Sunday 5 May 2013

5 May 2013 Beachy Head Sunny becoming warm WSW 1

We joined RDME and sea-watched from 05.45-12.00. Good passage of Terns which commenced around 09.00 with the highlight being 2 Roseate Terns which lingered offshore for a few minutes. Other birders were present on the Head and most of the sites were covered, although once again virtually no new migrants were seen.

Red-throated Diver 5 E
Black-throated Diver 6 E
Gannet c80 E
Shag 2 E
Little Egret 1 E & W
Brent Goose 16 E
Shelduck 1 W
Common Scoter 422 E
Kestrel 1
Bar-tailed Godwit 1 W
Whimbrel 3 W
Arctic Skua 10 E
Bonxie 2 E
Sandwich Tern c80 E
Roseate Tern 2 E  (9.42am & 9.57am) both lingered fishing offshore for a few minutes before continuing east with flocks of Commics. The second was pink-suffused. Stunning!
Commic Tern 2270 E with both Arctic and Common being i/d.
Little Tern 52 E
Black Tern 9 E
Auk Sp. 4 E
Guillemot 9 on the sea.
Tawny Owl 2
Swift 2 in off the sea
Swallow 40 in off the sea
Wheatear 2
Whitethroat 10
Corn Bunting 5

We then decided to pop home have some lunch and then come back for another sea-watch from 17.00-19.75:

Red-throated Diver 1 E
Great Crested Grebe 1 W
Gannet c30 E
Common Scoter 66 E
Bar-tailed Godwit 2 E & 1 W
Whimbrel 16 E
Turnstone 1 E
Arctic Skua 5 E
Pomarine Skua 1 E @ 18.45
Bonxie 2 E
Mediterranean Gull 5 (1 x 2nd S & 4 x 1st S)
Sandwich Tern 21 E
Commic Tern 1654 E
Little Tern 1 E