Ivy Lake

A look at Ivy Lake in the drizzle produced c.40 Herring Gulls, c.50 Pochards, a dozen Tufted Ducks and a pair of Shoveler but not a lot else.

Still lots of tree cutting and shrub clearance going on... hopefully it will settle down as it's been dire there for the past year...

A quick look at the Bill found it mist-bound with little to no visibility...

Red-legged Partridges

Nothing of note at Selsey Bill but two Red-legged Partridges, new for year, were on the stubble maize fields at Reedy Marsh.

Red-legged Partridge:

Chifchaffs etc. etc.

Considerably more luck today...a Raven at Summer lane, a Merlin at the Long Pool and again at Brimfast Lane & a Black-throated Diver at the Bill were all new for the year and were welcome boosts for the list.

At Pagham SF there were c.20 Chiffchaffs & at first I thought there were two of "classic" tristis Siberian Chiffchaffs, which show no yellow in the upperparts.. but on this second bird..note the very pale underparts, brownish cheeks, long supercilium..but also the apparent hint of yellow at the eyebrow...this is interesting though...and both pale birds did respond to Siberian Chiffchaff call so...not sure!

"The problem is that tristis knows many variety, with most ‘aberrant’ birds showing green tones in mantle. Some even have some yellow at the eyebrow (especially in front of the eye). It’s not clear where the exact plumage boundaries lie between such birds and other taxa or hybrids between them"

...full article here: birdingnetherlands.com/blog/identification-of-siberian-chiffchaff

Toe End & Drayton

Another look around Toe End again failed to turn much up! Four Stonechats and handful of Meadow Pipits were around the rough ground but the much vaunted breach has yet to really turn up anything of note; apparently the mudflats will soon be teeming with life, hmmm..how long has Medmerry been open for and why are there less birds now?!!?

On the way back a walk at Drayton found the pair of Coal Tits but no nice surprises like Woodcock and Bittern!

Stonechat (lost apparently...):

Mistle Thrushes

Mis-fired on my four target birds today...no sign of Raven, Red-legged Partridge, Black Redstart or Corn Bunting and also missed the Drayton Pit Goosander...did manage to see two smart Mistle Thrushes in Rectory Lane though and a Shag east then west at the Bill was NFY and a nice bit of walking was done. Later on, a single Sandwich Tern west at Bracklesham Bay whilst eating ice-cream was welcome.

Mistle Thrush:

Stonechat, RNP and Whimbrel

A walk at Toe End was a bit more lively than of late with four Stonechats and c.20 Meadow Pipits around the rough ground. No sign of any Black Redstarts or Corn Buntings and not much at the breach of indeed offshore though.

Earlier, a Ring-necked Parakeet was heard at Selsey Bill (though apparently it wasn't according to someone who didn't hear it..work that one out...)

The Whimbrel was still at Church Norton.

Stonechat:

Whimbrel:

Owls

A Tawny Owl heard this evening near Ham Road ended a day that started with a Little Owl seen at Northcommon Farm.... also added Fulmar and Bar-tailed Godwit for the year at the Bill & Church Norton respectively.

Coal Tit & Siberian Chiffchaff

Coal Tit at Drayton, Siberian Chiffchaff at Pagham and two Jack Snipe at North Wall today.

Coal Tit:

Siberian Chiffchaff:

Redwings & Kingfisher

Lots of Redwings at Mapsons Lane today, a Kingfisher at Fishbourne and a Spotted Redshank in Ferry Channel were the highlights today.

 Redwing:

Barn Owl & Bittern

Finally managed to see the Drayton Bittern as it flew across the north pit before disappearing south-east wards, pleased with that..also a surprise Barn Owl seen.

Firecrest & Nuthatch

My first Firecrest, (Drayton Pit) Nuthatch and "standard" Treecreeper (Wilf's Copse) of 2020 today as well as 22 Cattle Egrets and four Egyptian Geese at Marsh Farm... I contrived to miss the Drayton Bittern so back for a stakeout tomorrow...!

Nuthatch:

Firecrest:

Water Pipit & Northern Treecreeper

A good start to 2020 with a Long-tailed Duck east at Selsey this morning first thing. Also the usual Great Northern Divers, Red-throated Divers and miscellaneous seabirds! A quick look at Birdham Pool produced the female Mandarin Duck and an extended look at Fishbourne Creek finally turned up the Water Pipit along with c.10 Rock Pipits, a Lesser Black-backed Gull, a Yellow-legged Gull and a few Goldeneye on the water.

Moving off the Selsey Peninsula for a welcome change I went up to Patching for a second try at the Northern Treecreeper...this time success! The bird showed very well for c.10 minutes before apparently resuming its circuit of the undergrowth.

At home my son found a Robin and a Chiffchaff in the garden, good for him! We also have a number of Rook nests in the trees expertly spotted by Ives jnr..!

Water Pipit at Fishbourne:

Northern Treecreeper at Patching: