Wednesday 16/10/2019

Today's sea watch was not as good as hoped for given the strong southerly winds for the first couple of hours, this may have been down to the poor visibility in the constant drizzle and occasional deluge, but any day when I see 100+ Little Gulls and 2,000+ Swallows, a few Skuas, a Merlin come bombing in off the sea is still a good day.

 1 of the Little Gulls past the fishing boats today

1 of todays Arctic Skuas

07.00-12.15 from the fishing boats with CP, AJG, PT & DW.
Brent Goose: 10W
Common Scoter: 55W
Great-crested Grebe: 13 o/s
Manx Shearwater: 1W
Gannet: 676W
Cormorant: present n/c
Dunlin: 5W
Great Skua: 1W
Arctic Skua: 7W/around
Kittiwake: 23W
Little Gull: 83W
Mediterranean Gull: 24W/around
Sandwich Tern: 242W
Guillemot: 15W
Razorbill: 52W
Auk sp; 78W
House Martin: 14 out
Swallow: 2,370 out
Goldfinch: 140 W
Harbour Porpoise: 2+
Grey Seal: 1

 1 of at least 700 Gannets that moved west past the fishing boats today

Nice to see a couple of juvenile Brent Geese

1 of the small flocks of Goldfinches at the fishing boats

The now seemingly resident German ringed 1w Caspian Gull at the fishing boats this afternoon 

 A juvenile Merlin coming in off the sea this afternoon

 A juvenile Merlin coming in off the sea this afternoon

A juvenile Merlin coming in off the sea this afternoon

14.00-15.30 from the fishing boats:
Brent Goose: 8W
Common Scoter: 6W
Red-throated Diver: 3W
Gannet: 57W
Merlin: 1 juvenile in off
Turnstone: 5 on beach
Arctic Skua: 8W
Kittiwake: 2W
Little Gull: 30W
Yellow-legged Gull: 2 around ad + 3 cal yr
Caspian Gull: 1 around
Sandwich Tern: 104W
Common Tern: 1W
Razorbill: 7W
Auk sp: 29E   27W
Pied Wagtail: 2 on beach

 Adult Yellow-legged Gull

3rd calendar year Yellow-legged Gull

There are still a few Ring Ouzels and Song Thrushes around the trapping area but not much else per JTM. On the reserve there are still 2 Goldeneye and a Red-throated Diver on Burrowes, a couple more Ring Ouzels, 3 Cattle Egrets and Great White Egrets around Hookers and Boulderwall, while on the ARC the Little Stint still present per PT & OL.