Sandpipers!

As a South Easterly wind was blowing I was hoping for a good sea watch this morning, unfortunately it was not as good as hoped for.

06.45-0845 from the hide with CP, JTM and AJG who kindly collated the numbers:

Shelduck: 1E

Teal: 3E

Tufted Duck: 1E

Common Scoter: 25E  1W

Great-crested Grebe: 1W

Fulmar: 9E

Gannet: c75 around

Kittiwake: 71E

Mediterranean Gull:1E

Yellow-legged Gull: 1 Juvenile at The Patch

Sandwich tern: c40E

Common Tern: c40 around

Auk sp: 1E

Sand Martin: 21 out

Grey Seal: 1

Harbour Porpoise: 15+

 A little twitch to see the Eclipse drake Red-crested Pochard at Hookers this morning first for the year

 Greenshank from Firth early afternoon (a party of 11 dropped in briefly per DC)

 Excellent views of waders and Terns can be had from Firth Hide especially from Midday onwards when the sun has started to move round to the west.

 Polished colour ringed Black-headed Gull TXUW at the ARC this afternoon, I saw this bird almost a year ago on 27/07/2018. Also in 3 visits to Hanson up to 5 Wood Sandpipers, 6 Common Sandpipers, 2 Green Sandpipers, 8 Dunlin, 4 Ruff, 4 Redshank, a Turnstone, a Peregrine, Mediterranean Gull, 4 Garganey, 2 Green Sandpipers, 2 Great White Egrets and many of the usual wildfowl. This evening 100s of Swifts and Sand Martins over it and New Diggings viewed from the causeway. There were no reports of yesterdays lovely summer plumaged Cattle Egret from the reserve today, I will have do an Egret roost count in case it is feeding elsewhere.
A sea watch by AJG from the fishing boats 13.05-15.45:
Common Scoter: 11W
Great-crested Grebe: 3 around
Fulmar: 2W
Gannet: 15W
Kittiwake: 5W
Mediterranean Gull: 1 around
Yellow-legged Gull: 1 juvenile around
Common Tern: 42W
Sandwich Tern: 18W
Swift: 84 out
Sand Martin: 5 out

 Green Sandpipers

 The Green Sandpipers joined by a Common Sandpiper

 Little Ringed Plovers