Sightings January 2008

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1st The New Year began with a surprisingly good seawatch (even more so given the calm conditions) with 113 Common Scoters and a Velvet Scoter, three Red-breasted Mergansers, a Sooty Shearwater, 25 Fulmars, 350 Gannets, a Pomarine Skua, two Arctic Skuas and nine Great Skuas and three Mediterranean Gulls of note.

The Red-necked Grebe, first seen on Dec.23rd, was still on the northern Long Pit where a Chiffchaff was also present. A Peregrine Falcon was flying around the power station.

2nd Seawatching again provided most of the interest with quality in the form of a Sooty Shearwater, seven  Pomarine Skuas, two Arctic Skuas and three Great Skuas, seven Mediterranean Gulls and four Little Gulls and numbers provided by 340 Gannets, 820 Kittiwakes and 4220 auks sp (but mainly Guillemots). Three Shovelers, a Tufted Duck, a Pochard and six Red-breasted Mergansers were also of note.

The Red-necked Grebe was still on the northern Long Pit.

3rd A very wintry day with snow showers from mid-morning. Most of the interest was again at sea where a party of three Red-necked Grebes, ten Teal, 17 Eiders, 70 Knot, a Pomarine Skua and a Great Skua, four Mediterranean Gulls, a Little Gull, 150 Kittiwakes and 1425 auks sp were seen.

The Red-necked Grebe was also still on the northern Long Pit and a Merlin was seen in the trapping area.

4th The bird of the day was an adult Sabine's Gull which flew east past the seawatch hide at 1120 where a Great Skua was also seen. Seawatching from the fishing boats produced a Black-throated Diver, 261 Common Scoters, two Velvet Scoters, three Little Gulls, over 5000 Guillemots and 190 Razorbills passing west.
5th A 2.5 hour seawatch in the morning produce 626 Common Scoters, six Velvet Scoters and 2550 auks.

The Red-necked Grebe was still on the northern Long Pit.
6th Two hours seawatching in the afternoon produced two Black-throated Divers and 2600 Guillemots.
7th A Great Skua and about 1500 Guillemots flew west and large numbers of Kittiwakes were feeding offshore.

The Red-necked Grebe was still on the northern Long Pit.
8th Over 4000 Guillemots and a few Razorbills flew west in two hours this morning.

The Red-necked Grebe was still on the northern Long Pit where two Chiffchaffs were also seen.
9th Auks continue to pour westwards with another 7250 Guillemots and 55 Razorbills during the day along with 259 Common Scoters, two Velvet Scoters and large numbers of Black-headed and Common Gull. A Great Skua was also lingering offshore in the afternoon.
10th Another day of strong to gale-force winds restricted any meaningful observations to the sea again where 5.25 hours of watching produced 8500 Guillemots, 244 Kittiwakes, ten Pintail and a Pomarine Skua west.
11th Very little to be seen today in mostly dismal weather conditions although Guillemots continued to move west during a brief clearer spell of weather in the afternoon and the Red-necked Grebe was still on the northern Long Pit.
12th Large numbers of Guillemots were still feeding offshore and passing west.

The Red-necked Grebe was still on the Long Pits and four Chiffchaffs were also seen there.
13th Guillemots and Kittiwakes continue to move west in large numbers and an adult Mediterranean Gull was feeding offshore.

The Red-necked Grebe was still on the northern Long Pit.
14th Little change. Guillemots and Kittiwakes continue to move west in large numbers and the Red-necked Grebe was still on the northern Long Pit.
15th A day of appalling weather and very little observation.
16th A Long-tailed Duck and 21 Velvet Scoters flew west along with 567 Common Scoters and yet another 800 Guillemots.

The Red-necked Grebe was still on the Long Pits along with two Gadwall and four Chiffchaffs were also seen there and a Brambling flew over the Observatory.
17th Large numbers of auks flew west yet again but for the first time since the movement began there was a large proportion of Razorbills involved. An Arctic Skua flew east and 13 Fulmars and an adult Little Gull also flew west.
18th Another day of miserable weather and very poor visibility and with just one Little Gull flying west along with good numbers of Razorbills and Guillemots again.
19th The bird of the day was a first-winter Glaucous Gull which spent at least an hour at the fishing boats during the morning. An adult Little Gull was also lingering offshore whilst birds also continued to move west with 23 Fulmars, 310 Gannets, 450 Common Scoters, 16 Velvet Scoters, 800 Guillemots and 41 Razorbills of note.

The Red-necked Grebe was still on the northern Long Pit.
20th A Great Northern Diver, 90 Gannets,167 Kittiwakes, over 500 Guillemots (with another 350 feeding offshore) and 76 Razorbills flew west during the morning and an adult Little Gull was feeding offshore.

The Red-necked Grebe was still on the northern Long Pit where two Cetti's Warblers and two Chiffchaffs were also noted.
21st An increasingly wet and windy day (yet again) produced very little other than a steady westerly flow of Gannets, Kittiwakes, Guillemots and Razorbills and the lingering adult Little Gull.
22nd A fine day for a change but relatively little to be seen. An adult Mediterranean Gull was feeding at the Patch, at least 350 Great Crested Grebes were also feeding offshore and Guillemots and a few Razorbills flew west.

Two Chiffchaffs were seen at the Long Pits.
23rd An adult Mediterranean Gull was amongst large numbers of gulls feeding offshore and a few Razorbills moved west along with 70 Wigeon, five Teal and two Pintail.
24th Large numbers of Guillemots again, especially in the evening, when 1800 flew west in 40 minutes just before dark. A few Razorbills were also seen during the day and 200 Kittiwakes and a Little Gull were feeding offshore.

A Barn Owl was hunting in the area in the late afternoon.

25th Large numbers of Black-headed Gulls, Common Gulls, Kittiwakes and Guillemots again and also the regular adult Little Gull, a Sandwich Tern and a few Razorbills. A small number of duck also moved west including 41 Wigeon and five Velvet Scoter.
26th Little of note seen today although the pager reported that the Red-necked Grebe was back on the Long Pits again.
27th Despite very large numbers of gulls at the Patch this morning there was little out of the ordinary to be seen amongst them.

The Patch
Click for larger image

Two Chiffchaffs were seen at the Long Pits.
28th A decent westerly movement of 283 Red-throated Divers and 90 Wigeon occurred after early fog cleared and a Chiffchaff was seen at the Long Pits.
29th Two Firecrests and four Chiffchaffs were of note at the Long Pits.

There was an adult Little Gull at the Patch and about 700 auks sp flew west.
30th The highlight of the day was a Pomarine Skua which flew west shortly after daybreak whilst there was an adult Little Gull, two Mediterranean Gulls and a second-winter Yellow-legged Gull amongst the masses of gulls at the Patch. Large numbers of auks were also seen offshore.

A Chiffchaff was seen in the trapping area.
31st Limited coverage in appalling weather but a short seawatch just after the torrential rain passed through produced two Pomarine Skuas, an Arctic Skua, 380 Kittiwakes and nine Velvet Scoters passing west close inshore.