Gales!

 The only Mediterranean Gull I saw though I probably missed some.

As I went to the fishing boats this morning a gale force westerly was blowing drizzle across The Point giving me very low expectations of a good sea watch. I was very pleasantly surprised to see a constant westerly passage of birds off shore from the relative shelter of the boats. Unfortunately I was on my own, so without a doubt I missed a whole lot more.
Brent Goose: 15E
Wigeon: 2W
Teal: 1W
Red-throated Diver: 9W
Great-crested Grebe: 124 on sea
Fulmar: 8W
Gannet: 139W
Cormorant: 1,074W
Turnstone: 36 on beach
Mediterranean Gull: 1W
Kittiwake: 492W
Black-headed Gull: c1,000W
Common Gull: c1,500W
Herring Gull: c500W
Caspian Gull: 1 regular 1w bird on beach
Glaucous Gull: 1 regular 1w bird on beach
Guillemot: 1,310W
Razorbill: 2,613W
Auk sp: 227W

 The 1w Glaucous Gull in the beach roost

On the reserve 2 Long-eared Owls were hunkered down deep in the bushes behind the Dipping Pond, from Makepiece a red head Smew was among a couple of hundred Teal sheltering at the back of the Burrowes. While in the VC in the company of MH the army let off 10 huge explosions on the ranges which flushed all the wildfowl on the reserve, among the 100s commoner wildfowl 4 Goosanders (2 drakes+2 ducks) and a Great White Egret flew across the lake. 

At Scotney there were 6 Ringed Plovers on the sward and once again very few geese though they are probably on the more sheltered back lake. The main lake was more like an Ocean with rollers swamping the Gull island, a single Goldeneye was in the centre of the lake while in the lee of the bays the Tufted Duck and Wigeon were sheltering. 

Back at the beach this afternoon 1,000s of Gulls were feeding along the shoreline but little was moving offshore. The 1w Caspian Gull was in the puddles, a short video of it can be seen HERE 

Late afternoon half an hour in Dennis's hide with MH 10+ Goldeneye, another Goosander flew through, a Great White Egret and a couple of Marsh Harriers were the highlights. 

Goldeneye from Dennis's hide 

Goosander from Dennis's hide