First Cuckoo!

A very poor early morning watch with AJG who collated the numbers:

05.45-08.00 from the sea watch hide.

Brent Goose: 8 E

Shelduck: 3 E

Common Scoter: 79 E

Red-throated Diver: 1 E

Fulmar: 2 E

Gannet: 8 E

Whimbrel: 24 E

Kittiwake: 3 about

Little Gull: 13 E

Mediterranean Gull: 2 E

Commic Tern: 22 E but much tooing and frowing( c50 on patch)

Auk sp: 5 W

A wander around the trapping area found virtually no new migrants other than a couple of Swallows over, the Wryneck was still present in the scrub south of the trapping area but very flighty.

A walk from the ARC car park to the Hayfields saw of note 5 Tree Sparrows and 3 Little Egrets at Boulderwall, several Marsh Harriers, 2 Common Buzzards, numerous Sedge, Cetti's and Reed Warblers singing, my first Cuckoo of the year (170 for peninsular) 8 Egyptian Geese, a Brent Goose, Whimbrel, Curlew, 2 Common Terns and a Booming Bittern. The Hayfields were disappointing as they are now drying out rapidly, there were 4 Dunlin on hayfield 3 and a couple of hopefully sitting Lapwings.     

Bar-tailed Godwits past the fishing boats.

Basking in the afternoon sun in the shelter of the fishing boats sea watching with AJG:
13.30-14.30:
Brent Goose: 173 E
Common Scoter: 82 E
Red-throated Diver: 4 E
Great-crested Grebe: 13 around
Gannet: 42 E
Turnstone: 1 on beach
Oystercatcher: 7 E
Bar-tailed Godwit: 99 E  (7 flocks)
Whimbrel: 8 E
Arctic Skua: 1 W
Kittiwake: 11 E
Little Gull: 3 E
Sandwich Tern; 18 E
Commic Tern: 59 E
Guillemot: 9 E   6 W
Swallow: 10 in

Harbour Porpoise: 4+

 Brent Geese passing the fishing boats.

Winter plumage Turnstone at the fishing boats.