4th - 6th June 2015

Saturday, 6th June: A dry, bright and mainly sunny day, with scattered cloud and a moderate W/SW breeze.

Selsey Bill: (0550-0800) (SH/JA/IP/AH)
Gannet - 14E, 36W
Eider - 5E (2 adult drakes, 1 first-year drake, 2 ducks)
Common Tern - 65os
Sandwich Tern - 12os
Little Tern - 6os
Razorbill - 1W
auk sp - 2E
Swallow - 3p
House Martin - 12p

Five Eider (above), House Martin, JA and a very tame Wood Pigeon & the Selsey lifeboat at the Bill (AH)

Church Norton: Biggest surprise was a very late Merlin that flew purposefully right across the harbour eastwards and disappeared over Pagham Spit at around 10am. Otherwise it was usual fare for the time of year - the Cuckoo, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, Whitethroats and Sedge and Reed Warblers were all singing, a few Skylarks, Reed Buntings and Linnets were along the Severals and the spit, as was a Green Woodpecker, but the harbour was all but devoid of waders - just a Curlew and a couple of Ringed Plovers. Unusually, a Lesser Black-backed Gull was on the mud, whilst there were also a handful of Common and Sandwich Terns present. Also, there were a dozen House Martins with the Swallows around Park Farm, Selsey (AH/IP)

Skylarks (above) & Reed Bunting at Church Norton (AH)

Ferry Pool: The Black-winged Stilt was still at the back, and there was a Little Ringed Plover, 16 Avocets and c120 Black-tailed Godwits about, too. There were half a dozen Redshank along the edges, with several busy displaying. (AH)

Displaying Redshank on the Ferry (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool: Pretty quiet in the strong wind this afernoon - highlights were 12Avocets, plus 2 young (the first we've seen this year), 2 Little Ringed Plovers, 4 Yellowhammers and 10 Whitethroat. (S&SaH) 

Friday, 5th June: A morning that began still and close, then some spotty rain and ending with a brisk south-westerly, though still a little warmer than of late.....but not the heat wave the weatherman told us to expect...!

Ferry Pool: The Black-winged Stilt was still present this morning, along with a dozen Avocets and 52 Black-tailed Godwits, plus a couple of Lapwing and Redshank, the Shelduck family and a Great Tit feeding young. (AH/SR)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - Fairly quiet, with all the summer residents appearing to be in place. There were at least six Little Ringed Plovers over several pools, at least 25 adult and six young Avocets, six Redshank and around 40 Black-tailed Godwits on the tidal area by the poplars.

There were around 30 Skylarks and Linnets and half a dozen each of Yellowhammer, Whitethroat and Meadow Pipit along the banks, several pairs of Reed Warblers were in the ditch beside the beach and five Stock Doves were around Marsh Farm.

The banks are a picture at the moment, with vetches and other plants in flower, and attracting many bees, plus several Common Blue butterflies as well as a Painted Lady and a Red Admiral. (AH)

Little Ringed Plover (above), Skylark, Meadow Pipit and the flower-rich bank at Medmerry (AH)

Church Norton: Quiet on a quick look, though the pair of Cuckoos were active again, but otherwise just half a dozen Common Terns and Ringed Plover in the harbour, both Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers calling, and a group of Goldfinches were taking a bath in the car-park. (AH)

Bathing Goldfinches at Church Norton (AH)

Sidlesham: A Stock Dove was on our lawn this morning early on. (AH)

Stock Dove in a Sidlesham garden (AH)

Thursday 4th June: It almost feels like summer, with a light south-easterly and a bit of sunshine....

Ferry Pool: The Black-winged Stilt was still present early on, with twelve Avocets, four Redshank and c120 Black-tailed Godwits. A nice surprise was a Barn Owl hunting over the fields to the south of the pool (Ferry Farm), and there were also a couple of Lapwings, a Reed Bunting and a Skylark in the area. (AH/OM)

Barn Owl (above), Black-winged Stilt & Skylark around the Ferry (AH)

Selsey Bill:  (0700-1200hrs): Not much moving apart from a few Common Scoter, though a group of three Arctic Skuas going east together quickened the pulse somewhat, especially as the one pale morph amongst the two dark forms initially appeared to be much larger and Pom-like, until the reality could be established! There was also a gathering of at least 120 Common Terns, 6 Little Terns and 10 Sandwich Terns feeding offshore. Also, at least 10 House Martins were busy making the most of the puddles on Grafton Road again, largely oblivious to cars, dogs and people.  Full log below.... (AH/OM/C&ME/SR/PC/SHo)
Great Crested Grebe - 1 os
Fulmar - 1W
Gannet - 8E, 2os
Common Scoter - 48E
Sanderling - 9W
Arctic Skua - 3E (0816, 2d/p, 1l/p)
Little Tern - 6 os
Common Tern - c.120 os
Sandwich Tern - 6E, 10os
House Martin - 10+ present (as above)

Sandwich Terns (above) & House Martins at the Bill (AH)

Selsey - Northcommon Farm was very quiet, an agitated pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers with young calling being the only birds of note (OM).

Church Norton: The Cuckoo was still in Priory Wood, though it was generally quiet - a few Reed and Sedge Warblers, Reed Buntings and Linnets along the Severals and four Sandwich Terns, a Curlew and two Grey Plovers in the harbour being about it. (AH)

Reed Warbler (above) & Reed Bunting at Church Norton (AH)

North Wall: there were two Whitethroats and a Cuckoo along Church Lane, and I was welcomed by Sparrows to the North Wall. With the wind having dropped there was a lot of birdsong along the wall, with Goldfinches, Reed Buntings joining the usual Reed, Sedge and Cetti's Warblers. The last of the white farmyard geese has not been seen this week and is presumed to have joined his four previous companions. Tufted Ducks were moving in six packs this morning, six on the Breech Pool, six at Owl Water and six on Pagham Rife. Honer reservoir was devoid of birds apart from a Pied Wagtail and two Yellowhammers, whilst a Little Owl and three Stock Doves were in the Bramber Farm area and a Song Thrush was living up to its name at Welbourne. (JDW)

House Sparrow (above), Cuckoo, Song Thrush & Song Thrush at the North Wall (JDW)

Medmerry: Porthole Farm -  A pair of Grey Partridges were in the maize field and another single bird was in the uncropped area nearby this evening, and around half a dozen Yellowhammers, Skylarks and Whitethroats were also in the vicinity, whilst at least 50 Swifts, 100 Swallows and 200 House Martins were over the settling tanks. (AH)

Grey Partridge (above), Swift & Yellowhammer at Medmerry (AH)

1st - 3rd June 2015

Wednesday, 3rd June: A bright and breezy day, with sunshine and some cloud and a fresh westerly wind decreasing later. At last there is some change on the way after the prolonged spell of cool W/NW winds that seemed to go on forever; the forecast is for some warmer, summery weather and southerly winds over the next few days. And with late Pom Skuas now recorded in the English Channel for the last three days, it seems that the Janman 'second wave' theory has indeed come good this year; let's hope a few late overshoot migrants also join in! 

Selsey Bill (0655 - 1115hrs): Dry, mainly sunny (Obs: C&ME/DS/SR)
Gannet - 53E, 1W
Common Scoter - 23E
Ringed Plover - 9E
Bar-tailed Godwit - 2W
Auk sp - 2E                                 
Pomarine Skua - 1E (0729, along Mile Basket line, spoons seen!)
Little Tern - 4W
also large mixed flock of Common and Sandwich Terns feeding offshore
Kittiwake - 6W
Sedge Warbler - 1 Bill House garden 

(1730-1830) (SH)
Fulmar - 1W
Gannet - 3E, 15W
Kittiwake - 1W
Common Tern - 20os
Sandwich Tern - 11os
auk sp - 3W
 

North Wall: Still a stiff SSW breeze along the Wall. The Breech Pool is now full to overflowing and, once again, has probably washed out any hopes of the Little Ringed Plovers successfully breeding; only 2 Tufted Ducks present and 3 Little Egrets sheltering from the wind. Sounds of Reed, Sedge and Cetti's Warblers along the Wall and a sleepy Blackbird in Owl Copse. A Buzzard was harassed by Crows at Honer and a Cuckoo was calling at that location. The 40 plus Mute Swans around White's Creek have begun their second month in residence. Generally very quiet. (JDW)

  

 Quiet on the North Wall - Buzzard and sleepy Blackbird but not a great deal else! (JDW)

Ferry Pool: At lunchtime there were 12 Avocets and 120 Black-tailed Godwits on the pool, plus a couple of Redshank, but I didn't see the Black-winged Stilt reported as present earlier on Birdguides. (AH)

 Black-tailed Godwits on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: This evening a pair of Cuckoos were being very vocal - this is the first time I've heard the female here - around the Priory, and a Blackcap and a Chiffchaff were also singing. A handful of Sanderling were in the harbour with a dozen or more Ringed Plover and Dunlin, and four Common Terns flew out over the spit. (AH)

Common Tern at Church Norton (AH)

 

Tuesday, 2nd June: A truly horrible morning, with a gale force south-westerly and driving squally drizzle....and little or no birding reward for those prepared to brave it out!

Selsey Bill (0640-1240hrs): SW 7-8, gusting 9 (according to ChiMet). (Obs: CRJ/AH/OM) No repeat of yesterday's activity, with very little moving in the stormy conditions, just a few Common Terns and the occasional Little and Sandwich Tern going west. The only movement as such consisted of a few small flocks of Sanderling going west and a single Dunlin. I arrived to find CRJ & AH in situ, both looking a bit downcast with little to report; an hour later I was equally as downcast as so little was happening. They both left around 0900 and half an hour later I was thinking of doing likewise when news came of some Poms seen off Portland... that condemned me to a further three hours, but no amount of scanning the horizon could produce the goods, and a total of six hours coverage had resulted in next to nothing bird-wise! (OM). The Log won't take long to read.....

Great Crested Grebe - 1 os

Fulmar - 1E

Gannet - 4E, 5W

Sanderling - 27W

Dunlin - 1W

Little Tern - 2 os

Common Tern - 10W, 6os

Sandwich Tern - 8W, 2os

Swift - 2 p

Additional:  1720 - 1900hrs  (SH)
Manx Shearwater - 3W
Fulmar - 1E, 2W
Gannet - 2E, 8W
Little Tern - 3 os
Common Tern - 18 os
Sandwich Tern - 11 os
Kittiwake - 6W

Common Tern (above), Little Tern, Sandwich Tern & Starling at the Bill (AH)

Below: Panoramic view of an empty sea at the Bill this morning, AH and CRJ looking somewhat glum and a couple of s/plum Sanderlings that dropped in to keep me company (OM)

Church Norton: The only bird of note was a Greenshank in the harbour, though there were still the regular couple of Curlews and a dozen each of Dunlin and Ringed Plover, plus four Turnstone. (AH)

Greenshank at Church Norton (AH)

Ferry Pool: The Black-winged Stilt was still in residence, along with 14 Avocets, 12 Black-tailed Godwits and the drake Teal. (AH)

Avocet on the Ferry (AH)

Monday, 1st June: Another bright and breezy morning with a strong south-westerly, though the cloud was beginning to build up as the day progressed, with the prospect of some heavy rain later.

Pomarine Skuas are a feature of today; partly because one passed through unexpectedly at the Bill, but also because it is the first day of summer, when the year's Pom King is announced (the final date for records to count being yesterday). No matter that today's bird doesn't count, it was still a thrill, but I'm pleased to announce that this year's winner is Justin Atkinson with an almost record-breaking total of.... three! Well done to Justin, yet despite the poor spring this year and the lack of birds, it is not quite a record low - that honour being held by Mervyn Jones, with a winning total of just two way back in 1983! Let's just hope we can all do better next year (OM).

Selsey Bill (1000-1500hrs): Cloud, sunny spells, SW6. Nothing much moving at first, bar a few Gannets, terns and the odd Fulmar, then at 11.45am, out of the blue - a Pomarine Skua!  A big fully-spooned adult, it planed slowly but purposefully east, passing just inside the mile basket, to my sheer joy (and relief). A little flurry of activity then followed, before things settled down again. You don't suppose this could be part of Mr Janman's much-maligned 'second wave' Pom theory, do you.......??!! (OM) Full log....

Fulmar - 3W
Gannet - 34E, 7W
Manx Shearwater - 3E (distant)
Shelduck - 6E
Hobby - 1 (presumably newly-arrived) E then N over Oval Field, scattering Starlings (13.10)
Guillemot - 3W
Razorbill - 1W
Auk sp - 3E, 5W
Arctic Skua - 2E (d/p)
Pomarine Skua - 1E (11.45)
Little Tern - 2 os
Common Tern - 10 os
Sandwich Tern - 18W, 3os
Kittiwake - 1W
Swallow - 5W

Additional: 1740 - 1900hrs:  (SH)
Manx Shearwater - 8E, 11W 
Fulmar - 3W
Gannet - 23E, 7W
Auk sp - 2W
Little Tern - 4 os
Common Tern - 17 os
Sandwich Tern - 17 os

Ferry Pool: The Black-winged Stilt was again at the back this morning, and there were also c150 Black-tailed Godwits, five Redshank, the drake Teal and four Gadwall present, a Cuckoo flew over and about 20 Swifts and 10 Swallows were hawking overhead. (AH) 
At 1245 a female Marsh Harrier flew over south-west, and there were also 11 Avocets and the Shelduck family, including six young. (B&MC)

Black-tailed Godwit (above), Teal and Swift at the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: Despite the Breech Pool being full of water, there were still no birds bar a few Reed, Sedge and Cetti's Warblers, and a couple each of Linnet, Goldfinch and Reed Bunting. (AH/PC)

Reed Warbler (above), Goldfinch & a view of the replenished Breech Pool from the North Wall (AH)

Pagham Spit: There were still around ten Little Terns being active along the new spit, but very little in the harbour, bar a pale-headed Sandwich Tern and a few Ringed Plovers and Oystercatchers. (AH)

Little Terns (above) & Sandwich Tern from Pagham Spit (AH)

Medmerry:  An early morning ride to the Stilt Pool paid off as a Little Owl was perched out in the sunshine on a security light at Marsh Farm. On one of the new scrapes a clear sign of breeding success with a Little Grebe and two newly hatched chicks, plus a Little Ringed Plover close by, a Reed Warbler and several Yellowhammers, and also a Cuckoo was heard but not seen.  On the Stilt Pool there was one pair of Avocets with one chick and around 18 Avocets sitting, possibly 3 Black-headed Gulls on nests, 5 Little Ringed Plovers, 2 Shoveler, 3 Gadwall, the Mute Swans with their 7 cygnets, 18 Tufted Ducks,  4 Black-tailed Godwits, 1 Lapwing, 1 male Stonechat and a Brown Hare.  Very windy along the beach and not much about though I could see more adult Avocets and 2 juveniles (SR).

Record shot of the distant Little Owl at Marsh Farm (SR).

30th - 31st May 2015

Sunday, 31st May: Grey and cloudy with rain at times and a strong W/SW wind gusting to gale force; more like late November than early summer!

There were no reported sightings from the Ferry by mid-morning of yesterday's Red-necked Phalarope, although the Black-winged Stilt remains.....whilst at the Bill nothing unusual was reported.... although a Selsey fisherman reported several Storm Petrels and a Black Tern well offshore recently at an unspecified distance (per SOS), so it could happen.....

Selsey Bill 0515 - 0900hrs: Cloud, rainy, windy SW6-7 (Obs: SH/JA/AH)
Fulmar - 4E, 2W
Gannet - 8E, 23W
Turnstone - 1W
Sanderling - 2W
Dunlin - 1W
Razorbill - 3W
Guillemot - 2W
Auk sp - 1E
Common Tern - 34os
Sandwich Tern - 25os

Kittiwake - 5W
Swallow - 3W
Also of interest: Grey Seal - 1os, and 2 Hedgehogs reported from the one observer's Selsey garden were the first seen in the area for several years. Later another observer reported one from an East beach garden.

Sandwich Tern struggling to hold onto a huge sandeel in the wind (above) & Common Tern at the Bill (AH)

A miserable end to the spring sea-watching campaign at the Bill for SH and JA (AH)

(1420-1600) (SH/JA)

Manx Shearwater - 1W
Gannet - 23E, 15W

Dunlin - 8ob

Kittiwake - 1E, 3W

Sandwich Tern - 3os

Common Tern - 2os
Guillemot - 1W
Razorbill - 1W
auk sp - 1W


Ferry Pool: No sign of the Red-necked Phalarope by 1400, although the Black-winged Stilt was still present. There were a Little Ringed Plover, four Ringed Plovers, c25 Dunlin and Black-tailed Godwits, five Avocets, and a Redshank on the pool, and a flock of ten Sanderling flew through west and settled briefly, but didn't stay long. (AH/SR/IL/DM/DIS)

Black-winged Stilt (above) & Avocet on the Ferry (DM)

Sanderlings (above) & Shelduck-lings on the march at the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool: This afternoon there was a rather sodden-looking family of young Long-tailed Tits, a dozen each of Swallows, Swifts and House Martins, 4 Reed Buntings, a Great Crested Grebe, a Little Grebe, 2 Tufted Ducks, a Gadwall, 3 Mallard families, 2 Linnets, 3 Whitethroats and numerous Reed and Sedge Warblers that continued to sing when the rain came. (SR)

Church Norton: A Spotted Flycatcher was in the churchyard and the Cuckoo was still around the Priory this morning, though the harbour was pretty bare - just a couple of Sandwich Terns, a dozen Ringed Plovers and Dunlin and a couple of Curlews on show. (AH/DM/DIS)

Spotted Flycatcher at Church Norton (DM)

This afternoon there were three Spotted Flycatchers around the Mound, plus a singing Blackcap and the regular Cuckoo, but not much in the harbour, though the Mute Swans on the second Several have about half a dozen cygnets. (AH)

Mute Swan family at Church Norton (AH)

Chichester GPs: Ivy Lake - Large numbers of Swifts, Swallows and House Martins were over the lake this morning, and a big flock - of maybe 30 - Long-tailed Tits were moving noisily through the trees. (AH)

Swift (above), Swallow, House Martin & Long-tailed Tit at Ivy Lake (AH)

Saturday, 30th May: Bright and breezy this morning, with the star birds being a Red-necked Phalarope and the Black-winged Stilt on the Ferry Pool ...

Ferry Pool: A summer-plumaged (and probably female) Red-necked Phalarope was found on the pool early this morning by East Sussex birder John King and was still present and drawing a crowd at lunchtime alongside the Black-winged Stilt.

Other birds present included eight Avocets, a Little Ringed Plover, c40 Black-tailed Godwits and three Redshank. (AH et al)
Both the Red-necked Phalarope and the Black-winged Stilt were still present into the evening. (PC/IP)

 Red-necked Phalarope (above) & Black-winged Stilt on the Ferry (AH)

Long Pool: A couple of Lesser Whitethroats singing, as were a good selection of the commoner warblers, including Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Reed and Sedge Warblers, plus a Cuckoo from the Tramway and several Linnets and Reed Buntings, plus a clutch of newly fledged Long-tailed Tits. (AH)

Chiffchaff (above), Whitethroat & Long-tailed Tit from Long Pool (AH)

Selsey Bill: (0600-0730hrs) (SH)

Gannet - 8E, 16W

Tufted Duck - 2W (pair)

Common Scoter 10E

Kittiwake - 2W
Common Tern - 15os
Sandwich Tern - 14os
auk sp - 1W

Swift - 1W
Swallow - 4W, 1N

House Martin - 2p

Grey Seal - 1os

Also,  around 7am what looked like a large raptor appeared over the horizon (possibly an Osprey), but almost straight away several gulls started mobbing it forcing it down, where it was lost from view not to be refound. 

(1715-1815) (SH)

Fulmar - 1E, 5W 
Gannet - 3E, 3W
Kittiwake - 3W
Mediterranean Gull - 2W
Common Tern - 19os
Sandwich Tern - 9os
Swallow - 1N

North Wall: The Breech is now a Pool again - yesterday the Environment Agency came and adjusted the sluices and today we have a good covering of water and muddy margins, clearly appreciated by 11 Tufted Ducks and a Little Ringed Plover. Linnets were feeding young along the Wall and there were 8 Ringed Plovers on the mud in front of Owl Copse. There were 47 Mute Swans loafing around the sluice gates, 2 Roe Deer were well out in the harbour and were last seen swimming towards Pagham Spit, Stock Doves were calling at Bremere Bridge and there were 4 Buzzards above Halsey's Farm. (JDW) 

Little Ringed Plover (above) & Ringed Plovers from the North Wall (JDW)

Church Norton: There were 13 Sanderling on the beach this morning. (S&SaH) Also a Knot was in the harbour. (IL)

Late this afternoon there was still a Spotted Flycatcher in the sheep field, a Cuckoo calling nearby and another calling behind the Severals, a few Sandwich Terns offshore and in the harbour there were seven Sanderling with c25 Dunlin and c40 Ringed Plovers. (AH)

Spotted Flycatcher (above) & Sanderling at Church Norton (AH)