September 23rd
6.20am- 10.00am
Not surprisingly given the forecast (easterlies at long last) I was in position around dawn at 6.20a.m on the Point and eagerly awaiting the goodies that would come in, although a little slow at times the quality of birds certainly made up for it.
Totals for this period of time were not earth shattering but how can you complain when you get a Pomarine Skua being escorted into the Thames by a Long Tailed Skua, a stunning sight especially as I needed the Long Tail for the Point List.
By 10.00am when I left I had seen all 4 Skua’s and a superb Sabine’s Gull giving far better views of the one I saw here a few years back.
My totals below are my own counts, others present probably had more, with the rain I expect even more good birds going towards high tide in late afternoon.
Wigeon – around 80 including a flock of 60 up river @ 7.26
Common Scoter – 4 upriver@ 9.10am
Dark Bellied Brent Goose – around 25 seen moving around in small groups
Mediterranean Gull – Likely around 20+, a ship came in with at least 10 in tow
Little Gull – 2 little crackers
Sabine’s Gull – 1 more Essex side than Kent giving good views
Guillemot – 6 seen
Sandwich Tern – 7 all moving out of the river
Commic Tern – 30 birds at least with one group of 8 looking good for Arctic’s
Black Tern – 2 distantly
Fulmar – 1 seen @8.25am
Arctic Skua – I saw 7 birds but there were more as I missed a couple
Great Skua – 3 seen
Pomarine and Long Tailed Skua – came in together@9.22, the Pom was an adult with spoons from what I could see. The Long Tail looked like an immature bird.Quite a sight.
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| Hard at it. |
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| Grain in the background |
More often than not I get it wrong at the Point; this morning was worth all those blank days.
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