Monday 24 April 2017

24th April, 2017 Beachy Head Overcast cool SW 4-5

Yesterday two further sea-watches were carried out, the first for 2 hours during the afternoon by KG, and the second by RAB for 2.25 hrs and for some of the time by LP during the evening. These totals should be added to yesterday's sea-watch totals to obtain the final total for yesterday.

KG watch during yesterday afternoon recorded the following:
Red-throated Diver 5 E
Pomarine Skua 17 E
Arctic Skua 5 E
Bonxie 7 E
Little Gull 53 E
Mediterranean Gull c50 E
Whimbrel 6 E

RAB and LP watch during yesterday evening recorded the following:
Gannet 8 E
Brent Goose 40 E
Pomarine Skua 1 E @ 18.05
Arctic Skua 5 E
Mediterranean Gull 83 E plus 2 on the sea.
Sandwich Tern 3 E
Whimbrel 11 E
Bar-tailed Godwit 1 E (525 waders E considered to be Bar-tailed Godwits were seen mainly in two large flocks high in the sky in V formation a long way out).

This morning the wind had veered to the SW with a cold front moving down from the North . We  sea-watched from 06.15-11.15. and we were joined during the latter part of the watch by Bob and Al which was useful as my eyes were now very tired. LP covered several of the main sites on the headland but could only find a few migrants. Bob covered Birling lane and Belle Tout wood but again just a few Willow Warblers and the odd Whitethroat.

Red-throated Diver 1 E
Gannet 52 mainly E
Brent Goose 35 E
Shelduck 2 E
Common Scoter 400 E
Velvet Scoter 21 E (parties 2,2,15,2)
Whimbrel 18 E
Pomarine Skua 1 E @ 06.55
Arctic Skua 11 E
Bonxie 4 E
Mediterranean Gull 11 E
Black-headed Gull 11 E
Kittiwake 95 E
Sandwich Tern 25 E
Comic Tern 40 E
Auk Sp. 2 E
Guillemot 2 E
Swallow 2 in off the sea
Common Whitethroat 1 in off the sea

As we were driving back home going over Exceat Bridge along the A259, a Red Kite was circling over the bridge with a Common Buzzard.