Sea Watching!

I joined AJG & BC in the sea watch hide at 06.30, all of us thinking that the stormy weather might make a good sea watch for us, sadly we were all disappointed:
06.30-08.30
Common Scoter: 21 up  2 down
Velvet Scoter: 1 down
Gannet: 15 down
Arctic Skua: 3+ around
Sandwich Tern: 73 down
Guillemot: 2 down
Swallow: 3 out
Thinking there may be storm blown Phalarope on one of the lakes AJG and myself went to the ARC where of note 2 Black Terns, a Garganey, a Great White Egret, a Dunlin and good numbers of Sand Martins were seen among all the usual wildfowl. Next we tried Burrowes with out any luck. Next stop Denge Marsh where we lucked in to the Osprey fishing.

Osprey diving for a fish with Lapwing in attendance

 Caught a tiddler

Osprey from Dengemarsh Hide with my house and small balcony in the background

Next a wander around the High Gorse looking for the Wryneck without success, not surprising really the way the wind was howling across The Desert.

Grey Phalarope

Leach's Petrel

juvenile Little Gulls

With the wind making the bushes unbirdable the only viable birding option was to go to the fishing boats and stare at the sea. Barry joined me there, followed by Owen who almost immediately spotted a Phalarope swimming close to the shore!

Grey Phalarope

11.0-17.00 with BC,OL,AJG, DW et al from the fishing boats:
Common Scoter: 15 up      1 on
Red-throated Diver: 2 around
Great-crested Grebe: 5 around
Leach’s Petrel: 1 up
Gannet: 34 Up    12 down
Cormorant: 27 around
Grey Plover: 1 down
Dunlin: 2 down
Turnstone: 7 around
Grey Phalarope: 2 around
Arctic Skua: 9 down    4+around
Yellow-legged Gull: 1 on beach
Little Gull: 4 down (ad+3 juvs)
Little Tern: 1 down
Sandwich Tern: 607 down    112 up
Commic Tern: 4 down
Black Tern: 2 down
House Martin: 14 out
Swallow: 28 out
Harbour Porpoise: 4+
Grey Seal: 1

 Grey Phalarope

 Grey Phalarope

 Grey Phalarope

Grey Phalarope (I've only looked at few of the images I took)

 Leach's Petrel

Yellow-legged Gull