Storm Eric

Dungeness - mild, cloudy, SSW 7 - After spending most of yesterday trapped in the car driving to and from a funeral in Slough it felt good to get out and about this morning, even in near gale force winds. The onshore wind was so strong it was an effort climbing up the sea wall to the hides; infact at one stage Barney got blown over by a strong gust when broadside on!
  From the seawatch hide hundreds of gulls streamed past, mostly Kittiwake, Black-headed, Common and Herring Gulls, plus scores of Guillemots, Cormorants, Red-throated Divers, 15 Brents and two Fulmars. We then joined MC in the Patch hide where thousands more commoner gulls swirled over the sea and settled on the beach, but apart from a couple of colour-ringed Herrings and a Mediterranean Gull nothing much else was apparent.
  A cursory look at Lade this afternoon drew a blank as most of the wildfowl were tucked in the willow swamp sheltering from the gale.