Iceland Gull

Dungeness - 0615hrs - cool, cloudy, drizzle, sw 4 - A cold front off the Atlantic cleared the murky conditions of yesterday and made for a half decent seawatch with a steady trickle of seabirds heading up-Channel.  From 0615-0815hrs the following details collated by TG:
Black-throated Diver 1, Red-throated Diver 12, Fulmar 17, Gannet 55 (down), Merganser 5, Brents 559, Scoter 117, Oystercatcher 29, auk sp. 4, Bonxie 2, Arctic Skua 2, Sandwich Tern 104, Common Tern 11, Med Gull 3 milling around.
A circuit of the bushes around the point was largely unproductive with 10 Chiffchaffs and singles of Willow Warbler, Blackcap and Black Redstart.
A couple of hours later news came through of a pale 1st winter Iceland Gull on the beach in front of the Patch. Views were not great due to the strong wind and mostly of the rear end. Also of interest nearby was a large pale hybrid (part albino?) gull, which could`ve been any combination of Great-black Backed/Glaucous/Herring Gull.

                          1st winter Iceland Gull (right), large hybrid gull (left), the Patch

RSPB - From the causeway road the summer plum Slavonian Grebe was still on New Diggings and a Goldeneye on ARC. From the double bends on the access road a male Ring Ouzel sat in a thorn bush and three Whimbrels were noted further down the track, one on the deck and two over calling. Around Tower pits singing Whitethroat, Willow and Sedge Warblers.

                                Ring Ouzel, access road

Also reported around the reserve today, two Bean Geese, Reed Warbler, LRP, and Garganey.
Dungeness - An hour from the boats this afternoon in the company of TG and PB, in pleasant sunshine, was notable for close views of a summer plum Black-throated Diver west and a very expensive looking motor boat destined for a millionaire somewhere. Also, a few Gannets, Red-throated Divers, scoters, Kittiwakes, Sandwich and Common Terns on the move. 

                                Millionaires toy boat, Dungeness