A cool but windless morning on Pagham spit this morning. As I was approaching the harbour entrance I noticed a couple of female House Sparrows in the last bramble patch but took little notice until I glimpsed another small warbler like bird accompanying them. I thought it looked Whitethroat like but dismissed it because it was December and it should have migrated weeks ago! However I took one shot of it before it disappeared towards the harbour wall and was lost to sight. After a short search I decided it had flown across the harbour and thought no more about it. However, when later I was ..read more

Quite a surprise to wake up to find a layer of snow on the beach this morning. Here are a few shots resulting from my early morning walk... Just before sunrise ....the many vapour trails from planes heading south to warmer climes! The sun just coming up over the sea... The old car park. Pagham Spit. Even the Heron looked cold! Brrrrr ..read more

I was very surprised to see a bulldozer creating a shingle wall to the eastern side of the new harbour cut  this morning.    However job done the bulldozer trundled back to 'base' along the beach. Another visit at high tide and an amazing sight.  The effect of the high spring tide combined perhaps by the new cut had  created an almost unbelievable sight.  Just take a look below.... The old Little Lagoon from the path Looking towards harbour from near the apple tree. Seepage to the left of path to the old hide. Never seen that before. A keen bir ..read more

What an amazing sight! An almost unrecognisable photo of the harbour entrance! The change from a couple of days ago was astounding. The photos below are just a record of the views this morning.  ....No water at all where its been uncrossable for years! Its almost unbelievable what a weeks work can do!   ..read more

The outgoing tide this afternoon through the cut. The eastern side has developed a sharp 'cliff' Work will continue enlarging the entrance and an excavator started work late afternoon when the water level permitted.  Very interesting...watch this space ..read more

     Viewed from the Church Norton spit the project gave a very different idea of what's going on and it can be seen from the photos just below how soon the break through will be made. Having spoken to one of the operatives I was told that the plan was to make the final cut at noon. View of the West Front Road bungalows from the Church Norton spit. Not long now, surely. I was anxious to see the moment of breakthrough from the Pagham side so beat a hasty retreat and arrived  on Pagham spit at about a quarter to twelve expecting to see the action.  A ..read more

 Most of the activity is still very much on the seaward side of the spit. The width of the cut can be seen to have widened considerably today. The project is attracting considerable interest. Two grabbers and two trucks plus a bulldozer are working together to giving maximum attention to  creating the 'cut'... new harbour entrance. The work is being monitored  and here a drone is being deployed to view progress. ....look carefully...top right! The most obvious change is that the new island appears to be almost completed. It will be interesting to see this at high ..read more

The main difference from the photos taken yesterday shows the considerable enlargement of the new island within the harbour. This photo shows more clearly the location of the new island from the harbour entrance sign. Tern island can be seen to the left in the distance with the Church Norton chapel in the centre. New Island (now known by birders as Peregrine Island) is just out of picture to right. Work continues with two trucks making continuous trips from the 'cut' to deposit the shingle. The main work on the 'cut' continues but  most of the action is taking place on t ..read more

 As the opportunity of working on the spit 'cut'  is limited by the tidal conditions every opportunity has to be taken to continue whenever.  A force 8 gale with very heavy rain would have made conditions very difficult in the morning but by the time of low tide the  rain had stopped.  A view of the workings from the eastern edge of the 'old' Little Lagoon which is now tidal. Here is a shot of it a low tide.... Looking eastward along the beach.... The 'cut' is becoming more apparent... The following photographs show some of the machinery at work The ..read more

The heavy brigade arrives traversing the beach..... Bulldozer and trucks heading for the crossing point.   All was well until they hit the old concrete lagoon  entrance The bulldozer made light work of overcoming the problem. Very soon the heavy machinery was able to cross to the Church Norton spit and work commenced. The tipper truck concentrated on taking shingle from the new cut into the harbour to start creating the new island for breeding birds and a high tide roost. Within an hour or so the clearly defined new cut  began to become evident. Good work has start ..read more