01/03/2025

A lay in this morning courtesy of the fog which didn't clear till 08.30ish.

09.06-10.06 from the Sea Watch hide with JY who kindly collated the numbers:

Mute swan 3 offshore then west
Shelduck 5E
Mallard pr offshore
Common Scoter: 7E  
Great-crested Grebe: 1W 1E  
Kittiwake 1W 1E 
Black-headed Gull: Present n/c
Mediterranean Gull: 2E
Common Gull:  Present n/c
Herring Gull: Present n/c
Great Black-backed Gull: Present n/c   
Auk sp: 2E
Guillemot 1E
Red-throated Diver: 5W 12E
Fulmar 1E
Gannet: 121E
Cormorant: Present n/c
Peregrine hunting offshore then in-off
Merlin hunting offshore then in-off
Grey seal 1
Harbour Porpoise 1

The Long-tailed Duck was still on the New Diggings this morning and the Smew still at the ARC.

I found 3 Jack Snipe today with aid of the thermal imager

The reserve in general remains fairly quiet avian wise, hopefully things will start to pick up a little but probably not till next month.

Surprise of the day was an excellent find by Stephen Message of a Purple Sandpiper at Scotney viewed from the double bends, shame it was a bit to far for any photographs. It remains a a scarce bird on the peninsular and definitely the first one I have seen at Scotney. The female Scaup was also still present there.