22nd Oct

Calmer weather once again ensued with a modest south westerly breeze, some cloud cover rolling in but very little in the way of rain. Three hours watching from the fishing boats revealed a modest diversity of seabird passage, notably one Brent Goose, one Velvet Scoter, three Common Scoter, four Red-throated Divers, 517 Gannets, two Oystercatchers, 18 Turnstones, four Mediterranean Gulls, 199 Great Black-backed Gulls, 201 Sandwich Terns, one Great Skua, four Arctic Skuas, two Guillemots and nine Razorbills. A further surprise came in the form of a Sparrowhawk which arrived in off the sea from the east, alighting briefly on the beach, before continuing inland.

Much of the overhead passage was also concentrated along the coast by the fishing boats and due to the fair weather was also rather high in altitude. Nevertheless, visible migration was in strong evidence today (as should be the case for this time of year) with a steady passage amounting to 35 Skylarks, two House Martins, 150 Starlings (including 50 in off from the east), one Grey Wagtail, six Pied Wagtails, 75 Meadow Pipits, three Rock Pipits, 18 Chaffinches, two Bramblings, two Greenfinches, 212 Linnets, 65 Lesser Redpolls, 13 Crossbills, 1500 Goldfinches, 22 Siskins and three Reed Buntings.

Sedentary birds were represented by three Tufted Ducks on the Long Pits, eleven Great Crested Grebes lingering offshore, a high count of 680 Cormorants flushed by the range boat just offshore at the fishing boats, three Kestrels, four Merlins hunting around the point (the highest day count of the year so far), one Peregrine, 17 Goldcrests spread across the recording area and two Black Redstarts.

Mammals sightings included one Grey Seal, two Harbour Porpoise, one Stoat and two Nathusius's Pipistrelles hunting around the observatory.

A single Migrant Hawker was present at the north end of the Long Pits.