SELSEY BIRDER REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2013

 

Review of the Year 2013

Compiled by Andy House

This is not a formal report – the SOS do a thoroughly comprehensive one that takes dozens of people hundreds of hours to compile – but a brief summary of some of the many ornithological highlights of the year on the Selsey (Manhood) peninsula. The highlight in some ways was Owen’s sterling efforts in getting this blog up and running. I have long thought that something like this would be a great thing for the peninsula, but lacked the know-how, perseverance and time to make it happen. I think it has made all of us try that bit harder with a few extra hours a week locally and make more effort to record and share our findings. And I like to think, and sincerely hope, that the blog will be running long after we have all gone off to the great twitch in the sky.

Rainbow from Selsey Bill (Sam Hill)

The biggest change in our area during the year was undoubtedly the creation of the new ‘Medmerry’ reserve in the area we familiarly call Selsey West Fields. We may mourn the passing of a hidden little jewel down there, but the sheer scale of the undertaking and the extent of the area now being managed for nature can only mean more birds for us all to enjoy.

    

 



Progress on the development of the Medmerry site (Sarah Russell)

Birding on the peninsula can be frustrating at times; we all may sometimes feel that we miss out down here, and that the birding party is happening elsewhere, but a total of 215 species has been recorded during the year, including several national rarities and a good few county rarities. And given the dismal weather in the first half of the year, with barely any days during the spring when the wind was in the right direction for migrants or sea-passage on the south coast, we probably feel that we have ‘earned’ our birds the hard way! The second half of the year, by contrast, has seen largely benign conditions (for both us and the birds), but that has not stopped it being a very interesting autumn right up until Christmas.

Sea-watching from the Bill – how we imagine it will be in a sunny south-easterly, and the reality of a cold north-westerly! (Owen Mitchell)

In terms of rarity – and as a first for the peninsula, if not for its showy looks and obliging behaviour - April’s Western Bonelli’s Warbler was the bird of the year, but a supporting cast of Red-Breasted Goose, Balearic Shearwater, Purple Heron, Great White Egret, Glossy Ibis, Pectoral Sandpiper, Roseate Tern, Bee-eater, Wryneck, Rose-coloured Starling, Great Grey and Red-Backed Shrike, Golden Oriole and Serin would stand consideration with most places.

The other feature of the year were the day-count records being for Selsey Bill being broken for five species, including spectacular spring movements of both Brent Geese and ‘Commic’ Terns, and of Balearic Shearwaters in the late summer.

Church Norton in the winter sun – is there really a better place to be? (Chris Moore)

In some ways it was not a classic year – rarities were relatively few and those that there were did not give themselves up easily or widely, whilst the general passage in the spring, in particular, was poor for numbers. BUT overall, if one skims through the days and weeks that the blog has been running, there are very few ‘blank’ days – and even in the worst weather, or at the quietest times of the year, somebody somewhere on the peninsula has seen something worthy of a report. So we start a new year on the peninsula - dreaming of a 100 Pom spring at the Bill and finding a Red-flanked Bluetail at Pagham in the autumn, but happily accepting that seeing a dozen Poms would be more than fine, and finding a Wryneck would make the year – ready to see what will come our way.

The birds

This is by no means a comprehensive report – I have merely tried to summarise the birding highlights of the year, including details of the scarcer species, and the more interesting and unusual counts and dates for the commoner species. Generally speaking, records are only included where they were reported to the blog (ie not necessarily on the SOS or other sites), and for rarer species, only where a description has been submitted to the SOS. I apologise in advance if I have omitted anybody’s records, and for deliberately not crediting anyone with finding individual birds.

Divers

There were well above average counts of both Red-throated and Black-throated Divers recorded on spring migration, with 541 of the former, including the second-best day total ever of 142 east on 7^th April, and at 40 birds east, nearly double the average spring figure for the latter. The only downside was a number of oiled birds seen, including a summer-plumaged Red-throated Diver on Ivy Lake on 10^th April.

 Red-throated Diver, Ivy Lake 10^th April (AH)

There were regular counts into double figures from the Bill of lingering Great Northern Divers, a number of which had attained full summer-plumage before they departed. There are few other sites away from the far north and west of the country where such a gathering can be regularly seen.

                                                         Great Northern Diver, Selsey Bill 2^nd April (AH)                                                 

Numbers were good for all three species in the autumn, too, with up to eight Great Northern Divers lingering offshore at the Bill.

Grebes 

It was generally a poor first winter period for the rarer grebe species – a single Red-necked Grebe recorded a few times off the Bill and East Head, and low numbers of Slavonian Grebes recorded off Church Norton - but the spring more than made up for it.

Most remarkable was the flock of 6 Black-necked Grebes, several of which were in summer-plumage, which landed close offshore from the Bill on 9^th April. It was a vile, stormy morning with a big high-tide and the tight little flock took several minutes to slowly drift around the Bill-tip. This is a rare bird anywhere on the peninsula (and last recorded at the Bill in 2005), and a flock of this size is unprecedented, though there was a flurry of reports all along the south coast at this time, and a further two were recorded on the sea on the following morning. There was an autumn record, too, of one in the harbour-mouth on 24^th-25^th November.

Slavonian Grebe numbers at the Bill were good, too, with up to six lingering well into April, allowing the rarely seen sight (for us on the south coast, anyway!) of full summer-plumaged birds on a number of occasions.  I   

 

(above) Slavonian Grebe, Selsey Bill 29^th April (AH); (below) Black-necked Grebe, Pagham Harbour mouth 24^th November (Trevor Guy)               

It was a good autumn for this species, with a peak of 26 birds recorded off Church Norton on 27^th November and 30 past the bill on 15^th December, numbers not usually seen until well into the new year.

Seabirds

Excitement was limited in the spring and early summer, though it was a reasonable year for Manx Shearwater passage – with around 50 birds seen up to the end of May and at least that many again through the summer.    

                                                 Manx Shearwater, Selsey Bill 15^th June (AH)                                              

It was a reasonable summer by recent standards for Storm-Petrels, too, with a total of six sightings in the middle of June, all of single birds, thus – one on 13^th , 2 on the 14^th and 3 on the 17^th. Whether it was one or two lingering birds, or a small passage we shall never fully know!

The highlight of the year, though, was undoubtedly, for those lucky enough to be present, the passage past the Bill of the globally-threatened Balearic Shearwaters on 31^st August. A total of 76 birds were seen – 56 east and 20 west, including flocks of 15 and 11 birds. To give it some context, the next biggest day-total ever in the county was 19 past the Bill in 2008, and there have only been three years when the annual count past the Bill has reached double-figures. And, for good measure, another flock of nine passed close by the following morning, for those that missed the main event! And to finish an extraordinary year locally, for this internationally scarce species, one was sat on the sea, less than 100m offshore at the Bill, on 23^rd December.

 Balearic Shearwater, Selsey Bill 23^rd December (Sam Hill)

Herons, etc.

It was another good year for rare herons, including a first for the Bill. Not the great rarity it once was, the Great White Egret watched coming in off the sea at the Bill on the evening of 19^th April was still a first for the site, and amazingly it was followed barely six weeks later (2^nd June), by numbers two and three, arriving together. Another one, in Pagham Harbour, off the North Wall on 2^nd and 3^rd October, and one in off the sea at Church Norton on 23^rd November completed a good year for this increasingly frequent visitor.

 

                                                

(above) Great White Egret, Pagham Harbour 2^nd October (Owen Mitchell), (below) Purple Heron, Long Pool, Pagham Harbour 4^th August (Colin Eames)

Rarest, and briefest of all, was a Purple Heron, seen in flight along the Long Pool, Pagham Harbour, on the afternoon of 4^th August – a similar circumstance to last year’s solitary record.

It’s fair to say that a Glossy Ibis would have generated major excitement even five years ago, but these days it is considered an expected year tick - if still a pleasant surprise. And after last year’s long-stayers, we had to wait until 24^th October for one to drop in briefly on the Breach Pool.

Glossy Ibis, Breach Pool 24^th October (AH)

The only Bitterns recorded were one on Ivy Lake, seen on a number of occasions up until 17^th March, and one at Drayton Pits on 10^th December. There were only 3 Spoonbills recorded this year, down on recent years, namely an adult that spent a week in Pagham Harbour after arriving on the unusual date of 1^st July, and more typically, a fly-over at the North Wall on 5^th September and a 1^st -winter bird that took up residence at Snowhill Creek from the 27^th and into October before relocating to Pagham Harbour for most of November.

Spoonbill (with Little Egret), Snowhill Creek 28^th September (Dorian Mason)

Wildfowl

Whooper Swan has become a regular wintering species in recent years, and the group of four that re-appeared just before the start of the year would have been much more taken-for-granted, had they settled back at their regular wintering site with the Mute Swans in the vicinity of Honer Farm, rather than giving us all the run-around for several weeks!

Whooper Swans, Honer Farm 28^th January (AH)

In what was a poor year for the scarcer wintering geese, the highlight, and another first for the Bill, was the Red-breasted Goose which passed both east and west on the morning of 13^th January. It had wintered at Farlington with its host flock of Brent Geese and they clearly had attempted to depart these shores, only to turn about in the dire weather and return, initially to Thorney Island and ultimately back where they started. Unfortunately, it sneaked by unseen on its second attempt!

Whilst it may not have been a bumper year for rarities, 2013 will be remembered for one of the most memorable migration spectacles witnessed at the Bill. After a very slow start to spring passage, with lower than normal numbers being seen in February and March, the dark-bellied Brent Goose population finally started to move on the 6th April, when a truly spectacular passage occurred, culminating in a record day total of 4,764 birds seen flying east. The bulk of these birds were flying very close in or along the shoreline and the majority of them were seen during the late afternoon and on into the evening. This unprecedented event was observed along the whole of the Sussex coast, exciting birders and members of the public alike. With further counts in excess of a thousand birds on 7th and 11th, as well as smaller totals on several other days, the monthly total for April was an incredible 10,022 birds passing eastwards, in a record spring total of 11,171.

Brent Geese passing Selsey Bill 6th April (AH) 

Two species of dubious provenance that are rarely seen on the peninsula put in late-autumn appearances, namely Egyptian Goose, still a rare bird on the peninsula, of which four appeared in the North Wall area on 26th November, with two seen again there on 2nd December and at Fishbourne Creek on the27th, whilst two Ruddy Shelduck settled into the harbour from 11th December and will undoubtedly go onto everyone’s year-list! 

Ruddy Shelducks, Pagham Harbour 12th December (AH)

That frustrating favourite, the Garganey, lived up to its elusive reputation, with 4 birds seen in spring and 3 in autumn past the Bill, but only three sightings ‘on land’ – a very brief pair on the Ferry on 23rd March, a drake and two ducks on the Breach Pool on 11th April, and another drake on the Ferry on 1st June.

A couple of Selsey Bill day-count records were broken during the spring, though the record of 285 Wigeon east on 6th April was somewhat eclipsed by the massive Brent Goose movement at the same time. A count of 47 Tufted Ducks east on 22nd March was also a record for what is generally an uncommon bird on sea-watches. Most of the less common duck species put in an appearance during the first half of the year, but numbers were low – with just a single spring Long-tailed Duck seen off Church Norton on 1st March, and a drake Goosander flying east past the Bill on 27th March (only the 4th spring record there in 22 years). Both of these species more than made up for it in the autumn, though, when a group of 5 Long-tailed Ducks – the biggest group seen on the peninsula for many years - took up residence off Church Norton from 25th November into December, with another off East Head, and possibly as many as twelve Goosanders were present in the first week of December (up to nine off Church Norton and three off East Head) in a remarkable influx of this normally fresh-water species.
 

             (above) Goosanders, Church Norton 3rd December (Dorian Mason) ; (below) Long-tailed Duck, East Head 3rd December (AH)

There was a very unseasonal but obliging female Scaup on Pagham Lagoon between 24th June and 2nd July, and the only other record was of another female west past the Bill on 28th October. The only report of Red-Crested Pochard was of an extremely elusive female that was on Ivy Lake for a few days in early October.

                     

                                 (above) Scaup, Pagham Lagoon 25th June (AH); (below) Eiders, Chichester Harbour 18th December (AH)

Normally a reasonably regular winter visitor, Eider were in very short supply in the first half of the year, but happily the autumn brought at least a dozen to Pagham Harbour, seven to Chichester Harbour and regular movements seen past the Bill.

It was a good year for scoters, with a wintering flock of Common Scoter – unusual these days – that had built up to a peak of 180 birds by 3rd April, and a spring passage of 9583 birds east, being two and a half times the ten-year average, and a reasonable spring passage of Velvet Scoters (in excess of 50 birds) being augmented by two or three birds that took up residence with their commoner cousins.

 

Birds of Prey

The status of the two regular harrier species continues to diverge. The sole spring record of Hen Harrier was of a ringtail that was followed in off the sea at the Bill from a great distance on 17^th May, and was later seen over the Medmerry area. Another was seen on a few autumn dates in Pagham Harbour, but the days of a regular winter roost seem long past now. Marsh Harriers, on the other hand continue to increase, and the species was recorded sporadically but regularly from Pagham and Medmerry during the year, including a peak of three birds at the latter site in October, and there were two records, both of males seen coming in off the sea, at the Bill (on 27^th March and 2^nd April).

  

(above) Marsh Harrier, North Wall 4^th November (Gareth Hughes); (below) Merlin, Church Norton spit 10^th November (Sam Hill)

Red Kite, by comparison, remains a rare bird on the peninsula despite a growing population on the Downs, and there was just one record, of one over the Ferry on 5th March. It was a surprisingly poor year for Osprey, too, with no spring records and just a handful of autumn records – none of them from any of the regular watchers!

It was a reasonable spring for Hobby, with a total of 14 birds seen in off the sea at Selsey, but Merlins were in short supply, with a single report – of one over the North Wall on 21^st January – being the only record until a flurry of autumn records of at least one returning bird around Church Norton, and best of all, one in off the sea that landed on the wall at the Bill on 17^th October.

Gamebirds, etc.

Grey Partridges still just about cling on around the peninsula, but records were very few this year – two pairs seen in fields near the ‘South Mundham floods’ on 22^nd Feb, and a covey of five birds at Medmerry on 28^th September would appear to be the only records.

An obliging (for some!) Water Rail spent the winter in a tiny bit of habitat on East Beach Pond, and there seemed to be a pronounced influx in October/November.

Water Rail, East Beach Pond 12^th March (Sarah Russell)

Waders

One of the more disappointing features of the year was the very poor spring passage of waders past the Bill – for example,  the totals of 124 Bar-Tailed Godwit and 188 Whimbrel in the whole spring would be bettered in a single good day in a normal year! On the other hand, both Little Ringed Plover and Avocet succeeded in raising young despite the disturbance at Medmerry. There was an unprecedented summer presence of the latter species, alternating between there and the Ferry, peaking at 25 birds in late June, before they all disappeared in the first week of July. Both Lapwing and Redshank also had a successful breeding season at Medmerry, too.       

(above) Juvenile Little Ringed Plover, Ferry Pool 6^th August (AH) ; (below) Juvenile Avocets, Ferry Pool 29^th June (AH)

After a fairly poor spring for waders, not helped by the duck-pond water levels on the Ferry, the late summer/early autumn period was quite productive, though we continue to wait for that mega! Rarest bird was the Pectoral Sandpiper that was present on the Ferry on 7^th and 8^th September.

            Pectoral Sandpiper, Ferry Pool 8^th September (AH)

It was joined on its second day by two Little Stints – the first of the year, and over the next fortnight the Ferry was ‘like it used to be,’ with a constant flow of waders toing and froing, including a peak count of 12 Curlew Sandpipers. There were five present in the North Wall area at the same time, making it a very good year for the species.

                              (above) Curlew Sandpipers, White’s Creek 6^th October (AH) ; (below) Spotted Redshank, White’s Creek 24^th July (AH)

It was also a good autumn for Spotted Redshank, with up to five lingering on into October in Pagham Harbour, and six in Fishbourne Creek into December, whilst a beautiful summer-plumaged bird was present around the North Wall in late July.  One species that surprisingly didn’t make it to Pagham was Wood Sandpiper, with the only records being of the two birds that took up residence on the creek at Medmerry between 4th and 18th August.                                                                                                            

(above) Wood Sandpiper, Medmerry 8th August (Dorian Mason); (below) Jack Snipe, Breach Pool 3rd October (Dorian Mason)

A mention must be made, too, for the obliging Jack Snipe that settled on the Breach Pool in early October, allowing a good few people the chance see this elusive, if regular, visitor to the peninsula.

Skuas

It was a disappointing year for the Bill’s emblematic bird, the Pomarine Skua. Typically unpredictable in behaviour, a mere 15 were noted, with the best day-total a meagre four birds on the late date of 22^nd May. Next year can only be better! 

On the other hand, it was an above average year for Arctic Skuas, with a spring total of 140 birds east, including the earliest ever – on 3^rd March, and an average year, with 61 birds east, for Great Skua (Bonxie), including one that landed on the beach in front of an appreciative crowd on 14^th April!

                                    Bonxie, Selsey Bill 14^th April (Sam Hill)                                               

  
Gulls, Terns & Auks

It was not a great year for interesting gulls – no rare species were seen, it was a poor spring for passage of Little Gulls – with just 43 birds passing the Bill in the whole spring, and Kittiwake numbers were low, too. Unusually, though, a Little Gull lingered on the peninsula, and the smart second-summer bird that commuted between the Ferry and Medmerry between 17th and 28^th April was much appreciated.

Little Gull, Medmerry 28^th April (AH)

Despite being still relatively uncommon in the country as a whole, Mediterranean Gulls are now so numerous on the peninsula that they hardly merit a mention, and counts of several hundred during the winter are not uncommon. Yellow-Legged Gulls have not quite acquired that status, but the peninsula is one of the most reliable places to see the species, and counts of up to forty were had during the late summer.

(above) Mediterranean Gull, Selsey Bill 12^th March (AH); (below) Yellow-legged Gull, Fishbourne Creek 22^nd July (AH)

It was a mixed year for terns on the peninsula, with spring passage up for some species and down for others and a fairly unsuccessful breeding season despite some early promise. Sandwich Terns are becoming an established wintering species, with a handful of birds seen primarily in Chichester Harbour, though they do seem to reach the Bill on occasions. The first passage birds were noted on 3^rd March, and - possibly due to the cold, wet weather – up to 50 birds were feeding and loitering off the Bill throughout the spring. Migrant numbers were actually above average, at 2724 birds east. For several weeks it looked like there would be breeding in Pagham Harbour – there was much displaying and fish-passing – but sadly it came to nothing.

 

Sandwich Terns, Selsey Bill 28^th March (AH)

Little Terns did nest on Church Norton spit, but as seems all too familiar, breeding success was poor. Spring passage was meagre, too, with a total of just 200 birds east.

Common Tern (including ‘Commic Terns,’ for which they make up the majority) passage on the other hand was way above the long-term average, at 5965 birds east. This included a memorable day, on 5^th May, when after a very poor spring for passage, and a slow start to the morning, the floodgates opened and a new day-total record of 3391 birds were counted moving east in a broad wave from the strandline to the horizon over the course of the day. There was also some modest breeding success on Tern Island which was encouraging.

There was much debate in the spring about how many Arctic Terns really do pass the Bill, and certainly close scrutiny of the ‘Commic’ movement produced very few definites. There were a few easier-to-identify juveniles on Ivy Lake and at Church Norton in September to safely add to the list. 

Disappointingly, there were no Roseate Terns past the Bill; the sole record being one at Church Norton on the evening of 27^th May (which quite probably turned up inland at Warnham Mill Pond the following day.)

Black Terns, too were in very short supply – just five in the whole spring, and just one on Ivy Lake in the autumn (23^rd September), though a group of seven birds took up residence right on the edge of the peninsula, off the mouth of Chichester Harbour, for a week at the start of September.

Black Tern, Ivy Lake 23^rd September (Adam Bowley)

Razorbill and Guillemot tend to end up assigned as ‘auk sp’ when passing the Bill, but in the first half of the year the former appeared to considerably outnumber the latter, a trend that has been growing in recent years. The biggest movement was on 10^th March, with counts westward of 725 birds, including 66 Razorbills and just one Guillemot. Perversely, in the autumn the roles were reversed, and included one of the biggest day-counts ever of Guillemots - of 480 passing west on 16^th December, a day with just 16 Razorbills counted. There were two reports of Puffin – on 3^rd and 25^th February, but it remains to be seen if they will pass the scrutiny of the records committee!

Pigeons, Owls & near-passerines

A sorry sign of the times is that any sighting of Turtle Dove these days generates a great deal of interest. There were a couple of spring records, firstly of a slightly aberrant, white-marked one at Park Farm, Selsey on 27^th April, and then one that spent the day in a Selsey garden, on 17^th May. Otherwise, the only records were from the north Wall area, where between one and three birds were seen intermittently from early July to early September.

Turtle Dove, North Wall 11^th July (AH)

Cuckoos always seem to find the peninsula to their liking, and there were regular reports from Church Norton, Medmerry and the North Wall area, the first of which was on 18^th April. The rare site of a juvenile being tended by its adoptive Dunnock parents was seen on 29^th and 30^th July behind the visitor centre.

Less than forty miles from the peninsula and the Ring-necked Parakeet is considered an abundant and noisy pest, but here it remains a rarity, with just two records –  one over the B2145 on 30^th March and a more amenable one at the Bill on 7^th and 8^th December.

       

(above) Ring-necked Parakeet, Selsey Bill 8^th December (Sam Hill); (below) Long-eared Owl, Pagham Tramway 22^nd April (Martin Peacock)

One of the birding highlights for many of the visitors to the reserve was the incredibly obliging Long-eared Owl that spent the 21^st and 22^nd April sat in the hedgerow behind the visitor centre, oblivious to its many admirers. It was by no means a bumper year for Short-eared Owls, with no regular wintering birds early in the year, though odd individuals, like the one in off the sea at Church Norton on 25^th January, were noted. The three resident owl species were all typically elusive, too – Tawny Owls can be heard all over the peninsula but are rarely seen, Barn Owls were more in evidence early in the year but the awful weather was reportedly very bad for breeding, whilst Little Owls – once a regular sight at many locations – were only reported from two or three private sites.

There was one record of Bee-eater, briefly present behind the hide at Church Norton on the morning of 18^th May, and seen and photographed by one lucky observer.

Bee-eater, Church Norton 18^th May (AH)

There can be few more reliable places in the country to find a Wryneck than the path between the beach and the Severals at Church Norton, and it came up trumps not once but twice this autumn, with one present from 25^th to 27^th August and another from 14^th to 16^th September.

Wryneck, the Severals at Church Norton 25^th August (AH) 

In terms of rarity, the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, heard but not seen at Halsey’s Farm on 13^th November, far eclipsed these records, being possibly the first in a decade on the peninsula.

Larks, Pipits & hirundines

January’s cold snap brought a surprise in the form of four Woodlarks that took up residence for a few days from the 20^th in a vegetable field at Park Farm, Selsey.

Woodlark, Selsey Park Farm 20^th January (AH)

Four was the magic number for Tree Pipit, too. After a blank year for them, one appeared in Norton churchyard on 20^th August, building up to a peak of four on 26^th, with 2 still present on 30^th. This is a scarce bird on the peninsula nowadays – normally one or two spring or autumn flyovers are the year’s total, so up to four lingering and viewable birds was a rare treat.

(above) Tree Pipit, Church Norton churchyard 20^th August (AH) ; (below) Yellow Wagtail on the beach at Selsey Bill, 17^th November (AH)

One reason that they hung around would appear to be the presence of a large flock of Yellow Wagtails on the adjacent irrigated field, part of a sizeable early autumn influx after a poor spring. It was estimated that up to 100 birds were present there during late August/early September, whilst flocks of 30+ were regularly seen in the North Wall area and the Ferry field, and 120+ birds were on the Medmerry site on 5^th September. An unexpected bird that appeared on the beach at the Bill on 17^th November proved to be the latest ever record there.

Not much to report on the subject of hirundines, but one noticeable – and hopefully good – thing was the large build-ups of what appeared to be mainly juvenile Sand Martins in July. On the 6^th there were up 500 birds settling in the vegetation in the harbour at high tide off Pagham Lagoon, whilst at Park Farm, Selsey there was possibly double that number feeding furiously over cropped fields, virtually all of which had gone by the following day. Three days later there were 300 or so birds sat on the wires by the Lagoon, and good numbers continued to be seen throughout the month and into August.

            Sand Martins on wires at Pagham Lagoon 9^th July (AH)

Thrushes, etc

The cold snap in late January brought a big influx of Fieldfares and Redwings onto the peninsula and the fields and paddocks around Park Farm were awash with several hundred of both. On 26^th January an attempt to count the Fieldfares between Sidlesham and Ham Farm produced a conservative estimate of 1200 birds. Both species hung on an unusually long time, too, with records right on into April.

Fieldfares, Tennessee Farm Hunston 20^th January (AH)

One species for which 2013 will be remembered for the wrong reasons is Ring Ouzel. Just two fleeting spring sightings, on 14^th/15^th April were followed by a mere two in the autumn, on 13^th/14^th October. This was particularly galling as East Sussex was inundated with literally hundreds of them, with flocks of twenty and thirty birds being seen!

Another species which had a bad year was Whinchat, with most regular watchers having to wait until well into August for their first of the year, though thereafter they were a little more obliging. It was a bumper spring, though, for Black Redstarts. On 24^th March one at the Bill, one at Medmerry and one at the stables by the North Wall were logged, and this latter one stayed around for a week or more. There were further individuals recorded at Medmerry on the 28^th, Selsey East Beach on the 31^st, another on the same day at Sidlesham SF, one at the Selsey Centre on 8^th April, one at Church Norton on the 11^th and one at the Bill from the 7^th to the 14^th. Autumn records are more usual, but at least half a dozen birds were recorded in the area which was still a good showing.

 

(above) Black Redstart, West Sands Caravan Park, 28^th March (Sarah Russell); (below) Common Redstart, Church Norton churchyard 11^th April (AH)

Common Redstarts, by comparison, were in fairly short supply and the first one was not seen till the relatively late date of 11^th April. There were still a few smart spring males about, though, and reasonable return passage.

Northern Wheatears are always a welcome sign of spring, and in keeping with the cold spring, the first one was not seen until the late date of 17^th March, at Porthole Farm. There was also a probable Greenland Wheatear at the Bill on 16^th May.

Warblers, crests and Flycatchers

Bird of the year was the first Western Bonelli’s Warbler for the peninsula, found in the trees behind the hide at Church Norton on 22^nd April. Despite the fairly dismal weather and its elusive nature, quite a good number of people were able to connect with it during its two day stay.

Western Bonelli’s Warbler, Church Norton 22^nd April (Martin Peacock)

Otherwise, scarce warblers remained just that – a Wood Warbler was briefly present in Church Norton car park on 17^th April, and a Grasshopper Warbler equally briefly behind the Visitor Centre on 23^rd April were the only other unusual species recorded. In late autumn a notable national influx of Yellow-browed Warblers very nearly passed the peninsula by; however one was reported calling from near the Visitor centre on 22nd October and this was subsequently followed by a belated report of one seen at West Wittering.

The two regular flycatcher species seemed to enjoy mixed fortunes this year. Just about the only records of Pied Flycatcher received in the spring was of a male at Selsey Golf Course on 22^nd April, that went unseen by the locals, and another elusive one in Park Lane, Selsey on the late date of 28^th May. Autumn wasn’t much better – the first record being of one in a Birdham garden on the evening of 23^rd August. Thereafter the only other records were of two at Northcommon Farm on 3^rd September and a couple of further fleeting sightings from Church Norton.

 

(above) Pied Flycatcher in a Birdham garden! 23^rd August (Adam Bowley) ; (below) Spotted Flycatcher, Church Norton 23^rd September (Owen Mitchell)

Spotted Flycatchers, on the other hand, were more numerous in both spring and autumn than has been the case in recent years. The first was recorded on 28^th April, and they were recorded on many days in May. Saddest record was of one that ditched into the sea just short of the Bill on 22^nd May, and though it was rescued, it failed to recover. There were many days in August and September when a half dozen or more birds were reported on the peninsula, and the last records were from Church Norton on 5^th October.

Starlings, Tits, Crows, etc.

A fantastic find in a garden near East Beach on 1^st October, a juvenile Rose-coloured Starling gave the locals the run-around for a full week before being relocated near the beach on the 8th. Sadly it hung around for just one more day and was not seen again.

juvenile Rose-coloured Starling, Selsey East Beach 8^th October (Dorian Mason)

Even more elusive was the Golden Oriole seen and photographed in a Highleigh garden on 16^th April, never to be seen again.

Another species that only put in a fleeting appearance was Great Grey Shrike, with one briefly on Church Norton spit on the morning of 30^th October before moving on again. Amazingly, two days later a juvenile Red-Backed Shrike appeared at Halsey’s Farm, and was much more obliging during its week-long stay.

juvenile Red-backed Shrike, Halsey’s Farm 2^nd November (AH)

Bearded Tits are a rarely seen but regular visitor, often in autumn, to Pagham Harbour, but the group of three birds that took up residence on the Long Pool from early February into March were consistently obliging in letting many people have fantastic views of their acrobatics in the reeds.

Bearded Tit, Long Pool 12^th February (AH)

One of the rarest birds of the year on the peninsula always leaves visitors from elsewhere baffled by our excitement, and indeed it is fair to say that only the locals twitched the Nuthatch present at Halsey’s Farm in late August! What is probably the only regularly returning bird was back in a West Wittering garden by mid-December.

Until a few years ago Raven was a major rarity, and whilst not exactly common, it is a more expected visitor these days, particularly in early spring. Like last year, two birds were regularly reported from around Church Norton, in particular, during March, giving hopes that they might have stayed to breed, but sadly it seems unlikely they did. On 17^th March a group of four together was seen at Church Norton, the biggest count so far (and possibly ever!) on the peninsula.

The Jay is fairly common around the area, and autumn influxes are quite common, but it is surprisingly rare at Selsey Bill, even on migration, so the influx in May was quite unprecedented. It started with one over on the 12th, and five more the following day, but these numbers were eclipsed by flocks of 17 on the 17^th and 16 on the 21^st, all moving along the coast and then heading inland. Further flocks of four, nine and six in the following week completed a remarkable month for a bird barely recorded annually at the Bill.

Finches & Buntings

The rarest finch of the year was the female Serin seen coming in off the sea at the Bill and dropping into the Bill House garden on 12^th May. Whilst never exactly co-operative, it did allow a good number of people to see it during its three day stay.

Serin in the Bill House garden 12^th May (Mike Galtry)

Even less co-operative were Brambling, with a single record of one in a Selsey garden on 24^th March, Mealy Redpoll, with another garden record from Birdham four days later, and Common Crossbill, with a fly-over flock heard at Church Norton on 21^st July but not seen.

The Medmerry area would seem to be the only site south of the Downs that still supports Corn Buntings, and there were a number of reports during the spring and summer, including what looked like at least one juvenile bird on 11^th August. Hopefully the new salt-water habitat will be to their liking!   

                   (above) Yellowhammer, Fishbourne Creek 29^th December (AH);(below) Juvenile Corn Bunting, Medmerry 11^th August (AH) 

   
 Yellowhammers also seem to like this area, having retreated from much of the peninsula, and there did seem to be a reasonable number of singing males in the area this summer.

Finally, one of the last new birds for the year appeared on 15^th November, when a Snow Bunting was flushed from the rough ground at the end of the caravan site adjoining Medmerry. The following day it turned out that in fact four birds were present and they, plus another one, were still there a week later. Thereafter it became a bit confusing, with up to five seen at East Head and then a couple at each site, but it was undeniably a good autumn for this popular winter visitor, with a pair present to the year’s end at the latter site.

                   

                                                                            Snow Bunting, Medmerry 23^rd November (AH)



Note: All records of scarce/rare species are subject to scrutiny by the relevant Rarities Committee (SOSRC/BBRC) and their early inclusion in this Review does not necessarily imply official acceptance.