Friday, 26th April: A cool and mostly heavily overcast morning, with the moderate to fresh breeze both north and south of easterly at times..........
Selsey Bill: Whilst it remains slow in terms of numbers, there was a good variety of species this morning, including a Short-eared Owl, two Yellow Wagtails and a few Swallows in off the sea, an Arctic Skua, a Bonxie, an Eider and four Cattle Egrets moving offshore and a few Wheatears along the beach. Full log below.....
(SH/BI/PB/PM/JF/AH/OM/LP/SP/RHa/SR/IP)
(0530hrs-1230hrs) (NE, F2-3)
Great Northern Diver - 4os
Red-throated Diver - 2E, 3os
diver sp - 2E
Great Crested Grebe - 1E
Fulmar - 1E
Gannet - 26E, 46W
Cattle Egret - 4E
Brent Goose - 19E
Shelduck - 4E
Shoveler - 2W
Eider - 1W
Common Scoter - 106E, 10os
Oystercatcher - 1E, 7W
Ringed Plover - 4E
Sanderling - 3E
Dunlin - 6
Whimbrel - 16E
Turnstone - 6
Great Skua - 1 os
Arctic Skua - 1E
Kittiwake - 3E
Sandwich Tern - 102E, 6os
Common Tern - 15E
Little Tern - 10E, 19os
Razorbill - 1W
auk sp - 2W
Short-eared Owl - 1N (1125hrs)
Sand Martin - 1N
House Martin - 1N
Swallow - 32N
Yellow Wagtail - 2N
Wheatear - 10 (inc.3N)
Willow Warbler - 2N
Wheatears (above) & Brent Geese at the Bill (AH)
Past (and aspiring future!) Pom Kings, PB, JF and OM getting match-fit for the upcoming contest (AH)
Ferry Pool: A Common Sandpiper and nine Black-tailed Godwits were on the pool this morning, along with eight Avocets, six Shovelers and 18 Shelducks. (AH)
Common Sandpiper (above) & Black-tailed Godwit at the Ferry (AH)
Warner Lane paddocks: There were just two Whitethroats, a Song Thrush and half a dozen Linnets present this morning. (AH)
Whitethroat at Warner Lane (AH)
North Wall: A Common Sandpiper was by the sluice and there were still 17 Bar-tailed Godwits along White’s Creek, with two Brent Geese, four Grey Plovers and a Common Seal further out in the harbour, whilst he Wigeon was still on the Breech Pool with the Mute Swans and four Tufted Ducks, and in the wet fields there were six Greenshanks, two Lapwings, a White Wagtail, a Pied Wagtail, two Shovelers, 12 Shelduck, eight Gadwall and 100 Black-headed Gulls, with a few Mediterranean Gulls overhead.
A Wheatear was in the paddock, along with a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Green Woodpecker was at Little Welbourne, both Marsh Harriers were over the reeds, a Cuckoo was in the trees, and the hedgerows held plenty of Sedge Warblers, Reed Warblers, Cetti’s Warblers and Reed Buntings, as well as a Lesser Whitethroat and a Blackcap.
The Slipe field was busy, too, with a good selection of Common Whitethroats, Sedge Warblers, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, Linnets, Greenfinches, a Song Thrush and a pair of Jays. (LP/SP,/DW)
Common Sandpiper (above), Bar-tailed Godwit, Wigeon and Mute Swan, Linnet, Jay & Great Spotted Woodpecker at the North Wall (LP)
Fishbourne Creek: The reedbeds at Fishbourne held a singing Sedge Wabler, whilst the reedbeds by the River Lavant held two Reed Warblers and a Reed Bunting, with Cetti's Warblers near both beds, a multiple Whitethroats were present along much of the shoreside path, with a Blackcap near Apuldram church.
Along the creek there were 11 Greenshank, six Whimbrel, 28 Black-tailed Godwits , two Curlew and a few Redshank and Oystercatcher, with ten Great Crested Grebes and 13 Brent Geese downstream from Dell Quay, whilst late morning the female Long-tailed Duck was at Fishbourne and a drake Gadwall was at the Lavant outflow. (RW)
Medmerry: Windmill area - Two smart Whinchats were around the old crazy golf course this morning, with a singing Whitethroat there, too, and there were at least three Wheatears along the adjacent beach, whilst a flock of eight Brent Geese flew in from way out and landed on the sea. (AH)
Thursday, 25th April: The breeze swung round this morning, initially to the south-west and then just north of west, freshening as it did so, though a little milder than of late and with sun and white cloud after early heavy showers.....
Selsey Bill: It's fair to say that migration is still not happening at the Bill, with just four Red-throated Divers and five Whimbrel going east, and what little else there was going west, though a few Swallows did appear to be coming in off the sea. Full log below. (AH/MO-W/SR)
(0700-0915hrs) (WSW, F3-4)
Red-throated Diver - 4E
Gannet - 9E, 88W
Common Scoter - 2E, 18W
Oystercatcher - 3W
Whimbrel - 5E
Turnstone - 8
Sandwich Tern - 40W
Swallow - 23N
Gannets (above) & Sandwich Tern at the Bill (AH)
Ferry Pool: It was very quiet this morning, with just a Black-tailed Godwit, 11 Avocets, 24 Shelducks and five Shovelers on and around the pool, plus a couple of Swallows over. (AH)
Black-tailed Godwit and Avocet at the Ferry (AH)
Church Norton: A Cuckoo and three Lesser Whitethroats were calling this morning, along with the odd Chiffchaff, Whitethroat and Blackcap around the Mound and a Sedge Warbler in the first Several, but were unseen in the freshening breeze, though a few Linnets popped their heads up, a pair of Long-tailed Tits were carrying food and at least a dozen Swallows went over.
The harbour was very quiet, though, with perhaps half a dozen Whimbrel, Curlews, Oystercatchers and Shelducks being the sum total. (AH)
Swallow (above), Whimbrel, Long-tailed Tit & Linnet at Church Norton (AH)
Itchenor Pond: There was a Tree-creeper, three Chiffchaffs and four Swallows around, but the area was generally quiet this afternoon. (SR)
North Wall: A Yellow Wagtail was on the wet fields this morning, along with three White Wagtails, two Greenshanks, two Lapwings, a Shoveler, ten Shelducks, 14 Gadwall, three Greylag Geese, two Canada Geese and 140 Black-headed Gulls, with a few Swallows overhead.
On the Breech Pool, the Wigeon was again asleep beside the nesting Mute Swan, and four Tufted Ducks were on the water, with a Cuckoo and a Marsh Harrier over the reeds and a few Mediterranean Gulls higher up.
Along the hedgerows, there were plenty of Sedge Warblers, Reed Warblers and Reed Buntings as well as a Common Whitethroat and two Lesser Whitethroats, while at Halsey’s Farm, a Wheatear was on a fence post and a Raven, a Buzzard and a Kestrel flew over. Also, a pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers, two Stock Doves, a Song Thrush, a Greenfinch and two Linnets were around the paddocks and a Jay was along the lane.
A Sparrowhawk flew over Owl Copse, where there was the usual activity from the Grey Herons, Little Egrets and Cattle Egrets, and in the harbour, there were six Redshanks, three Whimbrels, two Brent Geese and 32 Bar-tailed Godwits. (LP,SP,TRH/AHu et al)
Yellow Wagtail (above), White Wagtail, Cuckoo, Whitethroat, Cattle Egret, Bar-tailed Godwits and Redshank, Great Spotted Woodpecker & Song Thrush at the North Wall (LP)