Red-throated Divers

It remains quite offshore at Selsey Bill with no real auk passage and just a few divers moving through but not in any numbers.


Red-throated Divers:

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: