Peninsula Recording Areas & Checklists

 

 The Selsey Peninsula Recording Areas & Bird Checklists

The whole of the pale area shown below is our Peninsula recording area, extending from Selsey Bill northwards to the A27 Chichester by-pass. Note that the whole Chichester gravel pits area is included – although it effectively straddles the A27 - and includes the Drayton and Westhampnett pits to the north-east (top right).

The updated Selsey Peninsula Bird Checklist follows and currently stands at 344 species (as of November 2021). Note that in the case of rare and scarce species this relates only to records officially accepted by the British Birds Rarities Committee (BBRC) or Sussex Ornithological Society Records Committee (SOSRC) as appropriate and regrettably unsubmitted or unconfirmed records cannot be used. This is important to maintain the credibility of the List for future researchers. The list relates only to the official British Ornithologists' Union (BOU) list of species - per their categories A,B and C, as recently adopted to include the recommendations of the International Ornithological Congress (IOC).

It should also be noted that total shown includes Siberian Stonechat, Sub-Alpine Warbler and Isabelline Shrike, species which have all recently been split, but as yet none of these particular birds have been assigned to specific form, thus we have opted to keep them on the list under the old nomenclature for ease of reference. Furthermore, we have decided to use just the well-known and familiar species names here and omit the scientific names for simplicity.

Several subspecies, such as Black Brant, are not included in the list (although perhaps they are potential future splits or are already considered so by some authorities). Feral species are generally excluded too, thus a record of 14 Snow Geese in early 1983 sadly has to be omitted. One species however - Ruddy Shelduck - is included: although most modern records are harshly and probably unfairly deemed by the authorities to refer to escapes and ferals, there are also two historic records, from 1890 and 1892, of birds shot at Selsey, part of a genuine irruption, so the species surely has a valid claim to be included in any case. As will be seen in the list, there are also two other species that are included on the basis of historic records only, both of these being considered valid.

Those species in the list marked with an Asterix (*) have been recorded within the Selsey Bill Recording Area (using the current boundary - basically everything south of a line drawn between the Lifeboat Station and the old Coastguard station in West Street) and the total is currently 263.

 

The current Selsey Bill Recording Area, as adopted in recent years. This is effectively just the Bill-tip, consisting of everything south of a line between the Lifeboat station to the east and the old Coastguard station to the west. 

Selsey Bill (2012) (Reproduced by kind permission of 'Chichester Observer')

 

The Checklist:- (notes/info shown with once-only rarity records)

 

Mute Swan*             

Bewick's Swan*                   

Whooper Swan*                  

Tundra Bean Goose                       

Pink-footed Goose*            

White-fronted Goose*                     

Greylag Goose*                             

Canada Goose*                   

Barnacle Goose*                 

Brent Goose*                       

Red-breasted Goose*                    

Egyptian Goose*                 

Ruddy Shelduck*                

Shelduck*                

Mandarin Duck*                  

Wigeon*                    

American Wigeon              (Pagham Hbr 1996-97)                   

Gadwall*                   

Teal*              

Green-winged Teal             

Mallard*                    

Pintail*                      

Garganey*                

Blue-winged Teal                (Church Norton, 5/1995)               

Shoveler*                 

Red-crested Pochard                     

Pochard*                  

Ring-necked Duck              

Ferruginous Duck               

Tufted Duck*            

Scaup*                      

Eider*            

Long-tailed Duck*               

Common Scoter*                 

Velvet Scoter*

Surf Scoter*                     (Selsey Bill, 4/2019)               

Goldeneye*              

Hooded Merganser        (Pagham Hbr North Wall, 11/2012)              

Smew*                      

Red-breasted Merganser*             

Goosander*              

Ruddy Duck             

Red-legged Partridge*                    

Grey Partridge*                    

Quail*            

Pheasant*                

Red-throated Diver*            

Black-throated Diver*                     

Great Northern Diver*                    

White-billed Diver*              

Fulmar*                     

Cory's Shearwater*             

Sooty Shearwater*              

Manx Shearwater*              

Balearic Shearwater*                     

Storm Petrel*           

Leach's Storm Petrel*                     

Little Grebe*             

Red-necked Grebe*            

Great Crested Grebe*                    

Slavonian Grebe*               

Black-necked Grebe*                     

Black Stork               

White Stork*             

Glossy Ibis*              

Spoonbill*                

Bittern           

Little Bittern              

Night Heron             

Squacco Heron                   

Cattle Egret*             

Grey Heron*             

Purple Heron           

Great (White) Egret*                       

Little Egret*               

Gannet*                    

Shag*            

Cormorant*               

Honey Buzzard*                  

Black Kite                 

Red Kite*                  

White-tailed Eagle*              (Selsey Bill, 7/1962)            

Marsh Harrier*                     

Hen Harrier*             

Montagu's Harrier*              

Goshawk                  

Sparrowhawk*                     

Common Buzzard*             

Rough-legged Buzzard       (Chi Hbr/ Fishbourne  10/1974)                          

Osprey*                     

Kestrel*                     

Red-footed Falcon              

Merlin*                      

Hobby*                      

Peregrine Falcon*               

Water Rail*               

Spotted Crake                     

Sora Rail                   (Pagham Lagoon, 10/1983)                      

Corncrake*               

Moorhen*                 

Coot*             

Common Crane*                 

Little Bustard   (Historic record; one shot in field Pagham 11/1901)              

Oystercatcher*                     

Black-winged Stilt               

Avocet*                     

Stone Curlew*                     

Collared Pratincole             

Oriental Pratincole       (Pagham Hbr North Wall, 5/2009)                   

Black-winged Pratincole    (Pagham Hbr Ferry Pool, 10/1981)                      

Little Ringed Plover*                       

Ringed Plover*                    

Killdeer                            (Sidlesham SF area, 3/1974)            

Kentish Plover*                   

Lesser Sand Plover          (Church Norton 8/1997 - 2nd for Britain)              

Greater Sand Plover      (Pagham Hbr 12/1978 - 1st for Britain)                    

Dotterel                     

American Golden Plover                

Golden Plover*                    

Grey Plover*            

Lapwing*                  

Knot*             

Sanderling*              

Semi-palmated Sandpiper        (Chi GPs, 9/1998)                    

Little Stint*                

Temminck's Stint                 

Least Sandpiper         (Pagham Hbr Ferry Pool, 7/1995)                     

White-rumped Sandpiper              

Baird's Sandpiper       (Pagham Hbr Ferry Pool, 10/1996)                  

Pectoral Sandpiper             

Curlew Sandpiper*             

Stilt Sandpiper                     

Purple Sandpiper*              

Dunlin*                      

Broad-billed Sandpiper      (Pagham Hbr Ferry Pool, 5/1993)            

Buff-breasted Sandpiper               

Ruff*              

Jack Snipe               

Snipe*           

Great Snipe              (Pagham Lagoon, 11/1964)                      

Long-billed Dowitcher                    

Woodcock*               

Black-tailed Godwit*           

Bar-tailed Godwit*               

Whimbrel*

Hudsonian Whimbrel*                    

Curlew*                     

Upland Sandpiper               (Bracklesham, 12/1979)                 

Terek Sandpiper                 

Common Sandpiper*                      

Green Sandpiper*               

Spotted Redshank*            

Greenshank*           

Lesser Yellowlegs              

Marsh Sandpiper                

Wood Sandpiper*               

Redshank*               

Turnstone*               

Wilson's Phalarope            

Red-necked Phalarope                  

Grey Phalarope*                 

Pomarine Skua*                  

Arctic Skua*             

Long-tailed Skua*               

Great Skua*             

Sabine's Gull*                      

Kittiwake*                 

Bonaparte's Gull                 (Pagham Lagoon, 3/2002)             

Black-headed Gull*            

Little Gull*                 

Mediterranean Gull*           

Common Gull*                     

Ring-billed Gull                     (Chi GPs, 12/2001)                      

Lesser Black-backed Gull*            

Herring Gull*            

Yellow-legged Gull*            

Caspian Gull*                      

Iceland Gull*            

Glaucous Gull*                    

Great Black-backed Gull*              

Little Tern*                

Gull-billed Tern*                  

Caspian Tern*                     

(American) Royal Tern       (Church Norton, 6/2018)                

Elegant Tern                       (Church Norton, 6/2017)               

Whiskered Tern                   

Black Tern*              

White-winged Black Tern*             

Sandwich Tern*                  

Common Tern*                    

Roseate Tern*                     

Arctic Tern*              

Guillemot*                

Razorbill*                  

Black Guillemot*                 

Little Auk*                 

Puffin*           

Pallas's Sandgrouse      (Historic record only; Itchenor 2/1889)                                         

Rock Dove*

Stock Dove*

Wood Pigeon*

Collared Dove*                    

Turtle Dove*

Ring-necked Parakeet*

Cuckoo*

Barn Owl*

Little Owl*

Tawny Owl*

Long-eared Owl*                 

Short-eared Owl*

Common Nighthawk            (Church Norton, 10/2020)

Nightjar*

Alpine Swift*

Pallid Swift                      (Church Norton, 10/2018)

Common Swift*                   

Kingfisher*               

Bee-eater*                

Hoopoe*                   

Wryneck*                  

Green Woodpecker*                       

Great Spotted Woodpecker*                     

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker*                   

Isabelline Shrike  (sp)          (Pagham Hbr West side, 3/1975)

Red-backed Shrike*           

Woodchat Shrike*               

Great Grey Shrike*             

Lesser Grey Shrike            

Golden Oriole*                     

Magpie*                    

Jay*               

Jackdaw*                  

Rook*            

Carrion Crow*                      

Hooded Crow*                     

Raven*                      

Waxwing                  

Penduline Tit            

Blue Tit*                    

Great Tit*                  

Coal Tit*                    

Willow Tit*                 

Marsh Tit*                                         

Bearded Tit*             

Short-toed Lark                    

Woodlark*                 

Skylark*                    

Shorelark                  

Sand Martin*            

Barn Swallow*                     

House Martin*                      

Red-rumped Swallow*                   

Cliff Swallow             (Church Norton, 10/1996)

Cetti's Warbler                     

Long-tailed Tit*                    

Pallas's Warbler                  

Yellow-browed Warbler*                

Radde's Warbler*                                        

Dusky Warbler                        (Chi GPs, 1/2015)

Western Bonelli's Warbler    (Church Norton, 4/2013)

Wood Warbler*                    

Chiffchaff*                

Willow Warbler*                   

Aquatic Warbler                   

Sedge Warbler*                   

Paddyfield Warbler  (Pagham Hbr North Wall, 1/2012)

Marsh Warbler*                   

Reed Warbler*                     

Great Reed Warbler*                      

Booted Warbler        (Pagham Hbr Long Pool,  9/1996)

Icterine Warbler*                 

Melodious Warbler*            

Grasshopper Warbler*                   

Savi's Warbler          *          

Blackcap*                 

Garden Warbler*                 

Barred Warbler*                  

Lesser Whitethroat*            

Whitethroat*             

Dartford Warbler*                

Subalpine Warbler (sp)                  

Goldcrest*                 

Firecrest*                  

Wren*            

Nuthatch                  

Treecreeper*            

Starling*                    

Rose-coloured Starling*                

Ring Ouzel*             

Blackbird*                 

Fieldfare*                  

Song Thrush*                      

Redwing*                 

Mistle Thrush*                     

Spotted Flycatcher*            

Robin*                       

Nightingale*             

Bluethroat*               

Red-breasted Flycatcher               

Collared Flycatcher             (Church Norton, 6/2002)

Pied Flycatcher*                  

Black Redstart*                    

Redstart*                   

Whinchat*                

Siberian Stonechat* (sp)    

Stonechat*               

Northern Wheatear*           

Desert Wheatear*               

Dunnock*                 

House Sparrow*                  

Tree Sparrow*                     

Yellow Wagtail*                   

Grey Wagtail*                      

Pied Wagtail*                       

Richard's Pipit*                    

Tawny Pipit*             

Tree Pipit*                

Meadow Pipit*                     

Red-throated Pipit                 (Church Norton, 10/1997)

Rock Pipit*               

Water Pipit*              

Chaffinch*                

Brambling*               

Serin*            

Greenfinch*                                     

Goldfinch*                

Siskin*                      

Linnet*                      

Twite*            

Lesser Redpoll*                  

Mealy Redpoll                     

Common Crossbill*             

Trumpeter Finch                  (Church Norton, 5/1984)

Common Rosefinch*                      

Bullfinch*                  

Hawfinch*                

Snow Bunting*                    

Lapland Bunting*                

Yellowhammer*                   

Cirl Bunting*            

Ortolan Bunting                   

Little Bunting            (Sidlesham Village, 3/1996)

Reed Bunting*                     

Black-headed Bunting        (Sidlesham Common, 7/2003)

Corn Bunting*

 

 

 (end: updated Nov 2021)