Sea Watching!

I joined AJG & BC in the sea watch hide at 06.30, all of us thinking that the stormy weather might make a good sea watch for us, sadly we were all disappointed:
06.30-08.30
Common Scoter: 21 up  2 down
Velvet Scoter: 1 down
Gannet: 15 down
Arctic Skua: 3+ around
Sandwich Tern: 73 down
Guillemot: 2 down
Swallow: 3 out
Thinking there may be storm blown Phalarope on one of the lakes AJG and myself went to the ARC where of note 2 Black Terns, a Garganey, a Great White Egret, a Dunlin and good numbers of Sand Martins were seen among all the usual wildfowl. Next we tried Burrowes with out any luck. Next stop Denge Marsh where we lucked in to the Osprey fishing.

Osprey diving for a fish with Lapwing in attendance

 Caught a tiddler

Osprey from Dengemarsh Hide with my house and small balcony in the background

Next a wander around the High Gorse looking for the Wryneck without success, not surprising really the way the wind was howling across The Desert.

Grey Phalarope

Leach's Petrel

juvenile Little Gulls

With the wind making the bushes unbirdable the only viable birding option was to go to the fishing boats and stare at the sea. Barry joined me there, followed by Owen who almost immediately spotted a Phalarope swimming close to the shore!

Grey Phalarope

11.0-17.00 with BC,OL,AJG, DW et al from the fishing boats:
Common Scoter: 15 up      1 on
Red-throated Diver: 2 around
Great-crested Grebe: 5 around
Leach’s Petrel: 1 up
Gannet: 34 Up    12 down
Cormorant: 27 around
Grey Plover: 1 down
Dunlin: 2 down
Turnstone: 7 around
Grey Phalarope: 2 around
Arctic Skua: 9 down    4+around
Yellow-legged Gull: 1 on beach
Little Gull: 4 down (ad+3 juvs)
Little Tern: 1 down
Sandwich Tern: 607 down    112 up
Commic Tern: 4 down
Black Tern: 2 down
House Martin: 14 out
Swallow: 28 out
Harbour Porpoise: 4+
Grey Seal: 1

 Grey Phalarope

 Grey Phalarope

 Grey Phalarope

Grey Phalarope (I've only looked at few of the images I took)

 Leach's Petrel

Yellow-legged Gull

Posing Wryneck!

 Wryneck in the High Gorse today

Few grounded migrants today around The Point, but the Wryneck was showing exceptionally well in the High Gorse for those who came to see it. Needless to say I took far to many images of it.  

 Common Buzzard  over my garden uncropped straight off the camera

While having lunch in my garden a Common Buzzard came over at roof top level.

 A tatty adult Yellow-legged Gull at the fishing boats this afternoon

14.50-17.30 from the fishing boats with AJG:
Great-crested Grebe: 2 around
Gannet: 17 down
Turnstone: 15 on beach
Ringed Plover: 3 down
Dunlin: 3 down
Great Skua: 1 down
Arctic Skua: 26 down
Yellow-legged Gull 2 around (ad+juv)
Sandwich Tern: 1,306 down
Common Tern: 14 down
Guillemot: 2 down
House Martin: 1 out
Swallow: 24 out
Grey Seal: 2
Harbour porpoise: 6+

I spent the best of this morning around the ARC doing a WeBs count in fairly challenging conditions,

the poor light strong winds and frequent showers all conspired to make things difficult. Numbers were fairly low and apart from Lapwing the only wader was a single Dunlin.

Late morning on Burrowes a Little Stint, an Avocet, 5 Dunlin, 8 Ringed Plover, a Little Ringed Plover and 5 Great White Egrets were the highlights. As drove back up the entrance track an Osprey could be seen distantly over Denge Marsh.

An hours early afternoon sea watch was very poor, just a few each of Sandwich and Common Tern tooing and froing, just 3 Gannets, a single Common Scoter and the highlight was a Common Seal, also a Wheatear around the boats.

 Marsh Harrier from Hanson

Late afternoon back at the ARC from Hanson 32 Black-tailed Godwits, 6 Knot, 4 Dunlin, a Ruff, 2 Garganey, a Black-necked Grebe and a Marsh Harrier.
The Wryneck was still present this morning per PT.

Black-tailed Godwits and Knot

Wryneck!

 A much quieter day on the point today with a noticeable clear out of migrants, though the Wryneck was still present along with 6 Whinchat, 9 Wheatears, a few Common Whitethroats and Lesser Whitethroats, Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers, a few Hirundines through and a single Swift.

 Juvenile Caspian Gull

This afternoon at the fishing boat puddles a juvenile Caspian Gull first spotted by Mick and Richard. As the wind had picked up and squalls blowing through I didn't look at the sea, but apparently there was no change to recent days per OL.

The Osprey was seen at various locations around the peninsula, 2 Cattle Egrets, 6+ Great White Egrets and a Spoonbill were all seen at Denge Marsh but migrants were thin on the ground.    

HAAAN, juvenile Lesser Black Backed Gull

Redstarts!

 Common Redstarts

 I spent the best part of the day birding around the Long Pits, trapping area and The Desert in the company of SO. We saw a minimum of 80 Common Whitethroats, 15 Lesser Whitethroats, 20 Blackcaps, 3 Garden Warblers, 25 Willow Warblers, 15 Chiffchaffs, 3 Reed Warblers, 6 Common Redstarts, 4 Whinchats, 8 Wheatears, 5 Yellow Wagtails, a Reed Bunting, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Grey Wagtail over, 5 Little Ringed Plovers over and the star of the day a fine Wryneck found by Alan and Paul.

 Wryneck

It seems as though the reserve was fairly quiet today, though up to 8 Great White Egrets, 3 Cattle Egrets and an Osprey were seen.

Wash Out!

A very wet sea watch 07.50-09.50 from sea watch hide with LG:

Common Scoter: 7 up

Red-throated Diver: 1 on sea

Great-crested Grebe: 6 on sea

Fulmar: 4 down

Gannet: 145 down

Arctic Skua: 12 down

Kittiwake: 5 down

Sandwich Tern: 157 down

Common Tern: 65 down

Guillemot: 3 down

Grey Seal: 1 

Harbour Porpoise: 4+

A quick look at the ARC saw a Little Stint and a Garganey.

 Ruff taken from Makepiece

On Burrowes of note 2 Black Terns, 5 Great White Egrets, a Knot, a Ruff, 2 Common Sandpipers, 6 Dunlin, 3 Ringed Plovers and a Merlin chasing Sand Martins.

 1 of 2 Black Terns on Burrowes

 Common Tern on Burrowes

 Bar-tailed Godwit past the boats this afternoon

13.15-15.30 from a very wet fishing boats: 

Gannet: 32 down

Turnstone: 6 around

Bar-tailed Godwit: 1 down

Great Skua: 1 down

Arctic Skua: 3 down    1 up

Sandwich Tern: 105 down

Common Tern:  38 down

 Arctic Skua passing east in another Squall

Another Herring Gull that has swallowed a Hook at the fishing boats

A late afternoon look at the ARC from Hanson found just 2 Little Stints, 8 Dunlin and a Hobby of any note. 

Ospreys!

07.30-08.15 from the fishing boats:

Common Scoter: 14 up

Gannet: 120 around

Turnstone: 3 around

Great skua: 1 around

Arctic Skua: 6 around

Sandwich Tern: 138 down

Commic Tern; 57 down

Black Tern: 1 down

Sand Martin: 226 out

Swallow: 14 out

Harbour Porpoise: 3+ around

 Willow Warbler

A walk around The Desert produced of note 10 Wheatears, 2 Whinchats, 4 Stonechats, 2 Redstarts, 16+ Pied Wagtails, 10+ Meadow Pipits, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, 7 Common Whitethroats, 3 Lesser Whitethroats, 2 Black Redstarts and steady southward passage of Swallows.

I joined LG in the last net round which produced just 1 bird a juvenile Pied Flycatcher. From the observatory we saw a very distant Osprey that was over Burrowes, also a Merlin having a tussle with a Kestrel.

 Pied Flycatcher

While having lunch in my garden I saw the Osprey again distantly, also a Common Buzzard, Sparrowhawk and a Marsh Harrier. All the Yellow wagtails I have been enjoying in the fields in front the house appear to have left for sunnier climes.

Galloways produced 4 Whinchats but as tractors were cutting the verges I didn't venture to far down. 

Denge Marsh Gully appeared again to be an avian free zone.

Another sea watch 14.15-15.00 was more or less a re run of this mornings watch.

 2 Ospreys over the ARC

Late afternoon at the ARC from Hanson a surprise in the form of 2 Ospreys which headed towards Burrowes. A short while later one reappeared over Kerton Road Pit where it hunted for about 20 minutes making at least 6 unsuccessful plunges before finally catching a nice size fish, It then took its

prize out to the shingle ridges to consume it. Also from the hide a Garganey, a Black-necked Grebe, my first Pintail of the autumn and a Little Stint of note. No sign of the Pectoral Sandpiper this afternoon nor this morning as far as I am aware, though RBA are reporting it as still being present.  

Garganey from Hanson

Red-backed Shrike!

 Spotted Redshank

My first stop this morning was at the ARC which was a mistake, as had I gone to the fishing boats as normal I would have been present when a Sabine's Gull flew past. From Hanson a Spotted Redshank was on view along with 5 Garganey, a Common Sandpiper and the Pectoral Sandpiper which was on the old Cormorant Island about as far away from the hide as it could be, also all the usual wildfowl and Lapwing. 

 Wheatear

I had an uneventful walk around The Desert with Jamie from Hythe seeing just a few Whinchats, Wheatears, Stonechats, Common Whitethroats and a few Swallows over. 

On my way back home I got a call from LG telling me he'd found a juvenile Red-backed Shrike just a few hundred yards north of The Desert, a few minutes later I was watching the bird which was very flighty not allowing close approach. We later realised the bird was bearing a ring which probably explained its reluctance to allow approach. 

  Red-backed Shrike

 Red-backed Shrike showing ring

  Red-backed Shrike

Red-backed Shrike with a Bee 

 This afternoon I had another walk around The Desert seeing much the same as this morning, I then decided to have another look at the Shrike. It was still very wary, so I sat down by a bush hoping it would come to me, after about half an hour with no success, a young Fox came trotting around the bush getting a big surprise when it a last spotted me as more or less stepped over my outstretched legs. The Shrike never really gave itself up.

 Black-necked Grebe

Late afternoon back at Hanson a Black-necked Grebe, also 3 Little Stints, a Dunlin, 2 Common Sandpipers, 5 Garganey still, Water rails in front the hide and the usual birds.

 Black-necked Grebe with 4 Garganey in the background