With murky and breezy conditions the sea was the place to be today where there was a strong easterly passage which increased in the afternoon. There were some excellent numbers and plenty of variety with the former including 339 Brent Geese, 2047 Common Scoters, 519 Gannets, 77 Little Gulls, 964 Sandwich Terns and 311 Common Terns whilst variety included 14 Gadwall, eight Teal, six Pintails, 23 Shovelers and 67 Red-breasted Mergansers, 66 Red-throated Divers, two Black-throated Divers, 19 Manx Shearwaters (all in the afternoon), 26 Arctic Skuas (also all in the afternoon) and a Great Skua, 50 Kittiwakes, eight Mediterranean Gulls, a Little Tern and two Arctic Terns. A handful of waders also passed by including six Grey Plovers, eight Knot, seven Bar-tailed Godwits and 11 Whimbrels.
A first-winter Iceland Gull flew through the Patch this morning and then made a brief reappearance in the afternoon. There were also 80 Common Terns feeding there this evening.
Most of the bits of interest on the land actually seemed to be birds remaining from yesterday with the male Pied Flycatcher and a male Redstart still at the Long Pits, three 'Continental' Coal Tits still in a private garden and two Firecrests. A female Bullfinch was a new bird at the Long Pits and a problematic Chiffchaff in the moat may prove to be a Siberian tristis. A Marsh Harrier and a Yellow Wagtail also arrived from the south.
There appeared to be an influx of Porpoises into the area with at least 15 feeding offshore and also a Grey Seal present.
A first-winter Iceland Gull flew through the Patch this morning and then made a brief reappearance in the afternoon. There were also 80 Common Terns feeding there this evening.
Most of the bits of interest on the land actually seemed to be birds remaining from yesterday with the male Pied Flycatcher and a male Redstart still at the Long Pits, three 'Continental' Coal Tits still in a private garden and two Firecrests. A female Bullfinch was a new bird at the Long Pits and a problematic Chiffchaff in the moat may prove to be a Siberian tristis. A Marsh Harrier and a Yellow Wagtail also arrived from the south.
There appeared to be an influx of Porpoises into the area with at least 15 feeding offshore and also a Grey Seal present.