Sightings February 2010

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1st The Snow Bunting remains on the beach at the fishing boats and a Chiffchaff was at the Long Pits.
2nd Brent Geese moved east again with 320 passing through during the morning along with two Greylag Geese. A Great Skua was also lingering offshore and 240 Gannet also moved east. The Snow Bunting was still on the beach at the fishing boats.
3rd A Black-throated Diver was feeding offshore and 46 Greylag Geese flew east. The Snow Bunting was on the beach again and a Woodcock flew over the Long Pits in the evening.
4th A second-winter Mediterranean Gull at the Patch and a Peregrine Falcon roosting on the power station were the birds of note.
5th A Woodcock in the trapping area was the only bird of note.
6th A Goosander flew east offshore.
7th A juvenile/first-winter Glaucous Gull was feeding at the Patch during the morning along with a first-winter Yellow-legged Gull and an adult Mediterranean Gull.

Glaucous Gull

Glaucous Gull

Click for larger images

A Black Redstart was also seen.
8th A cold and miserable day with very little to be seen.
9th A Firecrest was seen at the Long Pits.
10th A bitingly cold day with blizzards becoming more frequent and heavier as the day progressed. Seawatching during the morning produced good numbers of Red-throated Diver, Gannets and Razorbills moving east but very little else.
11th With severe blizzards for much of the day and the Observatory road blocked by deep snow there was little coverage although a search of the trapping area did produce two Woodcocks and a few Redwings.
12th Still plenty of snow and ice on the ground. A Marsh Harrier was hunting over the area during the morning and two Peregrine Falcons were chasing pigeons around the power station. A Woodcock, 25 Fieldfares and nine Song Thrushes were seen in the area.
13th Seawatching during the morning produced two Smew and a Great Skua along with 188 Red-throated Divers and 467 Great Crested Grebes whilst a Woodcock was seen in the trapping area.
14th A fine and bright day but still with plenty of lying snow and ice. Despite the good conditions there was very little to be seen other than a few thrushes and a handful of Chaffinches.
15th Another very cold, calm and clear morning which very little other than a Black Redstart at the Power Station.
16th A wet and windy day with very little to be seen.
17th An adult Caspian Gull was seen at the Patch and a Long-eared Owl was roosting on the power station during the morning.
18th A Firecrest was seen at the Long Pits on what was an otherwise miserable day.
19th Nothing to report.
20th A Bittern and a Firecrest were seen at the Long Pits and a Marsh Harrier and 12 Chaffinches flew over the area.
21st Rain all day and little to be seen.
22nd Heavy rain all day and little to be seen.
23rd Seawatching produced a Great Skua and an adult Mediterranean Gull. Heavy rain yet again.
24th The heavy rain continues.
25th Still it rains.
26th A Merlin, 13 Fieldfares and a Firecrest were seen on the land.
27th Another wet and windy day produced some excellent seawatching with a Sooty Shearwater, 11 Manx Shearwaters, 180 Fulmars, about 500 Brent Geese, three Velvet Scoters and a Great Skua and a first-winter Common Tern appeared at the Patch along with ten Mediterranean Gulls.
28th Three Sandwich Terns were feeding off the fishing boats and the Common Tern and three Mediterranean Gulls were at the Patch. A Goosander flew east.