Getting back into the thick of things having returned from a 3 week birding trip abroad is always a slow process, but with a favourable SE wind which looked to be on it's final day before swinging around to the West, I went to Selsey first thing. The lingering murk was still present t has been across much of Southern England and it was a little slow for the first hour with just a handful of Red-breasted Mergansers on the sea a small number of Sandwich Terns lingering . 4 Gannets flew past with 3 Fulmars. Up to 5 Great northern Divers and a single Red-throated were visible on the low tide and 3 Common Scoters pitched down on the water. 4 Curlew, a Sanderling and 20 Turnstone were the only waders.
After about an hour a Long-tailed Duck flew in, landed briefly for a few dives and then continued East. The first Common Terns (5) of the year for me also went East and a Chiffchaff was seen to fly in from the sea and land in the bushes. A couple of large Brent Goose flocks flew quite close to the shoreline, giving rise to the comments about whether there would be any other geese in with the flocks and sure enough at 9.30 the shout went out of Red-breasted Goose. A flock of 35 then of 20 were close together and the third bird in the second flock was indeed a Red-breasted Goose - to the amazement and excitement of all present, word spread along the coast and the bird was seen in at least 2 other sites .
As the mist lifted, a few more migrants started to appear with 5 Swallows a White Wagtail, a Hobby and a movement of passerines which were mostly Meadow Pipits, with some Linnets and Goldfinch. Proved to be an excellent few hours.
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