Glorious Calm Day, Slow Birding!

Another beautiful autumn day on the peninsular, unfortunately the calm warm weather does not appear to provoke heavy bird migration. Early morning there were small numbers of Redpolls, Siskins, Chaffinches, Goldfinches, Skylarks, Reed Buntings and a few Crossbills over, along with c4,000 Starlings. Some of the Redpolls and Reed Buntings made there way into the nets, as did a few Goldcrests and  Chiffchaffs, but by 10.00 all passage seemed to have stopped.
On the reserve the usual Egrets were still the main attraction.
A short sea watch with virtually no birds actually moving off shore in the calm conditions still produced amazing numbers of Mediterranean Gull loafing around offshore, also what a few years ago would have been an incredible sight of 3 Great White Egrets flying along just offshore.
14.00-14.30 with AJG, RW, P & L.H.
Wigeon: 3W
Common Scoter: 4E
Gannet: c40 around
Great White Egret: 3W
Great Skua: 1 around
Arctic Skua: 3 around
Mediterranean Gull: c2,000 around
Kittiwake: c200 around
Sandwich Tern: 4 around
Harbour Porpoise: 3+
Grey Seal: 1
The first Harrier count of the season this evening saw 3 Marsh Harriers come into the roost I was watching, but no Hen Harrier, indeed I have yet to see a Hen Harrier on the peninsular this year. A Bittern came in, a Merlin flew over and a distant Short-eared Owl was seen.