Found a 1W Little Gull offshore at the Bill today but hours of looking for a Leach's Petrel was to no avail! A Great White Egret was on Drayton Pit on the way back.
Selsey Peninsula year-list for 2022 was 198, top for four years running but I think I might do a "most birds at The Bill" challenge for 2023 for a change.
Rock Pipit at Fishbourne Creek, two Goldeneye at Pagham Lagoon, earlier good flocks of Red-throated Divers heading west past Selsey Bill.
The Bill at Selsey was pretty dire this morning with only a brief Red-necked Grebe of note. Toe End was equally quiet. Pagham Spit produced the Snow Bunting, a Dartford Warbler and plenty of waders in the roosr.
The Bewick’s Swans showed fairly well at Barnham today, possibly better viewing from Sack Lane but floods make access difficult. At least 15 Chiffs at Lidsey SF and a flock of 25 Fieldfare/Redwing went over by the crossing. Plenty of waders/wildfowl on the floods. Early at Selsey Bill little was seen in a rainy seawatch.
Three Slavs offshore from Norton Spit plus a drake Eider were the highlights today. A Long-tailed Duck was at the Bill earlier whilst the crowd that had gathered to look for yesterday’s walrus quickly dispersed when news of its arrival in Hampshire was put out on the bird networks.
The Slavonian Grebe and one Snow Bunting were still on Pagham Spit and the Long-tailed Duck was still at Medmerry on Friday. On Saturday, a drake Goldeneye and a few RB Mergansers were at Fishbourne Creek.
Over the moon to get a Selsey Bill tick this morning with a Little Auk going west just after 0730hrs!
Managed to catch up with the Little Gulls and Kittiwakes that have been inshore recently at the Bill and Church Norton, nice to see. Not much else going on but two Lesser Redpoll over at the Bill were only my second and third of the year.
The lakes were a bit quiet today, see log below, but the four Great White Egrets were still on what’s left of Drayton North Pit after the works there.
Highlights of the day were at Tangmere where two Dunlin were on the flooded field and a Rock Pipit flew over calling, both nice area ticks!
134 Mallards and a dozen Tufted Ducks on Birdham Pool and just a single Tufted at the Marina today. Five sp. of dabbling duck past the Bill earlier. No sign of Snow Bunting at Pagham Spit.
An early morning “twitch” for the Snow Bunting at Pagham Spit on Friday paid dividends as it showed nicely around the metalwork, in the same area as the one here last year.
On Saturday, with my time curtailed due to Dad’s duties, a look at the Bill and Marsh Farm were unprofitable-my Bill log below:
Highlight of today's seawatch was a super drake Eider west, also a Black Redstart in the area and a Long-tailed Duck and three Goosander past later.
Three Black Redstarts at Selsey Bill this morning whilst at Church Norton plenty of Stonechats were evident, obviously a mini-fall of the latter overnight. At home, two male Blackcaps in the orchard.
My Bill log:
An apparent swift sp. seen very briefly towards the back of the car-boot field at Hunston at 1611hrs today-worth a look over the next couple of days at the lakes maybe…
Not much to say about today...work meant I couldn't go and look for Leach's Petrels on a day when, unsurprisingly, a few were seen along the south coast, looks like the first day of the week out for me will be Friday when the wind will be ...North West!!!
Two Purple Sandpipers flew in and landed on the rocks at Grafton Road while I was looking (unsuccessfully) for yesterday’s single observer Sabine’s Gull. A big feeding flock of gulls offshore appeared to hold (to me) a Pomarine Skua later reported as an Arctic.. 🤷🏻♂️
A Sooty Shearwater went west at the Bill this morning shortly after another good candidate had done likewise-the latter just a bit too far out for prolonged views though-no doubt on the other however.
A Church Norton, the only bird of real note was a Wheatear on the concrete-still no Crimson Speckled for me despite a good look along the spit and no luck on the Pagham side later either! 😱
A Black Redstart was on the old metal gate at Selsey Bill this morning but vizmig was generally hard going with birds hard to hear over the chat!
Marsh Farm was good primarily for two Bramblings along the track from Spivey's but also for c.80+ Fieldfares and Redwings towards Fisher, lots of commoner small birds about too which was welcome.
Brambling & Fieldfares:
A Hummingbird hawk-moth was at the Bill this morning but there was no sign of the Crimson Speckled moth at Church Norton, surely another will be found though, especially given the influx and current tropical temperatures..17C at night!!
Selsey Bill log below:
An unproductive seawatch at Selsey Bill this morning with just a few Brent Geese of note…Leach’s Petrel wherefore art thou?! 😀
Update: 1000 Little Gulls west past Dunge! Where did we go wrong? (wrong venue for one i heard someone say) !!!
A look at Church Norton produced a few thrushes including a Redwing and “continental “ 1w Blackbirds and smaller birds such as Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Stonechat…and was rather pleasant after the rain. Also a suspicion of a Bearded Tit in one of the Severals but didn’t show again to confirm, but just in case one turns up there!
The Bill at Selsey was again mediocre bar a Red-necked Grebe west and plenty of auks whizzing about; two Redwings over at altitude was the pick of little vizmig. At the Severals were two most welcome Ring Ouzels, including a smart adult male, and four Song Thrushes that flew off towards Greenlease Farm and a couple of Dartford Warblers. I was pleased with the Ouzels, good to see.
A fairly uneventful watch from the Bill this morning (see below) - judging from other sites the finch sp. were more than likely Goldfinch. Marsh Farm was oddly quiet, not a thrush seen, bar a few Cattle Egrets and a Grey Wagtail.
Very poor (in a somewhat truncated) seawatch at the Bill today, only a Red-throated Diver of note. Not much at Fishbourne Creek either except c.10 Reed Buntings and two Grey Wagtails by the sluice; a Goldcrest was by the car park.
A Green Sandpiper was on Honer reservoir this morning and c.15 Pied Wagtails were at the WTW nearby. Bird of the morning (!) was a Reed Warbler near Honer Farm-unfortunately did not respond to Blyth’s or Marsh calls 🙁 …for even such paucity i am grateful though..!
Nothing really going on at the Bill this morning bar an Arctic Skua chasing gulls offshore. A look a Church Norton could only muster a single Chiffchaff in the churchyard…ho hum indeed..!
A flyover Cattle Egret was a “garden” tick in Oving yesterday, presumably one of the 30 that had been up at Colworth recently. Vizmig wasn’t all that over us but there were a number of Skylarks moving through.
A Brambling in at the Bill with five Chaffinches was new for year on Sunday and there was plenty of offshore movement including ‘00s of auks…although the southerly winds didn’t produce the sought-after shearwaters…still time…
A not particularly inspiring seawatch this morning at Selsey (only a Brambling of note in off with five Chaffinch of note)- the day was saved, however, by a Barred Warbler at Climping, nicely done the finder (once I’d gone round the houses trying to locate the site!!) A Sussex tick for me so it was.
A look at Selsey Bill this morning produced plenty of auks east and west, Kittiwakes and a Balearic Shearwater (possibly a couple more but not claiming those due to brief views). My sightings below…others saw more and less…
After that I went to Farlington for the Spotted Sandpiper but was turned away as having hurt my hip overworking and only being able to get around by bike, i was told I couldn’t cycle up to the spot. The moral of this story: don’t be autistically hypermobile and put your hip out! At least i did see the Buff-breasted Sandpiper a few days before at Medmerry.
My 2022 Selsey Peninsula stands at 113, not many misses so far but still need Pied Wagtail ( yes i know!!!) and of all things Cattle Egret…manana…
