Thursday 20/02/2020

Yet another day of westerly gales and rain, thankfully this time next week I'll be in the Sierra Morena, Spain.
07.00-08.30 from the sea watch hide with AJG who kindly collated the numbers:
Brent Goose: 15E
Wigeon: 51E
Red-throated Diver: 10W
Great- crested Grebe: 12W     1E     2 o/s
Fulmar: 5W
Gannet: 28W
Cormorant: present n/c
Sanderling: 1W
Kittiwake: 54W
Black-headed Gull: Present n/c
Common Gull:  Present n/c
Herring Gull: Present n/c
Lesser Black-backed Gull: present n/c
Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c
Guillemot: 14W
Razorbill: 13W
Auk sp: 64W
I joined OL at the lifeboat station watching the many 1,000s of Gulls that lined Lade Bay

 Some of the many 1,000s of Gulls present ion Lade Bay at high tide today

 Black-headed Gulls feasting on the abundant shellfish washed up by the storms

The circled Gull that with much scrutiny turned out to be just a Leucistic/aberrant Herring Gull and not a White Winger.
Late morning I just about managed to see the 2 Water Pipits again despite the best efforts of the gale force wind. Walking back to the car the rain swept in giving me a soaking and the hail mixed in stinging my face.
At 16.20 the rain stopped so I ventured back out to the reserve where several 100s of Gulls came into roost, the best I could find among them was an adult Yellow-legged Gull.