A cool morning with virtually gale force westerly wind made for a very poor watch, however a large raptor spotted moving west off shore just before 09.00 by myself and RW which we believe was a Black Kite and lost to view in Rye Bay.
07.00-09.00 with OL & RW
Common Scoter: 51 E   12 W
Velvet Scoter: 1 E
Red-throated Diver: 1 W
Great-crested Grebe: 2 around
Fulmar: 4 W
Manx Shearwater: 10W
Gannet: 73 W   59 E
Black Kite: 1 flew west off shore
Cormorant: present n/c
Great Skua: 6 E
Black-headed Gull: present n/c
Mediterranean Gull: 1 W
Herring Gull: present n/c
Great Black-backed Gull present n/c
Kittiwake: 28 W
Sandwich Tern: c50 around
Common/Arctic  Tern: c120 around
Little Tern: 3 down
Guillemot: 2 around
Auk sp: 42 W
House Martin: 1 in
Swallow: 34 in
Crow: 10 in
Harbour Porpoise: 5+
The wind made general birding very difficult, consequently still low numbers of migrants around.
The Cattle Egret is still around Dengemarsh.
13.20-15.00 this afternoon back at the sea watch hide 5 Great Skuas were the highlight of a painfully slow watch.
The Patch has been devoid of birds for the last few weeks, so it was good to see a few 100s of birds there today including c40 Common Terns.