Another year draws to its close, and it is time for a little reflection on another fascinating annual cycle on the Selsey Peninsula. The blog is only in its third year of operation, yet it seems hard to remember life without it, and the volume of information we put out on a daily basis is testament to both the fantastic variety and number of birds seen locally, but also to the commitment of the many local (and some not so local) birders who regularly submit the reports and pictures that are so essential to providing a comprehensive and up-to-date view of what is happening in the avian world around us.
Selsey Bill remains the hub of local birding activity (OM)
The early part of the year was notable for the generally pleasant weather and a distinct lack of winter birds, a feature which followed on into a fairly poor spring for sea-watching, though land-bird migration was pretty good. A cool and generally dry summer seemed to suit the birds, with some of our rarer breeding species doing well, and a bit of north in the wind in the early autumn produced some good birds before mild, wet and windy weather set in for the remainder of the year.
The last morning of a less than classic spring’s sea-watching at the Bill (AH)
The old ‘Mile Basket’ was dismantled and replaced with something more modern during the summer (AH)
The rarest bird of the year was undoubtedly the Hudsonian Whimbrel that graced Pagham Harbour for over a month in the summer, bringing in the crowds and creating the biggest ‘twitch’ seen locally for many years, though for many of the locals the Terek Sandpiper that popped in for a couple of days during the former’s stay was the strongest contender for bird of the year.
The lure of a Terek Sandpiper and a Hudsonian Whimbrel at Church Norton (OM)
A bit like the blog, it is hard to remember the peninsula ‘pre-Medmerry,’ and it is firmly on the map as a location that needs to be constantly checked, having rewarded persistence with a succession of good - if not mega-rare (yet!) - species.
A reminder from Medmerry of just how low-lying the peninsula is (AH)
By contrast, the largest local land-owning family, and several others seem hell-bent on covering every last bit of land around Selsey, and it feels like a constant battle to oppose the relentless stream of plans for solar farms, poly-tunnels and greenhouses, never mind supermarkets and hotels, that get put forward. There was even a scheme to develop the Oval Field at the Bill!
It was not just local land-owners encroaching on the local habitat, with the sea getting very close to the houses along Pagham Spit (AH)
Despite it all, the birds do keep appearing and the variety we get in a very small corner of England compares favourably with all but the very top sites. In the three years of the blog there have been 240 species recorded, with 187 recorded in all three years, and another 17 in two of the three years. As seems typical, over a dozen birds were seen this year that weren’t seen last, in a total of 207 species, including two new ones for the Peninsula list, namely Hudsonian Whimbrel and Dusky Warbler, that take the total to 339, a figure bigger than many county totals.
Rainbow over the Ferry (AH)
Selsey Bill early on a spring morning (OM)
The Bill House under a lowering sky (above) & high tide at the Breach (OM)
One of the most pleasing features of this year has been that many of the rare and scarce visitors – including the three above-mentioned - have been particularly obliging, with most - but, inevitably, not all! - of the long list of species, including Balearic Shearwater, Bean and White-fronted Goose, Pectoral Sandpiper, Grey and Red-necked Phalarope, Little Auk, Hoopoe, Wryneck, Red-rumped Swallow, Water Pipit, Great Grey and Red-backed Shrike and Snow Bunting allowing most observers an opportunity to catch up with them.
As we prepare for another year, winding the year list back to zero, it will be interesting to see what gaps we can fill in – there are a surprising numbers of species that have been recorded regularly (if not exactly frequently!) on the peninsula over the years that we have not recorded at all in the past three years – including Bewick’s Swan, Smew, Montagu’s Harrier, Kentish Plover, Dotterel, Temminck’s Stint, Woodchat Shrike, Waxwing, Twite and Lapland Bunting to name but a few – and surely one or two of these will pop in, along with number 340 for the Peninsula List. And that mix of hope and uncertainty will get us all back out there again, hoping to be the one to find them!
The birds
As in previous years, this is a list of the bird-watching highlights, and interesting and unusual reports of more familiar birds, rather than a full report, and has concentrated on the birds rather than the finders. Records of rarer species are only included herein where there is, or is highly likely to be, a description submitted to the SOS.
Divers
The early part of 2015 continued on from the previous autumn, and a theme through many species will be of an absence of wintering birds and a poor spring passage, and Red-throated Diver and Black-throated Diver were no exception. There were virtually no birds of either species seen wintering offshore, and though there were a couple of good days of movement of the former, including 74 birds west on 4th January (the best of the year) and 53 east on 14th February, there were only three days during spring passage that topped a dozen birds. Autumn passage was a bit better, with regular counts into double figures at the Bill, though no really big days.
There were only two winter records of Black-throated Diver – of birds passing the Bill on 5th and 11th January, and a very low total of just 11 birds seen on spring passage, and just three autumn records - of one west on 21st November and two west on the following day.
Red-throated Diver off Medmerry on 8th October (AH)
It was another very good year, though, for Great Northern Divers, with the previous autumn’s high numbers continuing through and double figure counts recorded regularly throughout the winter and spring, peaking with 16 birds on 3rd April, the same as last year’s record count. There were at least eight wintering birds back in the autumn, too - in contrast to the near-absence of many other wintering species offshore - including one that settled inside Pagham Harbour from 6th-8th December, and another seen on several dates in Chichester Harbour.
Great Northern Diver at the Bill on 9th February (AH)
Grebes
Like the divers, wintering grebes were at a premium, though Slavonian Grebe numbers were slightly up on the previous year, with many more birds than usual recorded off Selsey Bill, to some extent at the expense of Church Norton. The best day of the winter at the Bill was 18th January, when 17 were offshore and another 14 went west, whilst at Church Norton there was a peak of only 12 birds on 25th January, though 32 were recorded off Pagham Yacht Club on 9th February, a very typical date for a pre-migration build-up. Autumn numbers were low again, with almost all the records coming from the Bill, and just a handful of reports from Church Norton.
Slavonian Grebe on Pagham Lagoon on 1st November (BI)
There was no repeat this year of the last two springs’ appearance of Black-necked Grebes at the Bill, with the only records being of a single bird off Chichester Marina on 24th and 25th January, and there was just a couple of reports of Red-necked Grebe, of one was seen heading west past the Bill on 7th February, and perhaps up to three heading west there on 24th November.
This latter date also saw a record passage of Great Crested Grebes at the Bill, with totals of 57 birds going west and seven east.
Seabirds
It was quite a good year for Manx Shearwaters at Selsey Bill, with an early start of three west on 28th March, and several big days, including 29th April, with 24 west and 5 east, and the biggest of the year on 28th July, when an impressive 53 went east.
It was a good year for Balearic Shearwaters, too, after a late start – with the first not recorded until 26th July (with two east and one west), with a total in excess of 50 birds, including 33 west on 25th August and a further 9 on the 27th.
Balearic Shearwater past the Bill on 25th August (AH)
One of the odder features of the year was the almost total absence of Shags in the early part of the year – with the first two only recorded at the Bill on 26th April, and just two May records to add, but from the first on 12th September onwards they were recorded regularly - almost all juveniles - with eight counts of five or more heading east, between 27th September and 4th November, with a peak of 14 east on the preceding day.
Shag past the Bill on 10th October (AH)
Herons etc
With one notable exception it was a very poor year for rare herons, particularly as they seem to be getting generally less rare! The exception was, of course, the Spoonbill, which in the first half of the year was in almost every day’s reports. There were a minimum of six birds wintering on the peninsula, with three based around Snowhill Creek, up till 4th February, and a further, more mobile, trio based mostly on Medmerry, though with one or two of them noted regularly in Pagham Harbour. Numbers increased at Medmerry in April with five present on the 17th, and four on the 22nd and 23rd, though two seen on 4th May were the last reported there. At Church Norton there were several May reports of single birds up to the 16th, and there was a single June record, on the 10th.
The autumn started well, with four off the North Wall on 23rd August, but thereafter numbers were more usual, with single birds recorded on a number of dates from both Medmerry and Pagham Harbour in the first and last weeks of September, and just two subsequent records – of one flying east over Church Norton on 25th October and one off the North Wall on 14th December.
Spoonbill over Medmerry on 16th April (AH)
There was one other late addition to the year's list, with a Great White Egret seen near Chichester Marina by a single visiting birder on 28th December.
Wildfowl
There were no ‘wild’ swans this year, but there was an interesting selection of geese again. The Tundra Bean Goose that turned up just before Christmas last year reappeared on the Ferry on 2nd January, then settled in the North Wall area from the 9th to the 23rd, before relocating to Chichester Gravel Pits, where it kept company with the Greylags until the late date of 19th April, when it finally departed, just about keeping its credentials intact!
Tundra Bean Goose on the Breech Pool on 23rd January (AH)
It is interesting to speculate if the White-fronted Goose that took up residence with the Canada Geese at (mainly) Medmerry from 2nd October onwards was in fact last year’s first-winter bird, but it proved popular despite the company it kept!
White-fronted Goose at Medmerry on 4th October (SR)
A flock of 31 Barnacle Geese that appeared at Church Norton on 1st January were popular, too, and did nothing to suggest they were not wild, particularly when they departed west past Selsey Bill the following morning. A single bird was also seen with Brent Geese at Medmerry on 27th February and at various sites around Pagham Harbour over the ensuing week.
Barnacle Geese over Church Norton on 1st January (AH)
The Dark-bellied Brent Goose population remained high in the spring, with birds being relatively late to depart, and despite there being no ‘big’ days, the total for March and April of 3127 was actually above the long-term average. Large numbers were about in the late autumn, but after two very good breeding seasons, it was obvious that this was not the case this year, with very few juveniles among the flocks.
Brent Geese in White’s Creek on 30th January (AH)
The only Black Brant in the first half of the year was seen on a number of occasions between 21st January and 3rd March between Chichester Marina and Fishbourne Creek, whilst a well-studied individual behind the North Wall on 5th March proved to be a hybrid Black Brant x Dark-bellied Brent. In the autumn, two were in the Brent Geese flocks around Chichester Marina from 3rd December onwards.
Black Brant at Chichester Marina on 10th December (BFF)
There were three records of Pale-bellied Brent Geese passing the Bill in the spring, on 12th, 18th and 23rd April, with presumably one of these at Medmerry Breach on the middle date. In the autumn a family group of two adults and three juveniles turned up in Pagham Harbour on 25th November and settled in for a couple of weeks.
Pale-bellied Brent Goose at Medmerry on 18th April (AH)
The two Ruddy Shelduck that appeared in late 2013 and returned last autumn only just scraped onto this year’s list, being seen in Pagham Harbour on New Year’s Day, but not subsequently.
It was the worst spring in many years for Garganey, with one seen passing the Bill on 16th April being the solitary record, but surprisingly - and just as most of us had given up hope of getting them on the list for the year - an eclipse pair turned up at Medmerry on 13th September and settled in for a full fortnight on a pool by the path.
Garganey at Medmerry on 13th September (AH)
Most of other scarce duck species were just that, too, though all those that might be expected, rather than dreamt of, did put in an appearance. A drake Mandarin was seen at Birdham Pool on 9th February and had gathered a mate by 18th March, but neither were seen again, with the only other spring record being of a single male at Medmerry on 22nd April. Birdham Pool obviously suits the species, as there were four seen there on 23rd October and again from 8th December onwards.
Mandarin at Birdham Pool on 9th February (OM)
A first-winter drake Scaup that popped up on the Breech Pool on 18th January before relocating to Pagham Lagoon for a further two days was the only record for this increasingly rare winter visitor.
Scaup on the Breech Pool on 18h January (AH)
The ever-elusive, but long-staying, female Red-crested Pochard appeared around the Ivy Lake complex a number of times in January, again on 31st March and finally on 13th June, but had not re-surfaced come the autumn, though a smart drake appeared on New Lake on 10th-11th December, before apparently relocating to Birdham Pool, where it was seen on the 24th.
Red-crested Pochard and Pochard at Chichester GPs on 11th December (AH)
It was a very good breeding season for Pochard around Chichester Gravel Pits, with a peak of five broods seen on 25th July – most years there are barely that many breeding attempts in the whole county.
The long-staying ‘anti-social’ Eider, affectionately known as ‘Ada’, remained all spring until finally departing - doubtless on her own - some time after 13th April. Strangely, a first-winter drake took up a solitary residence off the Bill in the autumn, equally shunning any passing members of its species.
Eider off the Bill on 10th December (AH)
Also, after several good years, Velvet Scoters seemed almost non-existent this year, with just one spring record of two birds east past the Bill on 16th April, compared to a long-term spring average of 52 passage birds. Autumn wasn’t much better, though a group of four birds were seen at the Bill on five occasions from 22nd November onwards, with five seen on 30th December.
The spring passage total of Common Scoter was barely half the previous year, and at 2860 birds east it was well below average. Small numbers were recorded all summer (as they always are) but autumn counts remained low, too.
Common Scoters past the Bill on 16th April (AH)
Reverting to its previous rarity status on the peninsula, there were only two records of Long-tailed Duck all year, of singles west past the Bill on 29th April and 4th October, whilst Goosander didn’t fare much better, with the only records being of three on Pagham Lagoon on 19th January, two west past the Bill on 23rd March and one at Church Norton on 29th November.
Goosanders over Pagham Lagoon on 19th January (AB)
Perhaps the oddest report of the year was of a drake Smew on the Breech Pool on 15th June. It was apparently fully winged and flew off, but it must surely have been an escape.... Mustn’t it?
Raptors
Sadly, the Hen Harrier remains not much more than an occasional visitor to the peninsula these days, and there was little sign of improvement this year, with a single report in the first half of the year – of one near the golf course north of Sidlesham on 17th January, and four records in October, possibly relating to a single bird at Medmerry on the 1st and 4th, over the Ferry on the 12th and again at Medmerry on the 29th.
Hen Harrier at Medmerry on 1st October (AH)
Whilst still not a common bird locally, the number of reports of Marsh Harrier received in 2015 were of sufficient volume as to be beyond listing individually. A male bird was around Pagham Harbour in late January/early February, with three birds seen there on 17th March, and another half a dozen spring records from the harbour, but surprisingly only one from Medmerry, on 24th March, and also one from Chichester Harbour on 10th March. There were a couple of midsummer records from the Ferry, before the first returning bird at Medmerry on 8th August presaged a run of at least weekly reports from both there and Pagham Harbour on into the autumn.
Marsh Harrier at Church Norton on 31st January (SH)
By contrast, all the records of Red Kite were between 14th March and 17th April, a period when there is a definite dispersal in the wider county. In March there were three records from Pagham Harbour, plus one over Chichester Gravel Pits on the 21st. There was a flurry of activity in early April, with two birds seen over the north of Selsey on the 6th, two east over first Medmerry, then the Bill, plus another over Birdham on the 7th, an impressive six over Medmerry on the 8th, with a further two over Pagham Harbour that day, and four over Earnley on the 9th, but after all that excitement there was just one more record – of two over Highleigh on the 17th, and not another record all year.
Red Kite over Pagham Harbour Visitor Centre on 27th March (IL)
It was shaping up to be a very mediocre year for Ospreys on the peninsula, with just a single spring record, of one going west past the Bill and Medmerry on 7th April, and another just about viewable from East Head, as it resided on Thorney Island in late July, but the autumn proved to be a bit of a bonanza, though it is difficult to sure just how many birds were involved. One was seen on the east side of Pagham Harbour on 26th August and 1st September, then the fun began when one was seen at Medmerry on 19th September. After that at least one was recorded almost daily up to 7th October at the site, with three there on 20th September, and two seen on several dates, while what was probably one of these birds was recorded daily between 19th and 22nd September from Pagham Harbour.
Osprey over Church Norton on 22nd September (AH)
There were two records of Common Buzzard this spring from the Bill - where they remain unaccountably rare – with two over on 18th March, and one in off the sea on 5th May.
It was a good year for Honey-buzzard records, with one seen over Medmerry on 27th June, followed by two September records for the Bill, on the 5th and the 19th.
There were an impressive total of twenty Hobby records from the Bill this spring, with the first on 19th April, four days after the first of the year, at Northcommon Farm. The only place to regularly record them during the summer was Chichester Gravel Pits, though a pair took up residence around one of the ponds at Ham Farm on 16th-17th June, feasting on dragonflies before moving on. There were good numbers of autumn records, the last of which was from Church Norton on 5th October.
Hobby at Medmerry on 7th August (AH)
There were just four early-year records of Merlin – from the Ferry on 19th January, Medmerry on 9th March and 21st April, and Church Norton on 19th March, plus an unexpected summer record – on the 6th June – from the latter site, but the autumn was considerably better. The first returning bird was at Medmerry on 6th September, and thereafter sightings were recorded regularly from various locations around the reserve, with two present on 10th October, and there were regular – if less frequent – sightings from Pagham Harbour, with one even popping in at the Bill on 9th November and 13th December.
Merlin over the Long Pool on 14th October (AH)
Gamebirds/Rails
It is difficult to know the true status of the Grey Partridge on the peninsula, with the release of 30+ captive-bred birds for the ‘pleasure’ of shooting, but there was undoubtedly a significant increase in the number of records and, encouragingly, of records from areas where there isn’t shooting taking place, though there was just one report of an adult with young. There were numerous reports from the Church Norton area throughout the year, though many of these were of ‘released’ birds, but three pairs uncovered on farmland to the north of the North Wall on 2nd February, and numerous records from Medmerry (particularly the Ham/Porthole Farm area) were, if not wild, at least out of the shooters’ range. The only confirmed breeding record was from this area, with an adult and eight well-grown chicks seen on 30th August.
Grey Partridges at Church Norton on 28th April (AH)
It seemed like the milder winter weather suited Water Rails, with good numbers reported from all areas of suitable habitat both early and late in the year.
Water Rail on the Breech Pool (JDW)
Waders
In what was a very good year for waders on the peninsula, two species stole the headlines, one of which - quite literally - in the national press. A young local birder stumbled upon a Whimbrel with an all-dark rump at Church Norton on 9th June, and generated the biggest (and-longest running) twitch the area has seen for a decade or more. The Hudsonian Whimbrel he found was only the 12th British record but, more importantly, only the second in mainland England (after one in Cumbria in 2007), and the first to be found after this American form was officially split and elevated to a separate species. Consequently, bird-watchers came from far and wide throughout its stay, and though it was never easy to track down, and rarely came close, it was seen on most days along the west side of the harbour, even venturing past the Bill on 12th July, before it finally went for good around 21st July.
Hudsonian Whimbrel at Church Norton on 9th June (DM)
As a contrast to the subtleties of the afore-mentioned rarity, the other ‘mega’ was the endearingly odd and highly distinctive Terek Sandpiper that was found by a visiting birder at Church Norton on 21st June. This was only the second for the peninsula (after one that appeared for 20 minutes at the same location in May 1969), and was a new bird locally for virtually everyone that saw it during its two-day stay.
Terek Sandpiper at Church Norton on 21st June (DM)
Sadly there was to be no repeat of last summer’s excitement with the Black-winged Stilts, though hopes were high when a male bird appeared on the Ferry on 13th April and settled in for five days, but sadly it departed and never returned. Then a female or first-year bird appeared at the same location on 29th May, but after staying until 7th June, it too moved on, and that was that.
Black-winged Stilt on the Ferry on 19th April (AH)
Avocets, on the other hand, went from strength to strength on the ‘Stilt’ Pools at Medmerry, with at least 20 pairs raising many young through a very protracted breeding season – it often being possible to see incubating adults, and chicks from newly-hatched to fully-fledged around the pools, with the shrieks of their ever-diligent parents becoming a familiar sound.
Juvenile Avocets on the Ferry on 24th June (AH)
Little Ringed Plovers, too, continued to prosper on the ‘Stilt’ Pools with again as many as ten pairs raising young around the site.
Little Ringed Plover at Medmerry on 24th May (SH)
It was far from a classic year for Curlew Sandpipers, with almost no youngsters seen this autumn after last year’s good numbers. There were only two spring records – of singles at Medmerry on 1st and 25th May, and only half a dozen records of single adults in Pagham Harbour during July and August, though there was a remarkable nine birds (eight of which were adults) that dropped in briefly at Medmerry on 31st August. There were just four records in September, before finally a very late and very obliging juvenile took up residence on the Ferry from the 28th until 10th October.
Curlew Sandpiper with Dunlin on the Ferry on 1st October (AH)
Mirroring the previous species, there were just a couple of spring Little Stints – from 21st-26th May at Church Norton and on 23rd and 24th May at Medmerry, followed by a couple of records from Pagham Harbour in late August/early September, and three juveniles at Medmerry on 4th-6th September, before another late and obliging juvenile settled in on the Ferry, this time from 26th October until 13th November.
Little Stint at Medmerry on 5th September (BI)
After a blank year last year, not one, but two Pectoral Sandpipers visited the peninsula, with a typically short staying adult on the Breech Pool on 18th August, and a very obliging juvenile found at Medmerry on 7th September, which relocated to the Ferry the following day and after seemingly vanishing for three or four days became ridiculously obliging, often right at the front of the pool until, its departure on 19th September.
Pectoral Sandpiper on the Ferry on 15th September (AH)
It was a year of two halves for a couple of rarer species, with an indifferent spring followed by some high early autumn counts. Ruff, for example, was almost totally absent in the winter – with just a single record of two birds at East Head on 14th January, and two more single birds at Medmerry on 24th May and 10th June, but the autumn was a different matter. He first bird back was on the Breech Pool on 9th August followed by two at Medmerry on the 16th. Numbers rose here to four on the 25th and they were still present on 9th September, but it was the Ferry that recorded the most notable arrival, with ten birds dropping in during a summer storm on 24th August. They quickly dispersed, though three were still present on 1st September. The last record of the year was another at this site on 10th October.
Ruff on the Ferry on 29th August (AH)
Wood Sandpiper was totally absent in the spring, with the first report not received until 27th July, when one was on the Breech Pool, and another was there on 10th/11th August, then, on 24th August (the same day that stormy weather dropped ten Ruff on the Ferry) an astonishing 14 birds were seen at Medmerry, with seven passing overhead and a further seven on the Stilt Pool. At least three remained the following day, and one or two birds were seen almost daily at the site until 13th September.
Wood Sandpiper on the Breech Pool on 11th August (AH)
It was a bumper year for Green Sandpipers on the peninsula, with wintering birds at Park Farm Selsey (until 28th February), Medmerry - where one or two were seen on a number of occasions and three were seen on two March dates and Chichester Marina (with one on 22nd March), followed by another good autumn, with peaks of seven birds seen at Medmerry on 10th July and on the Ferry on 30th August and the late date of 9th October, and wintering birds being seen back at Park Farm, the Ferry and Medmerry during the late autumn. One even dropped in on the beach at the Bill, where it is a very rare bird, on 15th August.
Green Sandpiper at Park Farm, Selsey on 14th February (SH)
There seemed to be a lot of Common Sandpipers about in the early autumn, too, including peaks of 12 together at Medmerry on 6th July, and 12 on the Ferry on the big wader-fall day of 24th August. There was also a rare record of a wintering bird seen at Medmerry on several dates in December.
Common Sandpiper on the Ferry on 2nd September (AH)
There were typical numbers of Greenshank – three at Fishbourne and one at Snowhill Creek in the first-winter period, but after an average late-summer movement - with peaks of just six birds off Pagham North Wall on 10th August and eight at Medmerry on 25th September, there were November peaks of six at Fishbourne Creek (19th), two at Snowhill Creek (17th and 26th) and two on the Ferry (5th), and two at Medmerry on December 13th.
Greenshank on Snowhill Creek on 25th February (AH)
Spotted Redshank numbers seem to be on the increase in recent winters, with probably a conservative count of ten birds present across the peninsula in both winter periods. Winter peaks at the main locations included four at Fishbourne Creek in February and three in December, two at Snowhill Creek in both February and November, and a minimum of six birds in Pagham Harbour in both periods, with a peak of five together in White’s Creek on 20th November. Passage numbers were good, too, with peaks of ten birds recorded in Pagham Harbour on 18th August and 10th September, and for the second summer running a couple of stunning summer-plumaged birds settled in to moult on the Ferry.
Spotted Redshank on the Ferry on 29th June (AH)
A Whimbrel wintered at both Church Norton and Fishbourne Creek, with possibly a third bird, seen on 20th January at West Itchenor, whilst both of the former locations hosted what were probably the same birds again late in the year, and again there was a record of a possible third bird from West Itchenor on 22nd December.
Whimbrel at Church Norton on 16th March (AB)
It was an average showing of 375 birds of the above species passing the Bill in the spring, but for its regular travelling companion, the Bar-tailed Godwit it was the third bad year in a row, with a total of 232 birds heading east - less than a quarter of the long-term average. Indeed, they are becoming quite hard to find in winter around the harbours, too.
Bar-tailed Godwits past the Bill on 20th April (AH)
Those two perennially elusive winter visitors to the peninsula – Woodcock and Jack Snipe - both just sneaked onto the year’s list, with the former recorded just once on marshland to the west of Selsey on 30th January, and the latter on a number of occasions at Fishbourne Creek, including two on 17th March, and at Chichester Gravel Pits on 20th January, the Breech Pool on 22nd March and East Head on 5th December.
There were two extra wader treats this year, in the form of both Red-necked Phalarope and Grey Phalarope turning up on the Ferry. The former appeared on 30th May, eight years and a day after the last record at the same location, and though it was judged a male bird, it drew plenty of admirers during its brief stay.
Red-necked Phalarope on the Ferry on 30th May (AH)
The latter – the first on the peninsula for three years - being an autumn juvenile, proved to be in less of a hurry, and resided from 14th- 18th September, often down close to the road and occasionally in the company of the Pectoral Sandpiper. Then, to complete a good year, one was seen off the Bill in stormy weather on 6th December.
Grey Phalarope on the Ferry on 15th September (AB)
Skuas
It was utterly predictable that after the ‘Year of the Skua’ in 2014, it would be a poor one this year, and so it proved. There were no Pomarine Skuas until the late date of 8th May and then just three more that month and a further four in the first half of June, the worst showing since the late 1970s.
Both Arctic Skua and Great Skua numbers were well down, too, in the spring with 84 (against an average of 140) birds of the former, and 23 (against an average of 70) of the latter recorded passing the Bill in March, April and May. There were a few out of season records at the Bill, with Great Skuas seen on four January dates, including three on the 1st, and there were a couple of late November and December records, too, whilst Arctic Skuas were also recorded on a number of dates in October, November and even December.
Arctic Skua past the Bill on 10th April (AH)
Gulls/Terns/Auks
It was a fairly uninspiring year for gull species, after last year, with no ‘white-wingers’ and fairly average numbers of most others. Little Gulls were few and far between, with just 60 recorded past the Bill in spring (against an average of 81), and just two lingering birds on Chichester Gravel Pits – an adult on 23rd and 24th April and a first-summer from 1st to 8th May (with a visit to the Ferry on the 7th), with the only autumn records being of adults at the Bill on 2nd December and one near Chichester Marina on the 15th, with two there on the 16th to the year's end.
Little Gull at Chichester Marina on 17th December (DM)
Kittiwake numbers were poor for most of the year, but stormy weather in late November did produce some movement, with over 2000 birds going west in the last four days of the month, including 1404 on the 29th.
Kittiwake past the Bill on 26th July (AH)
Mediterranean Gulls are a well-established and familiar species on the peninsula these days, but the gatherings in Fishbourne Creek in August were still impressive, peaking at a remarkable 805 birds on the 10th.
Mediterranean Gull, Medmerry 15th April (AH)
By contrast, Yellow-legged Gull numbers were pretty low, with just a handful of double-digit counts off the North Wall (from 14th July onwards), and not even that at Fishbourne Creek. There were a few recorded from Medmerry among the commoner gulls, including the last record of the year, of two on 19th October.
Yellow-legged Gull in Pagham Harbour on 3rd September (OM)
It was a marginally better year for Black Terns, but a spring total of 13 birds (12 of which were on 3rd May) was still just a third of the average number, but there were a few more reports from elsewhere, particularly in the autumn. In the spring, one was on Ivy Lake from 1st to the 3rd May, and another passed through Church Norton on the 16th, whilst in the autumn one was on Ivy Lake on 24th August, two went past the Bill the following, one was at Medmerry on 31st August and finally a nice long-staying juvenile on Ivy Lake from 22nd to 26th September.
Black Tern on Ivy Lake on 22nd September (AH)
It was also a much better year for Roseate Terns at the Bill, after two blank ones, with a minimum of three - and probably five – birds seen. Two were seen among the feeding flock along the tidal spit on the evening of 4th May, and these, or two others, went past early on the 8th, whilst another lingered on the spit later the same day.
It was a real mixed bag for the commoner tern species, with Sandwich Terns being one of the winners. It was the only species to achieve even an average spring, with a total of 2652 birds east past the Bill, and seemingly a good breeding season along the south coast, given the numbers of juveniles among the post-breeding flock, regularly topping 100 birds, that has become a regular late-summer feature at Church Norton. The numbers of winter birds continues to grow, too, with an early year peak of six birds past the Bill on 21st February, and a late one of nine in Chichester Harbour on 29th November.
Sandwich Tern at the Bill on 2nd August (AH)
Common Terns, by contrast, had a poor spring, with a ‘Commic’ (Common/Arctic combined) Tern passage total of 1424 birds being less than a third of normal, and the colony in Pagham Harbour once again failing to produce more than a handful of chicks, including one late survivor not fledged until 4th September.
Common Tern at the Bill on 20th May (AH)
As usual, very few Arctic Terns were conclusively identified, with just a dozen in the spring off the Bill, and one or two more in late summer.
Arctic Tern past Selsey Bill on 28th April (AH)
Little Terns had another poor spring for migration, with a total past the Bill of 249 birds being about half the number expected, but it was the second good breeding season in a row on Pagham Spit – with at least a dozen juveniles known to have fledged.
Little Tern at Selsey Bill on 2nd May (AH)
The extreme weather at the start of 2014 seemed to have knocked back numbers of both Razorbill and Guillemot, both of which were in very short supply early in the year, and though numbers were better in the autumn they were still well below some recent years. Also, the balance between the two species seemed to have shifted back towards Guillemot after a long drift toward Razorbill being the more numerous.
Razorbill off Church Norton on 28th November (AH)
The autumn produced just two Little Auks - despite numbers being higher than for a number of years to the north and east of us - both east past the Bill, on 29th October and 17th November.
Pigeons/Owls/etc
Sadly, the Turtle Dove is heading towards being no more than a rare and occasional visitor to the peninsula, with the first blank year surely imminent. There was just a solitary record this year - the worst ever - of a bird around the Severals at Church Norton on 11th May.
Encouraginglly, it appeared to be another reasonable year for Cuckoos locally, with Church Norton having a couple of particularly conspicuous and vocal males, and other sites around the harbour and Medmerry returning almost daily sightings in the spring and early summer, with calling birds being heard right up until the last week of June.
Cuckoo at Medmerry on 7th June (AH)
It was an encouraging year for owls, particularly Barn Owls which, after all but disappearing last year, were much more conspicuous, if not exactly numerous. There were plenty of reports early in the year from around the Chainbridge area, and a scattering from several locations north of the harbour. An adult was seen regularly around Ferry Farm from 4th to 30th June, taking food into the old farm buildings, so hopefully young were raised, though they were never seen. Autumn records were few, though at least one pair was known to be resident on the western side of Medmerry, and there was a strange record, on 17th November, of one flying around under the lights in the petrol-station in Birdham.
Barn Owl from the Ferry on 19th June (AH)
Little Owls were seen at quite a number of locations throughout the year, albeit infrequently, including a couple of sites around Medmerry and the North Wall areas, Northcommon Farm and Marsh Farm, Sidlesham.
Little Owl at Medmerry on 9th October (AH)
It was a very good year for Short-eared Owls, with the good spring numbers being reprised in the autumn. In the first part of the year between one and three birds were seen almost daily around the eastern half of Medmerry, another half a dozen reports from Pagham Harbour on into April, when two were seen coming in off the sea at the Bill (on 3rd and 10th) and a very late migrant report from the Ferry on 22nd May. The first returning birds were at Church Norton on 16th and 19th August, with two seen on both dates, and one was at the Bill on 2nd September, after which there was a steady supply of reports from Pagham Harbour, Medmerry and East Head, where three were seen on 26th November.
Short-eared Owl at the Chainbridge Field on 8th February (BI)
Remarkably, there were two records of Nightjar, both of birds seen hawking over the sea in daylight. The first, on 15th May was seen coming in from far offshore, before pausing to feed for half an hour over the sea before going on its way inland, whilst the second was seen in windy conditions on 24th May.
The one that got away this year was Hoopoe, with a bird seen at Medmerry on 14th April that disappeared into the fog, and though it was heard later in the day it was never relocated. Equally frustrating was a convincing description from a local dog-walker – a day later! - of one on the playing field just east of the Bill on the 23rd.
More obliging was a Wryneck at their traditional haunt of the Severals at Church Norton that settled in for a fortnight from 16th August and, after initially playing hard-to-get, was pretty reliable in its habits. Another turned up at Medmerry for three days from the 28th and the third and last was a one-day bird back at the Severals on 16th September.
Wryneck at Church Norton on 29th August (AB)
It was another very good year for Kingfishers locally, with sightings recorded regularly from all likely (and a few unlikely) locations during the year. The most unlikely location was the Bill, with the bird seen on 6th September being only the third of recent times (after records in 1981 and 1997), though the fourth record only took another week to occur, and there were even a couple more sightings over the following month.
Kingfisher at Church Norton on 25th October (SH)
Larks/Pipits/Hirundines
There was just a single report of Woodlark this year, of two with Skylarks on the fields west of the Long Pool on 25th October.
After a couple of good years, Tree Pipits were very thin on the ground, with no spring records and just a handful of autumn ones, all of September fly-overs at the Bill (six on the 2nd, one on the 3rd and one on the 18th), except one seen in bushes at Church Norton on 16th September.
Tree Pipit at Church Norton on 17th September (AH)
There were three records of Water Pipit, possibly referring to just one bird, firstly at the Ferry on 19th April, with it or another seen on the Breech Pool the following day and again on the 26th.
Water Pipit on the Breech Pool on 20th April (RH)
It was an average sort of spring for Yellow Wagtails, with 24 seen in over the Bill, and a few on the land after the first of the year on 9th April. There were fewer autumn build-ups around the various cattle fields, with around 50 at Medmerry on several dates between 25th August and 8th September being the biggest, though there was an impressive pre-roost flock of up to 200 birds gathering along the North Wall for several days around 11th September. The last one of the year went over Church Norton on 10th October.
Yellow Wagtail at Sidlesham SF on 15th May (AH)
It was a very good year for hirundines, with the highlight (for the four lucky observers, at least!) being the Red-rumped Swallow that came in off the sea at the Bill on 7th May and swiftly disappeared inland.
After several years of declining numbers, House Martins seemed particularly abundant this year, with 17 confirmed nests in the Bill area, and a regular and very tame flock taking mud from the diligently refilled puddles at the Bill throughout the early summer.
House Martins at Selsey Bill on 4th June (AH)
There were some spectacular gatherings of Swallows, House Martins and Sand Martins in early September, too, including an estimated 15000 (mostly Swallows) over Medmerry, with another 3000 over Church Norton on the 7th, 2000+ House Martins at Medmerry the next day, 3000+ Swallows past the Bill on the 10th and 6000+ on the 19th, and 1100+ House Martins over on the 11th.
Sand Martins at Medmerry on 29th August (AH)
First and last dates were as follows: Sand Martin - 30th March and 29th September, House Martin – 2nd April and 20th October, and Swallow – 30th March and 13th November.
Swallows at Apuldram on 7th June (AH)
Thrushes
It was a pretty typical year for Ring Ouzels, with a couple of short-stayers in the spring, at Sidlesham Quay on 9th April and at Northcommon Farm on the 14th, followed by a few more equally evasive autumn records, with birds at Medmerry and Church Norton on 10th October, one along the Long Pool on the 12th and finally another at Ham Farm two days later.
Ring Ouzel at Church Norton on 10th October (SH)
Mild winters meant it was not a bumper year for either Fieldfare or Redwing, though a flock of 30 or so of the former was seen on a number of occasions around the Medmerry area up until 23rd March, there were no reports of the latter until a flock of around 50 migrating birds were seen leaving a roost at Medmerry on 20th March. There were regular reports of small numbers of both species from mid-October on, but the notable influx seen inland was not reflected locally.
Fieldfare in Sidlesham on 15th February (AH)
One of the most unexpected events of the year was the first breeding record of Nightingale on the peninsula. The familiar song was first heard along the Tramway behind the Visitor Centre on 17th April, and intermittently for another week or more (a rare enough event in itself), before all went quiet..... Then, on 15th June, news broke that a pair of adults and at least two youngsters had been sighted in the same area and, though always difficult to see, to the extent that the exact numbers of youngsters was not confirmed, the family was recorded almost daily until 2nd July whereupon they slipped away unseen.
Nightingale on the Tramway on 18th June (CE)
Though not quite up to last year, it was still a reasonably good summer for Whinchats, after an average spring there were some regular good counts, particularly at Medmerry - where there was an odd record of a young-looking juvenile on 18th July - throughout August and particularly September, with a peak of 8 on the 24th, and at least one bird staying on until the late date of 18th October.
Whinchat at Medmerry on 24th April (AH)
Recent mild winters are clearly suiting the Stonechat, with another bumper autumn culminating in a count of 14 birds on the west side of Medmerry on 25th September, and almost every bit of suitable habitat hosting pairs in late September and October, and there were still as many as ten pairs around the Medmerry area in December.
Stonechat at Church Norton on 3rd October (AH)
It appeared a very middling year for Common Redstarts locally, which contrasted oddly with reports from inland sites in Sussex and Hampshire having higher than usual numbers. The only notable count was of at least six at Northcommon Farm on 13th April (a big ‘fall’ day for several species), and autumn records were all of ones and twos at typical sites.
Common Redstart at Northcommon Farm on 13th April (AB)
It was another reasonable year for Black Redstarts, though, with five spring records and another good autumn, with an influx of at least a dozen birds present between Medmerry and Pagham over the week from 26th October to 2nd November, with a peak of seven birds around West Sands Caravan Park on 27th, though they mostly moved on by the middle of the month.
Black Redstart at West Sands on 7th November (AH)
First and last dates for Northern Wheatear were very similar to last year – namely two on the North Wall/Pagham Spit on 8th March and one at Medmerry on 20th November – but overall numbers were lower, with no really big ‘falls’ this year. There were a few reports of potential ‘Greenland’ Wheatears, from Medmerry on 24th and 27th April and also on 7th October.
Northern Wheatears at Medmerry on 28th April (AH)
Warblers/’crests/Flycatchers
The year started with a big surprise and a first for the Peninsula, in the form of a Dusky Warbler found on the Ivy Lake complex on 5th January. It was a skulking and mobile bird, but most searchers found it eventually before it was last seen on the 14th.
Dusky Warbler at Ivy Lake on 6th January (DP)
The other rare species seen was Marsh Warbler, with a late individual in the Bill House garden on 20th October only being clinched from photographs after its departure.
Marsh Warbler at the Bill on 20th October (OM)
There were mixed fortunes for a couple of our scarcer visitors – with just two reports of reeling Grasshopper Warbler received, both on 13th April, from the Bill early in the morning and the Long Pool later in the day, while conversely Dartford Warbler records were the highest for some years. There were just two records in the first half of the year, of presumably the same bird at East Head on 17th and 23rd January, but following the first autumn bird on 25th October at Church Norton there were one or two birds seen regularly between the Severals and the west side, with possibly as many as four birds present on 22nd November and three on 13th December, whilst another one was seen at Medmerry on 6th December.
Dartford Warbler at Church Norton on November 20th (AH)
Among the commoner species there were a couple of notable ‘falls’, including at least 200 Willow Warblers along the Long Pool on 13th April and 100+ Whitethroats among a big mixed fall along hedges by the Chainbridge field on 1st and 2nd August.
Willow Warbler at Church Norton on 12th April (AH)
There were a few late last dates this year, despite the bulk of passage seeming to happen quite quickly and early, including Reed Warbler on 12th October, Sedge Warbler and Whitethroat on the 15th and Lesser Whitethroat on the 19th.
Lesser Whitethroat at Medmerry on 1st August (SH)
In the early part of the year there were just ten records of Firecrest, spread between Church Norton, Apuldram churchyard and Medmerry, with the last at the latter site on 10th April. From 20th October, though, when two were seen in Apuldram churchyard there was a plethora of records from that site and particularly Church Norton, plus sighting from less regular locations like East Beach Pond, Selsey on 2nd and (two on) 3rd November, Pagham churchyard with another two on the same date, Sidlesham churchyard on 22nd November, Snowhill Creek, with two, on 9th December and Earnley on 14th December.
Firecrest at Church Norton on 22nd October (DM)
After being unreasonably scarce early in the year there was a huge influx of Goldcrests in the autumn, with birds noted in numbers at virtually every suitable site, and a few unlikely ones, too!
Goldcrest at Church Norton on 12th October (AH)
There were a remarkable four Pied Flycatchers loosely together around Northcommon Farm on 13th April, staying all day and being more obliging than usual, though all but one had gone by the following day, and there was just one more spring record – from near the Visitor Centre on the 19th. All the autumn records came from Church Norton, though it is hard to be certain of the exact number of different birds involved, with singles on 14th and 15th August, two on the 16th followed by more singles on 24th and 31st August and 8th and 14th September.
Pied Flycatcher at Northcommon Farm on 13th April (AH)
It was a very average sort of a year for Spotted Flycatchers, with the first two seen at Church Norton a pretty typical date of 5th May, and no big counts noted, with 10 on 30th August and 11 on 1st September at Church Norton being the peak, and the last bird of the year being seen at Medmerry on 1st October.
Spotted Flycatcher at Church Norton on 1st September (AH)
Starlings/Tits/Crows/etc
There was something of an increase in Coal Tit records this year, though it remains very scarce south of Chichester. There were only two records early in the year – of one singing at Church Norton on 26th January and one in a garden near Snowhill Creek on 4th February, but, following three seen at Church Norton on the early date of 29th August, there were another three in a Runcton garden on 27th October, with a couple of subsequent sightings of two then one bird, and another in a West Wittering garden on 6th November, whilst another group of three birds seen in Apuldram churchyard on 20th October were considered to be ‘Continental’ Coal Tits.
Records of those other two woodland specialists and Peninsula scarcities, Treecreeper and Nuthatch were in very short supply again this year. There were four records of the former - from Church Norton on 1st January and 9th February, and from gardens in West Wittering on 6th November and a Runcton garden on the 24th, whilst there were just three of the latter – one near Birdham Pool on 15th March, a very bizarre record of one flying across open ground into the poplar stand at Medmerry on 26th June, and one from the West Wittering garden where they are recorded annually on 6th November.
The only Red-backed Shrike of the year was a juvenile present on 28th and 29th August around the Severals/horse field area at Church Norton.
Red-backed Shrike at Church Norton on 29th August (AH)
Great Grey Shrike at Medmerry on 25th October (SH)
It is fair to say, that just ten years ago nobody imagined that records of Raven on the peninsula would be too numerous to report individually, but that is where we are today, with around 25 sightings in the first half of the year and 12 in the second. Most notable among those records is of the one over Selsey Bill on 8th June, which is possibly the first ever seen from the Bill-tip itself. Other records of interest included two young juveniles at Medmerry on 10th May, and a group of five birds together there on 22nd August.
Ravens at Medmerry on 10th May (AH)
Finches/Buntings
The rarest finch of the year was heard but never actually seen! A Serin was heard calling as it flew in high off the sea at the Bill on 17th May, but it could not be spotted and was never relocated.
After last year’s dismal showing, it was a much better autumn for Siskins, with birds on the move almost daily from 1st September, when the first 12 were seen over Church Norton, until well into October, with the biggest count – of 179 birds north at the Bill – on 5th September, and small flocks taking up brief periods of residence, particularly at Church Norton.
After a blank last year, Lesser Redpolls were back on the list this year, following the first three over the Bill on 13th September. There were only a handful of reports of birds flying in, but there were a few records of single birds in trees, including from Northcommon Farm on 25th September and 3rd October, the North Wall area on 19th and – of two – on 28th October, and Sidlesham churchyard on 12th and 25th November, plus three over Medmerry on 14th December.
Bullfinch at Ivy Lake on 7th March (AB), & Siskin at Church Norton on 8th September (AH)
The Ivy Lake complex remains the only reliable site for Bullfinch, and there were regular reports from there in the early part of the year, but apart from a couple of reports from Sidlesham in the early spring the only other record was of a male in a hedge near the Ferry on 17th June.
Despite an increase in Brambling numbers wintering in the county there were no autumn records, with a single bird with Chaffinches by the feeders at Church Norton on 11th January being the only record.
The Medmerry area continues to support a good population of Corn Buntings, and singing males were recorded more or less right the way around the bank, with numbers well into double figures again this year, and on 15th July there were five different families of juveniles in the area between Ham Farm and the Breach.
Corn Bunting at Medmerry on 28th April (AH)
Yellowhammer and Reed Bunting numbers appeared healthy through the winter months, with Medmerry containing good flocks of both, and flocks of the former regularly exceeding 30 birds. There was also a sizeable flock at Apuldram, with around 50 seen on 12th November. Encouragingly, there were several records in April, and again in November, of up to half a dozen birds along the west side of Pagham Harbour, formerly a regular haunt that has been abandoned in recent years.
Yellowhammer at Medmerry on 14th June (AH)
Snow Bunting only just made it onto the list, but the very amenable bird along the front of the Oval Field at the Bill from 29th October till 3rd November allowed all those who wished to see it the opportunity to do so, and was, surprisingly, a site ‘tick’ for many of the regulars, despite their near annual occurrence on the peninsula as a whole.
Snow Bunting at the Bill on 29th October (AH)
Finally, I would like to thank all those who kindly contributed their records or photographs, on which this summary is based.
No comments:
Post a Comment