Sunday 6th August

During the high tides, max counts were 880+ Oystercatcher, 437 Curlew, 174 Redshank, 41 Ringed Plover, 37 Dunlin, 31 Whimbrel, 27 Sanderling, 18 Bar-tailed Godwit, three Black-tailed Godwit, two Turnstone, single Knot and Greenshank.  Also c.70 Sandwich Tern, c.40 Common Tern and two Roseate Tern on the morning tide.  Among the terns and c.240 Black-headed Gull were 11 Mediterranean Gull (7 adult, 2 fs, 2 juv).

Overhead passage heading southwest involved 47 Swift, c.25 Swallow, three House Martin and two Stock Dove, plus another briefly in front of the hide.

The SSW breeze picked up in the evening and at sea were 86 Common Scoter, ten Manx Shearwater, four Balearic Shearwater; a light passage of Gannet and a Fulmar.  Far out, skuas sat on the sea in wait for commuting Kittiwakes to pass by to engage in a bit of kleptoparasitism; two Arctic Skua came close inshore and also in the late evening, a flock of seven Pomarine Skua gradually gained height and flew into the headwind.  Five were spooned, spectacular enough and the more so for cruising high above the Rolex Fastnet Race fleet of futuristic 100-foot sail mono-hulls.  

The bushes also supported interest, 11 Chiffchaff, 10 Reed Warbler, nine Blackcap, four Willow Warbler, four Whitethroat, three Garden Warbler, three Wheatear, a Grasshopper Warbler on Warren Point and the first Siskin of the autumn flew northeast.  Nine Stonechat included the family of five around Dune Pond; also a Sparrowhawk and a Green Woodpecker were noted.

Wildlife news: a Golden-ringed Dragonfly, a Jersey Tiger and Sand Lizards still active on Warren Point.