10/12/2020

First thoughts were that this was a 1w Iceland Gull but it is probably a 2w bird. Either way it was nice surprise.

As a moderate SE wind was forecast this morning I was up early and on station at the fishing boats at 07.15 and AJG was at the turning circle.

The forecast was correct and birds were pouring past in the first light gloom. Most noticeably were my estimate of a flock of c2,000 Cormorants coming out of the bay, in truth there could just have easily been 4,000+ of them. A little further out Auks, Kittiwakes and Gannets were piling through, so I was relieved when CP arrived to help me count. A Bonxie powered through in the gloom. see poor image below.

07.15-10.30 & 12.50-15.05 from the fishing boats with AJG, CP, DW, and JY:

Common Scoter: 2W

Red-throated Diver: 241W

Great-crested Grebe: 2 o/s

Fulmar: 1E

Gannet: 1,342W + 100s feeding off shore

Shag: 1W  an oddly scarce bird at Dungeness

Turnstone: 3 on beach

Black-headed Gull: present n/c

Mediterranean Gull: 109W   6+ lingering o/s

Common Gull:  present n/c

Great-Black-backed Gull:  present n/c

Iceland Gull: 1 probably 2nd winter

Herring Gull:  present n/c

Sandwich Tern: 33W     5+ lingering o/s

Great Skua: 1W

Guillemot: 3,530W   Many feeding o/s

Razorbill: 5,184W    Many feeding o/s

Auk sp: 2,022W

Bonxie in the early morning gloom

Razorbills and Guillemots piling through

Many Gannets were feeding

Red-throated Divers losing height rapidly

Mediterranean Gull with Kittiwakes

Sandwich Tern with Kittiwakes. Unprecedented numbers of Sandwich Terns for mid December

A 1st year Shag flew west past the boats