Sunday 29 April 2012

Elusive Migrants

On the ARC Pit and New Diggings this morning Hundreds of Swallows, House Martins, Swifts and a few Sand Martins. At the south end 2 Little Ringed Plovers, a Wheatear, 4+ Yellow Wagtails and at least 1 Channel Wagtail. An hour and half in the sea watch hide produced very little of note apart from a Black Tern on The Patch. After hearing that a Nightingale had been seen in the lighthouse garden I made my way there. Shortly after arriving at the garden I heard the Nightingale and got a very brief view of it. While trying to get a better view a male Pied Flycatcher briefly appeared and then disappeared as soon as I called DW and DB. While waiting for it to reappear, a bird flew out of the hedge at the back of the garden straight towards us over our heads out into a patch of Gorse. A Wryneck! Which disappeared completely. In the same patch the "Rubicola" Stonechat and mate were flit6ting around. In the lighthouse garden the Pied Flycatcher showed several more times briefly right at the back. Also seen 2 Willow Warblers, a Blackcap, a Common Whitethroat, a Lesser Whitethroat and male Common Redstart flew out to the Gorse. 


 4 Pomarine Skuas which I missed looking for the Pied gave TG the incentive to sea watch from the fishing boats. Shortly after arriving at the boats he called to say to more Poms had just gone past. A few minutes later I joined him 15.25-16.55:
Black-throated Diver: 1E
Fulmar: 22W
Gannet: 80W
Common Scoter: 7W
Avocet: 4E
Bar-tailed Godwit: 174E
Whimbrel: 1E
Great Skua: 1E
Pomarine Skua: 3E  2 of which I missed!
Arctic Skua: 14E
Little Gull: 1E
Common Tern: 226E
Kittiwake: 114E
Swallow: 5 in off

1 comment:

  1. that looks like quite a white forehaed patch?

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