Sunday, 30th April 2017

Finally the floodgates opened and it turned out to be a superb migration day. Offshore highlights were 71 Black Terns and 621 Arctic Terns flying into the bay. Visible Migration was superb with a big Hirundine movement, the first Swifts of the year, a good count of 21 Tree Pipits and a late surge of Meadow Pipits. 

The Grounded highlights included a showy Hooded Crow sat on the seawall and later on the beach, good counts of Wheatear and Whinchats, plus a late Stonechat. We probably missed quite a few birds due to being one observer down and the increasingly gusty SE wind. There were still Hirundines going over the point in the late afternoon, but IG was dragged away by an angry woman!

Hooded Crow

Offshore

 11 Common Scoters east, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers, 2 Red-throated Divers east, 14 Gannets west, 1 Arctic Skua east, 1 Guillemot east & 1 on the sea, 3 Auk sp. west, 1 Little Tern east, 71 Black Terns east, 20 Sandwich Terns, 3 Common Terns east and 621 Arctic Terns east.

 

 Black Terns

Arctic Terns

Visible Migration

1 Whimbrel east, 2 Swifts east, 1 Kestrel north-east, 1 Merlin east, 289 Sand Martins north-east, 1514 Swallows north-east, 30 House Martins north-east, 3 Yellow Wagtails east, 11 Alba Wagtails north-east, 21 Tree Pipits north-east, 133 Meadow Pipits north-east, 21 Linnets east, 6 Redpolls east, 42 Goldfinch east and 2 Siskins east.

Grounded Migrants

1 Hooded Crow, 5 Willow Warblers, 1 Garden Warbler, 2 Grasshopper Warblers, 1 Redstart, 11 Whinchats, 1 Stonechat, 58 Wheatears, 3 Yellow Wagtails and 7 White Wagtails.

 

 Hooded Crow - note the deformed upper mandible

 

 Whinchats

 

 Wheatear

Others 

138 Ringed Plovers, 11 Whimbrels, 12 Bar-tailed Godwits, 23 Black-tailed Godwits, 80 Turnstones, 45 Sanderlings, 700 Dunlins and 1 Common Sandpiper.