Sunday 24 May 2020

Saturday 23rd May

A change in the weather to a strong WSW breeze produced the first Balearic Shearwater of the year and approximately 40 Gannet and 30 Manx Shearwater, most were very distant. Five of 20+ auk that passed were all Guillemot; also noted offshore were three Fulmar, a summer-plumage Great Northern Diver, a Kittiwake and a first-summer (2cy) Common Gull.

On Finger Point 211 Oystercatcher roosted - the highest count since 217 on 11 April. If an indication of the number to over-summer, this closely follows the steadily declining trend in the population of this species here, now reduced to only a quarter of that here in the 1980s at this time of the year. Also present at high tide were 22 Sanderling, 13 Shelduck, 12 Great Black-backed Gull, ten Ringed Plover, six Curlew, five Dunlin, three Whimbrel; and single Grey Heron, Little Egret and Turnstone.

Passage overhead continued at only a trickle with 13 Swallow, two House Martin, a single Swift and one Lesser Black-backed Gull flew north. A male Peregrine passed by.

A Spotted Flycatcher, the first of the year, was the only obvious passerine migrant in the bushes. Inexplicably, a pair of Mallard were perched for a time on the cliff edge of Langstone Rock.

No comments:

Post a Comment