Pagham Harbour, 15th March 2020
The last BOC event to go ahead before the Coronavirus shutdown was the day trip to Pagham Harbour on Sunday March 15th. At that time, government advice only impacted indoor gatherings so it was disappointing that the group that assembled at the Pagham Visitor Centre numbered just two, and that included the leader. It was a chilly day that didn’t offer much promise of early spring migrants, yet as we walked to the hide overlooking Sidlesham Ferry, a Chiffchaff started singing and gave good views. A selection of common duck species was on the Ferry Pool, numbers of waders such as Lapwing and Curlew were low on account of the low tide in the harbour, but a flock of gulls on the fields revealed several Mediterranean Gulls, some looking very smart in full summer plumage with jet black heads and striking white crescents above and below the eye. We returned to the car park via the tramway which gave us views of more waders including a distant group of Avocets.
Our next stop was Selsey Bill where it was extremely windy. We scoured the sea for divers and grebes without success and there was too much disturbance on the beach for waders to land. A couple of very distant auks sped past. It was soon time to head for the expected shelter of Church Norton, but with lunch and high tide in mind, we headed first for the sea where the wind was blowing as strongly as ever. We picked out a Great Northern Diver in the middle distance and after walking along the spit towards the harbour entrance, we found a tight group of four Slavonian Grebes battling the weather but very hard to observe even though they were quite close to the shore. Birds within the harbour were easier to watch – there was a fine drake Red-breasted Merganser, a Bar-tailed Godwit and groups of Brent Geese and Skylarks along with common waders and duck. Over lunch, from the shelter of the hedge near the hide we could hear another Chiffchaff singing, and in centre of the harbour a flock of 20 Mediterranean Gulls was continually being joined by more in all stages of plumage.
It was now mid-afternoon and there was time for one more stop, Medmerry RSPB. To protect nearby houses from flooding by the sea, the Environment Agency has constructed an inland sea wall and allowed the sea in, creating a variety of habitats. Here we saw Kestrel, Linnets and Green Woodpecker around the fields and Teal, Gadwall and Redshank on the flood. Closest to the sea are the so-called Stilt Pools where Black-winged Stilts have bred in the past – here we found Greenshank and two Ringed Plovers allowing comparison with two nearby Little Ringed Plovers. The walk back to the car was enlivened by close views of a Barn Owl hunting and lastly by a Yellowhammer, at first zitting unseen in a hedge but eventually revealing itself with its colours further intensified by the final golden rays of the setting sun.
Although we had encountered few spring species and the weather by the sea had made for challenging viewing conditions, by the end of the day we had amassed a total of 71 species and were pleased to have made the effort.
Robert Godden