Bluethroat in the Sunshine!

The Bluethroat sunbathing this afternoon

 Migrant Song Thrush at the Beach car park this morning

 The Glaucous Gull still at The Patch

 7U9B Yellow ringed Herring Gull

Very quiet on the sea this morning at The Patch:

Common Scoter: 8 up

Red-throated Diver: 5 up

Great-crested Grebe: c15 around

Gannet: c25 around

Cormorant: c120 around

Glaucous Gull: the regular juvenile

Little Gull: 1 adult around

Sandwich Tern: 2 down

Razorbill: 2 up

Guillemot: 10+ around

Common Seal: 1 around

This afternoon the Bluethroat was showing exceptionally well in Dengemarsh Gully

 Several Firecrests still in the Gully this afternoon

Bluethroats!

Both Bluethroats were showing well in Dengemarsh Gully this morning. The adult male that was frequenting the stream was slightly more elusive but much more comfortable to view as the viewing was in the cover of the gully out of the biting wind, whereas viewing of the 1w was in the full force of the icy blast. There are claims of up to 4 Bluethroats being present, though personally I only saw the 2 birds. A minimum of 5 Firecrests were present in the gully, a party of 24 Barnacle Geese flew over as well as a party of 20+ linnet.

The regular Glaucous Gull was seen on the reserve along with a Slavonian Grebe but apparently little else.

 The Glaucous Gull at The Patch this morning

 With a howling westerly wind blowing the sea passage this morning was virtually non existent, just a few each of Red-throated Diver, Gannet, Kittiwake and Guillemot offshore meant I spent the best part of 3 hours in the The Patch hide looking at Gulls again. The bright sunlight made viewing anything directly in front the hide difficult. There 1,000s of Gulls present including the regular juvenile Glaucous Gull, a couple of Mediterranean Gulls and managed to read at least 20 colour ringed Gulls.
At the fishing boats this afternoon there was no sign of the 1w Iceland Gull.
Late afternoon on the reserve no sign of the Smew on Tanners Pool but Great white Egret there, on Burrowes the Glaucous Gull came into roost and a Grey Plover was in front the visitor Centre of note.
I probably wont be doing another post for just over a week as I'm off to to the Western Sahara hopefully to see Golden Nightjar.

A Pleasant Day!

06.30-08.00 from the sea watch hide. Many thanks to AJG for supplying the numbers.

Brent Goose: 112 up

Common Scoter: 5 up

Red-throated Diver: 95 up, exactly 100 flew down channel after disturbance by the range boat.

Gannet:17 around

Oystercatcher: 4 up

Kittiwake: 64 up

Guillemot: 89 on sea

At The Patch the 1w Iceland Gull was still in residence along with a couple of Mediterranean Gulls 

among the many Herring and great Black-backed Gulls, for the second day running no sign of the regular juvenile Glaucous Gull.

A stroll around the Kerton Road triangle mid morning found 2 Dartford Warblers, 2 Stonechats and 6 Meadow Pipits.

Dartford Warbler at Kerton Road mid morning

Dartford Warbler at Kerton Road mid morning

2 Hares squaring up on the Boulderwall Fields

Late morning on the reserve 3 Smew including a drake and a Great White Egret on Tanners Pool viewed from the entrance track. In the adjacent fields 2 Hares were nice to see and watch. Another 5 Great White Egrets were on Dengemarsh per MH. Only a few Gulls present apart from a couple of readable colour rings there was nothing of any note among them.

1w Iceland Gull

Early afternoon when I arrived back at The Patch the 1w Iceland Gull was still in the roost, a few minutes later it and all the other Gulls were flushed by fisherman who insist on casting there lines out towards the boil, the only up side was they flushed the Iceland Gull towards the hide giving me a nice fly by. 

1w Iceland Gull

14.30-15.30 from the fishing boats:
Brent Goose: 2 up
Red-throated Diver: 46 up
Great-crested Grebe: c150 offshore
Gannet: 4 around
Kittiwake: 17 down
Guillemot: 16 down   2 up
Grey Seal: 1
Harbour Porpoise: 1

Juvenile Glaucous Gull on Burrowes late afternoon

Late afternoon on the reserve 2 Marsh Harriers and Great White Egrets flew over the entrance track,  on Burrowes the regular juvenile Glaucous Gull was roosting among the Cormorants, 5 Goldeneye could be found among the Pochard and Tufted Duck, still good numbers of Shovelers present.

1w Iceland Gull!

Many thanks to AJG & MH for the Sea watch numbers this morning:

06.30-08.00:

Brent Goose: 85 up in 4 flocks (another 123 seen from The Patch later)

Wigeon: 12 up

Common Scoter: 13 up   9 down

Red-throated Diver: 72 up

Great-crested Grebe: 137 around

Fulmar: 2 around

Gannet: 54 up 

Oystercatcher: 8 up

Mediterranean Gull: 1 up

Little Gull: 2 up   1 down

Kittiwake: 451 up

Guillemot: 5 on

Razorbill :2 up

Auk sp: 78 up

 1w Iceland Gull at The Patch

When I arrived at The Patch DW & JTM were already there and had seen a 1w Iceland Gull briefly, fortunately the Iceland Gull reappeared and showed reasonably well on the beach and around the boil. Among the all the Gulls around The Patch were at least 7 Mediterranean Gulls one of which was a another Danish ringed bird, there were also several of the Pitsea/Rainham ringed birds, Norwegian ringed birds, another from North Yorkshire, 1 from Weymouth another and from Guernsey.

While most of this morning was spent looking at Gulls a few more Red-throated Divers, Brent Geese and a party of 6 drake Eider flew up channel.

  1w Iceland Gull at The Patch

  1w Iceland Gull at The Patch

 Eider passing The Patch

Mediterranean Gull atThe Patch

This afternoon at the fishing boats was very quiet with a more Red-throated divers and Kittiwakes passing, also a Harbour Porpoise offshore.

Baltic Gull?

First Eider of the year

Sea watch from 06.45-09.25 many thanks to AJG & MH for collating the numbers:
Brent Goose: 46 up
Teal: 1 up
Common Scoter: 56 up  12 down
Eider: 4 up
Red-breasted Merganser:18 up
Red-throated Diver: 350 up
Great-crested Grebe: 150+ around
Fulmar: 4up    3 down
Gannet 85 up
Fulmar 4 up
Oystercatcher: 3 up
Curlew: 2 up
Great Skua: 1 up
Glaucous Gull: 1 around
Little Gull: 2 up
Kittiwake: 321 up
Sandwich Tern: 1 up
Guillemot: 19 up
Razorbill: 1 up
Auk sp: 696 up

1w Glaucous Gull with colour ringed Herring Gull K7LT

After this mornings sea watch I wandered down to The Patch joining DW who was already there going through the Gulls. The Glaucous Gull and few colour ringed birds were present but not the huge numbers of birds that have been present through the cold spell. While scanning the boil DW noticed a very interesting Lesser Black-backed Gull sp. Trying to pick out an individual Gull over the boil is usually fairly difficult, but this bird was easy as it was so contrasting black and white, it helpfully flew alongside a Larus fuscus graellsii (Lesser Black-backed Gull) which highlighted the difference. I see no reason why it's not a Larus fuscus fuscus (Baltic Gull) all opinions welcome.
While I was at The Patch another 72 Red-throated Divers, 14 Common Scoter and a few each of Kittiwake, Gannet and Auks flew up channel.
A very short visit to the fishing boats in the rain this afternoon saw 3 Little Gulls moving up channel.