A Better Day!

A better day today after the abysmal weekend started at the sea watch hide 06.45-09.00

Thanks to AJG for collating the numbers.

Brent Goose: 106 E

Common Scoter: 28 E

Red-throated Diver 13 up

Gannet: 41 around

Kittiwake: 6 W

Mediterranean Gull: 10 W (8ads, 2 1w)

Sandwich Tern: 1 W

Guillemot: 2 on

Meadow Pipit: 3 in

A wander around the trapping area found c15 Chiffchaffs and 3 Common Snipe of note.

Early afternoon from Brickwall Farm, the 2 Tundra Bean Geese, 2 Cattle Egrets, 2 Great White Egrets, 2 Little Egrets, a Bittern, a Grey Heron and several Marsh Harriers. Good to see that the wardens are pumping water into Hayfield 3 which was drying out. Even with that disturbance there was another Great White and Little Egret there, also 2 Redshank, a Ringed Plover and Black-tailed Godwit.  It seems surprising that the water level in the main lakes does not appear to be dropping at all though. 

On Scotney the drake Scaup still present, also 2 Brent Geese and a Barnacle Goose were the only other notable species. 

In 20 minutes mid afternoon at The Point, 14 Guillemots and a Kittiwake flew west. While there a message that there was an Iceland Gull at The Patch got through to me despite the phone signal problems on the beach.

A few minutes later from the shelter of the hide the 1w Iceland  Gull could be seen, back on head down into the rising wind. It did move around a little until a Great Skua came through, which spooked it along with all the other gulls and was not seen again. While there the first Common Tern of the year was over The Patch and beach and a 1w Caspian Gull put in a brief appearance. 

 1w Iceland gull at The Patch

 1st Common Tern of the year at The Patch

 1w Caspian Gull at The Patch