14th September 2025

Sunday, 14th September: A dry, cool morning of grey cloud with some brighter, hazy breaks and a light NW breeze early on, with the wind veering to the SSW and steadily increasing later, accompanied by overcast skies with heavy rain and showers.

Elmer Rocks: A bit of a hard luck story today, as domestic commitments ensured that it was not possible for me to get out birding at any reasonable time, and so it was that I was only present on the patch from 11:05-13:05hrs! It was also the day when a record count of well over 500 Balearic Shearwaters went past the headland of Selsey Bill, mostly early on, with passage largely petering out before 11:00hrs. Whilst most would surely have passed well beyond viewing range here locally, surely there had a to be a good chance of at least a few showing up within viewing range here, I reasoned. 

Well, ten minutes into my watch from Elmer, my small reward came when at least one came into view heading west. Scope views, about three-quarters of the way to the horizon, giving typical flight as it pondered along, not the best views I'll ever have, but good enough. Then a report from another observer at Climping (MB) just a couple of minutes later, of two more heading west, much closer in - but somehow I managed to miss them - probably scoping too far out at the time. So that was it; I got on the scoresheet, but only just!

For any non-birders who are by now wondering what the fuss is all about, I should put this into context by explaining this is a globally very rare species, with a restricted Mediterranean range and population and often difficult to see; 500+ birds represents a sizeable chunk of the population of this highly sought-after species.

There were a few other species on the move today and during my couple of hours I noted the following:

Gannet - 10W

Little Egret - 2

Common Scoter - 7E

Oystercatcher - 6

Ringed Plover - 30

Mediterranean Gull - 170W

Common Gull - 2W

Common Tern - 1W

Sandwich Tern - 45W

Swallow - 5

Chiffchaff - 1 (in hedge behind me!)

11th - 13th September 2025

Saturday, 13th September: After some very early brightness, a mainly grey and cloudy morning, with frequent heavy showers and a thunderstorm, in a moderate W/SW wind 3-4, increasing to force 5 later; occasional heavy showers in the afternoon also.

Elmer Rocks (0740-1020hrs): After a bit of a casual start, urgency increased as I was motivated to get to the beach by news of interesting seabirds passing at Selsey Bill early on. My timing was very unfortunate however, as almost immediately on arrival the rain started, soon becoming very heavy and thundery and eventually unbirdable, forcing me to seek shelter and sit it out for some while at the Kiosk. Eventually the rain cleared leaving some brightness, but when birding resumed there were to be no highlights. A single Wheatear was sitting on one of the rock islands and 15 or so Ringed Plovers and several Turnstones were feeding along the beach. Offshore activity though was disappointing; a large gathering of feeding gulls formed, which attracted quite a few Gannets to the throng, plus at least 25 more heading west, as did four Common Terns and two Sandwich Terns, Finally, a single Chiffchaff came to join me, calling and flitting around the tamarisk hedge behind.

A fairly rubbish distant image of a Wheatear on the rocks

Bilsham farm: On the banks and fences of the reservoir there were two Wheatears, with a Chiffchaff calling from nearby. On the water it was clear there had been a clear out of the recent numbers of ducks and waders; just one Common Sandpiper was present today and there were just six Tufted Ducks, a Pochard, 20 Coots and 14 Little Grebes.

(above) Common Sandpiper at the reservoir and (below) the two Wheatears on the reservoir banks and fence.

Friday, 12th September: Low pressure dominating and the weather still very variable, but a brighter and drier start today, then heavy showers increasing in frequency later. in a moderate WSW wind force 4, increasing to 5-6 by afternoon.

Climping - Atherington: I spent a couple of hours stomping around some of the likely spots I'd earmarked for finding a Wryneck, but needless to say no such luck this morning! In truth I didn't see too much else - though doubtless I missed a few things - but Chiffchaffs were the most dominant species with at least 15 seen, plus several Whitethroats and Blackcaps, but few other migrants were around. Resident species such as Green Woodpecker (2), Jay (2), Greenfinch (8), Kestrel and Buzzard (2) were also noted.

Elmer Rocks: An afternoon visit (1500-1630hrs), by which time the wind and the showers had increased, but there wasn't much moving. Three Gannets went west, as did a Common Tern and four Sandwich Terns, whilst five Mediterranean Gulls and a Common Gull were back and forth in the surf with a number of Black-headed Gulls. On the shore, up to 25 Ringed Plovers and six Turnstones were feeding in amongst the seaweed.

At Elmer this afternoon: (above) Mediterranean Gull, (below two) juvenile and adult Ringed Plovers, and (bottom) Sandwich Tern battling through the rain.

Thursday, 11th September: A very changeable morning of frequent and quite heavy squally showers, interspersed with brief sunny periods and a moderate to fresh W/SW wind 4-5. Brighter in the afternoon, with more sunny breaks, but still some heavy showers.

Elmer Rocks: There was nothing for it this morning but to do a sea-watch from the most sheltered spot I could find.....although it was dead low tide and visibility was pretty awful at times. In the best part of two hours I logged just Gannet - 6W, Wigeon - 4W, Ringed Plover - 20, Sand Martin - 6W, Swallow - 5W, Sandwich Tern - 1E and Common Tern - 1W. As I made my way home for coffee there was a singing Coal Tit in the Ancton area.

In the absence of any bird photos from Elmer this morning, a look at the weather, with (above) sunbeams through the clouds, and (below) heavy showers over the wind turbines.

...and a selfie of a disillusioned Elmer Border in the rain under a seriously broken umbrella!

Bilsham farm: Another visit to the reservoir found that the Little Stint and four Common Sandpipers were all still present in the same area as previously. There were also up to 16 Little Grebes, 15 Tufted Ducks and a drake Pochard on the water, 50+ Sand Martins and 20+ House Martins feeding over the area and two Chiffchaffs in the hedgerows.

The juv. Little Stint at Bilsham reservoir today

Lidsey area: Much quieter here today and I could find no Cattle Egrets in the fields. The best bird was a Green Sandpiper, whilst on the water were 10 Little Grebes, three Tufted Ducks and 12 Gadwall.

Gadwalls (above) on Lidsey reservoir and (below) Green Sandpiper

7th - 9th September 2025

Tuesday, 9th September: A fairly bright day overall, but with heavy grey cloud and sunny interludes early on, and heavy showers well out to sea and threatening inshore, but never actually arriving inland, in a moderate SSE wind 3-4. Sunnier and warmer by afternoon.

Elmer Rocks: A bit of a mixture today. On arrival I could hear the whistling sound of a Mute Swan's wings, but just couldn't see it until I eventually located it very high up in the sky. Offshore, a flock of nine Common Scoter went east and four Wigeon west and a steady trickle of Swallows were heading east again; I stopped my count at 50. An immature Shag was on the rock islands, as were a couple of Little Egrets, whilst 11 Oystercatchers, 20+ Ringed Plovers and two Sanderlings dropped onto the beach.

Just east of Poole Place there was a gathering of gulls and 26 Sandwich Terns on the rocky beach, several of the latter being juvenile/1st winter birds and still begging food from adults. Gulls were a dominant feature today; the fields behind the beach were being harrowed and a mass of mainly Black-headed and Mediterranean Gulls were present and taking advantage, with just a few of the other regular gull species. There were probably well over a thousand of which perhaps 700+ were Black-headed and 300+ were Mediterranean Gulls. A Kestrel was hunting over the set-aside and a couple of Chiffchaffs were in the tamarisk hedges.

Elmer Rocks this morning: (above) Mute Swan overhead, very high, but its distinctive whistling wings in flight still audible, and (below) Sandwich Terns and Mediterranean Gulls near Poole Place

The immature Shag on the rock islands

Bilsham farm: A Raven flew over giving its 'cronking' call late morning, whilst in the hedgerows a Chiffchaff was showing and calling frequently and a male Yellowhammer was also present. On the reservoir, there were 16 Little Grebes, a drake Pochard and 26 Tufted Ducks; however, there was a bit more interest today, with four Common Sandpipers together and then a surprise in the form of a Little Stint. The latter was initially seen at some distance on the opposite side of the reservoir to me, and whilst it was obviously a stint I was less sure of its true identity at first as it didn't feel quite 'right' and so caution was needed. I decided to summon my birding friend Bernie for a second opinion, whilst I tried to gradually get nearer for a photo to eliminate other possibilities.

I eventually got to the other side without disturbing the stint, and slowly was able to eliminate other similar species, confirming its blackish legs and no partial webbing between the toes. It surely had to be a Little Stint and Bernie then arrived to confirm it.

(Top two) Little Stint with Common Sandpiper, (lower two) Little Stint - note dark blackish legs and lack of any toe palmations/webbing, (bottom) side view of the Stint

Monday, 8th September: A rather pleasant and mainly sunny day after a fairly cool start, and remaining dry, with a moderate to fresh W/SW wind force 4-5.

Lidsey WTW area: I spent most of the morning birding at Pagham Harbour, but with news of a small influx of Glossy Ibises along the South coast I made the effort to try at least one potentially good area on the local patch. Alas no Ibis for me today, but there has been a recent influx of Cattle Egrets to the grassy fields behind the WTW, so I thought it was worth a look. It turned out that there were at least 30 present, including a number of juveniles, although the long grass makes their presence hard to detect at first; for example, one area where I initially thought there were just two birds, eventually proved to be hosting a dozen!

Nearby, the small reservoir held a Common Sandpiper, 11 Little Grebes, eight Mallard and three Tufted Ducks.

Cattle Egrets in the long grass behind Lidsey WTW and two flying in to join the group, whilst (bottom) Common Sandpiper, sitting, at the reservoir.

Sunday, 7th September: A mainly sunny and dry day with plenty of white cloud, in a moderate to brisk S/SE wind force 4-5.

Elmer Rocks: There was a steady and constant trickle of Swallows heading east, early on at least, along the beach and over the sea, (no count attempted!) That apart there was precious little to record; half a dozen Oystercatchers and 20 or so Ringed Plovers arriving on the rising tide, a couple of Little Egrets by the rocks, a single Common Gull, a Kestrel hunting over the set-aside and perhaps two Blackcaps in the bushes. At this point my patience expired and it was time to move on.

Kestrel hovering over the set-aside, behind the beach

Bilsham farm: There wasn't much around the fields and hedgerows, the best being a Spotted Flycatcher, several Chiffchaffs and plenty of hirundines on the move - especially Swallows. On the reservoir there were two Common Sandpipers and two Pied Wagtails around the waterline, whilst on the water were 16 Little Grebes, 24 Coots, a drake Pochard and 12 Tufted Ducks. A gathering of hirundines over the water contained at least 50 Sand Martins. 

Common Sandpiper at Bilsham reservoir

4th - 6th September 2025

Saturday, 6th September: A bright and sunny day, occasionally hazy with a little cloud, with a fresh SE breeze force 5, though fairly warm in sheltered spots.

Lidsey WTW area: I was otherwise engaged with a WeBS wildfowl count elsewhere for much of the morning, but called in to the local patch on the way home. The highlight here was a gathering of Cattle Egrets on the damp, grassy fields, just to the south of the sewage works, where I counted at least 18, together with a Little Egret. It was not possible to view all of the fields from my vantage point, and with some of the birds mostly obscured in long vegetation it is likely there were others that eluded me.

The nearby reservoir was fairly mundane, with just eight Little Grebes, three Tufted Ducks, 14 Gadwall and eight Mallard, whilst around the bushes were half a dozen Chiffchaffs and two Cetti's Warblers.

Cattle Egrets in the fields near Lidsey WTW

Friday, 5th September: A generally dry, fine and sunny day with some scattered cloud and feeling pleasantly warm later, in a moderate W/SW breeze.

Bilsham farm: Two Ravens were flying around the back fields, annoying the local crows, before settling to feed awhile but at some distance. On the reservoir there was an obvious influx of Little Grebes this morning, with at least 18 counted, together with a Great Crested Grebe. Also present were three Common Sandpipers, a drake Pochard, 20 Tufted Ducks and two Teal, Around the margins were a Grey Wagtail, two Pied Wagtails and a couple of Chiffchaffs on the perimeter hedge, whilst around 30 Swallows and 50 Sand Martins were feeding over the water.

Juvenile Common Sandpiper (above) and two presumed adults (below) on Bilsham reservoir this morning

An influx of at least 18 Little Grebes included this nine (above), whilst a distant Raven was feeding in the fields (excuse cropping and heat haze!)

Climping - Atherington: I stayed around the Atherington area finding a variety of migrants in the bushes and trees, but there just wasn't time to cover more ground or even the beach in the restricted time of under two hours available to me today. My highlights were three Spotted Flycatchers, a Whinchat, a Lesser Whitethroat, six Whitethroats, at least 12 Blackcaps, eight Chiffchaffs and five Willow Warblers (including one singing in the sunshine)....and also a Hummingbird Hawkmoth!

Spotted Flycatcher (above) and Whinchat at Atherington

Thursday, 4th September: Another really changeable day, with frequent heavy and squally showers all morning, pushed through with a near gale-force SW wind force 6-7, occasionally gusting 8, but also with brief periods of bright sunshine in-between.

Elmer Rocks: I managed nearly three hours sea-watching this morning, but it was more of a test of endurance rather than a productive session, with very little on the move, and none of the scarcer species hoped for after yesterday's stormy conditions. The meagre log for my efforts shows just Gannet - 24W, Common Gull - 1W, Mediterranean Gull - 1, Sandwich Tern - 8W, Oystercatcher - 2 and Ringed Plover - 22.....and, apart from the other regular gull species, that was it!

(above) Mediterranean Gull (1st-winter) and (below) Common Gull at Elmer Rocks

1st - 3rd September 2025

Wednesday, 3rd September: A wet and very windy day, confirming that summer is well and truly over, with leaden grey skies, frequent heavy rain and a gale force SW wind through much of the day, with just a few drier interludes in between. Eventually becoming clearer and brighter by late afternoon.

Elmer Rocks (0820-1050hrs): I managed to get to my usual fairly sheltered spot after getting caught in an initial cloudburst, but visibility offshore was variable throughout, ranging from about zero for some of the time, to reasonable during the brief drier intervals. It was slow-going as expected. with none of the hoped-for scarcer seabirds that sometimes occur, but there were a few species of interest, and my log is below:-

Gannet - 15W

Fulmar - 1W

Oystercatcher - 3E

Turnstone - 10 along the beach

Ringed Plover - 71W

Knot - 1W (amongst Ringed Plovers)

Sandwich Tern - 2E

Common Tern - 3W

Mediterranean Gull - 2W

(top two) Ringed Plover flocks heading west, (centre) 1st-winter Mediterranean Gull and (bottom two) Fulmar heading west off the rock islands.

With news of interesting seabirds appearing at several places along the South Coast, I made a brief second visit to Elmer Rocks late afternoon (1630-1730hrs), but alas there were no real excitements. Unusually though, a juvenile Shag was resting on the rock islands, this being my first of the year on the local patch. Whilst this species is becoming increasingly regular nearby at Selsey Bill, it still remains scarce here. Other species noted were Gannet (2), Common Gull, Sanderling (2), Ringed Plover (c.50) and Turnstone (15).

Shag (juvenile) at Elmer Rocks this afternoon

Bilsham farm: A short visit to the reservoir, just in case some birding waif had been pushed in on the strong winds, but sadly this was not the case. It proved to be very difficult to hold my optics and camera still enough to get any count or photo, due to the lack of cover from the strong gusty wind, but I logged the following:- Great Crested Grebe - 1, Little Grebe - 8, Mallard - 4, Pochard - 1 drake, Tufted Duck - 31 and Common Sandpiper - 3. There were also a few Swallows and up to ten Sand Martins present.

Mostly Tufted Ducks on Bilsham reservoir

Monday, 1st September: Another very changeable and autumnal day, with a mixture of bright sunny spells, interspersed with heavy grey cloud and frequent squally showers pushed through by a strong and gusty W/SW wind force 5-6.

Elmer Rocks: A sea-watch from a sheltered spot seemed the best option given the conditions, but even then it wasn't easy, with bright, glaring sun from the sea one minute and heavy rain obscuring the view the next. I managed to put in a couple of hours (0800-1000hrs) which was fairly slow going, but did at least produce a few bits and pieces, including an Arctic Skua and some Gannets heading west. Log below:- 

Gannet - c.50W

Little Egret - 8 along rock islands

Common Scoter - 5E

Oystercatcher - 14

Sanderling - a single with other waders along beach

Turnstone - 15+

Ringed Plover - 30+

Arctic Skua - 1W

Common Gull - 2 on beach

Common Tern - 1W

Starling - 150+

An autumnal day with very varied weather, including a rainbow!

Common Gulls on the beach and Little Egrets around the rocks

A lone Sanderling (above) and a group of Turnstones (below) on the beach, whilst (bottom) a local flock of Starlings was frequently visiting the piles of sea-weed to feed.