Long-eared Owl!

 From the sea watch hide with a cold SE wind this morning 08.00-10.00 with OL & DW
Brent Goose: 1W
Wigeon: 8W
Common Scoter: 9W      5E
Eider: 3W
Red-throated Diver: 35W     19E
Great-crested Grebe: 21 around
Gannet: 500+W on the horizon
Cormorant: n/c (1,000+ around)
Oystrecatcher: 2E
Mediterranean Gull: 1E
Kittiwake: 200+ W on the horizon
Auks sp: n/c (200+ tooing and froing)
Harbour Porpoise: 1
 Late morning there were 2 Cattle Egrets with a little egret by Cooks Pool, another Cattle Egret was in the Horse Paddock. From the garden the 10 Bewick Swans were still in the kale field with the Mute Swans. At a very cold Scotney the feral Barnacle Goose flock still insitu with c200 Greylags but little else. Looking out towards the wind farm 1,000s each of Lapwing and Golden Plover could be seen wheeling around.
An hour at the fishing boats early afternoon with OL, P & LH, saw a distant Great Skua and 2 Wigeon of note, along with the now resident Guillemots and Razorbills and the usual afternoon flock of c150 Kittiwakes. Fortunately we were rescued from a further hour in the cold by a call from DW telling me to come to the observatory, but no reason was given. I guessed that it would be a Woodcock caught in the Heligoland Trap, but was delighted when on arrival at the observatory I saw DW holding a beautiful Long-eared Owl.

 Long-eared Owl

Late afternoon on the reserve for the Gull roost was disappointing as few Gulls came in, the highlight being 2 adult Yellow-legged Gulls.
Very late afternoon as I got out of my car in the driveway, 3 Great White Egrets flew low over the house heading for the ARC.