Just a couple of hours sea watching today. 08.00-10.00 from the fishing boats with MH & CP.

Great Skua from the fishingboats

Common Scoter: 2 down
Velvet Scoter: 1 down
Red-throated Diver:   15 down        9 up
Great-crested Grebe:  100s could be seen distantly in Lade Bay.
Cormorant: 141 in one sweep per MH though several 110s more over the 2 hours.
Turnstone: flock of 19 on beach
Great Skua: 1 down    +  1 around
Black-headed Gull: many present n/c
Mediterranean Gull: 1 up
Common Gull: present n/c
Herring Gull: many present n/c
Lesser Black Backed Gull: present n/c
Great Black Backed Gull: many present n/c
Kittiwake:  47 down
Guillemot: 300+ around
Razorbill: 3 around

1w Caspian Gull at the Fish Hut

08.15-10.00 from the turning circle with DW

Brent Goose:  1 up
Common Scoter: 9 down
Velvet Scoter:  1 down
Red-throated Diver: 201 down
Gannet:  221 down
Cormorant: many present n/c
Black-headed Gull: many present n/c
Common Gull: many present n/c
Herring Gull: many present n/c
Great Black Backed Gull: many present n/c
Kittiwake: 17 down
Guillemot/Razorbill: 200+ around

On the reserve The Ring-necked Duck and Long-eared Owl were still present, as was 2 red head Smew, 5 Goldeneye, Water Rail, Great White Egret and Bittern of note.

This afternoon back on the beach much the same as this morning except for the appearance of a 1w Caspian Gull and 114+ Great Crested Grebes.

Auks!

Gannet starting it's dive

07.45-09.45 with MH & DW from the fishing boats. Once again this morning the sea was littered with Auks.

Brent Goose:   15 up
Common Scoter:  10 up   1 down
Red-throated Diver: 97 up       10 down         2 on
Gannet:   371  down        c40 off shore
Oystercatcher:  4 up    1 down
Turnstone:  3 around
Great Skua:  1 up
Mediterranean Gull:  1 up
Kittiwake:  67 up     2 down
Guillemot:  300+ around
Razorbill: 20+ around
Grey Seal: 1

 Ring-necked Duck and friends this morning

On the reserve the Ring-necked Duck still showing well, unlike the Long-eared Owl that was missing from the Dipping Pool again today but there yesterday.

On Burrowes 2 red head  Smew, 6 Goldeneye, 4+ Caspian Gulls (ad + nr ad + 2 x 1w), ad Yellow-legged Gull, couldn't find the leucistic Lapwing today, it was present yesterday.

A brief foray out onto Walland  saw the 18 Bewick Swans and 100s of winter thrushes still.

Water Rail refusing to some out into the open at Scott hide today.

This afternoon at the fishing boats:

14.00- 15.15 with MH joined by PT
Red-throated Diver:    8 down
Great-crested Grebe:  12 around
Gannet: 236 down
Kittiwake: 117 down
Auks: as this morning

2 1w Caspian Gulls were by the Fish Hut this afternoon.

Stejneger's Stonechat!!!

 Stejneger's Stonechat  5th December 2016 (it's last day)

Well done Owen Leyshon on your excellent find, also many thanks to Martin Collinson for his expertise with analysing the DNA. 

Stejneger's Stonechat 8th November 2016 (it's first day)

A miserable looking Caspian Gull at the Fish Hut this morning

08.00-10.00 from the turning circle in SW 3-4 with drizzle.
All down channel unless stated otherwise:

Teal:         6
Common Scoter:  6
Great-crested Grebe: 5 around
Red-throated Diver: 16
Fulmar:          5
Gannet:      984
Cormorant: many present n/c
Great Skua:   2
Black-headed Gull:  many present n/c
Common Gull:  many present n/c
Herring Gull:   many present n/c
Great Black Backed Gull:  many present n/c
Kittiwake:   18
Auk:        1664 vast majority were Guillemots

The Bewick Swans from Hanson

The 1w Caspian Gull was by the Fish Hut when I arrived this morning and still present when I left.
A short visit to the ARC from Hanson found 18 Bewick Swans (17 ads 1 juv) asleep on 1 of the remaining shallow areas, also Great White Egret there and 2 Goldeneye of note. As I left the hide the rain set in which I did not mind as I had to spend the rest of the day Christmas shopping.

Gannet at the fishing boats this morning

 08.10-10.10 from the fishing boats:

Shelduck: 1 down
Common Scoter: 1 up
Red-throated Diver: 103 up
Great-crested Grebe: 4 on sea
Gannet: 133 up
Cormorant: many present
Oystercatcher: 9 up
Turnstone: 2 on beach
Great Skua: 1 down
Black-headed Gull: many present
Mediterranean Gull: 2 up
Common Gull: present n/c
Herring Gull: many present
1w Caspian Gull: the regular bird at the puddles
Lesser Black-backed Gull: present n/c
Great Black-backed Gull: many present
Kittiwake: 7 up     5 around
Guillemot: 621 up     200+ on sea
Razorbill:   16 up       3 on sea
Auk sp:  541 up

 1w Caspian Gull at the puddles

 If you want to get close views bring bread

At Cooks Pool, Boulderwall the Ring-necked Duck was showing well late morning. In 2 visits to Burrowes late morning and mid afternoon, 3 Caspian Gulls an adult and 2 x 1w, 3 Yellow-legged Gulls 2 x  adults and 3rd year bird, 3 red head Smew and 3 Godeneye. again no sign of the Long-eared Owl today.
At Scotney all the usual feral geese and wildfowl but nothing notable.
Late afternoon 12 Great White Egrets and 16 Little Egrets came into the ARC roost this evening, also a drake Goosander flew towards Burrowes.

This mornings sea watch from the turning circle from the relative comfort of the car. The fog horn was blasting out through the mist and steady drizzle over a flat calm sea:
08.00-09.15
Brent Goose: 4 up
Teal: 3 up
Long-tailed Duck: 1 up
Great-crested Grebe: 5 on sea
Red-throated Diver: 17 down   2 up     2 on sea
Gannet: 40+ feeding
Merlin: 1 hunting at sea
Oystercatcher: 1 up
Turnstone: 2 on beach
Great Skua: 1 down
Kittiwake:  3 down    4 around
Guillemot: 200+ down    20+ up         30+ on sea
Razorbill:  14 down       2 up          2 on sea
Grey Seal:  1

Out of interest is it still necessary to have fog horns, surely these days ships have radar, sonar and GPS. If someone knows the reason please enlighten me.  

The Ring-necked Duck was back on Cooks Pool today but no sign of the Long-eared Owl. From the comfort of the VC  an adult Caspian Gull, an adult Yellow-legged Gull and a Goldeneye of note.

Early afternoon back at the beach the regular 1w Caspian Gull came to some bread, while offshore, a Fulmar flew up channel as did 2 Common Scoter and 5 Brent Geese, also 3 Brent Geese flew down channel. The weather closed in again so home for a cup of tea. 

Galloways Again!

A gloomy wind less early morning at the fishing boats, on flat calm sea a feeding frenzy of c50 Gannets plunging in among c200 Cormorants, c20 Guillemots and a few Great-crested Grebes. In half an hour 44 Red-throated Divers flew down channel and 5 up, apart from these little else seemed to be moving.

 Bewick Swans leaving the ARC this morning

18 Bewick Swans left the ARC to go to Walland to feed. The Long-eared Owl was back at the Dipping Pool this morning and 1w Kittiwake was on Burrowes. The Ring-necked Duck moved to the ARC today and 2 Goosander also there per RO.

Red-throated Divers past Galloways

As there has been no firing on the ranges for the last few days, I decided to walk along the beach from Galloways towards The Midrips, someone has to make the sacrifice. Off shore Red-throated Divers were much in evidence tooing and froing which was just as well as in 2.5 hrs on the beach and salt marsh apart from the Gulls I saw the grand total of 2 Meadow Pipits, a single Redshank and a Kestrel.

Late afternoon from the viewing ramp on the reserve 5 Marsh Harriers flew through, as did 2 Common Buzzards and a Raven. A Bittern gave a brief flyby, Bearded Tits, a Kingfisher and Cetti's Warblers were present. A wren entertained with peculiar behaviour on the Bearded Tits grit tray by rolling in and covering its self in the grit. A brief adrenalin rush occurred when I was scanning through a flock of c500 Lapwing I picked out a pale buffy coloured individual. I quickly changed the 30x for a 60x zoom through which I could see the bird was just a leucistic Lapwing.

Gulls!

 1w Caspian Gull

An interesting hour this morning at The Point once the fog had cleared, the highlights being 3 long-tailed Ducks that flew up channel, as did 40 Brent Geese, 110 Wigeon, 4 Shoveler also 2 Great Skua's were noted. Fair numbers of Red-throated Divers and Guillemots were tooing and froing.

This afternoon at the fishing boats 3+ 1w Caspian Gulls  were coming to Mick and Richards offerings, one of the Caspian Gulls was very vocal a video of it giving it's very distinctive call can be seen HERE

2 x 1w Caspian Gulls

 1w Caspian Gull

F3XT Herring Gull

The One That Got Away!

 3 Velvet Scoter past this morning

08.05-09.35 from the fishing boats:
Brent Goose:  373 up
Velvet Scoter: 3 down
Red-throated Diver:  52 down
Black-throated Diver: 1 down
Great-crested Grebe: 17 around
Gannet: 56 down      23 up
Cormorant: many present n/c
Turnstone:  3 around
Black-headed Gull: many present n/c
Herring Gull: many present n/c
1w Caspian Gull: 1 on beach
G.B.B.Gull: present n/c
L.B.B.Gull: present n/c
Kittiwake: 12 down    6 around
Guillemot:  32 down       18 on sea
Razorbill:   1 down  1 on sea

News of a Red-necked Grebe at Scotney curtailed my sea watch, but by the time I arrived it had disappeared. 

I joined AJG in walk out to the back of Scotney to the barns. Myriads of Lapwing and Golden Plover gave spectacular flying displays each time they were flushed by machinery, 1,000+ Greylag Geese were also present, a Ring-tail Hen Harrier gave good scope views, 2 Marsh Harriers were  seen. Passerines were thin on the ground with just a handful each of Corn Bunting, Skylark and Meadow Pipits.

Stonechat at the caravan park

Another hour spent early afternoon looking for the Red-necked Grebe drew a blank, a posing Stonechat was  some compensation. 

I had just arrived at the turning circle on the beach and was scanning through the Gulls on the beach with my binoculars when a large diver with a lumpy head and very pale bill flew through my vision in the background. What followed was akin to the keystone Cops, I leaped out of the car and grabbed my scope off the back seat, the scope came out but the tripod didn't as its legs were tangled in the seat belt and I ended up on my backside on the pebbles. Getting my act together I eventually got the scope on to the bird, my suspicions about the bird being undiminished by the scope view, realising I needed a photograph I leaned into the car and grabbed my camera off the passenger seat, nearly pulling my shoulder out of its socket, as the camera was snatched out of my hand by the strap being wrapped around the hand brake lever, by the time it and I were untangled the Diver was disappearing around The Point. The one that got away!!!

14.00-15.00

Brent Goose: 78 up
Red-throated Diver: 15 down
Gannet: 21 down
Kittiwake: 9 down
Guillemot: 28 down      5 up
Razorbill: 1 down

Late afternoon on the reserve the Ring-necked Duck still present and a red head Smew was seen from the VC. Elsewhere 6 Goosander were seen at the southern end of the ARC early morning per SO.