All At Sea

With 25 mph southwesterly winds and two oktas cloud cover, seawatching was the only option this morning. I joined Ian at first light and we spent a couple of hours trying to make out what was moving in the murky conditions. It wasn't possible to see across the bay this morning due to a combination of murk and at times heat haze, thus making viewing hard work. There were bits and pieces moving but it felt as though you were having to strain to see them!

I won't beat around the bush and will go straight to the totals which were 22 Cormorants, 20 Common Scoters, 36 Auk sp., 19 Gannets, 12 Wigeon, a Red-breasted Merganser, three Red-throated Divers and a single Kittiwake. All the passage was westerly i.e. moving out of the bay, which is what you'd expect in autumn.

 Cormorants

There were a few waders roosting on the shingle including 56 Sanderlings, 184 Turnstones (including one of our leg-flagged birds) and 14 Dunlins. It's going to get rough later in the week and will perhaps be the last chance for a few Leach's Petrels.