The highlight of the Spring Seawatching season is the much anticipated passage of skuas up the English Channel with Pomarine Skua very much the star attraction. The peak time is the last week of April and the first ten days of May ideally combined with south-easterly winds. Then these large majestic birds may be seen powering past our coastline heading for their Arctic breeding grounds.
The more time spent watching the sea the better the chances of seeing this spectacle, though thanks to instant news via WhatsApp groups early warning of birds passing further west can allow Worthing Birders the chance to intercept skuas seen passing Selsey Bill.
This week the winds have been very light north easterly and bright sunshine hasn’t been ideal but after missing the first birds reported moving up the Channel on 26th and 28th, finally the gates opened and although birds didn’t exactly flood through, those that had the time or could react quickly managed to succeed.
Tuesday 29th April
A magnificent flock of 14 pale phase Pomarine Skuas were tracked from Selsey eastwards and were seen at Rustington, Marine Gardens and then more distantly off Widewater on Tuesday evening.
Wednesday 30th April
A distant Pomarine Skua was watched passing infront of the wind turbines early morning and then a flock of five birds were tracked from Selsey and were seen passing Goring Gap and Marine Gardens, allowing several birders just enough time to race to the coast to see them.
Thursday 1st May
Three birds passed Selsey very early and were seen about 40 minutes later by those gathered at Marine Gardens passing mid distance.
After that the winds have swung more northerly and for the time being the tap has been turned off. However we are now into the peak time for skua passage and surely there will be more birds moving along our coastline this coming week.
