Waitrose

 A big thank you to Waitrose, Hythe for this unexpected and generous donation.

29th Nov

A cool, icy morning produced very little of note offshore and just a trickle of migrants on the land. Six Chiffchaffs, three Goldcrests, two Song Thrushes, two Black Redstarts, five Bramblings and four Siskins were of interest on the land while five Mediterranean Gulls were the only birds of note at the Patch despite a large increase in the number of gulls feeding there. A Great Skua was also seen.

A Common Seal and two Grey Seals were seen. 

28th Nov

Most of the days coverage was looking offshore in a forlorn search for a Brunnich's Guillemot but there not even a sniff of one. Four and a half hours of watching produced two Velvet Scoters, three Goosanders, two Red-breasted Mergansers, 181 Red-throated Divers, a Great Northern Diver, five Mediterranean Gulls, five Sandwich Terns, a Great Skua, 1300 Guillemots, 50 Razorbills and just over 1000 auk species. 

Quiet on the land except for a Siberian Chiffchaff in the Trapping Area again.

A Common Seal and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.

27th Nov

A day of miserable weather and almost all observations limited to the sea. Nearly six hours of watching produced four Velvet Scoters, 225 Red-throated Divers, a Little Egret, 92 Kittiwakes, three Mediterranean Gulls, three Sandwich Terns, 3000 Guillemots and 214 Razorbills of note.

Two Common Seals and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore. 

26th Nov

A quiet day (though with slightly limited coverage) which produced just two Caspian Gulls at the Patch of note.

25th Nov

A quiet day with a first-winter Caspian Gull at the Patch being the highlight. Two Chiffchaffs and two Goldcrests were seen in the Trapping Area and two Black Redstarts alongside the power station. Seawatching produced 120 Red-throated Divers, two Mediterranean Gulls and over 900 auks of any interest.

A Brown Hare was also seen.

24th June

A fairly quiet day although in the context of this autumn a total of six Goldcrests was significant. A Dartford Warbler was also seen near the Fish Shack and two Chiffchaffs were seen in the bushes. Two Caspian Gulls were feeding at the Patch.

Three Porpoises and two Grey Seals were feeding offshore.

23rd

A light northerly breeze saw another movement of birds offshore with most birds flying into the wind. Of particular note were 45 Shelduck, six Gadwall, 108 Wigeon, two Eider, a Velvet Scoter, a smart drake Long-tailed Duck, 135 Red-throated Divers, a Black-throated Diver, four Black-tailed Godwits, five Mediterranean Gulls, a Great Skua and a Red-necked Grebe. Two Merlins and 2845 Starlings came in. Three Caspian Gulls were seen during the day and a Snow Bunting was seen on a couple of occasions.

Four Common Seals, three Grey Seals and a Porpoise were feeding offshore. 

22nd Nov

A real wintry feel to the day with a cold north to north-west wind blowing and occasional showers passing through. Virtually all the coverage was of the sea where there was a decent, mainly up-channel movement of birds. The bulk was provided by 163 Brent Geese, 251 Wigeon, 73 Teal, 91 Red-throated Divers, 1449 Gannets, 530 Kittiwakes, 778 Black-headed Gulls and 491 auks. Less usual sightings included a high total of 162 Shelducks, 39 Shovelers, four Pintail, two Tufted Ducks, a Goldeneye, five Eider, a Velvet Scoter, six Red-breasted Mergansers, five Little Gulls, 43 Mediterranean Gulls and four Sandwich Terns. A Merlin was also seen and six Skylarks, 1963 Starlings and two Chaffinches came in.

Two Grey Seals and a Porpoise were also feeding offshore.

21st Nov

The mild damp weather of recent days gave way to much colder, clearer air and subsequently migrants were few and far between with just a handful of Bramblings and Siskins passing overhead. The sea was also quiet except for 14 Sandwich Terns and good numbers of auks. 

A Porpoise and a Grey Seal were feeding offshore.