Seabirds

Dungeness - cool, cloudy, NE 4 - A brisk north-easterly airflow over the past couple of days has seen good numbers of seabirds (particularly Pom Skuas and Little Auks) passing headlands along the east coast of England including north Kent. The hope was that some would come our way from the southern North Sea and be blown along the Channel and while there has been some movement, as yet, we`ve not received anything like the numbers and variety of seabirds recorded just `around the corner`.
  However, seawatching from the fishing boats has delivered a steady flow of Brent Geese, Gannets and scoters, including at least four Velvets this morning. Wigeon, Teal and Shelduck have all been on the move along with a trickle of Red-throated Divers, Sandwich Terns, auks and Red-breasted Mergansers. Kittiwakes and Med Gulls continue to be present offshore, but in nothing like the numbers of a week ago.
  Incoming migrants have been sparse with hundreds of Starlings in the ascendancy, a few larks and pipits, coasting finches and this morning, just before I arrived, a ringtail Hen Harrier, only the second such sighting of the year.  
  Checks of the bay at high tide for any wind blown seabirds have so far drawn a blank apart from a few distant Gannets and scoters. There has been no change to the birds on Lade pits.