Wild Quail Hunt

So Quails all through Sussex then! One at Medmerry then no doubt! Well yes and, er, no... One was reported as singing last Friday but not until Saturday so obviously couldn't check it out until that evening and not surprisingly no sight or sound of it. So since then several e-bike trips from Pagham RSPB to Medmerry Stilit Pools for me and they have yielded, if you've read this drivel this far you probably have guessed the answer, zero Quails. 

And zero Golden Oriels. 

Or Bee-eaters.

Or with the noble exception of a couple of Corn Buntings at Ham and four Greenshank on the Stilt Pool anything else of note really. And it's been this way for quite a while.

Lots and lots of Yellowhammers and Skylarks of course, not a bad thing...(and apparently breeding Redshanks are the new poster boys and girls)...but there could be so much more with a bit of imagination...

So if only there was a migrant trap to west of Selsey...hmm there is of course and, as noted above, it's called Medmerry. But a problem. Only about 5% is accessible to birders. There was talk of a hide or birding access being arranged to those lovely brambles, scrubby areas and trees in the centre of the reserve but this seems to have died the inevitable death. 

I'm sure many of the locals would be happy to pay for a key if thats what it took. 

Paths we used to go down (the one by flint barn for example) are now gated "RSPB & wildlife only"- never see anyone counting the butterflies like I used to do there though. Another area and data set lost.

New scrapes behind the sea wall anyone? 😉

A bit of botany:

Broomrape, a parsitic plant (note legume host top right) at the North Wall:

Grass Vetchling at Medmerry:

Honeys & Hawkers

Fifty-five species at Woolbeding today, checklist HERE with Honey Buzzard x 4 and Goshawk omitted (i think this is a bit odd really, surely technology exists to let through "sensitive sp." from known and publicised watchpoints?).

Other highlights were being there on my own very early for 2.5 hrs and soaking it all in before anyone else turned up (joy) and singing Woodlark, Garden Warbler, a low flyover Crossbill and a perched Honey-buzzard well spotted by MB. Two distant Honeys too and another giving lovely scope views found by NM.

In the afternoon the wife and I went to Nunnery Lake and had c.six Norfolk Hawkers, really hard to photograph in the heat but decent naked-eye/bins views. Also Kingfisher, Cetti's Warbler, Reed Warbler, Egyptian Goose and a surprise Firecrest.

Going back a day, five Eider and a party of Arctic Terns at the Bill were nice and I jammed into a Spotted Flycatcher at the sheep field at Church Norton so have had worse days. 

Woodlark:

Birds of Interest...

 A look at Woolbeding for Honey-buzzard turned one up at 7am on Friday and it was the intermediate-type that was present last year-unfortunately I got called away annoyingly so I missed the two birds over the car park later on so will go back. The road is closed at Woolbeding so best way in is Holist Lane. Loads of other stuff up there too, Garden Warbler, Siskin, other raptors etc.

A Roseate Tern (which I still need for the year: update: see below!) was called by AW at Church Norton later in the day...but was it? MRe was on site and suggested it was a Common Tern...so I asked "with a black bill"? he mentioned eastern as an outside possibilty and to me this bird fits that bill-dark bill, dark legs, white cheeks and general Common Tern plumage. Eastern Common Tern? why not?

ECT info on Birding Frontiers

This is interesting too, possible Roseate X Common Tern hybrid?:

RBA Round-up

I don't care much for proper twitching (hypocrite caveat: Peninsula birds are ok!), too much "have you seen it?" NO; "did you say you saw it?" NO; "but you've seen it??" ad nauseum for me nowadays (grumpy old(er) man syndrome) but I did venture to no-man's land, East Sussex, for the Eastern Subalpine Warbler which did show quite well-darker than I expected compared to Western-not too bad a journey either at 4am and home by 9am so all good.

Eastern Common Tern?: my pic top (rubbish), AW's lower (excellent)

Woolbeding:

Eastern Subalpine Warbler:

So Sunday became even more interesting with two Roseate Terns at Church (later three!) and a Temminck's Stint (& a sleeping Sanderling) at the Ferry, thanks to RHa for the latter. Both were welcome Peninsula year ticks. 

Temminck's Stint, at the the far back of the Ferry Pool, you might need a magnifing glass...

Roseate Tern, landing:

Roseate Terns, far left, with Sandwich & Common Terns: 

Sprng has sprung...clang...

Well that's a wrap for spring at the Bill...the poorest I can remember. The seabirds are out there, look at Dungeness' totals, but we don't seem to get them anymore. Kudos to Paul Bowley for sitting through the absolute dross this year and becoming the Pom King-elect. My highlights offshore a mere 17 Pomarine Skuas and  five Black Terns, a good flock (yes one good flock!) of Arctic Terns and a few Common Terns but nothing else. And. yes. I know two Bee-eaters came in-off and that was amazing but what else did? One Serin, one Short-eared Owl...hopeless! 

As ever the camaraderie was good among the regulars though, albeit through gritted teeth on occasion when it was another slow day. and I suppose that is the saving the grace at the Bill. 

And so will we be back again? well of course we will, tomorrow probably, but just maybe with the thought that for some of us it's only two hours drive to Dunge...🤣🤣

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!!: