Saturday, 5 September 2026

Cory's Shearwaters

Cory's Shearwater is a prized bird at the Bill and on Friday two were picked up by AH inside the Mile Basket heading west in leisurely fashion-interestingly I was sure I had another one early on but these really are the type of birds you need (at least) two observers for at the Bill!!! 

Otherwise there was a big westward movement of gulls and terns & a couple of Arctic Skuas whilst the next day brought even more Mediterranean Gulls past, 1300+, and a nice juvenile Little Gull. A look at the Severals didn't find a Wryneck again but on Saturday at least there were a few more birds around including a couple of Whinchats, two Wheatears on the beach and some young Peregrines scrapping overhead.

My log from Friday below (in the Selsey Blog order not the taxonomic one):

0600-1000hrs) (SW, F7)
Great Crested Grebe - 1os
Cory's Shearwater - 2W (0746hrs)
Gannet - 5E, 247W, 31os
Oystercatcher - 4W
Ringed Plover - 2W
Sanderling - 2E
Turnstone - 61
Arctic Skua - 2W
Mediterranean Gull - 139W
Black-headed Gull - 649W
Common Gull - 8W, 1os
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 5W
Great Black-backed Gull - 6W, 3os
Sandwich Tern - 8E, 728W, 20os
Common Tern - 3E, 154W
Little Tern - 1W
Black Tern - 3W
Swallow - 19W
House Martin - 5