It's that Pom time of year! Sandpipers too!

Expertly picked up by CRJ today at the Bill, seven Pomarine Skuas east past the mile basket, much enjoyed! Also a fairly decent wader (Whimbrel/Bar-tailed Godwit/Sanderling) movement and a quite a few tern sp. early on. 

There were a few more Poms later in the week taking my total up to 14 with a few better views had (and some worse to be fair lol). 

A Wood Sandpiper was found on the Ferry by AH and later a Curlew Sandpiper, found by AS, was also there... so along with a Cuckoo at Mill Lane and JA's three Black Terns it hasn't been a bad few days for Peninsula year ticks.

Not a year tick but a frankly tremedous drake Garganey was also on the Ferry, ducks do not get any better than this, a great spot by MRB.

So now the question is this: second Pom wave yes or no? well your guess is as good as mine but I'm sure there are some more to come..and will we get that late Common Tern movement? No doubt the Selsey seawatchers will be out just in case...

Garganey, easily my bird of the year so far!:

Wood Sandpiper & Curlew Sandpiper:

Curlew Sandpiper:

Whinchat at Halsey's Farm from the previous week:

Nightingale

 A Nightingale was singing at Church Norton last afternoon, also a couple of Swifts and a Hobby in at the Bill. It was a tough day as I am missing my old dad a lot at the moment but this was a nice bit of solace.

Red-crested Pochards! Woodchat Shrike!

An unpromising day with a NW wind surpringly turned up five Peninsula year ticks: Yellow Wagtail at the Bill, Common Sandpiper on the Ferry Pool, two drake Red-crested Pochards on the south pit at Drayton House, the latter well found by OM on his WEBS survey.and, best of all, a Woodchat Shrike (Peninsula tick full stop!) found by JW at Pagham Rife!! Directions to the shrike were uncertain but a call from AH to JDW had me heading in the right direction,,,a quick zip round (and, ahem, overland) on the E-bike and I refound it in the southerly hedge. All have seen it now so a good result all round-such a cracking bird, chapeau JDW! Later on I dipped the Hoopoe heard at Halsey's Farm but did get the spring male Whinchat at Owl Point.

Red-crested Pochards:

Woodchat Shrike:

Ric Flair - Woo!!: 

Lesser Whitethroat

The dead fish list leaps on with Common Smoothhound now added (the other 'hound was a Starry), thanks to the Great Black-backed Gulls at the Bill for the heads up on this one!

In other news it was actually half-decent at the Bill for the first hour or so, ten Little Terns offshore and two east, a few Common Terns and a female-type Garganey with a male Common Scoter also heading off left. Pleased with the Garganey as it can be a tricky bird on the Manhood Peninsula. Also a Great Skua and an Arctic Skua (I missed the latter) and a lively political debate...sometimes it's quite handy to be somewhat taciturn...🤣🤣

Managed to dip the Spoonbill at Medmerry and the Ferry and there was also no sign of a Common Sandpiper on the Stilt Pool but blushes were spared by HR's lovely singing Lesser Whitethroat at Yeoman's Field. I've always though that Yeoman's could turn up a Ring Ouzel or a rarer thrush; I've never seen one in situ there myself although I believe the odd RO has graced its hedgerows...

Lesser Whitethroat at Yeoman's Field:

Marsh Harrier and Hares

After mentioning to my son that I hadn't seen a Brown Hare this year lucked into one at Honer while out delivering, also the cracking male Marsh Harrier low over the fields by Honer Farm. Not much else going on but I see there has been a somewhat liberal application of glyphosate in the fields...😞

Will try a few days of seawatching this weekend I expect (update tomorrow.) and we're taking a family trip to Ebernoe for the Nightingales at Furnace Meadow on Sunday.

Dead Fish and live ones...!

Well the fledgling "dead fish list" scored a cracker the other day at Mill Farm with a dead Ghost Carp in the margins (already had dead Common Carp at West Trout Lake...) But in happier news the son and I pulled out a few tiddler Roach and silver Bream on the poles so it was a nice day out. More fishing news to follow as we hit the beaches shortly!

Bird wise I added a few newly arrived warblers, Sedge, Reed & Whitethroat to the year list on the Peninsula, it remains dead offshore atm though, time is ticking which is a bit worrying...maybe as last year the big Tern movement will be late May-early June. Was nice to see a few Little & Common Terns trickling through so hope lingers I guess.

A look at the Bluebells at Slindon on Sunday found a nice flock of Yellowhammers and c.3 Red Kites overhead; I'm look forward to the Honey Buzzards at Woolbeding again this year and seeing a few raptors up did whet the appetite somewhat for this.

In farm news we have just finished a mammoth plant-up bar a few beet and cabbage outside and a few celery inside and it even rained on time to water all the transplants in. Cutting spring greens this week and should be on to chard and parsley soon so good to see some new produce to complement all the in-store roots.

ex-Ghost Carp:

Yellow Archangel: much better than the Bluebells!

Bluebells: presumably these are machine planted? all look a bit neat to me!

Little Gull

SH found the first Common Tern of the year on West Trout Lake today so I cycled over for a look-unfortunately there was no sign by the time I arrived but I did find an adult and a 1st winter-type Little Gull in situ there. Apart from that a few Chiffchaffs in the trees along the path and a couple of Eygptian Geese was the sum. The less said about the morning's seawatch the better!

A meeting up with the rest of the SOS records committee on Saturday proposed a few changes to species descriptions required, a work in progress naturally but some productive alterations in the offing, more to follow on this in due course when the changes are finalised.

Little Gull at the gravel pits: