20th - 21st June 2025

Saturday, 21st June: A rather grey and windy start, with a fresh E/SE wind force 4-5 along the coast keeping the temperature down. Although high pressure is dominating and conditions improved to periods of cloud and sunshine, then some heavy showers, it certainly didn't feel like the predicted heatwave, in the local area at least.

Elmer Rocks: Another morning when a sea-watch seemed likely to be the best option and I'd started on my usual circuit before eventually meeting up with birding friend Bola, who was already watching from near Poole Place. We sea-watched together for some while, and it was slow-going, but several small flocks of distant gulls held a number of Mediterranean Gulls, with a total of perhaps 20 or so, plus a couple of Gannets. There were also a number of Sandwich Terns back and forth and feeding in the flocks; I logged about a dozen, but Bola who'd been watching for longer probably recorded more.

The highlight though was non-avian, when a pod of about eight Dolphins - almost certainly Bottle-nosed Dolphins - was spotted at about 09:50hrs heading generally eastwards, about half-way to the horizon (so binoculars needed really). There was at least one large male and a couple of smaller ones too; seeing them is one thing however, but trying to locate them in a choppy sea and in a heat haze is quite another, and a few snippets of action is the best that either of us could do!

After the excitement, Bola and I went our separate ways, and I added three Oystercatchers and a Little Egret roosting on the rock islands. A pair of Greenfinch were calling still from the long hedgerow, but there was little else of note bird-wise, however a couple of Marbled White butterflies were seen in beach-front gardens as I made my way back.

The Dolphins offshore from Elmer Rocks this morning; not the greatest shots and I missed the male leaping right out (!) but the best I could do in the circumstances.

Marbled White butterfly in beachfront gardens at Elmer

Friday, 20th June: The fine and very dry weather continues, but the morning started with rather hazy conditions and plenty of high cloud in a surprisingly fresh E/SE wind force 5, keeping the temperature well down along the coast, before becoming very sunny and considerably warmer later, especially inland.

Lidsey WTW area: A noisy post-breeding flock of 300+ Starlings, containing many juveniles, was present in the WTW, especially on the filter pans, whilst two Swallows were feeding above, but these apart, the works was very quiet bird-wise. On the small reservoir nearby there were four Tufted Ducks, which had clearly begun their annual moult to their duller eclipse plumage, whilst also present were six Mallard, two Little Grebes and the pair of Coots with their two young, the latter now quite well grown although now reduced in number from the original four which fledged. Around the periphery a Cetti's Warbler was singing frequently and three Blackcaps and two Whitethroats also sang briefly.

Pair of Tufted Ducks on small reservoir near Lidsey WTW;  the male (rear) in particular can be seen to be in moult to its dull eclipse plumage, with a head tuft not visible and the bright white flanks already mainly dingy and brownish.

Bilsham farm: It was again quiet on the reservoir, with just a Little Grebe, a Great Crested Grebe, a single drake Tufted Duck, six Mallard and 24 Coots. A small number of gulls were coming and going to drink and bathe - most being Herring Gulls - but including a fine adult (intermedius-type) Lesser Black-backed Gull which appeared for a very short time before departing. Four Swallows coming and going were probably the family visiting from the local donkey paddocks.

Around the hedgerows a Yellowhammer was singing for some while and nearby two Whitethroats were heard, though it was otherwise generally quiet. High up several Swifts were over the fields, no doubt alarmed by a soaring Sparrowhawk nearby, and then a Red Kite also drifted over

Yellowhammer at Bilsham farm

16th - 18th June 2025

Wednesday, 18th June: Another fine, very dry and sunny day, soon becoming quite warm, with a light to moderate SW breeze 2-3/4. It appears summer has now well and truly arrived, with high pressure currently dominating and a spell of very warm weather predicted.

Elmer Rocks: An early visit before it got too warm, though there wasn't too much to report, and with the same species as recently featuring again. Sandwich Terns were feeding close inshore and moving back and forth, with at least six counted, whilst two Mediterranean Gulls went west. Little Egrets were the main feature today, with eight feeding along the shore and in the rockpools either side of Poole Place, with a couple of Grey Herons for company. Then a small wader flew east, but frustratingly the conditions didn't allow for an ID to be made, so one that got away! Behind the beach a Whitethroat was again singing and a few Goldfinches were also about....but that was as far as I got, before a message was received informing me of a potentially rare bird over at Medmerry, on the Selsey Peninsula. Ah......

Now, many non-birders know the term 'twitcher' and use it as a general term for all birders (or birdwatchers), as indeed do sections of the media. However, in a birder's world a twitcher is different, someone who is prepared to abandon what he or she are doing and set off promptly in order to get a sighting of a rare bird, sometimes meaning a very long journey. Fortunately, this bird was under 20 miles away, but yes - I showed my twitcher credentials by setting off after it asap and abandoning the local patch! Given the road works, closures and hold-ups in our area it was a frustrating journey, but eventually I got there and saw the bird. 'So what was it?' I hear you cry!

Well, it was a Lesser Yellowlegs, a rare American wader in the UK. In fact, there was a hope it would be the rarer Greater Yellowlegs for a while, before the ID as Lesser was fully established, but either way a fine bird to see. And I didn't expect that when I started my casual look along Elmer beach on a fine morning!

Sandwich Tern at Elmer beach - note the wind turbines in the background

Little Egrets stole the show at Elmer this morning; top two around the rock islands and the bottom image from the rockpools just to the east side of Poole Place

Tuesday, 17th June: A fine sunny day, though a bit hazy at times, and feeling quite warm in a light to moderate SW breeze.

Bilsham farm: After a visit to Pagham Harbour early on, I made a brief stop at the local reservoir for a quick look around before heading home. It was of course generally quiet given the time of year, but I logged a Little Grebe, a Great Crested Grebe, two Tufted Ducks, six Mallard and 24 Coots on the water, and several Swallows and a Buzzard above. Two singing Whitethroats were surprisingly vocal today in the hedgerows and a family party of four Swallows were around the donkey compound.

Great Crested Grebe and Buzzard at Bilsham reservoir

Monday, 16th June: A pleasantly sunny and calm start to the morning, with just a light NW breeze, before becoming more hazy and cloudy later, as the wind freshened and backed SW 3-4; then becoming sunny again by late afternoon.

Elmer Rocks: A fine start with a calm sea and the tide low, but initially with very little to be seen bird-wise. However, before long some small gatherings of gulls offshore produced a few Mediterranean Gulls, and further scrutiny produced c.30 of them along the shore or flying back and forth. Likewise, a couple of Sandwich Terns flew east, then further birds were located along the beach and feeding offshore amongst the gulls, the total number of terns reaching a dozen or more. Four Little Egrets were feeding either side of the Poole Place rocks, a couple of Oystercatchers put in an appearance, then surprisingly a party of five Sanderlings flew east just offshore; surely this late group of migrants will be too late to now reach the Arctic in time to breed successfully?

There was little else of note to report; a flock of 12 Goldfinches - including several juveniles - were around the Poole Place area, together with two Greenfinches, two Skylarks were singing above the crop fields behind the beach and a Whitethroat briefly sang from hedge tops before disappearing into cover.

Little Egret feeding along the shoreline, Sandwich Tern offshore and adult Goldfinch at Poole Place

11th - 13th June 2025

Friday, 13th June: A touch of summer; prolonged warm sunshine, blue skies and little or no cloud through the day and feeling quite humid with just a light S/SW breeze....though with a sting in the tail as heavy thunderstorms are predicted overnight! 

It's now that time of the year which some birders consider as the 'summer doldrums,' with migration virtually now at an end, many birds absent whilst breeding in the Arctic, and those that remain here now becoming increasingly quiet as they are busy with parental duties or moulting. There is also a feeling of repetition with the same species being repeatedly encountered, and this is certainly true on the patch at the moment. I therefore had a welcome change of scenery very recently, heading for the inland heathlands of north-west Sussex, where during late evening to dusk I managed to catch up with such delights as Nightjar, Woodcock, Woodlark, Tree Pipit, Dartford Warbler and Stonechat. A change is as good as a rest, and feeling duly 'refreshed' so to speak, it's now back to the local patch.....

Elmer Rocks: There was a flock of 2-300 gulls feeding offshore, which contained several Mediterranean Gulls and at least five Sandwich Terns, with another six of the latter moving through westwards, as was a single Common Tern. Along the beach on the low tide was a Little Egret and a solitary Oystercatcher.

A circuit of the woods and fields behind the beach produced a pair of Greenfinches, with the male still giving his wheezy song, two different Great Spotted Woodpeckers apparently returning to their nesting areas, a Green Woodpecker and a Buzzard.

Greenfinch singing behind the beach at Elmer Rocks

Bilsham Farm: There was again little of note on the reservoir. On the water were five drake Tufted Ducks, half a dozen Mallard, a Little Grebe and five Great Black-backed Gulls amongst other gulls. A small flock of six Swallows and four House Martins was feeding above the water from time to time, whilst in the perimeter hedgerows a couple of Whitethroats and a Chiffchaff called briefly.

 

The highlight for me was seeing my first Marbled White butterflies of the season, with at least five along one bank and corner of the reservoir - doubtless there were plenty more around - whilst a good few Meadow Browns were also on the wing.

Tufted Ducks on Bilsham reservoir and (below) Marbled White butterflies on the reservoir bank

Wednesday, 11th June: The weather forecasts I watched yesterday evening were some way off the mark and the prolonged sunshine with plumes of warm continental air today didn't really materialise locally! A cool, grey and cloudy morning, with some mist and a brisk SE wind never less than a force 4-5...and it was well into the afternoon before skies cleared and the sunshine finally appeared.

 
Elmer Rocks: A casual visit this morning, with a couple of hours spent looking at the sea on and off. There was a smallish flock of gulls offshore, which held around eight Mediterranean Gulls and a couple of Sandwich Terns, with up to another ten of the latter fishing offshore later, before they eventually drifted off eastwards. A single Gannet flew west well offshore, whilst a Little Egret flew west close in, but there was nothing much else on the move, except for a total of 12 Oystercatchers which flew in to roost on the rock islands at high tide.

There was little else to report except for a couple of Greenfinches, three Linnets and ten Goldfinches along the hedgerows and on the telegraph wires and a Whitethroat which sang briefly.

Mediterranean Gull (above) amongst gull flock, Oystercatchers arriving to roost and (bottom) Sandwich Terns feeding offshore.

7th - 9th June 2025

Monday, 9th June: A fairly bright and breezy day, remaining dry with variable amounts of cloud and sunny spells in a moderate to fresh breeze W4-5.

I spent the morning birding over at Pagham Harbour, but on my way back home diverted to make a couple of quick visits to the patch, although as expected it turned out to be very quiet.....

Lidsey area: There was very little at the WTW beyond a good-sized flock of Starlings, a couple of Swallows, a Pied Wagtail carrying food and a singing Cetti's Warbler in the perimeter hedgerow. On a small reservoir were two Little Grebes, two Gadwall, six Tufted Ducks and a pair of Coots with young.

Bilsham Farm: A Little Grebe, a female Mallard with a brood of young and 18 Coots were on the reservoir, where a good number of the commoner gulls were washing and preening, together with eight Great Black-backed Gulls and an immature Lesser Black-backed. Nearby, three Buzzards were soaring over the fields together together with four Swifts, whilst along the hedgerows were two Yellowhammers, and a few bursts of song from two Whitethroats and a Chiffchaff.

Not much to be seen on the reservoir today, although these Great Black-backed Gulls were part of the total of eight present 

Saturday, 7th June: Continuing changeable, with steady rainfall overnight and into the morning, clearing soon after 07:00 to give a largely dry morning of sunshine and heavy cloud, in a moderate WSW breeze force 3-4.

Elmer Rocks: Predictably quiet again with just a few bits of interest. There were several smallish flocks of gulls feeding offshore at various ranges - with a handful of Sandwich Terns and Mediterranean Gull amongst them - and later, three or four of each also flew west, closer in. At least seven Gannets also went west, but more of a surprise were the two separate Curlews that flew through also in that direction, whilst two Great Crested Grebes were offshore. Behind the beach, a Great Spotted Woodpecker was briefly on a telegraph pole near Poole Place, the pair of local Buzzards were in the air together and four Greenfinch were probably all from one family.

Two different Curlews went west off Elmer Rocks this morning

Ancton (Lane End paddocks): A check on the Swallow situation at the stables and paddocks found only two occupied nests, well down in number from a decade or so ago. A male Pied Wagtail was also present in an area where a pair nested earlier; presumably this bird is one of that pair. Things were generally quiet in the area, although two different Blackcaps and a Chiffchaff gave brief snatches of song from the woods behind the paddocks.

Pied Wagtail at Lane End paddocks, and active Swallow's nest in the stables at Ancton

4th - 6th June 2025

Friday, 6th June: Changeable, with sunny intervals and periods of heavy grey cloud with showers, and remaining blustery, with a moderate WSW wind force 3-4 early on, soon increasing to a force 5-6.

Bilsham Farm: I started with an early visit to the reservoir here, to see if anything had been blown in following the recent strong winds; it hadn't - and in fact the reverse was true, as there had obviously been a good clear out! All I could find on the water was a single Little Grebe, 18 Coots and one female Mallard with her brood of well-grown young. Not exactly a good start! Two or three Swallows were feeding nearby, a wind-battered Jay hurried across an open field and more distantly a Buzzard was patrolling the area, whilst most birds had stopped singing around the hedgerows, so time to cut my losses and move on.

Elmer Rocks: Given the blustery conditions I opted to head to the beach again for a bit of sea-watching, but this proved to be quiet also. A couple of hours produced a total of 15 Sandwich Terns and six Gannets moving west - with little else of any note. A moderate-sized feeding flock of gulls held just a few Mediterranean Gulls and Great Black-backed Gulls amongst the throng, whilst along the beach were a Little Egret and an Oystercatcher, but there was again no sign of the Ringed Plovers. Several Linnets flew were in the hedgerows but there were few other small birds to be seen. 

Sandwich Terns heading west were about the only highlights of a quiet morning

Thursday, 5th June: Back to grey and blustery weather with heavy cloud and rain at times, though mostly only light and intermittent, whilst the strong SW wind remained at force 5-6, occasionally gusting to 7.

Elmer Rocks (0900-1100hrs): I waited until the worst of the rain had passed before venturing out today and it soon paid off when a smart pale-phase (or pale-morph for the purists) Arctic Skua flew west behind the rock islands, fairly close in.

It was otherwise pretty quiet during my two-hour session, but a total of 14 Gannets also went west, whilst a Little Egret was briefly feeding around the rock islands and a Great Crested Grebe (or possibly two) was offshore. A quick venture out from my sheltered spot to check for yesterday's Ringed Plovers drew a blank. 

Arctic Skua (light phase) passing Elmer Rocks and (bottom) Gannets heading west

Another late afternoon visit of an hour or so didn't produce much except four Kittiwakes and a Sandwich Tern going west, a Fulmar east and a couple of Oystercatchers on the beach.

Wednesday, 4th June: A dry, bright and breezy day, with some cloud and plenty of sunshine; the moderate WSW wind slowly increasing to a brisk force 5-6 as the day progressed.

Elmer Rocks: After yesterday's excitements in the strong wind, it was back to normal today, with little moving through. Early on, there was a massive flock of feeding gulls along the horizon, too far out for any specific identification, but also another flock of several hundred considerably nearer, the majority seemingly Herring Gulls, with at least a dozen Mediterranean Gulls amongst them. Two Sandwich Terns went west, as did three Turnstones, whilst four Oystercatchers headed east, and two Little Egrets were present, one feeding along the beach and the other roosting in fir trees near the rife.

The highlight though was the discovery of a pair Ringed Plovers on the shingle, acting in an alarmed manner suggestive of breeding. I won't go into further detail here, but please do take care if you see these birds on the beach and try to avoid them at present (photos below)...

Ringed Plover on Elmer beach; if you do come across them please do all you can to avoid these sensitive birds and don't allow pets to chase them, many thanks.

A part of the closer gull flock offshore from the rock islands this morning and (below) Little Egret roosting in a fir tree behind the beach, near Elmer Rife

 

2nd - 3rd June 2025

Tuesday, 3rd June: A notable change to unsettled conditions and low pressure brought a very different feel to the weather, with strong to near gale force SW winds, heavy grey cloud and periods of generally light rain through the day.

Elmer Rocks: (0800-1000hrs) A couple of hours sea-watching this morning, before the rain set in, produced a welcome bit of variety, the best being an immature (2nd c/y) Little Gull, which headed west, quite close in, behind the rock islands. My log for the watch was as follow, with almost all the birds seen heading west:-

Fulmar - 2W

Gannet - 8W

Little Egret - 2W

Common Scoter - 2W

Oystercatcher - 2E

Kittiwake - 12W

Little Gull - 1W

Mediterranean Gull - 2W

Sandwich Tern - 10W

At Elmer Rocks this morning, with all heading west: (above) Little Egret, followed by immature (2nd c/y) Mediterranean Gull,  Sandwich Terns and finally two Common Scoters with a Sandwich Tern

So, having heard of some Manx Shearwaters being seen off Selsey Bill late morning, I decided return to my sheltered sea-watching spot at Elmer Rocks, for a session of another couple of hours this afternoon. This is a difficult species to see locally as most birds that do pass are way out and usually at or beyond the edge of viewing range from the shore, but it was worth giving it a go.

There was less activity than this morning, with just five Sandwich Terns and a couple of Mediterranean Gulls amongst the squally showers - but persistence paid off, for at 1510hrs, after a heavy squall, a single Manx passed westwards at a comparatively close range of 2-300 metres, showing quite well, if all too briefly, but leaving no doubt. Try as I may I could not add another to the list over the next hour, but I was well satisfied, so time to call it a day.

Monday, 2nd June: Early cloud soon disappeared to leave a pleasantly sunny and fairly warm day, with just a light N breeze force 2, before some cloud bubbled up again and the wind backed W/SW, increasing to force 4-5.

Elmer Rocks: It was predictably quiet here, on a fine early summer's day with the tide well out. A single Great Crested Grebe was offshore, as were six Mediterranean Gulls, whilst two Sandwich Terns drifted east, a small flock of five Turnstones and three Sanderlings went west and two Little Egrets a couple of Oystercatchers were feeding along the shore.

There was little else of note, with hardly any song now from the resident nesting birds, although a Whitethroat and a Chiffchaff each gave a few weak bursts. Four Greenfinch and a few Goldfinch were chasing around and a pair of Linnets were in the long hedgerow, whilst two Swifts were high up over the fields at the back.

Little Egret feeding along the beach near Poole Place

Bilsham farm: It was also quiet on the reservoir this morning, with just a Little Grebe, a Great Crested Grebe, two Tufted Ducks, a few Mallard (and only one brood of young now showing) and 22 Coots. At least six House Martins and a similar number of Swifts were present, occasionally feeding above the water, but also above the fields, whilst further away a pair of Buzzards were soaring together, with some display occasionally.

The clear highlight for me though was adding an overdue 'patch year-tick' when I finally caught up here with a Cuckoo; after a slow start it eventually gave distant views before calling frequently for some time, so job done!

Buzzard at Bilsham Farm

30th - 31st May 2025

Saturday, 31st May: A calm but very misty and grey start, though rather warm and humid, with just a light SW breeze, gradually brightening as the wind picked up to SSW 3.

The last day of meteorological spring, with general migration about done and just hopes now of an overshooting late migrant as we welcome early summer....

Lidsey area: I started at the WTW and reservoir, which was predictably quiet, with just two Little Grebes, four Tufted Ducks, two Gadwall and 18 Mallard, although the pair of Coots which nested on the plastic floats now have four small young. The fields and hedges around held the expected species including Cetti's Warblers, Reed Warblers, Whitethroats, Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs, but more of a surprise was the Lesser Whitethroat singing for some while. 

A search of another area was disappointing and produced just a few more of the regular warblers and a few Swifts and Swallows, whilst up to a dozen Mediterranean Gulls were flying over the fields. A Kestrel and a couple of Buzzards were present, and a couple of pairs of Greenfinch were chasing about, but with the area still remarkably dry there was nothing else of note. 

The Coots that nested on the plastic floats on the small reservoir now have four small young, and (bottom) Greenfinch at Lidsey

Friday, 30th May: A grey, murky start with some very light drizzle and a moderate breeze W 4-5, before eventually brightening up later to give sunny periods and becoming warmer as the wind eased to SW 3-4.

Climping - Atherington: The tide was right out early on, and a quick look produced no real movement and just four Sandwich Terns fishing close inshore and drifting west, together with a couple of Mediterranean Gulls, whilst a single Great Crested Grebe was close in on the sea. A check of the beach produced seven Turnstones and three Sanderlings, plus two Ringed Plovers in one area.

Leaving the beach, I did a circuit behind, around the trees and bushes, where many of the warblers have quietened down now as they get on with their breeding duties, but there were occasional bursts of weak song from several Whitethroats and Blackcaps, two Chiffchaffs and two Reed Warblers. However, two Song Thrushes were singing stridently from the Bailiffscourt area, whilst a Goldcrest was singing continually again from fir trees there so presumably nesting. At least six Swifts and 14 House Martins were over the Atherington cottages area and nearby a small flock of ten Goldfinch and a dozen Linnets were also noted.

Ringed Plover and Swift (below) at Climping beach this morning, whilst I had to include this view of the beach area showing the rapid coastal erosion and the single pinnacle, which not long ago was part of the footpath!

Bilsham Farm: There wasn't a great deal of interest today, but as I approached the area via Bilsham Lane I stopped suddenly to avoid a lump in the road, which turned out to be a very recently fledged Jay! I realised that I needed to move it off the carriageway to avoid it coming to harm, but as I approached it began screeching for all it was worth, then its nearby parent joined in at maximum volume! In short, a quick move to the safety of the grass verge was enough and I left them to it, but I don't recall seeing such a young Jay before.

On the reservoir were six Tufted Ducks, several Mallard including three females with their broods, 18 Coots, a Little Grebe, three Swallows and two Mediterranean Gulls flying over.

(above) Recently fledged Jay on the roadside at Bilsham, whilst (below) it didn't appreciate being moved to the safety of the grass verge. Note the adult-like white rump and blue wing feathers are already well pronounced on this very young bird.

(below) flock of six Tufted Ducks on the reservoir