Monday 22 April 2013

Pure Velvet

As I suggested yesterday I was back at the obs at first light for a short seawatch of about two hours from the point before work. The skies were virtually clear and the wind was a 15-20 mph SSW. It was similar to yesterday, but different in terms of the numbers of birds, far fewer today. For example, yesterday Little Gulls were spread right across the horizon in a large loose feeding flock, but today there were only half the numbers.

My totals this morning for the sea were 224 Common Scoters, 46 Sandwich Terns, 15 Eiders, two Red-breasted Mergansers, six Razorbills, 147 Little Gulls, 39 Gannets, a Velvet Scoter, eight Red-throated Divers, five Shelducks, 50 Arctic Terns, an Auk sp., a Guillemot, four Kittiwakes, a Manx Shearwater and a Bonxie flying out of the bay.

There was some vis this  morning and again as yesterday it was mainly westerly into the wind. I didn't record a great deal of vis because most of it was moving a few hundred yards inland, as I realised when I walked back to my car and there were groups of Goldfinch and Siskin heading west. My meagre totals were five Linnets, 11 Meadow Pipits, four Alba Wags (they all sounded like White's to me), 69 Goldfinches, a Tree Pipit, a Yellow Wagtail, a Swallow and two Siskins.

There were a few waders on the beach this morning including 130 Sanderlings, 300 Dunlins and 35 Ringed Plovers.

It's site visits for me tomorrow, but I might be able to have my lunch looking over some pools on the marsh so it might not be a totally bird free day!

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