Peninsula birding

 A few good birds on the Peninsula recently, Least Sandpiper, Nightingale (very scarce there), Hoopoe and a few male Common Redstarts probably the pick. Sea passage has been quite quiet, no Arctic Skuas through yet or indeed Arctic Terns but the first Little Terns were seen today at Church Norton so it seems these easterlies are beginning to produce a little at last...hopefully not too late for Garganey. Local year list trundling along at 155.

In other news, the ground is spectacularly dry making planting (and watering!) hard going on our little Oving organic farm and we are going into the hungry gap now but the sound of birdsong and the opportunity for a sneaky sky-watch between packing, planting & harvesting is a joy! Just need that Booted Eagle over now...!

year listing...again...

 Have been cracking on with the Peninsula year list, 132/143 to end of January so not too bad, Short-eared Owl, Bullfinch and Siskin are topping the looking for list atm...did try for the Black-necked Grebe at Itchenor...I really need to review those pics, looked quite good in the scope albeit nearly on Thorney Island!! A flyover pipit at the North Wall today was almost certainly Water Pipit but not claiming it without a sound recording or a photograph.

Spring is looming and we have a lot to do on the farm this year with a couple of new enterprises taking shape so that might curtail things a bit. The nightmare of a Peninsula tick appearing at 4pm on a Friday afternoon is always present, Oving to Medmerry Stilt Pool (it's always the Stilt Pool, the furthest from me) is no joke and far too stressful. On the positive though quite often things have stuck until the next day so there is always hope if a dip is made.

A few new birds on the Peninsula would be welcome; Pacific Diver got to be a possible, plenty of Great Northern Divers to associate with, another Night Heron would be welcome as would be a Barred or Melodious Warbler, we shall see what the year brings...

Little Gull

 A juvenile Little Gull was at the Bill late morning (was there early on but top tip for visitors don't push in past the regulars and stand in front of them ...and don't flush birds later...) and a good day out was had in spite of it all...Kingfisher, three Jack Snipe, Coal Tit all met the year list, up and running!

LEOs, Egrets & Nuthatch

Three Long-eared Owls were roosting at a private site on the Selsey Peninsula in December. Also 50 Cattle Egrets at Drayton plus  a Great White Egret and c.15 Little Egrets and a Nuthatch in the orchard!

Pied Wheatear at Seaford

With not much going on in the local area I decoded on a nice trip out on Friday morning to try for the now long-staying Pied Wheatear at Seaford's Splash Point. A good run down there found me first on site and the bird duly oblige after about 20 minutes! It continued to show well around the ruins at the end of the esplanade, along with two or three Black Redstarts and a scattering of Meadow Pipits and Pied Wagtails, for at least 45 minutes, vet nice little bird. I liked the area so a spring seawatch here rather than Selsey is very much on the cards..!

Orchard Marsh Tit

 A Marsh Tit was with a mixed flock in the orchard this morning, only the second record in thirty years at least here, so exciting! Also a Firecrest in the flock, bonus!

199: Black-necked Grebes

 A trip to East Head, thanks AJ on the Hayling side for heads up, found the two Black-necked Grebes offshore at Chichester Harbour mouth this morning, 199 for the Selsey Peninsula area for the year and the first of the year here (wait for it...😂😂😂)....

 So come on then Goosander, Snow Bunting, SEO, Bullfinch of Caspian Gull. Where art thou?? What if any of these. let's not get complacent, will be 200????