2nd - 4th April 2025

Friday, 4th April: A bit cloudy at first, but otherwise another very dry, sunny and bright day, and feeling a little warmer with the E/SE wind somewhat lighter than of late.

Well, it's beginning to happen now, as spring starts to unfold with some interesting species appearing....

Yesterday evening, a report was received of a Short-eared Owl at Barnham Brooks (with thanks to Oliver Handson), whilst another report was received of potential breeding activity of Barn Owls in M-o-S parish. This morning, at Selsey Bill, an Alpine Swift was seen heading generally east, so I headed immediately to the local beach, just in case, though predictably there was no sign of the Swift!

Elmer Rocks: So, scanning constantly in the forlorn hope that the above Swift might appear, when soon after my arrival an Avocet flew east offshore  - at least some small compensation. Also logged on my half-hour visit were a Shelduck and two Sandwich Terns going east and a small flock of six Brent Geese on the sea.

Avocet flying east off Elmer Rocks

Barnham Brooks - Shripney/Lidsey area: A look around some of the still wet patches of the area produced a surprise gathering of five Green Sandpipers - surely newly arrived migrants - and also two Snipe, six Little Egrets, 18 Shoveler, 90+ Teal and six Gadwall. Two Blackcaps and a few Chiffchaffs were singing from the hedgerows.

Shovelers on the still remaining flooded area at Barnham Brooks

Wednesday, 2nd April:  Another dry, bright and sunny day with blue skies and a bit of scattered cloud, but also with a cool and persistent E/NE wind, blustery at times with gusts reaching force 5-6 or even 7.

Elmer Rocks: There was very little going on in the hour or so I visited, not helped by the dead low tide or the rasping easterly wind. A couple of Great Crested Grebes were on the sea, whilst two Mediterranean Gulls were around, together with a gathering of immature Herring Gulls and two Common Gulls. A few Oystercatchers and Turnstones were coming and going, but as it was so quiet I checked out the fields behind the beach. There was little here either, except for at least three Chiffchaffs, a couple of Chaffinches and Greenfinches and a pair of Buzzards, so I decided to cut my losses. In the end I opted to just stay very local and out of the wind where possible.

Elmer & Ancton: I decided on another look around the Lane End paddocks at Ancton, and the adjoining woods. I was pleased to finally connect with a couple of Swallows on the local patch, having not had a sniff of any hirundines at all locally in March. In the paddocks were two Pied Wagtails, a Mistle Thrush, two Song Thrushes...then another thrush-like bird lurking in shadows all the time, which eventually turned out to be a rather late Redwing; it will surely depart our shores soon. A male Kestrel put in an appearance over the paddocks for a short while, then directly overhead, on the edge of the adjacent woods, a pair of Buzzards were displaying for a while, before drifting off. Three Chiffchaffs and a Blackcap in the woods rounded off my visit.

Buzzards displaying over Ancton woods and (below) Redwing in the paddocks. This bird insisted on keeping in the shadows, thus I have had to adjust the gloomy photo to get any sort of usable image. It surely won't be long before it departs these shores for its breeding grounds.