Surviving Selsey!!!

 Back to work tomorrow, with much improved weather forecast I decided a trip to Selsey was the order of the day to boost my 2022 list with Waders and Seabirds, Things started well I was up and out by 6.30, much needed practice for tomorrow's return to work, an uneventful drive saw me arrive at Selsey in the early morning gloom, I couldn't remember where the locals do there Seawatching, even though I've been before so headed straight down the main street to the Beach Carpark at this point I realised the forecast was wrong once again and it was raining with a strong wind!! Judicious use of the car, with some careful manoeuvring meant I could Seawatch out of the passenger window with out getting too wet hurrah!!

Visibility was poor, and using the scope was difficult so was mainly a Bins job, photography was also tricky the sea was rough and the dull conditions did not help!! (getting me excuses in early😆) However was quite good birding, a few Gannets going through, a Sandwich Tern, several Great Northern Divers, a couple of Med Gulls, a few Auks, Red-breasted Mergansers, Brent Geese a small Grebe went through which I felt was a good shout for Slavonian but was too quick for the camera, the window of opportunity, literally through the window was about 30 seconds before spotting the bird to getting the camera on it, any longer would mean a dislocated back!! After a while the rain stopped and I relocated to the side of the car which made getting a few pics possible if not easy!! A few below!!

Brent Geese with a Shelduck

Gannet

Guillemots

Great Black-backed Gull

Brent Geese

Red-breasted Merganser

Great Northern Diver

Black-headed Gull

Great Northern Diver

The other highlight of this Seawatch were the Turnstones which were running around my feet!!

Bit easier than trying to get the Gannets at 2 miles away!!!

At 9.15 with hypothermia setting in, I decided to abandon the sea and head to Church Norton, the Car Park was a bit tight but I got a space and headed out into the harbour, It is always spectacular view and it was loaded with birds, most blooming miles away!!

Curlew

A selection of wildfowl and waders, some nice Avocets in the middle !!

A very distant wader murmuration I think Golden plover, Lapwing and maybe Knot opinions welcomed 

Dunlin, loads of these little fellas about

Dunlin

Dunlin and a Curlew

Grey Plover

Red-breasted Merganser

Wigeon fly past

Brent Geese

Grey Plover

Black-tailed Godwit

Teal

I left the benches and walked around to the Sea for another quick Seawatch, More Mergansers, a small flock of Eider, a couple of Auks, a few Divers flying about, more Med Gulls went past, a small Grebe flew in and landed on the sea identified by another birder as a Black-necked Grebe confirmed from pictures, a nice close Red-throated Diver.

Red-throated Diver

Black-necked Grebe

Razorbill

Med Gull

Great Crested Grebe

Guillemot

Once again I got carried away and the cold got to me again, so I headed back to the benches, the tide was coming in luckily I had me wellies on so got through, I thought at this point the tide was at it's highest!! Big mistake, I settled in to scan the harbour again almost unrecognisable from a couple of hours ago, a Razorbill was in the middle of the harbour and there were  3 female Goldeneye equally distant!! Several Mergansers were still present as were a small pod of Little Grebes. There was also a Whimbrel sharing my Island for that is what the benches had become as the tide got higher and higher!! Warning bit of peril coming up!!! 😆 Not really but I was stuck for an hour while I waited for the tide to go down to below welly depth!!

Whimbrel

Remarkably tame and not a tick I was expecting today!!

Black-headed Gull

More waders

Grey Plover

Grey Plover

Great Crested Grebe

More Whimbrel

Goldeneye

Bar-tailed Godwit and Grey Plover

Red-breasted Merganser

Razorbill

At least the Razorbill had a bit of a fly around before heading back into the far distance!!

The tide eventually relented and allowed me to head back to the shore, I was chilled to the bone and it was getting on for 1 o'clock so decided to call it a day!! 

Well me list has been boosted to a reasonable 77!!