
7th July: Gull-billed Tern at Ivy Lake, Chichester GPs. This bird showed well to most who went to see it. I'm not sure now whether the image is from a photo donated to me, or from a magazine, but either way you can be certain it wasn't taken by me, so thank you whoever.
1998: My Diary style would undergo its final change from this year, as the previously used brightly coloured hardback binders could not be sourced, so a different supplier would be used hereafter and the only available colour was black. I was also by now including more photos and magazine cuttings to enliven the notes where possible. Sadly, the Pontins site was largely developed by now, very upsetting and I seriously wondered if I would continue to watch at the Bill - although of course I did! It was also the year when a certain wader caused some ID difficulties and then reduced two of the initial finders to an 'et al' which seemed a bit unjust at the time and still does!
19th September: The Semipalmated Sandpiper at Portfield GP (now a housing estate), just about at the far boundary of the Peninsula area (some would argue outside) but we consider all of the Chichester GPs to be on the patch. This gravel pit is long gone but the memories aren't. I have included all my original comments here, which describes how events unfolded and how the ID was correctly made; it wasn't an easy one and I do recall working hard on research to get to the conclusion, together with birding buddy Bernie Forbes, and whilst we give all due recognition to Alan Kitson who was credited with the find, we were quite miffed that our part was not properly recognised, despite extensive submissions. Such is birding I guess.
12th July: Storm Petrels off the Bill and some good sightings with Richard Prior.
8th January: I would occasionally include within the Diary some exceptional weather events of other occurrences affecting the Peninsula. This tornado made the national TV news as well as the newspapers. Strangely, I don't recall it producing too much on the birding front though.
2nd January: A good start to the year for Eric Soden and I, with an Iceland Gull at the Bill. I've left the handwritten notes in, reminding me of a disastrous twitch to Wales, with awful weather and no sign of the Ivory Gull! I also recorded that the only new birds for the year on this trip were Chaffinch and Grey Wagtail! (I didn't know it then, but I'd only have to wait a year to connect with an Ivory Gull).
1997: This turned out to be a memorable year for me for a number of reasons - not all of them great with a few personal and work difficulties to resolve - but mainly it is remembered for two enigmatic species, Pomarine Skua and Lesser Sand Plover. Meanwhile, building development was continuing apace at the old Pontins site, although the last vestiges of habitat still held a bit of promise....
13th-14th August: During a very warm spell, the 13th produced a Spotted Crake along the Long Pool, but little did we know what would happen next day. A Sand Plover was discovered in Pagham Hbr and initially identified as a Greater, with a good many observers attending and being happy to just see it and walk away. This situation continued until doubts started to be raised, in particular from the late Jack Hunt, an Australian living and birding on our patch at the time. Jack was a great guy, had seen Lesser previously and felt sure it was one, so raised the alarm, and the rest is history. Further photos were obtained, lots of experienced birders had one in the eye and eventually the ID as a Lesser was established and accepted by the BOURC and admitted to the British list. That's how I remember it anyway, so apologies if there are any inaccuracies in my account. It was without doubt though one of the greatest birds to grace the Peninsula.
(Lesser was subsequently split into two species in more recent times, but with the recent and impending changes due to the world list nomenclature, I'm not quite sure where we are with it now!)
2nd May: A day that goes down in the annals of Selsey Bill history. A day when 107 Pom Skuas were logged, of which I saw a total of 77. A day when the my dear friend, the late Barry Carter, picked up a female-type Golden Oriole arriving from the sea, which I was a bit late getting onto, with only flight views as it flew inland towards Pontins. Off I went with a few others, failing to locate the Oriole and then returning to the sea-watch just too late to see a flock of 19 Poms passing! Having endured a good deal of stick, I stayed whilst others drifted away, until eventually just Chris Janman, the late John Brame and I were present. Then it happened - a magnificent flock of 25 Poms sailed by majestically - and the three of us quickly adopted the name of the '25 Club' much to the chagrin of all the Bill regulars! I still remind them occasionally to this day. And our good departed friend John Brame still holds the 'most seen in a day' title. Rest in peace Barry and John; both of you and this day will never be forgotten!
1996: A very busy birding year with my Diary recording twitches to many parts of the country as my British List started to increase steadily. There were still many trips to the Peninsula too, with work as ever making many demands and often long hours. I was by now in my mid-forties and still flexible enough to handle it, but always knew that wouldn't last forever. Meanwhile, the Diary would change considerably, for towards the end of the year I bought an old second-hand word processor, which would quickly replace the hand-written pages....once I'd got the hang of the wretched machine! The biggest change though would be the end of Pontins as we'd come to know (and love) it...the dreaded development would begin.
23rd March: Little Bunting at Sidlesham (near the Anchor pub). This remains a real rarity on the Peninsula and it brought out the crowds. It even made the local press, with this shot showing at least two much-younger gents I recognise as Messrs Steve Hooper and Ads Bowley, if I'm not mistaken.
1995: My Diary - and the old Pontins site at the Bill - were both still going strong during this year. In respect of the latter, various rumours came and went, but this would be the sixth full year of its existence as an unofficial little nature reserve, though ironically, it didn't quite produce quite as many scarcities as earlier years. On a personal note I was still putting in a good few miles on twitching activities and other trips away from the Peninsula, which were golden times for me and a good few of my birding companions.
5th August: The notes are self-explanatory, but I got there soon after this bird was discovered. Notes the cut-out magazine photo included in my diary notes now.
4th March: A Green-winged Teal was a much appreciated bird by the locals, having been split to full species status a little while previously, following a review. At time of writing, it begins to look now as if it might be all change again....!
1994: Another busy year with my Diary continuing in the now-established A4 spring binder style. The old Pontins site was now well established and it continued to produce good birds, although rumour circulated that this may be be the last year before development would begin....gladly this was not to be the case.
8th October: Siberian Stonechat at the Bill. I was with MJWH and KM most of the morning as we searched for migrants, then I said I would grab a quick coffee from my car and re-join them. In just a few minutes they hurried back to get me with news of of an interesting Stonechat. We hurried back to the bird and got lengthy views and took notes, including of the rump and tail and enough to prove the identity... though it was just considered a sub-species at the time.
1st October: I managed to just miss a Richard's Pipit on arrival, then met up with the regulars as we searched the Pontins site just in case. I was with Mick Hay when we found a fairly elusive Yellow-browed Warbler, but it took a good while to re-locate it for others to see. This was a quality bird and only the second for the Bill at the time....things have changed considerably in more modern times.
9th September: Another quality bird for Pontins - and by all accounts another one where I had to make a brief 'working visit' by finding an excuse to visit Selsey!
1st May: Quite a good spring generally, but this particular bird was a welcome 'Bill tick' for many, performing well for quite a large gathering of birders. Incidentally, the Tree Sparrow mentioned was still quite a regular migrant then; nowadays there would probably be a good observer turnout for that alone.
1993: My diary style was fully established now with A4 pages and the trusty spring-backed binder per year, thus allowing for any insertions. It was quite an eventful year bird-wise, with various trips, a good scene at the Bill with Pontins now in full swing, the now-annual autumn visit to the Scillies and frequent long-distance twitches. Added to all this I was visiting the Peninsula as often as commitments would allow and trying to find time for work and family. I look back and wonder how I managed it all...
Not all my time was spent on the Peninsula and I thought it might be interesting to just include a copy of the last page of the Diary (above), showing my various twitching activities for the year, before returning to the Peninsula sightings for 1993...
10th October: I got the news of the Subalpine Warbler from Chris Janman late on the evening before, so I was up early and I headed for the site near the Crab & Lobster pub at Sidlesham Quay. Fortunately the bird was still present and it showed quite well. This of course was in the days when Subalpine was a single species; now it is split it is considered three species! I believe CRJ (or was it someone else?) got a photo of the bird, which from what I recall made me think it is was probably Western Subalpine.
2nd September: I was with birding mates Bernie Forbes and Dave Sadler where there were good numbers of Little Stints and Curlew Sandpipers. Then we went to look for the Tawny Pipit which had been present for the previous two days and luck was with us as it showed well on the shingle near the harbour mouth from Norton spit. I believe this was the last day the bird was seen.
25th June: Another great bird on Pontins, this time a summer-plumaged Woodchat Shrike. I remember finding an excuse at work to go to Selsey that afternoon! Amazingly, this was my third sighting of the species at the Bill, both the others being juvenile birds.
1st May: Broad-billed Sandpiper at the Ferry pool. As the notes show, I was in despair when I first arrived as the bird had flown off just previously, but thankfully it later returned much to my relief.
1992: Administratively, my diary was in a certain amount of turmoil as I was still experimenting with the 'Birders' Yearbook' and using the 'Police notebook' form of note-keeping, which didn't really allow for insertions, photos etc, thus requiring a separate file for that. Whatever was I thinking of! In the end I saw the light and reverted to the practical A4 loose-leaf style in a book-like spring binder, a system that would not change thereafter. However, as a result, this diary edition is a hotch-potch of pages torn out of the Birders Yearbook and then standard A4 pages for the latter part of the year. But that's how it was, so I've always left it like that to tell the story.....
The 1992 Diary is a bit of a mess with torn out pages inserted sideways (as it's actually easier to read this way without removing them) plus notes, trip reports and magazine topics, with A4 pages at the back. Things would always be much more organised hereafter....
26th May: The potential of Pontins! The previous day had produced a cracking male Common Rosefinch, which if I'm correct was found by our good birding friend and Bill regular Richard Prior who lived adjacent to the site at the time. If my memory serves me correctly, it was singing when he found it in the morning, but as so often it didn't stay too long. I couldn't get there that day, but thought it worth a look next day (26th). I hadn't been looking more than a few minutes, though without success, before suddenly a Golden Oriole flew in, perched up in a tree and then began singing. it remained a couple of minutes or so before flying off inland. Just brilliant.
23rd May: A nice little selection at the Ferry pool and a Peninsula tick as I caught up with the Long-billed Dowitcher. As my notes indicate, I was working when the bird was first found and couldn't get to see it for a couple of days, so I was mighty relieved. (It seems I also took my wife - and even went shopping in a good mood!)
1991: This was to be a memorable year for me, with some good birds recorded both locally and nationally. It was also a year of change, especially at the Bill, where the old Pontin's holiday camp site had already been cleared for development. Initially, security fencing and a guard were put in place to protect the site and there was no official access. However, it wasn't too long before the security guard disappeared and this co-incided with a continuing lack of development at the site, due mainly to a national recession in the building trade, so that things effectively ground to a halt. Inevitably, the local dog-walkers soon found this new open site to their liking and exploited a few ways in, followed soon after by us local birders, and before long there were a series of paths across the area which had by now become a sort of unofficial little nature reserve, right on the coast. Meanwhile, my diaries were to change again, this time to an A4 sized loose-leaf spring binder, which allowed pages to be quickly added or removed and was much more flexible than the notebook style. Then, having decided to adopt this style for the future, I was introduced to 'The Birder's Yearbook' towards the end of the year. I then somehow persuaded myself this would be a good idea and I began using it to the end of the year and into the next, before finally realising the spring binders were the best way forward.....
17th November: Little Auk at sea and Woodlark on Pontins. By this time, the old holiday camp was known to everybody just as 'Pontins' and it had been left untouched for well over a year. No visit to the Bill was really complete until Pontins had been checked out and it repeatedly delivered migrants, common and scarce, or even rare. This view was taken from the north end of the site, looking towards Bill House....hard to imagine now.
9th November: An entry from the pages of 'The Birders Yearbook' which I used for a short while. The sightings above were typical and included a very late Red-backed Shrike, which stayed until 16th and prompted thoughts of a possible Brown Shrike, though that wasn't to be. Note also the regular wintering Glaucous Gull which visited the Bill for several years.
21st October: Apologies if I repeat this from other papers, but it was probably one of my finest hours on the Peninsula and just shows how good Pontins was at the time. I haven't included all my notes, but when found I had all of the Bill and Pontins to myself! No mobiles at the time and I then was in a panic to get someone else to see it, so took detailed notes, then went on a mad scramble to find other birders. I left a note for the James's in Selsey - they were out - so rushed to the Visitor centre which I think was closed, before thrashing down to Church Norton where the only birders around were Dave Smith and Tim Edwards. Fortunately they managed to see it and the rest is history.
1990: As the nineties commenced there was already a good deal of change underway at Selsey Bill, with the ongoing demolition of the old Pontin's holiday camp. The land had been bought by developers and it seems planning permission for development was soon given, all very depressing for Selsey birders, though as it was to turn out there would still be some good years ahead. Meanwhile, it was to be the last year of my notebook-style diaries, before another system would be adopted.
11th October: I attended the public enquiry concerning the Pontin's development and gave evidence - but it was a done deal before it even started. The enquiry chairman/Inspector started by saying that the Council had already granted permission which will go ahead, so it was a matter of finalising the detail. I walked the site with a County councillor lady who promised wide green margins and lots of trees - honestly - but of course we all know the reality of what subsequently happened. Morally corrupt at the very least - with no real interest in the wildlife - a bit like the present time!
30th June: The Marsh Sandpiper, which was often in Ferry channel - surprisingly the first for the Peninsula.
2nd May: This was one of the better years for Pomarine Skua passage, this day producing 18 birds. However it was just a wonderful day, with prolonged sunshine, good company and good humour. A BBQ was set up, food was served on site, followed by iced lollies, as the regulars helped to make it a memorable day, with some good birds logged. Shown are: chef Mervyn Jones on his beloved old mattress (MJ), Dave Sneller (DS) and Leslie Coley (LC).
2nd January: A thrash around various sites with friends, to start a year list, eventually produced 88 species in cold and wintry conditions, concentrating on Peninsula sites in the afternoon. There were some good species to be had, including a Ruff at East beach pool; unusual, but even more so as it eventually spent some weeks hanging around there with the local Mallards.
1989: This, the last year of the 1980's, brings to a close my 15th diary edition, still a hand-written style notebook, but now with more information included, such as relevant reports from birding magazines and the odd photo taken with an old camera I had acquired. I was by now also fully into twitching when possible, whilst autumn trips to the Scilly Isles had become a firm part of my annual agenda. However, I was also delighted to add a new bird to my British List at Selsey Bill....in the form of a Desert Wheatear.
2nd November: A real thrill as a proper rarity is found at the Bill - and a new bird for me at the time - attracting quite a number of twitchers from near and far. This was actually the second one seen here, the first occurring in 1960, but this one stayed for about a week, showing well to all. I have referred to this sighting in other papers, but the below photos of some of the twitchers who attended have not appeared before; note the highlight of Tony Marr, one of the original observers from the early 1960's who taught me a lot and who had actually seen the first bird!
22nd April: Red-rumped Swallow at Sidlesham Ferry. I had been watching at the Bill most of the morning with others when then the news came in of this swallow, causing a mass exit of observers, but fortunately the bird was still present and showed well.
20th March: This Hoopoe was actually near the entrance to the Visitor centre car park and I was in the passenger seat of a car driven by Bernie Forbes when we drove in. I called to him to stop and in short I watched the bird fly off and poor old Bernie didn't connect with it at all. Note the reference to the 'butterfly-like flight'....a phrase that has caused a certain amount of amusement amongst my birding friends over the years and I still get a bit of stick over it to this day!
1988: This was a year when I made fewer visits to the Peninsula; a couple of foreign trips (notably Israel), a number of twitching forays and increasingly demanding work and family commitments ensuring that there was less time and opportunity for such visits. As a result I highlight below just one Peninsula birding event......
17th September: The American Golden Plover at Church Norton was surely the local birding event of the year, drawing in many observers and becoming a bit of a social gathering of the regulars at the time. My attempts at sketches and field notes may have improved just a tad, whilst the happy bunch of observers above are (left to right) the late Dave Smith (DIS), Richard Ives (RAI), yours truly (OM), Mick Hay (MJWH) and Keith Maycock (KM), this being a time when observers were often referred to just by their initials.
1987: Things were beginning to change a little during this year. I had decided to go back to notebook style diaries, with one book per year, even if it meant wasting a few blank pages at the end, and of course at this time entries would still all be hand-written, but copies of notes and the odd photo would now also be added. I had begun to do a good bit of twitching by this time and also made a good few non-Peninsula visits too, but the Peninsula still received a good bit of my attention.
18th September: Wilson's Phalarope at the Ferry Pool. History (or at least the BBRC) records this as a joint find between a certain Mr Paul Bowley (who was with young son Adam) and my good self, but it wasn't quite that straightforward! I initially found it alone but wasn't quite experienced enough then to ID it immediately so spoke to Paul, whom I think was a bit cautious too but had possibly located it separately and a short while earlier. I do recall excitedly running over the the Visitor centre to inform staff who had no idea of the sighting, before running back to again speak to Paul. Bottom line is I still get ragged over it to this day by the Bowleys, with allegations of stealing their glory....but come on chaps, ultimately I think the joint credit is about right!
11th May: This cracking little heron was initially a bit elusive, before eventually being tracked down, when it gave great views to a good number of observers around Nunnery pit (opposite Ivy Lake).
5th May: This was a memorable find by Chris Janman (CRJ) after his wife had spotted a strange heron-like bird flying over their home that evening. Playing a hunch CRJ then went looking around the nearby gravel pits. I'd been out birding that day and by chance phoned his home that evening for a chat, when his wife informed me he had just excitedly told her that he'd found a Night Heron at Vinnetrow Lake! I left home without delay, eventually joining CRJ and watching the Night Heron roosting till dusk. The notes above tell the tale, but CRJ eventually left at 2100hrs, whilst I stayed a few more minutes just in case the bird flew. It eventually did, flew around calling and then lo and behold a previously unseen second roosting bird joined it, before they both disappeared into the night, a fine end to the day.
1986: A fairly hectic year domestically as I adapted to long hours and shift work again, which inevitably took its toll. This diary records that from mid-June to early August I took a six-week rest - a summer sabbatical - during which time no birding at all was done. I did manage to catch up on some good birds though during the year.....
So who's this young lad then? This photo somehow found its way into the diary and it actually dates to 30th September (1986)....it is of course none other than my birding mentor Bernie Forbes and we spent a lot of time together in the field in these early years. The car he is leaning on is my old Morris Ital, a nice shade of cow-pat green and not the best purchase I ever made.
9th February: A cold day and I finally caught up with the Red-breasted Goose which had been around for a couple of days and kept evading me.
1985: A change from the commercially printed diaries of the preceding four years, reverting back to hand-written notebooks again...although no longer in foolscap size, but now A5 size. As it turned out there was sufficient space to get two year's worth of notes in this notebook, partly due to the fact that at this time I was back to working full seven-day shifts, including nights, and there were periods in the year when I couldn't get much birding time in!
Note also the good list of interesting back-up birds.
.jpg)
19th January: The cold spell continued here and some grey geese appeared around the Ferry pool, including a Bean Goose (it was actually a Tundra Bean under today's nomenclature). Note also the Smew, Grey Partridges and Twite.
8th January: A really cold spell, with some scarcer wildfowl at the Bill as a result. The highlight here was a Smew leading a flock of Pochard - the former being a difficult bird to get at the Bill. Note also a total of 10 Goldeneye - also a Bill scarcity - with a total of 46 Pochard, not common here either!
1984: There was a lot going on in my life this year, so birding trips were often limited and a lot of blank pages appear in this diary. Even so there were a few highlights and trips to Majorca etc and it wasn't all bad by any means. Best of all, I managed to see the year's stand-out bird for the patch.....
A very brief entry for such a mega! I did actually take some fairly detailed notes for my own purposes, but at the time had the idea of storing such notes in a 'field book' and these were last seen in the loft of my previous house many years ago, so they do exist somewhere. I didn't need to do a formal submission thankfully, the bird was seen well by many and the rest is history. What chance of another in the future?
1983: So, it's a decade or so since I started birding and the Bill and Peninsula are now firmly established as favourite locations. However, it is now also a time in life when I have a young family, a house move and particularly difficult working circumstances....as a result there are an awful lot of blank pages in the diaries over the next couple of years.
7th September: Another Woodchat Shrike - again on the old horse field at the front (which I'd now dubbed the 'shrike field') and I think this one was initially found by Charles and Beryl James. As can be seen, my drawing skills had not improved! Sadly, this fine area, which was a bit of a migrant trap, would all too soon be developed.
2nd April: It was a fairly average sea-watch at the Bill, but my entries took up the space for 2nd, so I used the empty page for 3rd April to attach the photo, taken outside Bill House garden. On the left is Chris Janman (CRJ) whilst on the right is the late Dave Smith (DIS) who came from Worthing, both my good friends. CRJ had a bit more experience than me at the time which was to prove invaluable and we both became very keen Bill watchers. DIS was a lovely guy and good birder too. It is interesting to note the birding optics and equipment of the time; Barbour coats were a must-have then!
5th March: In early winter this year a flock of 14 Snow Geese were seen at several sites on the Peninsula - actually a fine sight, although of course they were assumed to be 'plastic' i.e. of feral or unknown origins. Fair enough, but few observers actually saw them at the Bill, so it was great to see them settle on the sea awhile and not too far out either. There was much debate and speculation as to their origins, with some suggestion they had originated from a feral flock in the Netherlands. So, just in case in the future they should ever be accepted as category C feral birds...they will be going on my Bill list!
1982: An interesting year, which saw me adding a few more Peninsula and life ticks, whilst still putting in a good few hours at the Bill when commitments allowed.....
5th December: This was a star find back in the 1980's by Alan Kitson I believe - one of the youthful group of observers who started watching at the Bill in the early days around the start of the 1960's. Although it has become an annual bird nationally it remains a scarcity and for many years was a real blocker on the Peninsula; it was not until the blog year of 2021 that another occurred on our patch (Honer reservoir), the finder being none other than editor-in-chief Andy House, giving newer observers the chance to finally add it to their Peninsula lists.
4th November: Nothing special but a nice watch at the Bill, although obviously nothing much moving. It was notable however for the Little Owl actually in the trees by the Oval field. The species was recorded a couple of times at Pontins in later years but is still a scarce prize for those that keep a Bill list!
12th September: An inexplicably brief entry, given the finding of a Melodious Warbler, which remains a remarkably rare bird on the Peninsula to this day.* The finder was none other than Mervyn Jones - perhaps his all-time highlight - though of course he will be better known to many regulars for his antics at the Bill, when he was often to be found reposing on an old mattress whilst waiting for Pom's to pass!
(*Ironically, another Melodious was found at Church Norton the following year)
1981:This year, and the following three, saw a complete change of style, using commercially produced diaries as opposed to a large notebook. This had some advantages, but as I was to soon find out, there was a good deal of wasted space with many unused pages - I was after all in full time employment! There would be times when there were perhaps only a handful of entries in a month and it could be a bit frustrating wading through lots of unused pages to find the right date.
I was by now a committed Peninsula birder and it was at a time when there was still some good habitat at and around the Bill. I also increasingly found myself in the company of a number of regular observers there.
15th August: Another good bit of birding by CRJ when MJWH and I were with him (see also the entry for 1st August). Basically, CRJ was first to clap eyes on the Ortolan Bunting and he then drew our attention to it...a nice little bird. Note the heading for Selsey West Fields (now part of Medmerry) which also included OSF, which stands for Old Sewage Farm, now long gone. The OSF was a good little spot in its day....note the count of 35 Turtle Doves in the area.
1st August: A good day at the Ferry Pool. It was early afternoon and I was with Mick Hay (MJWH) when we found this odd 'Dunlin' which appeared sort of long-bodied. We were uneasy but didn't want to immediately head down the rare bird path and so held uncertainty for a while until Chris Janman (CRJ) turned up to join us. We all watched and CRJ thought he saw a white rump flash briefly, whilst MJWH and I were not so sure. CRJ was of course right and in a short while the bird flew around showing its credentials nicely...this new bird for me went down as a joint find but well done Chris.
There is one abiding memory I have though...wanting to be totally sure we contacted local farmer and expert birder (and I think SOS rarities committee member?), the late Mike Shrubb, who lived just a little way off. Within a very few short minutes an old car roared up in a cloud of dust, as Mike pulled up with a screech next to us, just abandoning the vehicle on the carriageway. We frantically pointed out the bird which then showed well and a delighted Mike could not contain his excitement, punching the air and proclaiming 'tick, tick'...he must have needed it for his patch list!
1980: There was still a good bit of open habitat left at the Bill by this time and I was by now making frequent visits whenever possible with work commitments. However, the number of birders visiting and the times when there was no coverage simply cannot be compared to the blog years.....
My first diary, a large, foolscap-sized notebook which was to last for the first six years,1975-80.
17th October: The 'horse field' along the front, west of Bill House, was attractive to migrants and I subsequently dubbed it the 'Shrike field' in future years for obvious reasons. This was a nice find, but once again my lack of artistic ability is on show, although it was enough to convince BBRC who adjudicated these at the time.
5th January: Another winter with a cold snap and a good number of visiting birds of interest, producing my first Grey Phalarope.
1979: By this time I was visiting the Peninsula, especially the Bill, on a frequent basis, regularly meeting up with Chris Janman (CRJ) in particular and considering myself one of the regulars. However, it would I think be fair to say that being very keen, and with just six or seven years experience, there were some older and more established birders in the national and county hierarchy who were perhaps a little over-cautious in accepting Bill records from the 'young upstarts' of the time! This is not a hard luck story and looking back now, I can understand it, though it was to cost the rejection of two valid Bill records. As a result, 1979 was a year of disappointment to me with a degree of naivety that I learnt not to repeat.
This one is a hard luck story and I'm led to believe due to my insufficient description. I was with the late duo of Frank Forbes and Bob Knight on a calm late morning in August, when suddenly this dark falcon arrived off the sea in a fairly leisurely manner, heading north almost above us. I saw it well enough and knowing the other two wouldn't do a description, I agreed to. A short while later, the three of us went to Church Norton, where by chance we met Hampshire birder Mick Hay (MJWH). Mick then told us he had just had a male Red-foot there, being completely unaware of our sighting. We both agreed to submit the record, which I thought would be straightforward. Little did this upstart know it wasn't.
In short, my sighting was rejected, whilst Mick's was accepted! Quite some time later (several years??) I appealed against this decision and decided to do a re-submission. I had come to realise that my bird was likely to be a 1st-summer male, showing barring on the underwing, which I believe I had carelessly described initially as looking like a chequered pattern in flight. No matter, BBRC wouldn't wear it...but it didn't stop there. They then decided to reject Mick's record...so as far as the record books now show, it never existed. Painful, but you can't win them all.
This one still hurts to this day. A pair of European Stonechats was nesting in a hedge in the field just west of Bill House (now a housing estate) when suddenly a second male Stonechat appeared. I recall CRJ was with me, though not sure if I went to fetch him or not, but anyway the second male was a striking black-and-white bird with just a small orangey breast patch. I honestly thought for a few seconds it might be a male Pied Flycatcher, but then began to take in that it was a definite Stonechat, unlike the resident male bird. It was a cracker, with a massive white collar, a big white rump and two large white wing patches. It was also at a time when no-one really carried a camera, there were no mobile phones and everyone had to write full descriptive notes. In short, the resident male Common Stonechat soon drove the intruder away from its nesting area and we didn't see it again.
CRJ and I both saw it well but being a bit naive and wanting to do the right thing, we both agreed to send in separate notes, bearing in mind this was 'just an eastern subspecies' at the time. I can picture it now and I'm certain it was of the 'maurus' form or whatever it is currently called. We duly sent in the record to BBRC but to my/our amazement it was rejected (I later heard rumour that CRJ and I had not both described the white wing patches sufficiently and there was variation). Whatever - this gem from the young upstarts was never accepted - truly one that got away.
6th January: A cold spell producing a nice selection of winter wildfowl plus owls and harriers - in the sort of numbers rarely ever seen nowadays.
1978: More regular visits to the Peninsula now and my species list grows as a result. However, I could not have foreseen a first for Britain appearing.....!
9th December: This bird was, I believe, originally found by the late Charles James (possibly County Recorder then?) who tentatively identified it as a Kentish Plover. I soon arrived to see it, with Chris Janman and in a short while also Mick Hay joined us. It was superficially confirmed as a KP by us, although as the notes show we had obvious reservations as we continued to watch but not enough experience to contradict this. As doubts began to grow, the mystery was eventually solved by Richard Porter (of RSPB fame) and Alan Kitson and the rest is history. There are three races of the species and potential splits are never too far away. I learnt a valuable lesson that day.
I could never draw but made an attempt to at least show the features of the bird and took quite a few notes, which I won't bore you with here, Chris Janman actually had a camera and could use it! I attach a copy of his 'famous' photo below......
Greater Sand Plover at Pagham Hbr, 9th December 1978 (photo: CR Janman)
16th & 21st December: The Sand Plover was to remain at Pagham Hbr until 1st January of the new year, when it is thought likely to have perished, and inevitably attracted many birders during its stay. The above two lists show some of the additional interesting species seen during these times, the best being the Shorelark on 21st. Note also the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker at Church Norton...the species was resident then and I recorded at least eight sightings that year.
1977: An eventful year for me, with career changes and recent house moves amongst other things, but by now I was beginning to be more focused on the Peninsula...
25th April: No apologies for repeating this date entry which has appeared in earlier papers, but it gives an indication of how things used to be. The star bird of course was the singing male Cirl Bunting...I'm pretty sure the person I was with at the time was respected birder Tony Marr (BAEM) and the bird allowed a close approach. This was well before the time of mobile phones, messaging systems or even portable cameras and sadly there is no photographic record; written notes and descriptions were the order of the day then. The location of the bird was in a hedge behind the open field just to the west of Bill House, sadly the field and hedge disappeared when the site was developed some years later - a familiar story. Note too the fine pair of spring Pied Flycatchers at Church Norton.
27th August: Another nice selection of migrants, including 25 Spotted Flycatchers, a Wood Warbler and 68 Black Terns.
1976: Another year when the majority of my birding outings were actually not on the Peninsula, for example, the Downs, Amberley Wildbrooks and even Climping Gap. However, my interest in the Peninsula sites was now growing...
14th February: These two images refer to the same date, with a nice selection of winter birds that have now become far less common. As usual then, I was accompanied by Bernie Forbes (BFF). Interestingly, the entry above shows comments for an earlier date (5th February) when a Black-necked Grebe and a Smew were on the Ferry Pool...!
28th August: A nice selection of autumn migrants. This was a time when Common Buzzard was much scarcer and this was quite a good record. Note also the odd Wheatear...I remember getting quite excited about it at the time.
14th December: A good winter selection, when 10 Slavonian Grebes and 20 Twite were obviously not worthy of special mention then...!
1975: A year which saw the number of my visits to the Peninsula being quite limited, the majority of my birding time being spent inland or at other non-Peninsula sites.
This 'Isabelline' Shrike is still the only one recorded on the Peninsula thus far, so is still tickable for our Peninsula list purposes at present, although recent taxonomic changes have since split this form to two species. A fine rarity for a fairly new birder....I remember being so excited!
Cracking views of a Dotterel but some nice other common migrants too.
What a great encyclopaedia of your past works, many thanks for this a really good read.
ReplyDelete