Thursday 3 April 2014

Wild Goose Chase!

Loooking out of the patio window having my early morning coffee a Wheatear dropped onto the lawn then onto the neighbours shed roof, a first for the garden.  
 Sorry Steve, but is the first for the Plodland garden!
 Flocks of Gannets are stunning!
07.20-08.20 from the sea watch hide I joined BC and BB:
Red-throated Diver: 2E
Fulmar: 1E
Gannet: 46E
Brent Goose: 31E
Common Scoter:  69E
Peregrine Falcon: 1 around
Arctic Skua: 1E
Sandwich Tern: 1E
Common Tern: 1E   my 150th for the year on the local patch.
Kittiwake; 1E
Harbour Porpoise: 2+ o/s
At least 6 more Wheatears around The Point and a Black Redstart singing. A plod around the trapping area found a couple of singing Blackcaps and a Willow Warbler of note, although I did not see or hear the Hume's Leaf Warbler it is still present per BC.

This fisherman never even saw the Bonxie as it flew over him and along the beach!
I was back at Plodland, when Twitter alerted me to the news that Dorian Mason had seen the Red Breasted Goose go past Selsey Bill at 09.30 at 11.13 Matt Eade saw it at Splash Point. At 11.30 I was back at the sea watch hide, joined by DW,BC,The Joker et al. We estimated that it would take about 90 minutes to reach us from Splash Point, right on cue at 12.40 a flock of 40+ Brents came by but no Red Breasted Goose, at 14.30 we gave up. We did see c190 Brent Geese, 200+ Common Scoter, 8 more Common Terns and the 1w Glaucous Gull. Also while we there a Bonxie landed on the beach for a minute before flying back out to sea.

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