Sea Watching!

Some people consider sea watching every day a waste of time and effort, all to frequently I would agree with them, but sometimes the effort and tedium is proved to be worth while, this mornings watch was by no means a classic, there was a nice selection of birds passing, the icing on the cake being a ringtail Hen Harrier leaving our shores, sadly now a very scarce bird at Dungeness, this one being the first I have seen here this year.
06.30-10.00 from the fishing boats with AJG who collated the numbers & DS, OL, DW, JTM et al.
Brent Goose: 121E    46W
Shelduck: 33E
Teal: 20E
Wigeon: 36E   14W
Pintail: 1W
Common Scoter: 30E    6W
Velvet Scoter: 5E     7W
Long-tailed Duck: 1E
Red-breasted Merganser: 1E
Red-throated Diver: 12E    1 on
Great-crested Grebe: 59E
Gannet: 171E      6W
Hen Harrier: 1 Ringtail out
Peregrine: 1 around
Sparrowhawk: 1 in
Lapwing: 1E
Dunlin: 30E
Knot: 1E
Sanderling: 1E
Curlew: 1E
Skua sp: 1
Mediterranean Gull: 38E   277 in
Kittiwake: 3E   c30 in
Little Gull: 3E
Sandwich Tern: 15E
Guillemot: 2E
Auk sp: 1E
Skylark: 1 in
Starling: 730 in
Goldfinch: 70 over
Harbour Porpoise: 1

1 of the 100s of Mediterranean Gulls seen from the fishing boats today

A very slow and at times tedious afternoon watch, but we did manage the highest count of Little Gulls at Dungeness so far this Autumn.
13.00-15.30 from the fishing boats with NF, AJG, JTM & MH
Brent Goose: 5E    24W
Common Scoter: 2E
Great-crested Grebe: 6 around
Gannet: c25 around
Dunlin: 4E
Curlew: 2W
Mediterranean Gull: 72E    11W
Kittiwake: c30 around
Little Gull: 14E
Sandwich Tern: 3E
Razorbill: 1E
Guillemot: 3E
Auk sp: 3E
Starling35 in
Harbour Porpoise: 2+
Late afternoon on the reserve very few Gulls coming into roost, highlight being an adult Yellow-legged Gull, 2 Knot and 4 Dunlin.