Saturday 8th November

The sea was again the main focus and the southward passage continued through the rain until early afternoon. Totals included a site record 25 Pomarine Skua, three Balearic and two Sooty Shearwater, two Grey Phalarope, two Little Gull (ad & fw), a Yellow-legged Gull, five Great and four Arctic Skua, 612 Kittiwake, 390 Gannet, 15 Great Northern, two Red-throated and a Black-throated Diver. Also offshore four Purple Sandpiper flew south, the first of the year and the highest site count since Oct 2004, three Velvet Scoter were on the sea and a Grey Phalarope was off John's Watch early afternoon. This moved into the estuary where it fed in the tidal creeks and on the mudflats with Dunlin before heading back out to sea. Elsewhere three Greenshank and a Kingfisher were in the estuary and a Mistle Thrush was overhead.