Well, what a mega day seawatching! A day of strong north westerlies turning due northerly mid morning. First thing, we had an adult Black Tern flying west. Then, we had a Cory’s Shearwater shearing slowly west at 07:40am giving great views, amazing to see this bird in the UK! Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better I picked up an Arctic Skua quite close, for it then to be overtaken by a dark phase adult Pomarine Skua with full spoons! An absolute dream bird to see at close distance in great conditions.

Our seawatching peak counts for the day: 3 Eider, 6 Wigeon, 5 Teal, 1 Shoveler, 65 Common Scoter, 5 Red-throated Diver, 6 Great Crested Grebe, 18 Manx Shearwater, 1 Cory’s Shearwater, 192 Gannet, 63 Cormorant, 1 Pomarine Skua, 16 Arctic Skua, 1 Bonxie, 14 Black-headed Gull, 5 Common Gull, 94 Herring Gull, 4 Great Black-backed Gull, 21 Sandwich Tern, 2 Black Tern, 13 Arctic Tern, 2 Razorbill, 4 Swallow, 4 Shelduck, 4 Curlew, 9 Turnstone, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Sanderling, 3 Grey Plover, 4 Little Gull, 100 Dunlin, 42 Oystercatcher, 2 Redshank and 25 Pink-footed Geese!

Otherwise around the reserves, a Kingfisher gave great views from the car park hide.

The cloudier and relatively mild overnight conditions have bumped up the moth numbers and diversity today with 17 Large Yellow Underwing, 13 Square Spot Rustic, 1 E. angustea, 3 Beet Moth, 15 Lunar Underwing, 1 Beaded Chestnut, 1 Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing, 1 Deep Brown Dart, 1 Vestal, 1 Shore Wainscot, 1 Lesser Yellow Underwing, 1 Small Square Spot, 2 Shuttle Shaped Dart, 2 Turnip, 1 Black Rustic, 1 Yellow Tail, 1 Archer’s Dart and a Large White butterfly was resting on the outside of the trap!

Vestal – an immigrant 

Shannon Clifford – Assistant Warden