4th - 6th October 2016

Thursday, 6th October: Decidedly cool and autumnal today, with mostly heavy cloud, and though the wind had eased it had shifted round towards north...

Selsey Bill: Less activity than the last couple of days, though there was still 100+ Swallows, 50+ Meadow Pipits and Linnets and a few Pied Wagtails and House Martins going east and a few Sandwich Terns, Gannets and Mediterranean Gulls offshore. Full log later. (AH/C&ME/SR/PC)
(0740-1100hrs)
Gannet - 35E, 10W

Great Crested Grebe - 2W

Little Egret - 1E, 1W
Brent Goose - 6E, 30W
Wigeon - 50os
Common Scoter - 3E
Sparrowhawk - 1p

Peregrine - 1p

Sanderling - 1E
Mediterranean Gull - 14os

Sandwich Tern - 9E

Skylark - 2N
Swallow - 220E

House Martin - 42E

Meadow Pipit - 153E

Pied Wagtail 57E

Grey Wagtail - 2E

Chiffchaff - 6p (in gardens)

Linnet - 121E

(1030-1145hrs) (L Hatfield/M Burnop)

Gannet - 3os

Brent Goose - 22E

Common Scoter - 3E, 34W

Peregrine - 1 in off sea
Sandwich Tern - 3E

Meadow Pipit - 7N

Sandwich Terns (above) & Sparrowhawk at the Bill (AH)

Church Norton: Two Ring Ouzels were along the front of the first Several, with one of them showing really well in the bushes in front of the horse field. There wasn't too much else to report, though there were four Stonechats along the front, c80 Linnets, c30 Meadow Pipits, c30 Swallows, c40 House Martins and half a dozen Pied Wagtails were moving east along the beach, and there were half a dozen Goldcrests and Chiffchaffs, plus a couple of Blackcaps and Jays around the hide area.
In the harbour a Greenshank was feeding near the hide, a few Grey Plover and c200 Dunlin were on the mud and 16 Brent Geese were flying about the harbour. 
Also, twelve Brent Geese went west offshore, there were nine Shovelers on the second Several and there were still c60 Meadow Pipits on the stubble field in Rectory Lane.(AH/SR/PC)

Ring Ouzel (above), Stonechat, Blackcap, Greenshank & Shovelers at Church Norton (AH)

Two more of the Ring Ouzel, below (DM)

Fisher: A morning walk from Fisher Common through Fisher and out to Chalder Farm and back found three more Ring Ouzels, one at Chalder and two more calling birds on the way home. There were also two Buzzards and three Kestrels as well as at least c.20 Chiffchaffs and Long-tailed-Tits, a Cetti's Warbler and three Stonechats. Other sightings were a pair of Jays, six Linnets & five Yellowhammers, five Reed Buntings and ten Meadow Pipits. (CRJ/MJ)

Long Pool: The Ring Ouzel was still present this morning, though oherwise it was quiet save ten adult and three Mediterranean Gulls among the Black-headed Gulls following hte plough on the nearby stubble fields. (L Hatfield/M Burnop)

North Wall: Two Ring Ouzels flew over the harbour and landed in the tall trees at Grey Barn before going off north. On the Breech Pool 14 Snipe, 10 or more Greenshank, two or more Spotted Redshankand say 200 Teal. Along White's Creek on a rising tide 20 Bar-tailed Godwits were feeding along the edges, 20 Knot were on the plateau, and 140 Pintail (before most flew off towards Church Norton), seven Brent Geese and one Yellow-legged Gull were all present, besides many Wigeon, Dunlin, Redshank and Grey Plover. (ARK per SOS)

Ferry Pool: The water level is very low and there were just a Snipe and five Teal present this morning, plus a few Teal and Wigeon in the channel opposite. (AH)

Wigeon and Teal in Ferry Channel (AH)

Wednesday, 5th October: Even windier than yesterday, with the easterly touching close to gale force at times, though with quite a bit of sunshine ....

Selsey Bill: Still quite a bit of activity today, though less than yesterday. By mid-morning c800 Swallows, c60 House Martins, c50 Pied Wagtail, c70 Linnets and c100 Meadow Pipits had passed through heading east, a single Wheatear was on the beach and offshore five Eider went west, then east, at least eight Sandwich Terns and a couple of Shags were about, as were a few Common Scoter and plenty Gannets. Full log below. (AH/C&ME/SR)
(0740-1030hrs) 

Gannet - 52E, 51W

Shag - 2E
Brent Goose - 2E, 8W

Mallard - 3W

Wigeon - 40W

Eider 5W, then E

Common Scoter - 8E
Grey Plover - 2W

Arctic Skua - 1W (l/p)
Mediterranean Gull - 8E
Sandwich Tern - 8E

Razorbill - 1E

Swallow - c1000E

House Martin - 59E

Meadow Pipit - 53E

Pied Wagtail - 57E

Wheatear - 2ob
Goldfinch - 20p
Linnet - 83E

Wheatear (above), Sandwich Tern & Mediterranean Gull at the Bill (AH)

Long Pool: Just before dusk this evening a male Ring Ouzel came out of the hedge at the far end of the pool, paused briefly on the brambles and disappeared back into cover. (AH)

Ring Ouzel along Long Pool (AH)

Ferry Pool: Just two adult Shelducks, nine Teal and a Redshank on the pool, and very quiet in the bushes around the Tramway in the strong wind. (AH)

Shelducks on the Ferry (AH)

Church Norton: There were about sixty Meadow Pipits in Rectory Lane this morning, and a few more, plus a few Swallows and Linnets were moving along the beach, but otherwise it was very quiet in the all but unwatchable conditions, with nothing in the hedges and just a few Curlew and Grey Plover in the harbour. (AH)

Meadow Pipits at Church Norton (AH)

North Wall: In White's Creek this morning were ten Greenshank, three Little Egrets, plenty of Wigeon and at least 100 Lapwings. On the Breech Pool early were 48 Black-tailed Godwits, eight Snipe, five Spotted Redshanks and good numbers of Teal. Along the path were a Wheatear and the occasional Chiffchaff and it was good to see at least 100 Starlings having their morning ablutions in the area! (PB) 

Later in the day there were ten Spotted Redshanks, a Bar-tailed Godwit and three Dunlin along the Creek with seven Greenshank present on the Breech Pool. Over the harbour was a busy Peregrine and 150 Lapwing went over heading south. (CRJ)

Snipe (above), Greenshanks, Redshanks and Bar-tailed Godwits & Wheatear along North Wall (M Rose)

Cormorant with a very large flat fish from North Wall. It eventually gave up trying and the fish swam off! (M Rose)

Pagham Church: Two Redwings were the highlight here with ten Blackbirds, four Chiffchaffs and two Blackcaps also present. (CRJ)

Pagham Lagoon: Two Chiffchaff were around the copse here. (CRJ)

Tuesday, 4th October: A chilly start, then dry with sunshine and cloud and a fresh to strong easterly breeze; with the winds set to remain in this often favourable quarter it will be interesting to see how things develop......

Selsey Bill: An interesting morning, with a good selection of birds and an impressive movement of c2000 Swallows west, with c150 House Martins with them. There was not a large amount of visible migration, though 50+ Pied Wagtails, Linnets and Meadow Pipits were seen, a Wheatear was on the beach and a Chiffchaff or two in the Bill House garden.

Two Bonxies went east, a few Brent Geese and duck went west, a Sanderling was on the beach, a Peregrine over and there were four juvenile Arctic Terns and up to seven Sandwich Terns feeding with 50+ Mediterranean Gulls offshore. Full log below.....
0745-1045hrs: (C&ME/AH/SR)
Gannet - 80E, 6W
Shag - 1E
Brent Goose - 6E, 49W
Shelduck - 3E
Common Scoter - 15E, 26W
Teal - 11W
Wigeon - 16E, 60W
Sanderling - 1ob
Bar-tailed Godwit - 2E
Peregrine - 1os
Arctic Skua - 1W (l/p)
Great Skua - 2E
Common Tern - 1os
Arctic Tern - 4os
Sandwich Tern - 7os
Mediterranean Gull - 50E
Common Gull - 2E
Kittiwake - 1os
auk sp - 4W
Skylark - 2E
Wheatear - 1ob
Meadow Pipit - 74W
Pied/alba Wagtail - 60E
House Martin - 155E
Swallow - c.2100E
Chiffchaff - 3 gardens
Linnet - 69W

Arctic Terns (above), Sandwich Terns, Sanderling, Shag & Peregrine at the Bill (AH)

(1600-1700hrs) Very little on the move this evening but it was good to see a Peregrine sharply accelerating when it saw a Tern, then chase it out of sight.  (SR)

Gannet - 8E, 7W
Wigeon - 7W
Peregrine - 1W

Mediterranean Gull - 1W
Sandwich Tern - 1W
Swallow - 1E

East Wittering: There was a female/juvenile Redstart in my garden in the village at midday. (JWo)

Sidlesham: Two Grey Wagtails went east over our garden at midday today. (AH)

Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt pool - Late this afternoon the Spoonbill was present, along with six Kestrels, a Buzzard, a Common Sandpiper, a Snipe, a Whinchat, three Stonechats and a Yellow Wagtail, but just one Swallow over, Also, 40 Brent Geese went west with a Golden Plover among them. (S&SaH)

Ferry Pool: Just 16 Lapwings, five Shelduck and 26 Teal were on the pool and nothing much in of note in the channel this morning. (AH)

East Side: An adult Spoonbill was feeding on the rising tide, then roosted with the Cormorants, and a Wheatear was on the spit. Also a Common Seal was near the harbour mouth. (Ga&RH)

Church Norton: Unsurprisingly quiet given the strong easterly wind, though a Greenshank dropped in, a few Bar-tailed Godwits and Grey Plover were on the mud, a Kingfisher shot across the harbour, a few Swallows and Meadow Pipits were moving east and a couple of Jays and one or two Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests were lurking in the sheltered hedges around the Mound. (AH)

Greenshank at Church Norton (AH)