Thursday 6th May - Sea passage quietens down

Even though the last few days, by date, can be a bumper time for seabird passage, when the winds are not in the right direction it becomes very quiet and that seems to be the case this year. Optimism remains as always, with the cold April and start to May, Spring does seem a little slow to get going this year.

Monday 3rd May - Selsey

Another trickle of birds this morning. the wind was SW F4 and it remained cool but not quite as cold as it has been.

There were a number of Sandwich Terns (50+), Common Terns (20+) and Little Terns (15)  but these were moving back and forth rather than migrating, suggesting most are from the Harbour colony.  The highlight of the morning was 3 Arctic Skuas. A few groups of Common Scoter, which totaled nearly 150, but just singles of Whimbrel, Bar-tailed Godwit and Red-throated Diver were an indication of how spring passage has slowed. 16 Brent Geese showed there are still remnants of wintering stock somewhere which are just leaving for their breeding grounds. A Hobby flying in was the best of the inbound migrants also 10 Swifts, 22 Swallow a single House Martin and a single Yellow Wagtail. 

Tuesday / Wednesday 4th/5th - Home

The Tawny Owl at home was again visible the last 2 days in the gully, it's presence always given away by the commotion of small birds spearheaded by the 'chinking' Blackbirds.

Much else at home is the same but busy with activity, 4 Siskins are still visiting feeders, 2 Greenfinch 2 pairs of Goldfinch and one of Chaffinch, the Mallard pair are still on the pond and the pair of Pied Wagtail seem to have nested in a Clematis Montana on the front of the house. A male Great Spotted Woodpecker is a continuous visitor to the feeders suggesting he has a mate on eggs somewhere close-by. Jackdaws are nesting in the chimney, Blue Tits in the nest box at the side of the barn, Wren, Dunnocks and Robin in the hedge by the gully, a Firecrest still singing by the Chicken Pen and 2 Blackcaps in song and a Chiffchaff near the second field. Blackbirds and Starlings already have young and at least 3 pairs of Stock Doves are in the gully trees. A Hobby flew over on the 4th and 2 Swifts were seen the same afternoon.

A female Pheasant was sitting on a clutch of 12 eggs in the flowerbed outside the backdoor, it was always going to end one way with the fox a daily visitor.

Tawny Owl

Tawny Owl

Thursday 6th May - Selsey and Church Norton

An even quieter morning !!!! - It has really slowed down. There seems to have been a daily shift to a late afternoon wind that is a bit stronger and a bit more Southerly which has led to the odd report of Pom Skuas, but most action is further East from here. The mornings remain quiet.

The limited  highlights this morning were a Black-throated Diver and 2 Hobbys in from the sea. I curtailed the sea-watch earlier than normal at 9am and went to Church Norton. A Lesser Whitethroat was calling along the edge of the Severals, my first of Spring, there were at least 8 Common Whitethroat and further along the path to the harbour a single smart Whinchat which was also my first this year. I then spent a while watching the Tern colony in the harbour. It's still a great sight watching the Tern activity as the tide fell, although Tern Island is dominated by c250+Black-headed Gulls, Sandwich Terns are doing well with 50+ birds there were c20 Little Terns and 4 Common Terns. The local Peregrine sent everything in the air a couple of times, but it generally headed into the harbour rather than attack the terns or gulls. Only a small number of waders were in the harbour with a couple of Ringed Plover, 6 Bar-tailed Godwit, 12 Whimbrel, 12 Dunlin and 2 Turnstone.

Whimbrel

Whinchat

Whinchat

Whinchat

Little Tern