Cap Gris Nez amazing vis mig

With North Westerly wind forecast for last night and this morning myself TG,DW and GH boarded the 06.40 ferry to Calais. After a full English breakfast we went out on deck for a sea watch and were pleasantly surprised to find birds which ever way you looked. Most numerous were 100s of Gannets, Kittiwakes and Auks, with 10s of Little Gulls, 9 Red-throated Divers, 4 Red-Breasted Mergansers, 2 Eiders, a Great Skua, 4 Brent Geese and 100s of the Commoner Gulls, a Peregrine just outside Calais harbour and a Shag at the entrance. There was a considerable delay in the harbour waiting for a berth which enabled us to see the first of 100s of Mediterranean gulls seen by us today. We eventually disembarked and I drove the short distance to Cap Gris Nez. As we got out of the car at the car park vis  mig was obvious with 100s of Thrushes, Starlings, Finches and Skylarks overhead. 

As we made our way to the top of cliff  1000s of Passerines were flying all around us on a scale that I cannot remember ever seeing. We set up our scopes for sea watching at the top of cliff rather than half way down so that we could enjoy the spectacle of this wonderful Passerine movement. Counting the birds was impossible because the numbers were overwhelming With 1000s of Fieldfares, 1000s of Redwing, and a few Blackbirds, Song Thrushes and even a Mistle Thrush. The Finches consisted of 1000s of Chaffinches, 100s each of Brambling, Greenfinches, Goldfinches and a few Siskins and Tree Sparrow. Skylarks were numbered in 1000s as were Starlings also at least 4 Woodlarks and 4 Waxwings with 1000+ Jackdaws. The vast majority of these birds were coasting westwards with few venturing out across the channel to England.  

The sea was also full of birds 1000+ each of Gannet and Kittiwake, 100s of Little Gulls, 20+ Red-throated Divers, a Black-throated Diver, a Sooty Shearwater, 5 Eider, 200+ Common Scoter, a Velvet Scoter,  10+ Red Breasted Mergansers, 200+ Brent Geese. The fishing boats off shore had 1000s of  the commoner Gulls and some Mediterranean Gulls. It was very difficult to concentrate on the sea with so much going on overhead.

 This afternoon we walked some of the fields and hedgerows at Gris Nez which were full of Birds.

Some Brambling posed for me and we also saw Black Redstart, Stonechat, Yellowhammer, a couple of Common Buzzards and more Mediterranean Gulls.

 A Hen Harrier was hunting some of the fields and flushed a covey of 8 Grey Partridges. The whole day we only saw 2 Magpies and a few Crows but on the downside we did come across a bloodied Sanderling.

 The wood round the gun emplacements was fairly quiet but we did find Chiffchaff, Goldcrest and a Short-toed Treecreeper. A brilliant days birding in good company.

Short-toed Treecreeper