Roseate Tern!

Another poor image of a quality bird, a tailless Roseate Tern

Early this morning I had just got in the car when AJG called to say BC had found a Roseate Tern at The Patch, fortunately it hung around for the few minutes it took me to get from home to The Patch, by 07.00 it had moved off East.

1 of 5 Wheatears around the area

I joined AJG in a disappointing walk from The Moat to the top of the Long Pits and back we saw/heard 3 Cetti's Warblers, 9 Reed Warblers, 3 Lesser Whitethroats, 3 Chiffchaffs, a Blackcap, several Common Whitethroats and 5 Wheatears.

 part of a flock of 47 Whimbrel past The Patch

10.15-10.45 at The Patch
Oystercatcher: 2 up
Grey Plover: 2 up
Bar-tailed Godwit: 8 up
Whimbrel: 53 up
Mediterranean Gull: 1 1st summer around
1w Iceland Gull
Commic Tern: c200 around
Black Tern: 1
Porpoise: 3+

 1w Iceland Gull still at The Patch

 Common Crane near the Open Pits

At lunchtime I had just come out of the polling station when a message cam through of a Common Crane flying over the trapping area in the general direction of my house, I dashed home and set the scope up scanning towards the power station hoping to pick up the Crane, but to no avail. After a short while MH phoned to say it had dropped down by the Open Pits. Biting the bullet I walked out along the causeway between the New Diggings and Burrowes, as I crested the bank at the southern end of the causeway I could see the Crane at about c300 mt range. I managed to get a little closer using available sparse cover, enabling me to get a record image. After about 30 minutes the bird took off and flew high north over the sea. The Slavonian Grebe was on the New diggings and 30+ swifts were screaming around over it.

Common Crane on its way

Hobby over the Tower Pits

A minimum of 5 Hobby's were hunting over the Tower pits this afternoon.
A late afternoon sea watch from the fishing boats 16.20-17.20
Great-crested Grebe: 8 o/s
Fulmar: 3 down
Gannet: 3 down
Cormorant: present n/c
Oystercatcher: 1 up
Sanderling: 3 up
Bar-tailed Godwit: 3 up
Sandwich Tern: 17 up
Comic Tern: 15 up
Auk sp: 5 down
Swift: 1 in

Harbour Porpoise: 2