Monday, 3rd July: After a grey and chilly start, another bright and breezy day.....
Ferry Pool: There were a Common Sandpiper, 14 Lapwings, three Black-tailed Godwits and the Shelduck family on the pool this morning. Around the Discovery area there were up to ten Blackcaps, a family of Whitethroats, a couple of singing Chiffchaffs and large numbers of juvenile Long-tailed, Blue and Great Tits, plus two Great Spotted Woodpeckers. (AH)
Long Pool: There were still a couple of Reed and Sedge Warblers singing, plus a few Long-tailed Tits and Linnets about, with a juvenile Little Grebe and three families of Coots on the water. A Common Sandpiper was in Ferry Channel, along with c40 Redshanks and c20 Curlews. (AH)
North Wall: The water level on the Breech Pool had dropped a little and 56 Black-tailed Godwits and several Redshank were present this morning, with a Common Tern paying a visit and at least six Sand Martins passing through. It was otherwise quiet though, except for some snatches of Sedge and Reed Warbler song and several of the latter flicking about in the reeds.
In White's Creek a party of two adult and 11 young Shelduck - presumably a crèche - were notable, plus a couple of Great Crested Grebes, whilst some loafing gulls out on the saltmarsh and obscured by vegetation finally moved enough to give their identity away as Yellow-legged Gulls (two adults and a sub-adult). (OM)
Church Norton: There were still plenty of Little, Common and Sandwich Terns about the island, two Peregrines on the salt-marsh and two Whimbrel with a dozen Curlews on the mud, but very little on the land-side beyond a couple of Swallows, Skylarks and Linnets. (AH)
Ferry Pool: There were a Common Sandpiper, 14 Lapwings, three Black-tailed Godwits and the Shelduck family on the pool this morning. Around the Discovery area there were up to ten Blackcaps, a family of Whitethroats, a couple of singing Chiffchaffs and large numbers of juvenile Long-tailed, Blue and Great Tits, plus two Great Spotted Woodpeckers. (AH)
Common Sandpiper (above), juvenile Shelducks, Blackcap & Whitethroat around the Ferry (AH)
Long Pool: There were still a couple of Reed and Sedge Warblers singing, plus a few Long-tailed Tits and Linnets about, with a juvenile Little Grebe and three families of Coots on the water. A Common Sandpiper was in Ferry Channel, along with c40 Redshanks and c20 Curlews. (AH)
Sedge Warblers (above) & Long-tailed Tit along Long pool (AH)
North Wall: The water level on the Breech Pool had dropped a little and 56 Black-tailed Godwits and several Redshank were present this morning, with a Common Tern paying a visit and at least six Sand Martins passing through. It was otherwise quiet though, except for some snatches of Sedge and Reed Warbler song and several of the latter flicking about in the reeds.
In White's Creek a party of two adult and 11 young Shelduck - presumably a crèche - were notable, plus a couple of Great Crested Grebes, whilst some loafing gulls out on the saltmarsh and obscured by vegetation finally moved enough to give their identity away as Yellow-legged Gulls (two adults and a sub-adult). (OM)
Shelducks in White's Creek (OM)
Church Norton: There were still plenty of Little, Common and Sandwich Terns about the island, two Peregrines on the salt-marsh and two Whimbrel with a dozen Curlews on the mud, but very little on the land-side beyond a couple of Swallows, Skylarks and Linnets. (AH)
Whimbrel (above), Curlew, Black-headed Gulls, Swallow & Little, Common and Sandwich Terns at Church Norton (AH)
Chi GPs - Drayton Pits: A brief visit didn't produce too much, though a brood of Tufted Duck were new, and a female Pochard with five young may have been the third pair for the site. Otherwise it was fairly mundane, a couple of Buzzards, three Green Woodpeckers and five new broods of Mallard being the only birds of any note - though there were plenty of the commoner butterflies on show. (OM)
Female Tufted with brood, and Comma butterfly at Drayton Pits (OM)
Medmerry: Easton Lane to Stilt Pool - Easton viewpoint - The loafing gulls were wary of a circling Fox, so mostly alert and included 2 ad Yellow-legged Gulls, 17+ Med Gulls and 14 Great Black-backed Gulls. Also a Greenshank calling and 11 Lapwings.
Path to Stilt Pool - 1 Common Tern fishing, 1 ad and 1 juv Little Grebe, 5+ Little Egrets, 6 Stock Doves, 3 Yellowhammers
Stilt Pool - 1 Green Sandpiper, 2 Common Sandpipers, 6+ Little Ringed Plovers, 6+ Ringed Plovers, 5+ Avocet families, 4 Lapwings, 2 Oystercatchers, 3 Common Terns, 1 Sandwich Tern, 30+ Sand Martins, plus Meadow Pipits, Linnets, Shelducks, etc. Also there was one Gannet offshore. (MD)
Selsey: There were some nice moths in the trap this morning, including a Swallowtail, a Pine Hawk-moth and a Magpie moth. (SH)
Swallowtail (above) Pine Hawk-moth and Magpie moth in a Selsey garden (SH)
Sunday, 2nd July: A very pleasant summer's day, with more sunshine than cloud and a modest westerly breeze.....
As you were: Just a short editorial note to say that we have recently had one of our occasional discussions on what changes or improvements we might make to this little blog, in order to ensure that things don't stagnate. We have listened to your feedback, comments and suggestions and fully considered things, given the opportunities, time and availability that each of us has, and basically decided that we will continue with our tried and tested formula for the time being. It works for us, so we hope it does for you too, even if the odd error creeps in, the odd photo is a bit distant or the odd rant about the traffic goes on a bit! You will note that our 'techno kid' Bart has now added a Twitter link, and he may yet come up with other modern delights beyond the wit of the other two more elderly editors, but meanwhile, good birding to all. (Eds)
Selsey Bill: Not too much about, though eight Eider went east and over 100 Gannets and a few Common Scoter were moving offshore and the House Martins were back gathering mud from the puddles.....
(0545-0800hrs) (SH/PB/AH/IP)
Great Crested Grebe - 1W
Gannet - 133E, 27W
Eider - 8E
Eider - 8E
Common Scoter - 2E, 23W
Curlew - 3W
Mediterranean Gull - 1E
Kittiwake - 2W
Sandwich Tern - 6os
Common Tern - 10os
auk sp - 1W
Swift - 10os
House Martin - 6p
Gannet (above) & House Martin at the Bill (AH)
Ferry Pool: There were two Little Ringed Plovers, nine Black-tailed Godwits, 14 Lapwing, two Redshanks and the Shelduck family on the pool this morning. (AH/PB)
Little Ringed Plovers on the Ferry (AH)
Medmerry: Easton Lane to the Stilt Pool - There was no sign of the Wood Sandpiper this morning, but plenty to keep a gathering of the locals interested, including an adult and a young juvenile Stonechat on the Stilt Pool, which surely must have bred locally, and probably two different Corn Buntings, the first sightings on the west side of the reserve for some time.
Along the banks there were plenty of Yellowhammers, Skylarks, Meadow Pipits and Linnets, plus several Reed Buntings and Whitethroat families, with a couple of juvenile Little Grebes in one of the small pools. The Stilt Pools held a Spotted Redshank, four Common Sandpipers, up to six Little Ringed Plovers, including several juveniles, a pair of Ringed Plovers with three chicks and another pair on eggs, a Shelduck family of a dozen young and five Avocet families, with half a dozen Swifts and 40+ Sand Martins overhead and a couple of Gannets offshore.
Also there were plenty of Meadow Browns, a few Small and Essex Skippers, Gatekeepers, a Small Tortoiseshell, Six-spotted Burnets, Blue-tailed Damselflies, Black-tailed Skimmers and a couple of Emperor dragonflies on the wing. (AH/IP/BI/S&SaH/PB/SR/A&YF/RJS/NM)
Juvenile Stonechat (above), Corn Bunting, Common Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plover, Sand Martin, Swift, Avocet chasing Shelduck-lings, juvenile Little Grebe and the locals enjoying the sun at Medmerry (AH)
Emperor dragonfly (above), Blue-tailed Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly & Six-spotted Burnet at Medmerry (SH)
Gatekeeper &, below, Small Tortoiseshell at Medmerry (BI)
Park Farm, Selsey: At least 10 Sand Martins were with House Martins and Swallows around the farm this afternoon, and nearby a Sparrowhawk went over our house. (S&SaH)
Saturday, 1st July: The second half of the year started on a cool and grey note, though dry in the brisk north-westerly breeze.....
Medmerry: Stilt Pool - A Wood Sandpiper was on the Stilt Pool this morning, along with a Common Sandpiper, a Common Tern, a broooding Ringed Plover, three or four juvenile Little Ringed Plovers and three Avocet families. (IL)
The Wood Sandpiper was still present early afternoon, and, in addition to the above, there were c30 Sand Martins feeding over the pool. (AH)
Wood Sandpiper (above), Sand Martin, Little Ringed Plover, Avocet chick & Yellowhammer at Medmerry (AH)
Ferry Pool: A Green Sandpiper was at the back this morning, and also present were the Shelduck family, 14 Black-tailed Godwits, 10 Lapwings and four Redshank. (AH)
Green Sandpiper (above) & Black-tailed Godwit on the Ferry (AH)
Church Norton: A Greenshank was flying around the harbour early on, and on the mud were a lone Dunlin, a couple of Ringed Plovers and half a dozen Curlews, whilst there was still plenty of Little and Common, plus a few Sandwich, Terns around Tern Island and the two juvenile Peregrines were sat out on the saltmarsh.
There was very little passerine activity beyond brief snatches of Blackcap and Chiffchaff song and a couple of Skylarks and a family of Linnets on the beach. (AH)
Greenshank (above), Common Tern & Skylark at Church Norton (AH)
North Wall: It was very quiet along the Breech Pool, with just a handful of Mallards and Black-headed Gulls present, plus a few Reed and Sedge Warblers flitting about the reeds in the blustery conditions.
There wasn't much more along White's Creek, though a couple of Whimbrel, four Grey Plovers and up to 20 Curlews were out in the harbour, plus a family of a dozen well-grown young Shelducks,and up to ten Swallows were coming and going around the stables. (AH)
Whimbrel (above) & Shelducks from North Wall (AH)
Medmerry: Porthole Farm - This evening a Yellow-legged Gull was among c20 each of Herring, Black-headed and Mediterranean Gulls on the maize fields. (AH)
Yellow-legged Gull (above), Yellow-legged and Herring Gulls & Mediterranean Gulls at Medmerry (AH)
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