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

26th - 28th May 2025

Wednesday, 28th May: After a wet and windy day yesterday, a cool morning which began with sunshine and heavy cloud and the odd light shower, in a fresh WSW breeze force 4-5, easing a little later and becoming a little warmer too....

Elmer Rocks: I was hoping the strong winds yesterday and overnight would produce a bit of interest at sea this morning, perhaps even with the odd shearwater, but it wasn't to be. It was decidedly slow going again, although an Arctic Skua going east - albeit quite distantly - was a highlight and at least some compensation.

On my arrival the tide was low and there was a massive flock of gulls very distantly offshore on the horizon, though it was impossible to make any proper identification. Eventually, a few species of interest were noted much closer in, and my log was as follows:-

Great Crested Grebe - 2W, 1 o/s

Gannet - 2E, 4W

Oystercatcher - 13

Whimbrel - 2W

Turnstone - 4

Arctic Skua - 1E

Mediterranean Gull - 4W

Sandwich Tern - 6W

Whitethroat - just one heard singing

Linnet - 2 on shingle, flew into cover

Goldfinch - 6

Two Whimbrel heading west off Elmer Rocks and a flock of Oystercatchers hunkered down on the rocks near high tide

Bank Holiday Monday, 26th May: A dry but rather blustery day, with sunny periods and cloud and a fresh to strong WSW wind force 5-6.

Elmer Rocks: The blustery conditions meant that a bit of sea-watching would probably be the best idea, so I concentrated on that this morning. A very large flock of gulls was present offshore in a bit of a feeding frenzy, although well out towards the horizon, so a 'scope was necessary; however, with a bit of patience it could be seen that amongst the swirling flock was a good number of Mediterranean Gulls. It was not possible to do any sort of detailed count, but I suspect the total would be in the region of three figures....so I will say c.100. In addition, there were six or so Gannets and a number of Sandwich Terns - again not possible to count but I'll say c.20.

The tide was by now rising quickly, and as the morning progressed, eventually the flock dispersed, many of the birds drifting off eastwards. Other species logged included a single Fulmar W, and a flock of six Common Scoter and two Common Terns E, the latter birds probably having been in the big gull flock earlier. With the tide well up, a flock of 12 Oystercatchers arrived to roost on the rock islands and later 14 Turnstones arrived along the beach, before also roosting

Behind the beach, a couple of Whitethroats were still singing briefly, a Chiffchaff was heard and a pair of Linnets were still in the long hedge, whilst two or three Swifts were high up over the back fields. 

Turnstones on Elmer beach - note the summer plumage of their upperparts and the camouflage it provides against the shoreline - whilst below, a Sandwich Tern heading east.

23rd - 25th May 2025

Sunday, 25th May: A rather grey and cloudy start with a few bits of drizzle and a brisk W/NW wind force 4-5. Gradually brightening with sunshine from late morning, but with the blustery conditions continuing throughout.

Lidsey WTW area: There were 26 Mallard present this morning, the majority of them loafing around inside the WTW compound, whilst nearby were four Tufted Ducks, two Gadwall and two Little Grebes on the small reservoir, plus the Coot pair now well-ensconced on their nest. Two Pied Wagtails and c.300 Starlings were around the filter pans and several Swifts and Swallows were above. The regular warblers were present, with some still singing, but it was otherwise rather uneventful.

Mallards loafing inside the WTW (= sewage works)

Barnham Brooks area: This proved to be very disappointing for me this morning, with nothing beyond the normal being noted on my circuit. A couple of Buzzards and a Kestrel were about and at least six Swifts were over the Brooks, whilst regulars included Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Whitethroat, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Cetti's Warbler, Reed Bunting and Yellowhammer. At the heronry several nests were still occupied and a Little Egret was present nearby.

Bilsham farm: A Red Kite was soaring fairly high over the fields and often hanging in the wind, but each time it ventured lower it was immediately mobbed and moved on by several angry crows. A couple of Buzzards nearby also got much the same treatment, though a hovering Kestrel seemed to fare better. A Little Egret was oddly present in a dry agricultural field for some while, as were a mixed flock of roosting gulls. I estimated c.30 Great Black-backed Gulls were in the flock - consisting of birds of all ages from 1st-cycle immatures to adults - plus another ten on the reservoir and surrounding area, so a total of about c.40 present, plus one Lesser Black-backed Gull.

On the reservoir itself were two Tufted Ducks, three broods of Mallard, a Little Grebe and a pair of Great Crested Grebes, the latter occasionally displaying, though it seems unlikely they would choose to nest here?

Pair of Great Crested Grebes on Bilsham reservoir and gull flock including Great Black-backed Gulls in the fields

A just-about-discernible image of the Red Kite over the fields, with a crow moving in, whilst below, this lone Little Egret chose to spend some time in a very dry field.

Friday,23rd May: A cool and fairly bright start with some cloud, but plenty of blue sky, in a light NE breeze 2-3, which soon backed to a light SW2 and a fairly warm day later.

Elmer Rocks: A fairly short visit this morning, which produced nothing special but a few species of interest:-

Gannet - at least six offshore amongst a flock of feeding gulls

Oystercatcher - nine roosting on the rock islands at high tide

Turnstone - flock of 8W

Mediterranean Gull - c.8 o/s amongst feeding gull flock

Great Black-backed Gull - 15 roosting on rocks and on sea, presumably all non-breeders and some immatures

Sandwich Tern - 8 o/s, some feeding close in behind the rocks

Whitethroat - three still singing from hedgerows, presumed breeders

Linnet - pair in hedgerow, presumed nesters

Gannets fishing offshore at Elmer

Great Black-backed Gulls on the rock islands at high tide and Linnet in the hedgerow

19th - 22nd May 2025

Thursday, 22nd May: A grey, cool start with a light breeze N 2-3, remaining dry and soon becoming brighter as the breeze shifted to the SE.

I was birding well away from the local patch all morning, time allowing just a short visit to Bilsham farm on my way back. It was fairly quiet yet again, but on the reservoir were two Great Crested Grebes, two Tufted Ducks, a few Coots including a pair on the plastic floats re-building their nest after it was marauded, and now four broods of Mallard with their respective parents. Amongst the mainly Herring Gulls washing and preening on the water were three Lesser Black-backed Gulls (a near adult and two second-cycle birds = immatures)

A pair of Buzzards were again active over the fields and a Kestrel was also hunting the area.

Just a short visit today, with nothing too exciting to be found, but a Kestrel (above) was hunting, whilst amongst the gulls were some immature Lesser Black-backed Gulls (below - right, and bottom - centre)

Wednesday, 21st May: A notable change in the weather, with grey skies, intermittent light rain and a cool N wind force 3-4, which quickly changed as the breeze dropped and backed SW 1-2.

Elmer Rocks: The sea was flat calm most of the time, but there was no visible migration offshore that I could see. However, a total of ten Great Crested Grebes still on the sea was a bit of a surprise at this time of year, mostly in the general vicinity of the Poole Place rocks. A flock of seven Sanderlings stopped briefly before heading off eastwards close inshore, whilst along the beach were nine Oystercatchers, ten Turnstones and two Little Egrets, plus three Mallard still frantically chasing each other about near the rife.

There wasn't much else to report; a Chiffchaff and several Whitethroats, Blackcaps and Song Thrushes were still singing and a couple each of Swift and Swallow were flying over the back fields. Meanwhile, I was pleased to see that some of the vegetated shingle areas - a nationally rare habitat - have survived the upheaval and recent re-profiling of the beach, with the flowering Yellow-horned Poppies a real joy.

Two of the ten Great Crested Grebes off Elmer Rocks and Poole Place this morning

Vegetated shingle is a nationally rare habitat and it was a pleasure to see some of these hardy plants have survived the upheaval and re-profiling which has occurred in the last few years on the east end of Elmer beach. The Yellow-horned Poppies which are now in bloom are a joy to behold.

Tuesday, 20th May: More of the same yet again, with a very dry, fairly warm and mainly sunny day, as the NE wind force 4 soon eased down a couple of notches....

Shripney area: I opted for a bit of a change this morning, covering the wider area of Shripney and a bit of Lidsey, hoping for a bit of interest as things have gone notably quiet in the local area - and also hoping to target a Cuckoo as I haven't been able to connect with one on the local patch so far this year, even though they have been reported by others.

In the event, it proved to be quiet here also; literally, as there was no sound (or sight) of a Cuckoo or indeed anything much else beyond the expected species. On a small farm reservoir were two Little Grebes, a couple of Coots and two pairs of Mallard, with broods of six and one ducklings respectively. The usual selection of now-regular warbler species were all present (Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Whitethroat, Reed, Sedge and Cetti's) plus Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker, Buzzards, Reed Bunting, Greenfinches and Yellowhammer, but there were to be no excitements, before I headed back for coffee.

You know it's a quiet time when Mallard turns out to be the highlight (!) but this was the case this morning, with this pair and their young on a small farm reservoir.

Monday, 19th May: Much the same weather as the last couple of weeks; high pressure, very dry, cloudy at first giving way to sunshine later, combined with a moderate NE breeze force 4, easing by late afternoon.

Elmer Rocks:  Having been committed with domestic duties through the day, a walk along the beach on a glorious evening was in order, with the tide receding and the wind having dropped. There was nothing out of the ordinary seen, but nonetheless my visit from 18:45-20:15hrs was very pleasant, as below:

Great Crested Grebe - 4 o/s

Gannet - 2 o/s

Little Egret - 2

Grey Heron - 1

Oystercatcher - 15

Whimbrel - one heard flying over, but not seen

Turnstone - 14 feeding on rife outfall, later flew E

Mediterranean Gull - c.20 o/s amongst large gathering of feeding gulls

Common Tern - 2 distant amongst feeding gulls

Sandwich Tern - 5 o/s drifted off E

(above) juvenile Grey Heron and Little Egret at Elmer Rocks - whilst (below) Turnstones feeding on the rife outfall

14th - 17th May 2025

Saturday, 17th May: Still very dry, but quite cloudy this morning and cool in the NE breeze force 4/5, but gradually getting warmer with continuous sunshine and scattered cloud by afternoon, as the wind eased and veered round to a SW 3.

Climping Gap: Things do now seem to have gone very quiet locally on the scarcer migrants front and on my, admittedly leisurely, circuit this morning, I tried hard but failed to find to find anything beyond the routine. On the sea were four Great Crested Grebes and a Sandwich Tern going east, whilst on the beach were five Turnstones and two Ringed Plovers, whilst several Swallows arrived from the sea.

Whitethroats seemed to be in good numbers with many singing on territory, plus a few Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, Reed Warblers, a Sedge Warbler, a Cetti's Warbler and four Song Thrushes. Other species logged included Buzzard, Kestrel, Jay, eight Greenfinches, a male Goldcrest continually singing in the fir trees at Bailiffscourt, and Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Lidsey WTW area: Another visit here produced two Little Grebes, two Tufted Ducks, 14 Mallard, four Gadwall and the nesting pair of Coots on the small reservoir, whilst at the WTW area a Pied Wagtail and a Grey Wagtail were both carrying food presumably to their respective young, but there were only about a dozen Swallows today. The now regular warblers - including two or three Cetti's Warblers - were in good voice around the hedgerows, but otherwise it was unremarkable.

Grey Wagtail at the WTW, Little Grebe with pair of Gadwall and Coot nesting on plastic floats

Thursday, 15th May: A bit cooler and cloudier than of late, though still dry, with a mix of grey cloud and sunnier periods in a light to moderate NE breeze 3-4.

Bilsham farm: A short visit this morning before moving on elsewhere off the patch. There was nothing beyond the expected species, although there were three broods of Mallards today; the female previously reported with nine young, a second with a new brood of seven and a third with a brood of 11, although the latter female was clearly a cross-bred hybrid of some sort, spreading her imperfect genes with the largest brood to date!

There were also ten other adult Mallard, loafing, whilst on the water were two Little Grebes, a Great Crested Grebe and two Tufted Ducks. At least eight Swifts were high over the fields, where two Red Kites and three Buzzards were also seen, and a pair of Yellowhammers was noted in a hedgerow.

On Bilsham reservoir this morning new Mallard broods were about the only highlights: (above) the female with seven young, whilst (below) this hybrid female clearly has impure genes and most of her brood of 11 look rather similar to her.

Lidsey WTW area: A quick visit here also produced nothing beyond commoner species. There were 12 Mallard and a pair of Gadwall, but most of the action was around the Works and the filter pans, where c.30 House Martins and 25 Swallows were feeding above, at least 200 noisy Starlings - many of them recently fledged - were dominating proceedings and an adult Pied Wagtail was feeding a recently fledged juvenile.

It was then time for a change of scenery as I headed for the Selsey Peninsula.

(above) Recently fledged Pied Wagtail at the WTW awaiting food and (below) some of the Starlings at the filter pans, including many noisy juveniles.

Wednesday, 14th May: The very dry spell and high pressure continues unabated, giving yet more prolonged sunshine through the day, with almost cloudless skies and a moderate NE breeze force 3-4, veering to SSE 2-3 by afternoon and becoming very warm in sheltered spots.

Elmer Rocks: There was very little that suggested any migration was going on this morning and it was so slow it didn't merit a visit of any longer than an hour and a half. There was a mixed flock of gulls feeding well offshore at first, with a number of Mediterranean Gulls, a couple of Sandwich Terns and about eight Gannets amongst them, before the flock gradually dispersed and birds drifted away. A flock of 25 Sanderlings and seven Oystercatchers flew east, whilst four Great Crested Grebes were on the sea near Poole Place and a couple of Little Egrets were on the beach. Two Swallows were seen arriving from the sea and two Swifts were high over the fields behind the beach, but that was about it except for a Chiffchaff and several Whitethroats along the hedges and four demented Mallards chasing each other around. 

Three drake Mallards and a female were chasing each other about most of the time I was there; two of the males (above) are shown here taking a rooftop time-out near the Elmer rife, whilst (below) two of four Great Crested Grebes offshore.

Bilsham farm: It was quiet here too, where the reservoir held only two Little Grebes, a Great Crested Grebe, a pair of Gadwall and a dozen Mallard, including the female still with her brood, but not a single wader was present today. Over the fields three fairly distant Red Kites were seen and four Buzzards, whilst a pair of Swallows seem to have settled in at the donkey paddocks.

Pair of Gadwall (above) and female Mallard with her brood, whilst (bottom) one of the Swallows which has settled in at the donkey compound

10th - 12th May 2025

Monday, 12th May: A bit of a welcome change, with some rain yesterday evening and through the night, leading to a rather grey, hazy and cloudy morning with some light showers, but also a lighter wind, SSE3. Becoming brighter by afternoon with sun breaking through the cloud.

Elmer Rocks: There wasn't too much happening that I could see - although doubtless there was a good deal more moving further offshore beyond local viewing range. A couple of flocks of Common Scoter, totalling at least 48 birds, passed through eastwards, as did several Sandwich Terns and two Little Egrets, whilst five Gannets went west. A total of 17 Oystercatchers flew in to roost on the rocks, four local Mallards were chasing around and the usual Linnets and Whitethroats were present, but it was soon time to move on.

Oystercatchers arriving and roosting on the rock islands

Bilsham farm: Around the reservoir there was just one Common Sandpiper this morning, whilst on the water were three Little Grebes, a Great Crested Grebe, four Gadwall, two Tufted Ducks, and a few Mallards including the female with here still small brood of nine ducklings. A Greenfinch was singing from the perimeter fence and flying into the nearby bushes so likely to be breeding.

Around the wider area and fields were 12 Great Black-backed Gulls, a Lesser Black-backed Gull and 20 Mediterranean Gulls. Regulars included Sedge, Reed and Cetti's Warblers, Whitethroats, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, Reed Buntings and Yellowhammers, but best of all was a roosting Little Owl at an undisclosed site.

Greenfinch on the fence at Bilsham reservoir, Mediterranean Gulls over the farm fields and Little Owl roosting at an undisclosed site.

Sunday, 11th May: Another dry, sunny day similar to yesterday, but with the fresh NE breeze force 4 veering to the SE later...

This being peak migration time, especially involving seabirds moving up-Channel, it was no surprise to find me off the local patch but instead looking out from the headland of Selsey Bill, together with quite a few other keen birders. In the end I managed to watch from about 0715 through to 1400hrs, but it paid off for me personally with the sighting of a Long-tailed Skua, a scarce/rare seabird in Sussex so I was well pleased. Sitting, watching and concentrating on the sea for nearly seven hours in the sunshine is actually very tiring and so I couldn't face stopping off anywhere on my way back to the local patch today!

Elmer & Ancton: As I left home in the early morning to head off to the above, I noted a Coal Tit singing and obviously moving around between gardens in the Kingsmead Road/Ancton Lane area; this is actually a scarce species in the coastal corner of the county.

On my return and feeling somewhat weary, it was time to sit in the garden and relax with a cup of tea, whilst watching a pair of Great Tits that have nested in my old nest box. They were back and forth repeatedly, perhaps finding it hard to locate food in the dry conditions - now that is hard work. A common species maybe, but just as lovely for that, and a delight to watch after a good day's birding.

Great Tit exiting the nest box in my garden, to search for yet more food.

Saturday, 10th May: Yet another fine, dry and sunny day as the long-staying high pressure system over the UK continues to dominate, but still with a nagging and chilly NE breeze force 3-4/5 along the coast, taking the edge off what would otherwise be a very warm day. 

Elmer Rocks: Firstly, it was a pleasure to meet and talk to several (non-birding) folks this morning, both locals and visitors, who enquired about what I was looking at and/or what birds I was seeing. It was such interest that prompted me to start this blog in the first place. Some of you seemed amazed at just how far the birds migrate to (for example, most of the wading birds seen along our beach in winter are now well on their way to the high Arctic to breed - if not there already. And the first of these birds will be returning to our beaches again by early August - just amazing really). It was also fun explaining to someone for the first time just what a pirate and a robber a Skua is!

Secondly, the sunny, dry days and prolonged fine weather seems to make everyone happy, but nice as it is, it doesn't help the coastal birder such as me, so forgive me when I say I look forward to a change and some cloud and rain for a while! There's always one isn't there - but such weather makes for more interest in my little world, with migrant birds dropping onto the coast to seek rest and shelter, instead of flying straight over and disappearing high up in clear skies.

So, onto today's report: The highlight this morning was an Arctic Skua (pale morph) heading east at reasonable range fairly soon after I'd arrived, but there were also a few waders of interest. My list was as follows:-

Gannet - 2E, 3W and c.10 offshore, fishing amongst a flock of c.200 mixed gulls, out towards the horizon

Oystercatcher - 8W, plus12 on rocks

Whimbrel - 6E, plus 2 roosting on rocks

Bar-tailed Godwit - 10E

Turnstone - 2 on rocks

Arctic Skua - 1E

Mediterranean Gull - 2E

Sandwich Tern - 8E

Common Tern - 3W

Swallow - 6N

Swift - 1

Whitethroat - 4 on territory/singing

Blackcap - 2 singing

Linnet - 4

Greenfinch - 2

Chaffinch - 1

Oystercatchers and Whimbrels on Elmer Rocks this morning

Bilsham farm: A brief circuit late morning found three Common Sandpipers feeding around the water's edge, but otherwise it was diminishing returns with a total of just nine Tufted Ducks and a few Mallards and Coots, a pair of the latter seemingly now having lost their nest on the plastic floats, which is little surprise given the number of gulls that visit. A Lesser Black-backed Gull was with Herring Gulls, and several Swifts and Swallows, a pair of Buzzards, a Kestrel and the regular Whitethroats were about it for today.

Common Sandpipers are now featuring regularly at the reservoir this spring; above is one of the three present today.