Monday 19 August 2024

Arctic Skuas, Gadwall

A single Arctic Skua was off Orcombe Point first thing. A little while later four more flew towards the river mouth and then a flock of 7 was flying around in the bay so 7 minimum, possibly more?

A look from the raised beach huts first thing produced 7 Common Terns, 19+ Sandwich Terns, 7+ Arctic Skuas, 1 Balearic Shearwater, 1 shearwater sp (manx/balearic), 2 Mute Swans and 1 Common Scoter. At least 1 Ring-necked Parakeet was flying round the Maer and the Yellow-legged Gull was on the roof of the coastal waste recycling centre. A very brief whiz round Orcombe produced my first Wheatear of the autumn and 3 Manx Shearwaters past.
Off Mudbank today - 1 Common Tern, 4+ Sandwich Terns and a flock of 28+ 'commic terns' which I only picked up distantly as they flew towards the Warren. I think they were mostly Commons but there may well have been a couple juvenile Arctics amongst them. Otherwise - 14 Teal, 3 Wigeon, 6 Great Crested Grebes, 1 Redshank, 1 Dunlin, 3 Common Sandpipers, 3 Knot and, surprisingly for August, 6 Gadwall. I couldn't be bothered to count the massive Mallard flock today.


 Third-summer Yellow-legged Gull - still in recycling centre.

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