Mild, overcast, light airs - Spent the morning guiding for Eric and Jim from south London. We started off with a 90 minute sea-watch from the hide in far from promising weather conditions for seabirds. However, there was a steady trickle of Gannets moving up-Channel, most way-off shore and plunge diving for fish. A handful of closer Sandwich Terns flew by and three distance Kittiwakes were logged along with two Mediterranean Gulls, several Great Crested Grebes and Red-throated Divers on the sea, four distant Guillemots/auks, a Common Scoter, five inbound Starlings and, best of all, a brown Eider heading down-Channel. At least six Grey Seals were also feeding offshore. Along the power station wall a flurry of close birds included three Black Redstarts (one a smart male) two Meadow Pipits, a Chaffinch, a Pied Wagtail, a Robin and a Grey Wagtail calling overhead. On the way in earlier I`d seen a Dartford Warbler by the new lighthouse, which we failed to relocate but did see a Kestrel and a Blackbird.
At the bird reserve car park a flock of eight Greenfinches by the feeders was of note along with the usual tits and a Great Spotted Woodpecker calling from cover, while a pair of Whooper Swans flew over trumpeting loudly. On Burrowes the Red-throated Diver, three Black-necked and a Slavonian Grebe were still present along with the usual wildfowl, Cormorants and gulls, plus four Pintails, five Goldeneyes, a Great White Egret and a perched Kingfisher. All in all a productive morning in great company with 62 species of birds recorded.
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