Light winds shifted from a south-westerly direction into south-south-easterlies later, with sunny intervals and a light overcast. There was a vast improvement in the quality of the seawatching resultant from yesterday’s northerly airflow, with the following highlights: a pale-bellied Brent Goose north, 17 Wigeon, a Shoveler, three Pintail, 154 Teal, five Tufted Duck, a Velvet Scoter (south), 134 Common Scoters, 19 Red-throated Divers, two Cory’s Shearwaters (north close inshore at 0753hrs and 0804hrs), 26 Sooty Shearwaters north, 75 Manx Shearwaters north, five Little Egrets (including two seen earlier at Thornwick), four Grey Herons south, six Ruff south, two Roseate Terns south (adult & juvenile), 3364 Kittiwakes north, an adult Sabine’s Gull (north at 0910hrs), two juvenile Mediterranean Gulls, a juvenile Caspian Gull south (a new individual), 32 Bonxies, 28 Arctic Skuas and two Pomarine Skuas.
Thornwick Pools attracted eight Teal, four Wigeon, two Little Egrets, a Grey Heron, two Redshank, a Spotted Redshank, a Ringed Plover and one Snipe, whilst South Landing hosted 20 Dunlin and 11 Ringed Plovers. The Yellow-legged Gull again roosted on the golf course. Passerines on the outer head included two Redstarts, three Whinchat and four Wheatear.
West of the Dykes, sightings at Buckton included a Little Egret, single Ruff and Greenshank, 70 Lapwing, a Marsh Harrier, four Common Buzzards, a Wheatear and two Bullfinch.
