Seawatch at Seaford

 Having spent all week at work, hearing about Poms and Arctic Skuas galore going through with good numbers of other migrants, which is pretty typical, fairly sure the birds wait until they know I'm at work before they decide to fly through, though that could be paranoia😂I decided, that despite the terrible (from a Seawatch point of view) weather forecast of bright sunshine and no wind, I would have a Seawatch from Seaford this morning. This was also motivated by the fact that I've felt ill all week and I wouldn't have to walk around which would save energy, although arguably having a lay in would have been better! So I found myself at 5.40 AM standing at Splash Point having driven through several fog banks to get there I was quite relieved to arrive and find the visibility over the flat calm sea quite good, although everything is relative!😏

Newhaven in the mist!

Things to start with were predictably dire, though the local Kittiwakes were having a funny half hour, making loads of noise and flying en-masse on and off the cliff and onto the sea, even had a bit of a Kittiwake murmuration, though could see no obvious explanation for it. The Fox was on the beach again and this time he'd brought a friend and a Porpoise was on show occasionally although not predictably enough for me to get a picture!😢

Kittiwake Frenzy

Great Black-backed Gull on a flat Sea

GBBG flying about

Foxes on the Beach

More Kittiwake Frenzy

Things slowly started to improve with Gannets starting to appear in reasonable numbers and few groups of Scoter going through, though everything was predictably distant.

Common Scoter, some bigger flocks as well but to far out for pics

Gannets

Was joined by a few other birders and sightings went up a bit, Sandwich Terns went through regularly in small groups of up to six, a couple of Shelduck put in an appearance, had two Divers, distant but both were thought to be Red-throated, four Brent Geese went through as well, but the highlight of the day were the Med Gulls that started to appear, had several small flocks through close in, including one right over our heads. 

Shelduck

Sandwich Terns

Common Scoter

More Terns

Gannets

Med Gulls

ST

More distant Scoter

By about 8.15 it had gone pretty dead, so gave it up and still feeling pretty urgh😢 I decided to head home!

A better day than expected to be honest, nice to see reasonable numbers of Med Gulls at close range. 

Approximate totals below

Gannets 60+

Common Scoter 40+

Med Gull 60+

Sandwich Tern 30+ 

Shelduck 3

Brent Geese 4

Oystercatcher 2

Diver sp 2 (probably Red-throat)

Whimbrel 2 

Kittiwake and Fulmar usual locals 

Fulmar