Windy Seawatch and Cliff Walk

 With winds forecast to start South-easterly seemed a no-brainer to head down to Seaford for an early morning Seawatch, arrived fairly promptly, another birder was just arriving and we got off to a good start when he spotted a Pale-phase Arctic Skua, worth coming just for that😁!!! After taking the best part of three days to get over the aches and pains of last weeks efforts I got out the chair!! Not sure if it made much difference to be honest as though my legs ache a lot less me back was killing me by the end!! Think basically I'm just old!!!!😢😂

Arctic Skua, I appreciate the pics ain't the best, but it was distant and moving quick!

First Skua of the year is always special!! 

We were joined by several other members of the Seaford Crew. It was a good Seawatch with Sandwich Terns going through all morning though not in huge numbers, "Commic Terns" were mixed in occasionally with at least 4 Arctic among them. All told we had seven Arctic Skuas two of which were Pale the rest Dark. Several groups of Brent Geese went through, Good numbers of Med and Common Gulls and one distant Little Gull which only me and one other got on, it went through when others were distracted by a Skua! We had a couple of groups of Whimbrel, 6 Red-breasted Mergansers, 1 Black-throated and 9 Red-throated Divers all though they were fairly distant. A few Gannets, several Common Scoter though not as many as last week.  Some pictures of those that came close enough below!

Common Gull

Sandwich Tern

Gannets

Common Scoter

Shoveller

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Common Scoter

Brent Geese

Red-throated Divers, I know terrible shot, but you can tell what they are!

Sandwich Tern

Gannet

Whimbrel

Arctic Skuas, Dark-phase

these two were the only pair, the rest went through as singles

Common Scoter

Fulmar

Herring Gull

Common Gulls

Kittiwake

Sandwich Tern

Brent Geese

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Med Gulls several groups came through approximately 60 secs after someone said, "surprised we haven't had any Med Gulls today"😂

Brents 

Black-headed Gull

Red-breasted Merganser

Common Scoter

By now it was half ten and there was only two of us left, however stuff was still coming through, I had just decided to stick it out for another hour when the Coastguard turned up and turfed us off the slipway😱😱!!! Apparently they had to launch a drone and Health & Safety meant we had to move😲 We headed off I was rather disappointed to see the drone, rather than the Reaper style drone I was expecting, it was about the size of a dinner plate!! Classic Health and Safety gone mad!!!😏

I decided instead to head up the cliff and have a play with the Kittiwakes, not all the way up you understand, first level only!!😂 This is always fun and with the strong wind the birds were enjoying themselves as well!

Not all about the Kittiwakes, Several Fulmars about as well

Kittiwake

Herring Gull, always good to see them in their element rather then nicking ya chips!

Great Black-backed Gull

Raven

From the Cliffs I could see stuff still going through Splash Point, Med Gulls, Brent Geese and these "Commic" Terns 

Med Gulls

Possibly my favourite Kittiwake shot

Brent Geese

This bad boy appeared on an off throughout the session but never came close, probably worried about getting his butt kicked by all the big Gulls!

Good drying day for this Cormorant

Still at it!

Newhaven to Brighton

Starling having a sing in the wind

I dragged myself away, it is really one of my favourite thing to do, standing above a seabird colony, despite the tourists streaming up the head, you can truly lose yourself, although not to much as you don't wanna go over the edge, although it doesn't seem to worry the tourists too much as they go right to the edge to get there selfies😱

I headed back to the car, I was torn whether to leave or not as stuff was still going through, but I was pretty knackered and wanted to get home for the footy!

Group of Common Gulls went through as I was changing my shoes

A final Sandwich Tern

A highly enjoyable morning, a good variety, wish the Skuas had come a bit closer, but you can't win them all!! 

The footy was annoying with the mighty Whites failing to take advantage of Ipswich's slip up!! Leicester back in the box seat!!!😢