With our holiday to Shetland looming at the end of the week this was my last realistic chance to have a go for some Poms this season, arrived at about 5.30, extremely tame Fox trotted past the car as I was kitting up which was a good start. Similar to Thursday another slow one, 4 Artic Skuas through before 7 o'clock, a Black-throated Diver, a couple of Red-throated Divers, three Red-breasted Mergansers, a couple of very distant flocks of "Comic Terns" ,a few more Scoters past but most of em very distant, Whimbrels and Barwits, 17 Brent Geese, the Mute Swan and Little Egret both put in another appearance, few small flocks of Med Gulls and a couple of flocks of Black-headed Gulls, about the same amount of Gannets as Thursday went through, a Willow Warbler and a few Swallows "in off" but the absolute highlight were two Manx Shearwaters that I managed to spot, as I was trying to work out what they were, my dodgy directions got a couple of the others present onto them who pointed out my description of two black and white small birds shearing should of been a clue!! Manx Shearwaters in my defence they were distant and I wasn't expecting them!! No excuse I know!!😊 No pics obviously were far too distant!!
For me this year has been pretty poor seawatching wise, only 1 Pom, 11 Arctics and I haven't even had a Bonxie!! Every time I've been free the conditions have been terrible with no wind whatsoever, the fact that today there were only about 8 birders present at the height of the season, sums it up!! Looking at the reports don't think there have been many big days this year, presumably with the windless conditions the birds have been going through mid channel, but had no flocks of Little Gulls this year or any Black Terns, hopefully it's the conditions and my incompetence rather than a lack of birds!!
Anyway a few pics of some of the birds I did manage to see below. And the Fox!!
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| The Fox seen it most times I've visited before sunrise, combing the beach! |
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| The usual scene setter |
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| Distant Scoter Flock |
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| Kittiwakes worryingly they seem to have deserted the cliffs lately maybe the cold snap putting them off? |
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| Brent Geese |
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| Shoreham lit up by the morning sun |
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| The local Mute Swan |
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| Whimbrel & Barwit |
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| Fulmar |
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| Gannets |
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| Swallow "in off" |
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| Bar-tailed Godwit |
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| Red-throated Diver |
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| Black-headed Gulls |
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| Sandwich Tern |
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| Herring Gull |
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| Med Gulls |
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| Med Gulls a mixture of 1st winter,2nd winter and Adult birds |
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| Black-headed Gull |
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| Med Gull |
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