19th - 20th November 2024.

Wednesday, 20th November: A cold and frosty start, with early cloud clearing to leave a mostly fine and sunny day, with a chilly NW wind force 4.

Climping Gap: A bit of a late start and I was joined by long term birding mate Bernie this morning. We didn't spend too long on the (5Km) patch, as we had planned to move on (to the WWT at Arundel), but the highlight of our short visit was finding a Jack Snipe in the set-aside area. Skylarks were plentiful in the area with at least 60 present, plus at least 20 Linnets, several Pied Wagtails and a Reed Bunting. Three Little Egrets and a Great Crested Grebe offshore were about it before we left.

Tuesday, 19th November: A complete change, with the onset of some wintry weather. A grey, cold and gloomy day of persistent drizzly rain with a fresh N/NW wind force 4-5.

Bilsham farm: The miserable weather encouraged me to find indoor jobs most of the day, but when the rain eased early afternoon I decided to give it a go and see if the cold weather had prompted anything unusual to visit the reservoir. Predictably it hadn't and numbers of Coots, for example, had fallen somewhat to 125, from a recent count of 185. It was otherwise fairly similar to previous recent counts and today's totals were:

Coot - 125

Canada Goose - 39

Shoveler - 34

Pochard - 5

Tufted Duck - 2

Little Grebe - 6

Pied Wagtail - 4

Also, several hundred gulls of mixed species were again present, including ten Great Black-backed Gulls, and a herd of 40+ Mute Swans were on Barnham Brooks, distantly viewable from the reservoir area.

Little Grebes in the gloom on Bilsham reservoir

16th - 18th November 2024

Monday, 18th November: After some overnight rain, a much better morning than forecast, with some hazy sun breaking through broken cloud, pleasantly mild and calm conditions and just a light NE breeze. Then becoming grey and dull by early afternoon, with light to moderate rain setting in and the wind veering more SE force 3.

Elmer Rocks: An interesting morning where there had clearly been an influx of birds offshore. At least 30 Great Crested Grebes were logged on the calm sea, ranging from close in to distant birds, whilst 25 Red-breasted Mergansers were also present, of which a flock of around 15 were displaying and head-bobbing frequently, presumably having recently arrived.

Highlight of the morning for me though was a Velvet Scoter, quite well out and heading west, doubtless the same bird seen heading west off Selsey Bill some 15 minutes or so later, whilst a Red-throated Diver flew east and six Brent Geese west.

The rising tide produced a selection of waders coming in to the rock islands to roost, producing a good count of  72 Oystercatchers, five Grey Plover, 18 Sanderling, 45 Ringed Plover and 12 Turnstones. Two Chiffchaffs were still present along the tamarisk hedges, but there was little else except c.20 Goldfinches and the regular Kestrel

Red-breasted Mergansers offshore from Elmer Rocks this morning and (bottom) Oystercatchers arriving to roost at high tide.

Elmer & Ancton: A casual look around the local woods and horse paddocks produced surprisingly little really. Three Chiffchaffs and two Goldcrests were about the best, with regular species such as Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers noted, plus Song Thrush, Pied Wagtail, Skylark and Buzzard,

Green Woodpecker at Ancton

Saturday, 16th November: A cloudy, dry and light grey sort of day, very calm again with just a very light N/NW breeze, increasing a bit later.

Bilsham farm: A short visit on my way back from a WeBS count elsewhere, hoping that something new might have dropped in, but the reverse was true and numbers had actually dropped somewhat with nothing out of the ordinary found. There were still 36 Canada Geese and 185 Coots, plus a good number of mixed gull species, but Pochard and Shoveler numbers had dropped to one and 14 respectively, whilst only two Little Grebes and two Tufted Ducks were present….disappointing overall.

A Shoveler amongst a gaggle of Coots, but nothing out of the ordinary at the reservoir this morning.

13th - 15th November 2024

Friday, 15th November: A very calm, dry and largely cloudy day with just a very light NE breeze and occasional glimpses of the sun later, with the gentle breeze becoming more variable later.

Elmer Rocks: The high tide combined with virtually no breeze made for a calm sea, allowing a good opportunity to count the birds offshore. The majority were off the west end of the rocks today and there had been a small influx, with counts of 24 Great Crested Grebes and at least 20 Red-breasted Mergansers, whilst a single Teal flew in and dropped onto the sea. Waders numbers too had increased as flocks dropped onto the rocks to roost; at least 75 Ringed Plovers, 30 Sanderling and 25 Turnstones were logged, with just half a dozen Oystercatchers.

Along the beach were two Rock Pipits and four Pied Wagtails, whilst a Grey Wagtail flew over and three Chiffchaffs were again in the hedgerows and the regular Kestrel also made an appearance, although it was quickly chased away by a Sparrowhawk.

Ringed Plovers, Sanderlings and Turnstones dropping onto the rocks and (bottom) Pied Wagtail on the beach

Climping Gap: I made a visit to the West Beach (Local Nature reserve) by the cafe and the rivermouth, and spent a very pleasant hour there (1120-1220hrs according to my car park ticket). My target was a Dartford Warbler that has been present for some days and fortunately I didn't have to wait too long for it to appear, and also present there were two Stonechats. I then spent half an hour sea-watching and was surprised to find two late Sandwich Terns going east, followed by four Red-breasted Mergansers, then two Brent Geese and a Common Scoter went west.

(above) Dartford Warbler and (below) Stonechat at West Beach Climping....I saw them well but somehow the photos obtained were fairly dire. Oh well!

Thursday, 14th November: Slightly misty at first but soon clearing to give a morning of sunny breaks and scattered cloud in a light but cool breeze, NNW3/4; then becoming warmer and clearer by afternoon with pleasant sunshine and the wind veering NE2-3.

Bilsham farm: Despite a good search of the reservoir this morning, I could find no trace of the long-staying Black-necked Grebe, which had been present for around three weeks (since 21st Oct). It seems likely it has now departed, although it is just possible it may have moved to another nearby water body - time will tell. There were as usual plenty of birds present however, as listed below:-

Canada Goose - 36

Pochard - 12

Tufted Duck - 3

Shoveler - 22

Little Grebe - 6

Coot - 175

Lapwing - 14 flew over

Meadow Pipit - 2 on banks

Pied Wagtail - 30+ in adjacent ploughed field

Stock Dove - 80+ ditto above

Chiffchaff - 2 in surrounding hedges

Long-tailed Tit - 10 ditto above

Mute Swan - herd of 30 viewed distantly in fields Barnham Brooks

At Bilsham reservoir this morning, (above) Pochards and (below) flock of Lapwings flying over

In addition, there were several hundred of the commoner gulls present, of mixed species. I spent a good while searching through them for the scarcer species, with no success, but in amongst the c.200 Herring Gulls I found two that were surely a good call for Scandinavian Herring Gulls (sub-species argentatus).

Presumed Scandinavian Herring Gull (sub-sp argentatus) top centre. Note the darker greyish mantle compared to the Herring Gull (sub-sp argenteus) immediately below it, together with slightly stockier build, pronounced head/neck streaking and mask (not showing up too well in this pic) pink legs and other features.

Elmer Rocks: A beautiful afternoon for a look around the beach at low tide. There wasn't too much to show for my efforts, but a Curlew flew east, whilst offshore were seven Red-breasted Mergansers and six Great Crested Grebes. Along the beach were eight Oystercatchers, 20+ Ringed Plovers, two Sanderling, a Rock Pipit, two Meadow Pipits and two Pied Wagtails. There were also four Chiffchaffs which were notably active and calling frequently in the sunny hedgerows and tamarisk.

Wednesday, 13th November: A bit cooler, but a splendid late autumn day, with sunshine most of the time and a little scattered cloud in a moderate N/NE breeze 3-4.

Elmer Rocks: I started off with my usual look at the sea, where nothing special was on offer but there were a few things of interest, as below:-

Gannet - 2E

Great Crested Grebe - 6 o/s

Brent Goose - 1E, 1W

Shelduck - 4W

Teal - 2W

Red-breasted Merganser - 3o/s, 1W

Sanderling - 18 (roosting on rock islands at high tide)

Ringed Plover - 15 (ditto above)

Sandwich Tern - 2W

Pied Wagtail - 2E

Goldfinch - c.80E

Also, along the hedgerows and bushes were 3 Chiffchaffs and several Long-tailed Tits, whilst the now-regular Kestrel was present and hunting close to the footpath.

This Kestrel has generated a good deal of local interest lately, often perching at fairly close range to passers-by as it looks for its prey. I have been asked about it almost daily and today a lady showed me a nice flight shot she had taken on her mobile (better than my efforts I fear) as I explained the situation. I think it is a young female bird, hatched this year, and it is now fending for itself as it faces its first winter. As yet it is not too wary of humans, but that will gradually change if it survives. Some folks have asked whether it is likely to be an escapee from captivity, but I'm sure it's not and as can be seen from the photo below there are no rings on its legs which would indicate this.

The 'regular' Kestrel at Elmer beach

My circuit around the beach was cut short however, when I received a message from local birder Dan Boon who was on his way to work in Felpham when a Hoopoe flew over, having likely just been disturbed from the George V playing field. The next couple of hours or so I spent checking out a number of sites on the patch considered as good bets for the bird to appear, but alas with no success.

 

10th - 11th November 2024

Monday, 11th November: After some light rain overnight, at last a bit of a welcome change with the heavily overcast skies giving way to some brighter, sunny interludes with broken, scattered cloud in a cool but fairly light N/NE breeze 2-3.

Elmer Rocks: Not a whole lot on going on this morning in a fairly short visit, but there were a few birds of interest. A Grey Heron arrived and took up a perch on the upper storey of a house, until driven off by some angry Herring Gulls, whilst roosting on the rock islands were 40+ Ringed Plovers and six Sanderlings. Offshore there were six Brent Geese heading west, plus up to four late Sandwich Terns (two went east close inshore, then an hour later two flew west much further out - perhaps birds emanating from the Selsey area where there is now a small wintering population). On the sea were also ten Great Crested Grebes and 4 Red-breasted Mergansers.

A single Chiffchaff was in the bushes behind the beach and 50+ Goldfinches and a couple of Pied Wagtails went east, whilst a late Red Admiral butterfly was on the wing enjoying some sunshine.

At Elmer beach this morning: (top to bottom) Rooftop Grey Heron, Great Crested Grebes, Sandwich Terns and Red Admiral.

Lidsey WTW area: There was little on the small reservoir - just a Little Grebe, four Tufted Ducks, seven Gadwall and two Shoveler - with bird of the morning here being a Raven flying over and giving it's 'cronking' call as it went. At the WTW works I only logged three Chiffchaffs in the adjacent hedges, plus half a dozen Chaffinches, six Pied Wagtails and a Grey Wagtail.

Sunday, 10th November: Similar weather to yesterday though perhaps a shade less chilly; dry with grey skies and light winds NE 1-2 as high pressure continues to dominate....

Bilsham Farm: The reservoir was again busy with birds but with little change since my last visit. On the water were ten Little Grebes, the Black-necked Grebe, 32 Canada Geese, 18 Shoveler, three Tufted Ducks, 12 Pochard and 185 Coots. There were several hundred gulls present again and I took time to search through them, but sadly couldn't find any of the scarcer species - the best being a single Lesser Black-backed Gull (of the graellsii form).

Shovelers on Bilsham reservoir

Black-necked Grebe, still present on the reservoir (with Coots) 

7th - 9th November 2024

Saturday, 9th November: More of the same with settled and slightly murky but dry conditions, overcast skies and a cool but fairly light NE breeze becoming variable later.

Elmer Rocks: Generally little change in the weather or the local birdlife of late, though subtle additions show the season is moving on. There was very little moving over the sea, but offshore were six Red-breasted Mergansers and seven Great Crested Grebes. The clear highlight though was the first Slavonian Grebe of the winter here - and probably the rest of the County too - but although it was fairly distant and a telescope was certainly needed, it showed well enough on a calm sea.

Otherwise, it was very similar to recent days; up to 45 Ringed Plovers, three Sanderlings and just a few Turnstones and Oystercatchers were feeding along the beach early on, before they dispersed as walkers arrived, whilst the near-resident Kestrel was back on its perch in the boat club compound and six Little Egrets were in the adjacent fields. Two Chiffchaffs were also in the tamarisk hedgerows behind the beach, three Pied Wagtails and 25 Goldfinch flew east, and at least two Siskins flew over calling but remained unseen.

(above) An air of familiarity, as yet again the Kestrel visits one of its favourite perches in the boat club compound, whilst (below) two very grainy and cropped images of the Slavonian Grebe offshore. Light conditions and distance were completely against photography (for me at least) but although poor, at least it gives some idea, and fortunately 'scope views were much better.

Thursday, 7th November: Another grey, overcast and rather gloomy day; still dry but with a decidedly chilly E/SE wind force 4.

Elmer Rocks: A rather bleak morning along the beach, with nothing apparently moving or showing offshore except a few gulls and Cormorants, plus just a few of the regular waders - Turnstones, Ringed Plovers and Oystercatchers - dropping in with the tide low and five Little Egrets around the rock islands. On the beach itself were 50 Mediterranean and five Common Gulls, whilst two Pied Wagtails and two Meadow Pipits flew over, but there was little else of note.

The highlights - such as they were - all came later along the hedgerows and back of the beach as I was returning from my circuit having decided to move on. Three Chiffchaffs were present in the tamarisk hedges between the set-aside corner and the Kiosk, then a Rock Pipit was located amongst the sea-weed debris, before finally a Black Redstart popped up on the fence of a beachside garden. The latter remained all too briefly before hopping over the fence and into the said garden, disappearing from my view.

(above) Two Common Gulls with Mediterranean Gull in foreground, whilst (below) two images of the Rock Pipit along the beach.

4th - 6th November 2024

Wednesday, 6th November: Another dry but cool, grey day with a light N/NE breeze 2-3 and high pressure still firmly dominating.

Bilsham Farm: The reservoir was again full of birds, with the long-staying Black-necked Grebe the best of the bunch, accompanied by eight Little Grebes, an influx of 12 Pochard, a single Tufted Duck, 18 Shoveler and an accurate count of 188 Coots. There were also hundreds of gulls: as ever the bulk was made up of Black-headed and Herring Gulls, the remainder consisting of several Great Black-backed, one Lesser Black-backed, 72+ Common and 25 Mediterranean Gulls.

The hedgerows and fences around the periphery held eight Meadow Pipits, two Chiffchaffs and a Yellowhammer, whilst the adjacent recently-ploughed fields held several Skylarks and at least 20 Pied Wagtails. Other species logged included Common Buzzard, Kestrel, Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker and Long-tailed Tit.

Small influx of Pochards (with Coots) on the reservoir this morning

Shovelers and Black-necked Grebe

Some of the 188 (counted with a clicker!) Coots on the reservoir

Meadow Pipit (above) and Pied Wagtail around the reservoir

Tuesday, 5th November: A notably colder morning than of late, with murky conditions early on and high pressure with grey overcast skies still dominating in a light NE breeze. 

Elmer Rocks: There was little activity offshore, with just a single Brent Goose, two Razorbills and c.20 Mediterranean Gulls going east, whilst on the calm sea were 12 Great Crested Grebes and five Red-breasted Mergansers. As the tide began to rise 30 Ringed Plovers dropped on to the beach, together with 12 Sanderlings and 15 Turnstones. 

At the back of the beach a single Chiffchaff was in the bushes, the regular Kestrel was perched on boat-masts in the compound, three Pied Wagtails flew over and several Meadow Pipits and a Skylark were heard calling overhead. In the adjoining fields some ten Little Egrets were present and feeding amongst the gulls.

The regular Kestrel seems to be almost resident at the moment along the back of the beach: here it is perched on a boat mast and looking for its next meal.

Elmer & Ancton: A total of 15 Curlew (two flocks of six and nine) flighted in to the wet fields off Ancton Lane this morning, whilst other sightings in the area included a Grey Wagtail, three Redwings, two Goldcrests, 12 Long-tailed Tits and two Goldcrests, whilst two Siskins flew over calling. 

(On the down side, I failed to find any Black Redstarts, despite checking a number of favoured spots and despite them having been reported regularly from further along the coast). 

Curlews at Elmer/Ancton, flighting into the fields.

Monday, 4th November: High pressure still dominating, though generally cloudy and grey with a cool E/SE wind force 3-4. 

Climping Gap: I was committed yesterday and much of today, but was pleased to see good coverage was achieved by other observers this morning, which produced a nice variety of species including Short-eared Owl, Raven, Water Rail, Kingfisher, Redwing and Greylag Goose amongst others. 

Bilsham farm: The Black-necked Grebe was still present on the reservoir (per D.Boon)

Elmer Rocks: The brief time I had was little more than a short walk with nothing of any note....but I must at least mention the familiar and local feral Pigeons - technically the domesticated form of Rock Dove - which often frequent the beach area and gardens. They often seem to rummage amongst the beach and tideline debris with other species, before setting on nearby buildings. Usually overlooked by most people, they do have a certain charm!

(above) The local Feral Pigeons at Elmer beach - this colourful assortment do have a charm of their own! 

(below) View of Elmer Rocks - looking west

       

1st - 3rd November 2024

Saturday, 2nd November: A grey and quite gloomy day, with a cooler breeze than of late, although still mild overall. Just about remaining dry, bar a few spots of light drizzle here and there, with a moderate E/SE wind f 3-4.

Elmer Rocks:  A grey, early winter day but a few birds around to maintain the interest. Highlight for me was the first Great Northern Diver of the season, which flew in from the west, landed on the sea a short while, then flew back west and headed further out. Other birds offshore were; Gannet - 4E and 1W, Great Crested Grebe - 2, Brent Goose - 25W, Red-breasted Merganser - 5E and Razorbill - 1 .

Along the shoreline were 21 Sanderling, 50 Ringed Plovers and 15 Turnstone, all feeding for a short while on a receding beach as the tide rose. Meanwhile, a Chiffchaff, a Stonechat and a few Long-tailed Tits were in the hedges behind the beach, two Grey Wagtails and the same of Pied Wagtail flew over, and 30 Goldfinch and a few Siskins went east.

It was then that I realised that one of the hearing aids I was wearing was now missing. To cut a long story short, the next two hours was spent searching a shingle footpath and area of beach for the said item, without success. Another one to add to my increasing list of mishaps!

(top two) Ringed Plovers and Sanderlings on Elmer beach, and (bottom) Stonechat on telegraph wires behind the beach.

Friday, 1st November: Another fairly mild, dry and cloudy grey day, but pleasantly calm most of the morning with a just light NW breeze force 2, increasing 3-4 later.

Elmer Rocks: The first day of winter really although still meteorologically autumn and bang on cue the first Red-breasted Mergansers - a flock of five - appeared offshore, together with 12 Great Crested Grebes and a flock of eight Wigeon flying west. Along the shore and rock islands, a total of 75 Ringed Plovers were present, plus 15 Turnstones, 28 Oystercatchers and a single Redshank. There wasn't too much vis-mig going on, but there were at least three Redpolls flying over and a few Goldfinches, three Pied Wagtails and about the same of Meadow Pipits. Two Chiffchaffs were also present along the hedgerows.

Sunbeams and a flat calm sea at Elmer Rocks this morning

At this stage I decided to walk on to Climping/Atherington and the first surprise was just past Poole Place in the agricultural field (Cudlow's field). There have been a number of Little Egrets feeding there in recent days, but this morning an unprecedented 32 such birds were present, with numerous gulls feeding all around them. 

Some of the Little Egrets in the field close to Poole Place

Then an update message concerning a Short-eared Owl at Climping (thanks to Dan Booker) had me hurrying, but there was no sign on my arrival. However, persistence paid off and it was re-located in an adjacent field and then subsequently flying around, often mobbed by crows. My highlight of the morning by some distance! Other bits and pieces included four Chiffchaffs, some Long-tailed Tits, ten Pied Wagtails, 20+ Skylarks, three Reed Buntings and a few Meadow Pipits. Pheasants rarely ever get a mention, but they have become very much scarcer here since shooting was stopped several years ago, so worthy of note was a tight group of 12 which flushed from a field margin....probably a family party. Also of note were two Moorhens along the beach....probably wondering where their pool has gone under tons of shingle!

The changing face of Climping. This is actually the car park area! Work to this large shingle bank is still ongoing in an ever more demanding battle against coastal erosion.

Short-eared Owl at Climping