Down a gear

The anticyclonic conditions continue with clear blue skies and a northeast breeze. The wind had calmed down a lot today which seems to have slowed down migration. I did a 3.5 hour session at the Bill first thing HERE where the highlights included a group of 7 Arctic Terns (also 28 'Commics'),  4 Brent Geese (2 pairs moving east), 47 Common Scoter, 12 Whimbrel and 19 Barwits east, a dark phase Arctic Skua chasing the gulls, a Fulmar, 4 Wheatears (3f,1m) and a few hirundines. Later in the day there were 9 more Poms (a group of 3 and a single bird between 1515 and 1615 and another 5 at 1831) seen by the other guys. Full log and all news locally today HERE. 

After the Bill I quickly checked out Ferry where a Garganey had been found and then went over to Mill Lane for the Cuckoo that has been around a couple of days. There was also a male Wigeon, LRP, Common and Green Sand on Ferry and 2 Spotted Redshank, Greenshank and Whimbrel in the Channel. Cuckoo and Arctic Tern were year ticks and Garganey was the first time I've had a decent view of one round here (most often seen on seawatches moving with Common Scoters). Now on 165 locally and 837 for the world year list. 

As it was Saturday the rest of the day was family day. Back in the field full on on Monday but hoping to sneak out a bit tomorrow too. 

I put the moth trap out last night despite the cold nights (the anticyclonic conditions are causing temperatures to drop to below 5 C). Only four moths 2 Muslin, 1 Common Quaker but also a first for the garden- a Great Prominent proving that it's always worth a spin on the moth trap. Now on 60 moth species for the year (also had Nettle-tap during the day) and 633 all time for the garden. 

Arctic Terns off the Bill (above and below) 

Brents still moving

Fulmar

Common Scoters 

Male Wheatear

Male Garganey

Great Prominent. A new for garden. 

Up a gear

The migration went up a gear today. I started off at the Bill HERE with highlights including a Redpoll in-off (year tick), a female Eider west, 86 Whimbrel, 95 Bar-tailed Godwit, 6 Turnstone, a Dunlin and 50 Sanderling east, a dark phase Arctic Skua (and I missed 13 Poms that were seen throughout today!), 13 Little Gull, 2 Kittiwake and 55 Common Tern east, a Whinchat in the gardens and also an out of place Cattle Egret in the gardens too. Also 2 Wheatear, 3 Yellow Wagtail and 3 Willow Warblers in coming. 

I then did Ferry on the way home which was the same as yesterday apart from a new Common Sandpiper and a Wheatear. The Spotted Redshank and the Greenshank were both still in the Ferry Channel showing well.

I then went to East Head to try and get a count of the waders there HERE. The tide was low so not a great time to check but I still had 35 Whimbrel, 4 Barwits and there was a Snipe on Snowhill Marsh. What with the 60 or so Whimbrel in Pagham Harbour and the 35+ here in addition to the near 100 moving off the Bill today, there's nearly 200 Whimbrels on and off the Peninsula today and that's not including the Medmerry complex either. 

In the evening I had another attempt at trying to see the waders in the centre of the harbour. On a tip off from Andrew I went to Owl Point which was better but I had to go home to take Jacob to drums before the tide came in so still couldn't really see them properly. I made it 100 Grey Plover, 40 Whimbrel, 35 Barwit, 30 Knot and 200 Dunlin. There was also another Spot Red and Greenshank so there's 2 Spot Reds and 3 Greenshanks in the harbour at the moment too. In Owl Point Field there were 3 Whinchat and 2 Wheatear . List HERE. 

So all in all an escalation of migration. Full log on the Selsey Blog HERE. Across the UK there has been a major influx of inland Little Gulls, Black Terns and Barwits with large numbers going up the Severn and cutting across land and Poms have been seen all along the south coast. Hopefully more on the way tomorrow with a continuation of the north easterly airflow and high pressure. 

Finally got some decent photos of the summer plumage Spotted Redshank 

Little Gulls and Black-heads off the Bill

Sanderling and Dunlin. The first significant Sanderling passage today. 

Barwits on the move. Peak time and peak day today so far but expecting more to come 

Whimbrels- increasing numbers daily at the moment and the easterlies are set to continue so expecting more 

The bird of the moment- the estuaries and coast are set to the backdrop of calling birds 

Barwits again

Three Greenshank in the harbour at the moment 

Snipe at Snowhill

Yellow Wagtail at the Bill 

Whinchats Halsey

Steady passage and steady build up

The Bill was slow but steady this morning with a drip and a trickle of a nice variety of migrants passing by HERE. Highlights included a cracking pair of Eider, 5 Teal going east, 33 Whimbrel and 1 Barwit moving east, Red-throated Diver, 34 Barn Swallow, 6 House Martin, 3 Sand Martin, 4 Swift, 2 Yellow Wagtails and a Tree Pipit (year tick) over/coming in. Later in the day the other guys had a Pom and a flock of Black Terns. Full log HERE

I then met Andrew and we did Ferry and the Tramway HERE where the highlights were a nice accumulation of Whimbrel (68 birds by the end of the day), a flock of distant Barwits, 2 Greenshank and 1 Green Sandpiper.

I then had to go home and do some work but went out again in the evening to try and estimate the wader numbers in the harbour HERE. By accumulating some of the figures from the tramway in the morning I estimated amongst other totals 1 Brent Goose, 60 Shelduck,  100 Grey Plover, 18 Ringed Plover, 1 Lapwing, 68 Whimbrel, 32 Bar-tailed Godwit, 3 Greenshank, 15 Knot, 50 Dunlin, 20 Little Tern, 200 Sandwich Tern and 200 Med Gulls in the colony. Also had a nice first-summer Caspian Gull on Pagham Spit. The waders were mainly roosting in the central saltmarsh area making it pretty tricky to see and count them so I relied on them flying round occasionally. 

What we are seeing moving east past the Bill is being mirrored by the build up of waders in the harbour with primarily Whimbrels and Barwits moving and the odd Grey Plover and those same species building up in the harbour. Nearly 1400 individual birds in the harbour this evening not including Ferry (another 100 or so there). 

First-summer Caspian Gull

Eiders off the Bill

Barwit and Whimbrel moving east off the Bill

Sandwich Tern- there's been 200 or so moving east early every morning recently. Either migrants heading further north then the local colony birds or just colony birds moving around. This one carrying a fish presumably a local bird

Little Tern- at least 20 around the Spit this evening

Grey Plover, Knot and Dunlin in the harbour 

Bar-tailed Godwits (above) and Grey Plover, Knot and Dunlin (below). Pretty good numbers of Spring waders builidng up in the harbour. All the Whimbrels and Barwits are new in birds but the Grey Plovers, Dunlins and Knots are presumably hangers on from the winter. 

In the evening flocks of Whimbrels were flying over the harbour and off east. I assumed these were from the 68 counted in the harbour that got pushed off with the evening high tide and carried on migrating. 

Pomarine Skua

I was at the Selsey Seawatch this morning by 6am and had a good session HERE with my first Pomarine Skua and 2 Great Skua for the year and waterbirds on the move including 41 Whimbrel, 1 Grey Plover, 18 Bar-tailed Godwit, 6 Turnstone,  4 Fulmars, 33 Common and 132 Sandwich Terns and a few passerines coming in with 25 Barn Swallow, 6 Swifts and a few Mipits. 

It was a work day today so I was back at the lodge by 1030 to meet Matt and we then got the garden work done including sorting out the lawns and meadow and did all the planting up for the spring. 

In the afternoon news broke of a Ring Ouzel at the Ferry so I went over there to twitch that and also had Green Sandpiper and Wheatear there. I did another hour seawatching from Hillfield Road but nothing new. 

3 local year ticks puts me on 161 for the year and my world year list is now on 833.

Pale phase Pomarine Skua

Great Skua

Barwits and Whimbrels. Some Barwits are cutting across land as there are many reports across inland sites today. 

Whimbrels (above and below). The biggest movement of waders this Spring today. 

Male Ring Ouzel- stonking!

The first young birds are out in the garden

Today we sowed wildflower seeds on the front garden beds and tidied up there too

Also tied up the Airbnb area, planted new shrubs in the car park beds, potted on the tomatoes that we grew from seed and planted out the central food bed

Also mowed the first paths into the growing back garden meadow. Good birds and got some good work done in between! Had 4 Gadwall flying over the garden too. 

A few year ticks

Monday is all day in the field day. The high pressure conditions persist with a north easterly cool wind strengthening through the day.  I started off at the Bill HERE with the gang which was pretty good with highlights including the local year's first Hobby in-off, two Swifts (year tick). a Black-throated and four Great Northern Divers, 8 Whimbrel, 2 Barwit,  4 Grey Plover, 1 Dunlin, 19 Little Terns and 18 Common Terns on the move. There was also a Yellow Wagtail over and a Yellowhammer again by the Bill House.

It was then onto the Ferry area HERE where highlights included 10 Whimbrel in the harbour, Spotted Redshank and Greenshank together in Ferry Channel, 4 Red Kite circling high together south of Ferry, another Swift over and a clear increase in Reed Warbler numbers with at least 7 singing birds. There was also a couple of Lesser Whitethroats singing.

I then met Holly and Isaac for Lunch and then it was off to East Head HERE where highlights included a single Brent Goose in Snowhill Marsh, 15 Whimbrel and 1 Barwit on East Head high tide roost area, Common Snipe and Greenshank on Snowhill Marsh, two Wheatears, a couple of Willow Warblers and another Lesser Whitethroat. 

Final stop of the day was to Church Norton HERE where there was a cracking Nightingale singing away along the path from the car park. There were also 6 Whimbrel out in the harbour, 5 Common Terns, a surprising group of 12 Common Gulls (haven't seen many in a while) and a couple of Willow Warblers and a Goldcrest singing. 

The Hobby, Swifts and Nightingale were lcoal year ticks. Now on 158 for the year. 

Whimbrels (above) and 2 Whimbrel, 1 Barwit and 4 Grey Plover (below) on the move past the Bill. Things are slowly picking up on the wader migration with numbers of Whimbrels also building in the estuaries. 

Gannets

Yellowhammer on the Bill House. Not a common bird at the Bill but we had one a week or so ago so maybe hanging around

Male Wheatear at East Head

Female Whitethroat at Church Norton- plenty of singing males around but the first female I've seen 

Sandwich Terns at Norton. I only logged six or so from the Bill this morning so seems like most have migrated in already. 

Two minutes of Common Nightingale singing at Church Norton giving a nice repertoire including long intro notes, long machine gun rattles, loud 'tueets' and croaking amongst the splendid melodic phrases. Also Goldfinch, Chiffchaff, Black-headed Gull, Blackbird, Wren, Blackcap, Mediterranean Gull and Rook providing the backing singers to this lovely Spring chorus. 

Church Day

The local vicar is a Selsey Birder and we kept meaning to start the kids back at Children's Church so we got our acts together today and took them to St. Peter's in Selsey. I attended the Eucharist while waiting for them and Andy the Vicar Birder (and finder of the Nighthawk!) delivered a really nice service- first time I've been to church in years. 

After church we got a picnic from East Wittering and went to East Head for a picnic and walk. The walk was interupted by a few decent birds including 16 Whimbrel, 5 Golden Plovers, 3 Wheatear and a Yellow Wagtail over. Full list HERE.

So clearly a few bits still on the move and elsewhere on the Peninsula today the Woodchat was still present and joined by a Whinchat and there was also a Cuckoo, Black Redstart and the first Swift around. Meanwhile over at Portland today was one of the biggest arrivals of the Spring HERE. 

The temperatures dropped last night in the clear conditions with a northerly airflow but there was still a few moth migrants. 

Golden Plovers (above) in various stages of summer plumage and Grey Plover (below) that hasn't even bothered moulting a single feather yet. Most of the Grey Plovers in the harbour are still in 'winter' plumage so presumably has a different moult strategy to Golden Plovers. 

Whimbrels. Good numbers seem to build up at East Head in Spring. 

Male Wheatear- two males and a female today

Small Mottled Willows- three in one trap is probably a record if I remember right. The mild evenings this week have produced quite a bit of moth migration (and bird migration) across the country with a pretty good influx of Small Mottled Willows. 

Least Black Arches - NFY now on 58 for the year

Common Quaker- they will be over soon so thought I would honour this species with a blog pic before I see them again next spring- often the very first sign of spring so always welcome to see again. Also on the church theme today the Common Quaker was named after the relegious group The Quakers for reasons I can't recall now but something to do with the colour of the moth and the garments the Quakers wore.