Shearwaters

Dungeness - 0645 - 0900hrs - cool, cloudy, SSW 4/5 - An early morning seawatch from the hide in the company of CP; and prior to the arrival of a fierce weather front off the Atlantic from late morning onwards was, to put it simply, quite superb. There was always something of interest on offer, mainly due to a steady down-Channel movement of c400 each of Sandwich Terns and Gannets, many of which were forced close to shore by the increasing wind speed and plunge diving for fish en-route. In turn at least 25 Arctic Skuas of various ages and plumage phases were also in attendance harrying the unfortunate terns; it is a spectacle that I never tire of witnessing, with some of the chases just offshore making it even more impressive. Ten Bonxies powered through at varying distances and at least 50 auks fizzed by, mostly Guillemots (the ones I could discern) but also several Razorbills. Other sundry seabirds included: 20 Common Scoters, 10 Kittiwakes, two Mediterranean Gulls and a Red-throated Diver. However, the cherry-on-the bun belonged to three species of shearwaters: 10 Balearics, several inside the buoy, a close Manxie and a distant Sooty Shearwater. Departing passerines heading out included a trickle of Swallows and Meadow Pipits. Marvellous stuff.