An hour at Selsey Bill from 06:15, more in hope than anticipation, produced nothing more than a trickle of distant Gannets heading W, three Ringed plovers and singles of Common, Little & Sandwich Tern in the very blustery conditions. A very full Sidlesham Ferry was similarly quiet with yesterday's Curlew Sandpipers having moved on and three Common Sandpipers the only waders present. Six cattle egrets flew in from the direction of the harbour and paused for a short while in the field opposite the entrance to the Visitor Centre car park. A walk from the car park at Ham to the Stilt Pool at RSPB Medmerry was better with Peregrine, Raven, two Stonechats, three Whinchats and a Yellowhammer between the two and nine Egyptian Geese, four Shoveler and three Common Sandpipers on the Stilt Pool.
News of two Curlew Sandpipers along the east side of Pagham Harbour prompted a drive round to Church Lane and a short walk to the edge of the harbour where we located a moulting adult Curlew Sandpiper but not the juvenile it had been with earlier. Two Greenshanks were in White's Creek and 30 Cattle Egrets were roosting with Little Egrets on the grassy island east of Owl Point but there was nothing on the Breech Pool which had filled up with rainwater since the beginning of the week. A quick look at the east side of Thorney Island failed to find an Osprey although we later heard that one had been seen earlier feeding on a fish at Pilsey Island. Another 25 Cattle Egrets were along the Great Deep though there may have been more hiding in the long grass.
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