7th - 9th February 2024

Friday, 9th February: After a grey and murky start, a fairly bright and breezy morning in a fresh south-westerly.......

Selsey Bill: There was a bit more activity this morning, with a fair mix of the regular species seen. Full log below. (BI/SR/AH) 

(0730-0900hrs) (SW, F6)

Great Northern Diver - 1W, 2os

Red-throated Diver - 9E, 9W, 3os

Slavonian Grebe - 1os

Great Crested Grebe - 1W

Gannet - 40W

Common Scoter - 1W

Red-breasted Merganser - 2E, 5W

Oystercatcher - 1W

Turnstone - 3W

Mediterranean Gull - 1os

Kittiwake - 1W

Sandwich Tern - 9os

Razorbill - 2E

auk sp - 6E, 7W

(1445-1545hrs) (SH)

Great Northern Diver - 3os

Red-throated Diver - 2W

Great Crested Grebe - 1os

Fulmar - 1W

Eider - 2os

Sanderling - 1W

Turnstone - 1

Mediterranean Gull - 3W

Razorbill - 1W

Great Northern Diver (above) & Mediterranean Gull at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: A flock of 19 Avocets dropped in to roost at the back this morning, whilst c150 Lapwings were still around the field, whilst wildfowl comprised eight Gadwall, four Shelducks, c75 Shovelers, c50 Wigeon and c30 Wigeon and Mallards (AH)

Avocets (above) & Lapwings at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: A Goldeneye was in the main channel this morning, but there were far fewer wildfowl about generally, with just c20 Shelducks and Wigeon and c50 and Brent Geese seen, along with a couple of Little and Great Crested Grebes, with another of the latter on the sea and a Guillemot flying west the only birds seen offshore.

There were also a few waders moving about the harbour on the rising tide, including the Whimbrel, c100 Grey Plovers, c20 Turnstones and c300 Dunlin, plus the usual Redshanks, Curlews and Oystercatchers, but there were few birds around the hedges beyond a few Chaffinches and Goldfinches. (AH)

Guillemot (above), Whimbrel, Teal & Grey Plovers, Dunlin and Turnstone at Church Norton (AH)

North Wall: It was busy around the paddock this morning, with a Song Thrush, a Green Woodpecker, a Stonechat, a Grey Wagtail, a Pied Wagtail, two Moorhens and a Curlew joining the regular Blackbirds, Robins and Wrens, whilst further back two Marsh Harriers were over the reeds and a Buzzard was also about.
In the harbour, around high tide, there was just a few Wigeon on the water, but way out on the mud there was a large number of waders, with Grey Plovers, Black-tailed Godwits, Knot, Dunlin, Lapwing and Golden Plover all seen.
Three Rock Pipits were along the wall and in the fields which are again very flooded, there were lots of Wigeon, a few Brent Geese and a Little Grebe, while 12 Snipe flew out of the fields and over the harbour, two Buzzards were around Owl Copse and six Grey Herons were out on their island, and at Halsey’s Farm a Skylark was on the fence and 1200 Brent Geese were in the harbour by the outfall. (LP/SP/CT)

Grey Wagtail (above), Rock Pipit, Stonechat, Skylark, Green Woodpecker, Brent Geese & Wigeon and Brent Geese at the North Wall (LP)

Thursday, 8th February: After more heavy overnight rain, a dismal morning of persistent drizzly rain in a brisk south-easterly breeze.....

Selsey Bill: It was even quieter this morning in limited visibility. Full log below. (AH/SR/IP/LP/SP)

(0800-0900hrs) (ESE, F4)

Red-throated Diver - 1E

Great Crested Grebe - 1os

Gannet - 2E, 6W, 3os

Shelduck - 4W

Common Scoter - 6E

Red-breasted Merganser - 2E

Turnstone - 6

Mediterranean Gull - 1os

Sandwich Tern - 2os

Rock Pipit - 1

Gannet (above) & Red-breasted Mergansers at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: There wasn't much about this morning, with no sign of the Long-tailed Duck and otherwise just eight Gadwall, c75 Shovelers and barely a dozen Wigeon and Teal. (AH)

Shoveler (above) & Gadwall and Shovelers at the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: A fairly brief look at high tide produced very few birds indeed, with just 20 or so Wigeon and Teal on the water, and c20 Redshanks and Oystercatchers roosting on Tern Island. (AH)

Wigeon at Church Norton (AH)

Wednesday, 7th February: After a night of rain and a strong westerly, the wind shifted to the north-east and dropped considerably, leaving it cool, murky and heavily overcast.....

Selsey Bill: There was little to be seen in very poor visibility this morning, though it included three Great Northern Divers and three Sandwich Terns. Full log below. (SR/AH/IP/ABi)

(0755-0855hrs) (ENE, F3-4)

Great Northern Diver - 2E, 1W

Red-throated Diver - 1W

Shag - 1E

Red-breasted Merganser - 2E, 2W

Sandwich Tern - 3os

Razorbill - 3W

Ferry Pool: The Long-tailed Duck was still present on the pool this morning, along with eight Gadwall, eight Shelducks, c75 Shovelers, c50 Teal and c100 Wigeon, but there were just c50 Lapwings around the field. (AH/ABi/JMo)

North Wall: Around high tide this morning there were just a few Wigeon, Teal, Pintail, Shelduck and a single Gadwall on the water, whilst three Rock Pipits and a Redshank were along the wall and 12 Snipe flew over.

Six Grey Herons were in the trees at Owl Copse, two Goldcrests were with six Long-tailed Tits moving along the hedgerows, and around the paddock there were a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Green Woodpecker, a Jay, a Stonechat and a Pied Wagtail. (LP)

Late this afternoon a Barn Owl was around the Breech Pool, with four Marsh Harriers, three Buzzards and a Kestrel also about, and ten Cattle Egrets and five Grey Herons came in to roost at Owl Copse.

Also, c1000 Brent Geese were in the fields towards Marsh Farm and c200 Golden Plovers and c500 Lapwings were in /over the harbour. (S&SaH)

Rock Pipit (above), Grey Heron & Redshank at the North Wall (LP)

West Itchenor: The Black-throated Diver was again off the Northshore boatyard this morning, with five Red-breasted Mergansers, three Little Grebes and two Great Crested Grebes on the water and at least 500 Brent Geese scattered along the foreshore.

There were also lots of waders moving about, including a Greenshank, c40 Black-tailed Godwits, c150 Grey Plovers and c500 Dunlin. (AH/ABi)

Black-throated Diver (above) & Brent Geese at West Itchenor (AH)

East Head: Over 1000 Brent Geese went over Roman Landing, heading for the harbour this afternoon. (SH)

Fishbourne Creek: Just one drake Goldeneye and seven Red-breasted Mergansers were on the water at high tide, along with c25 Great Crested Grebes, c40 Pintail and vast numbers of Wigeon and Brent Geese, whilst waders included two Greenshanks, c60 Turnstones and c200 Black-tailed Godwits.

Also, a Grey Wagtail and at least ten Rock Pipits in various plumages were along the water's edge, with a Goldcrest in the adjacent hedges, and at least 50 Common Gulls were among the many Black-headed Gulls present. (AH)

Rock Pipit (above), Grey Wagtail, Greenshank, Goldeneye, Pintail & Black-tailed Godwits at Fishbourne Creek (AH)

4th - 6th February 2024

Tuesday, 6th February: A grey, but fairly mild, morning, with a near gale-force westerly blowing......

Selsey Bill: It was reasonably slow again this morning, though there was a fair selection of species, including four Fulmars, a Slavonian Grebe and a big flock of Knot, Dunlin and Grey Plovers going west  Full log below. (SH/SR/P&LH/AH)

(0715-0915hrs) (WSW, F6-7)

Great Northern Diver - 1os

Red-throated Diver - 4W, 1os

Slavonian Grebe - 1W

Great Crested Grebe - 2os

Fulmar - 4W

Gannet - 5W

Shelduck - 1W

Red-breasted Merganser - 2E, 11W

Oystercatcher - 2W

Grey Plover - 124W

Knot - 100W

Dunlin - 90W

Turnstone - 3

Mediterranean Gull - 3os

Kittiwake - 2W

Sandwich Tern - 9os

Guillemot - 1E, 7W

Razorbill - 9W

auk sp - 2E, 21W

(1250-1320hrs) (P&LH)

Turnstone - 6

Mediterranean Gull - 2os

Sandwich Tern - 2os

Fulmar (above), Guillemot & Sandwich Tern at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: A Long-tailed Duck - initially feeding on the water, and then sat out on the bank - was a very surprising bird for the location, and it was still present by late morning. 

Otherwise, a Greenshank was in the concealed pool, 15 Avocets were at the back and c150 Lapwings, plus a few Golden Plovers and Curlews, were on the field, with a Marsh Harrier going over the channel opposite.

There were also large numbers of wildfowl on the pool, comprising four Gadwall, six Shelducks, c80 Shovelers, 100 Teal, c250 Wigeon and c30 Mallards. (RBe/AT/RN/AH/SR/NM/LP et al)

Long-tailed Duck at the Ferry (RBe top, LP next, AH lower two)

Fishbourne Creek: There were 27 Pintail and five Shovelers between Fishbourne and the River Lavant this morning, where there was also a Spotted Redshank, three Knot and several hundred Black-tailed Godwits, whilst a drake Goldeneye was mid-channel and at Dell Quay there were a Greenshank and five Red-breasted Mergansers. (RW)

Church Norton: There were four Red-breasted Mergansers in the harbour mouth this morning, with three more, two Great Crested Grebes and a Mediterranean Gull the only birds offshore, whilst in the harbour there were c20 Shelducks and c50 Wigeon and Teal, plus a few Brent Geese, with lots more of the latter flying around the far end.

The mud held at least 800 Dunlin and 100 Grey Plovers, but not much else beyond the regulars, whilst a Sparrowhawk by the concrete wall and a Buzzard over the harbour were about the only other things noted. (AH/RBe/P&LH)

Sparrowhawk (above), Buzzard, Shelducks and Dunlin & Grey Plovers at Church Norton (AH)

Monday, 5th February: A mostly grey and overcast morning, in a fresh and blustery westerly breeze......

Selsey Bill: It was fairly slow this morning, though two Slavonian Grebes and a Great Northern Diver were on the sea and a Fulmar and 98 Gannets went west. Full log below. (SR/IP/AH)

(0755-0925hrs) (W, F5-6)

Great Northern Diver - 1os

Red-throated Diver - 1E, 6W, 3os

Slavonian Grebe - 2os

Fulmar - 1W

Gannet - 98W, 5os

Shag - 1os

Brent Goose - 5E

Red-breasted Merganser - 1W

Oystercatcher - 1W

Turnstone - 9

Mediterranean Gull - 2os

Common Gull - 2os

Sandwich Tern - 4os

Razorbill - 5E, 1os

auk sp - 2E,1W

Shag (above), Red-throated Diver, Sandwich Tern, Gannets & Common Seal at the Bill (AH)

A Shag was just offshore this afternoon, and 18 Sandwich Terns and a Sanderling headed west. (AW)

Shag at the Bill (AW)

Ferry Pool: There were 15 Avocets on the back of the pool this morning, with c200 Lapwings and c100 Wigeon on the field, and, otherwise, four Gadwall, six Shelducks, c60 Shovelers and c100 Teal. (AH)

Avocets (above), Gadwall & Shelduck and Lapwings at the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: There were 27 Cattle Egrets in the fields to the north this morning. (TG-P)

Pagham Spit: A Dartford Warbler was along the spit this afternoon, whilst three female Goldeneyes and a female Red-breasted Merganser were in the channel towards the harbour mouth. (LP)

West Itchenor: The Black-throated Diver was again off the jetty by the harbour office this morning. (JMo)

Church Norton: It was very quiet in the harbour this morning, with just c100 Knot, c30 Grey Plovers and c500 Dunlin on the mud and c50 Wigeon and Teal in the channels, whilst c80 Brent Geese flew in over the spit, but there was nothing at all offshore. (AH)

Dunlin at Church Norton (AH)

Sunday, 4th February: Another grey and fairly cool morning, in a brisk westerly breeze......

Selsey Bill: It was fairly quiet this morning, though two Fulmars and a few Gannets and auks  were going (mainly) west Full log later. (SH/BI/PB/SR/AH/IP)

(0715-0915) (WSW, F4)

Great Northern Diver - 1E, 1os

Red-throated Diver - 6E, 5W, 2os

Great Crested Grebe - 1W, 2os

Fulmar - 2W

Gannet - 2E, 38W

Shag - 2E

Brent Goose - 25E, 16W

Pintail - 2W

Common Scoter - 2os

Red-breasted Merganser - 4E, 8W

Oystercatcher - 1E, 4W

Curlew - 10W

Turnstone - 1

Mediterranean Gull - 3os

Common Gull - 2W

Kittiwake - 4W

Sandwich Tern - 7os

Guillemot - 3W, 1os

Razorbill - 29W, 5os

auk sp - 4E, 31W

Shag (above), Gannets, Sandwich Tern & Red-breasted Merganser at the Bill (AH)

Ferry Pool: A Redshank was on the concealed pool and c100 Lapwing were on the field, along with c200 Wigeon, whilst two pairs of Gadwall, eight Shelducks and c60 Shovelers and Teal were on the pool. (AH)

Teal (above) & Shovelers at the Ferry (AH)

North Wall: It was quiet along the wall this morning, with just a few Wigeon and Teal along White’s Creek together with a Little Grebe, with c200 Lapwing out on the mud. Also, a Marsh Harrier and a Buzzard were over the reeds and four Snipe flew over into the harbour.

A few Meadow Pipits and Rock Pipits were in Honer 2, along with 24 Curlews, and nine Grey Herons and a Little Egret were on their island, with three more Grey Herons in Owl Copse, but apart from another two Buzzards at Halsey’s Farm, that was about it. (LP/CT)

This afternoon, a Coal Tit was at Halsey's Farm, whilst a Water Rail and a Cattle Egret were seen from along the wall, c700 Lapwings and c1000 Brent Geese were in the harbour and two Marsh Harriers, a Buzzard and two Kestrels went over. (S&SaH)

Church Norton: Highlights of a quiet morning included a male Marsh Harrier, three Knot, five Ringed Plovers, 20+ Grey Plovers, 20+ Wigeon, eight Teal and the usual mix of Curlews, Redshanks, Dunlin and Oystercatchers. (PB)

Chalder & Marsh Farms, Sidlesham: Most of the birds were around the south marsh at the back of the milking parlour at Marsh Farm, with the most interesting being a colour ringed Curlew complete with GPS tracker. It was one of 35 Curlews feeding in the wet grass and further along was a group of c200 Wigeon. 

The next field held a noisy flock of c1,000 Brent Geese and more c200 more Wigeon but all of them took to the air when a Marsh Harrier flew across from the harbour. Elsewhere there were 22 Cattle Egrets, six Little Egrets, a Shelduck, four Mute Swans, three Meadow Pipits, five Linnets, a flock of Long-tailed Tits and 18 Chaffinches. (SR)

satellite-tagged Curlew (above) & Brent Geese and Wigeon at Marsh Farm, Sidlesham (SR)

West Itchenor: The Black-throated Diver and two Great Northern Divers were in the harbour between here and Birdham this morning. (HB)

Medmerry: Porthole Farm to Easton Lane - There really wasn't much about this morning, with just a Stonechat in the hedges and c200 Pied Wagtails on the stubble fields at Porthole Farm, and just c20 Yellowhammers and c50 Linnets in the hedges round the cover crops at Wilson's Farm.

A couple of Buzzards went over and c50 Stock Doves and c300 Lapwings came up from the south of the reserve, but that really was it. (AH)

Yellowhammer (above), Stonechat & Pied Wagtails at Medmerry (AH)