Long Tailed Skua

I drove straight to the point this morning and spent an hour staring out to sea and seeing 2 Arctic Skuas, a few Terns and Gannets, lots of Meadow Pipits coming and a steady procession of Hirundines going out including 1 Swift and 2 Yellow wagtails. I then received a text telling me of a Long Tailed Skua a few hundred yards away that had been there all the time i was looking at not alot. The Skua showed well up and down the beach ranging from The Patch to the Fishing Boats spending alot of time hunched up on the beach, probably because it only had one leg(See picture below) till at least 4.30 P.M. It appeared to be feeding well and was watched robbing a Black Headed Gull and a Sandwich Tern as well as picking up what looked like some kind of shellfish from the surface of the sea.  Also on the beach was 2 Sanderling, 16+ Turnstone, the Glaucous Gull and 3+ Little Gulls off shore. Below are just a few of the 2000+ images i took and will still be sorting next week.

Showing its stump

Cattle Egret

Cattle Egret posing on gate at Boulderwall Farm this morning 

09.00-10.30 sea watching from the point produced



Balearic Shearwater 2E
Arctic Skua  3W
Bonxie 1W
Little Gull 1W
Black Tern 1W
Sandwich Tern c100W
Common Tern c100W
Gannet c50W
Common Scoter 12W + 9E
Swallow & Sand Martin 100s S
Glaucous Gull 2W on the beach.
At Boulderwall Farm the Cattle Egret posed at last. Also there 2 Marsh Harriers and 2 Wheatears.
At the ARC from Hanson the islands had been taken over by Greylags, 1 Ruff, 3 Redshanks, 6 Dunlin, 200+ Lapwing, 3 Common Terns and the usual wild fowl.
In the bushes by the car park, 3 Common Whitethroats, 1 Lesserv Whitethroat, 2 Reed Warblers and1 Great Spotted Woodpecker.
At Scotney 200+ Golden Plover and 2 Yellow Wagtails.

Balearics and back to Rye

In 3 hrs from the fishing boats 11 Balearic Shearwaters W, 10 Arctic Skuas w, 2 Bonxies W, 2 Fulmars W, 4 Black Terns W, 2 Little Gulls W, 21 Common Scoters W, at least 1 Arctic Tern W, 100+ Common Terns W, 100+ Sandwich Terns W, Numerous Gannets, a steady trickle of Swallows and a few Sand Martins out to sea, 4 Grey Herons in off, also several Porpoises off shore. On the beach the Yellow legged Gull Adult and the Glaucous gull.

News of the Buff Breasted Sandpiper still at Rye made me have another look in decent light also there with the BBS, 6 Curlew Sandpipers, 4 Dunlin and 3 Ringed Plovers.

Buff Breasted Sandpiper

Managed to get to Rye Harbour at 7.20 PM this evening where the Buff Breasted Sandpiper was showing well with 7 Curlew Sandpipers, 3 Dunlin and 3 Ringed Plovers. Pity about the poor light.

In the best part of 5 hours sea watching in 2 periods from the fishing boats 24 Arctic Skuas, 9 Little Gulls, 4 distant Shearwaters (Prob Balearic), 2 Black Terns, 2 Med Gulls, 1 Eider, 3 Whimbrel, the usual Gannets, Common and Sandwich Terns, 5 Swallows in, the Glaucous and Yellow Legged Gull on the beach and several Porpoises off shore. 

At the ARC Pit a very sparse show, with 6 Dunlin, 4 Ringed Plover, 1 Golden Plover, 1 Garganey, 12 Wigeon, the Goosander 2 Common and 1 Sandwich Tern plus the Lapwings over the road at Boulderwall  Farm the Cattle Egret as ever a distant white blob. At Scotney 200+ Golden Plover and 2 Marsh Harriers near the wind mills.

Stormy Sea Watch

In 5rs at the fishing boats between 08.10-13.10 including a 20 min nap the grand total:

2  Balearic Shearwaters (Probably the same bird)
19 sightings of Arctic Skua probably involving only 4-5 birds
9 Guillemots
1 Common Scoter o/s
50-100 Gannets
100+ Terns (Common and Sandwich)
2W Glaucous Gull still on the beach

Growing its Tail

 A sea watch this morning and another this afternoon in the company of Mark H we saw 1 Balearic Shearwater, 5+ Arctic Skuas were milling around beating up the Terns off which 200+ were feeding o/s as were 200+ Gannets, 2 Little Gulls W, 5 Common Scoter W, 1 Black Tern W, 1 Fulmar W, 6 Swifts went out, 1 Grey Seal and several Porpoises were o/s, 4 Northern Wheatears were on the beach and the Glaucous Gull was by the approach road.
In between sea watches on the reserve The Cattle Egret and Great White Egret distant as usual, the leucistic Heron gave a fly by, 2 Ravens, 2 Spotted Redshanks, 1 Greenshank, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Hobby, and 2+ Marsh Harriers. On the ARC from Hanson highlights were the usual Lapwing and Golden Plover, 6 Dunlin, the Goosander, 1 Little Gull, 1 Black Tern, 1 juv. Garganey and a Water Rail.

A Very Pleasant Sea Watch

After a plod from the lighthouse round the moat and back, finding only 2 Common Whitethroats, 4 Yellow Wagtails over and a few Swallows and Sand Martins on the move a sea watch was the order of the day.
DW was already at the fishing boats and had had Shearwaters and Skua's. I was there from 09.30- 13.30 the last hour in the car.
Arctic Skua's were on view virtually non stop though probably only about 20 individuals were involved as they were cruising up and down beating up the terns. 3 Bonxies W and 1 E, at least 3 Balearic Shearwaters were feeding off shore (DW had a Manx earlier), a super flock of 9 Greenshanks and 2 Sanderling W, 2 Little Gulls, 1 Shag o/s, 3 Barwits N, 20+ Guillemots o/s, 3 Wigeon W, 7 Teal W, 26 Common Scoter W, several hundred Common and Sandwich Terns with Gannets  o/s. On the beach 4 Yellow Wagtails, 3 Northern Wheatears and a Sparrowhawk.

9 Greenshanks

Balearic Shearwater

Balearic Shearwater

I resisted the temptation to go to Springfield Bridge on the news of a Corncrake being seen there. But went to the ARC Pit to be told in the car park by PT of a myriad of waders there only to see most  them go as i walked along the track to the hide leaving just 1 Little Stint, 3 Barwits, 50+ Oycs and 6 Dunlin.
A look at Boulderwall Farm for the Cattle Egret drew a blank but 4 Whinchats by the track were compensation.

White Heron Full House

In very misty conditions at Galloways this morning 3 Whinchats, 1 Reed Warbler, 1 Blackcap, 4 Common Whitethroats, 8 Yellow Wagtails, 2 Stonechats and a constant trickle of Swallows west.

 Next stop Dengemarsh and the Gully in the persistant mist. As i slowly drove down the track, the aberrant Grey Heron landed briefly in the field then flew into the gully briefly, before disappearing in the mist. Also seen there 5 Common Whitethroats, 2 Willow Warblers, 1 Reed Warbler, the Great White Egret, the usual wild fowl, Swallows still trickling west and a Little Owl on the chicken shed. 

Aberrant Grey Heron

Aberrant Grey Heron

Aberrant Grey Heron

 At a still misty Scotney 48 Golden Plover, 2 Little Egrets, 2 Stonechats, 2 Yellow Wagtails 1,000+ Greylag Geese, Several Hundred Canada Geese, 4 feral Barnacle Geese and 2 Marsh Harriers.

At the Midrips the mist cleared to reveal 3 Northern Wheatears, 3 Curlews, 1 Whimbrel, 1 Greenshank, 18 Oystercatchers, 13 Dunlin, 11 Ringed Plover, 1 Turnstone, 1 Common Sandpiper, 9 Yellow Wagtails,  3 Kestrels, 11 Sandwich Terns and the Swallows still moving west.

A brief look at the northern end of the  trapping area found 2 Willow warblers, 1 Blackcap and a fly over Greenshank.

At Boulderwall Farm the Cattle Egret showing distantly, 2 Hobbys, 2 Marsh Harriers and 2 Tree Sparrows.

On the ARC from Hanson Hide the now usual flock of 200 Golden Plover and Lapwing, 190+ Knot, 10 Dunlin. 1 Blackwit, 1 Little Gull and the Goosander.

On Walland Marsh 25 Tree Sparrows near Midley, 15 Tree Sparrows on the feeders and a Turtle Dove near the Woolpack. A very good days birding clocking up 98 species without really trying.

Slow Day

Migrant Hawkers in The Desert

 A plod around The Point produced few migrants. 1 Common Whitethroat in the Desert and 3 in the Moat, 1 Hobby over the trapping area, 2 Sparrowhawks, 1 Black Redstart, 3 Yellow Wagtails, 100+ Swallows and a Honey Buzzard out to sea after being alerted to the presence of several. A raptor watch from the obs. produced another Honey Buzzard. The Glaucous Gull could be seen flying around the fishing boats from the road.

Knot, Golden Plover and Dunlin.

At the ARC the usual Lapwing flock, 200+ Golden Plover, 190+ Knot, 16 Dunlin, 1 Little Stint, 3 Little Egrets, 2 Marsh Harriers and the Goosander.
At Boulderwall Farm the Cattle Egret showed distantly also a Hobby, 2 Marsh Harriers, 2 Wheatears and a Whinchat, a Common Buzzard also circled in the distance.
At Dengemarsh the Great White Egret still present also 2 more Hobbys.