1st November

After a wild night with the wind gusting up into the 80s mph it was always going to be the sea that got all the attention: although far from vintage there were enough rewards to compensate for the occasional soakings as further vicious and at times thundery downpours rolled in off the Channel. A mini wreck of Leach's Petrels saw perhaps as many as 6 pass through Chesil Cove, where up to 4 Little Gulls lingered and odds and ends passing through included 27 Brent Geese, 2 Sanderling, 2 Purple Sandpipers, a Knot, a Yellow-legged Gull and an Arctic/Long-tailed Skua; Kittiwakes were constantly dribbling through with more off the Bill and through Ferrybridge, but the only other addition from these less well-watched spots was a single Arctic Skua lingering off the Bill. The land got little coverage, with a Merlin and 1360 departing Wood Pigeons the best on offer at the Bill.

One of the Kittiwakes passing through Ferrybridge this morning © Debby Saunders:


Family parties of Brent Geese of mixed parentage have been quite regular at Ferrybridge over the years - from various photos we've seen of these birds we're guessing that Dad's a Dark-bellied and Mum's a Pale-bellied © Pete Saunders: