20th August

A first decent Atlantic blow of the autumn saw the sea covered for pretty well the whole day. Chesil Cove picked up the chief reward in the form of a Long-tailed Skua that lingered for a while early in the morning; 2 Arctic Skuas also passed though later but other totals for the day from there are still awaited. At the Bill the steady westward procession of passing Balearic Shearwaters eventually totalled a whopping 532, although there remained a suspicion from their track (almost exclusively angling sharply out to the south before they reached the Bill tip) that at least some degree of unseen circulation might have been in progress. The day's other totals there were hardly impressive given the conditions, but included 150 Manx Shearwaters, 60 Fulmars, 47 Common Scoter, 30 Kittiwakes, 4 Great Skuas, 2 each of Mediterranean Gull and Black-headed Gull, and singles of Sooty Shearwater, Arctic Skua and Black Tern. Seabirds of note elsewhere included 2 Arctic Terns at Ferrybridge. The land was hardly covered, but 3 Yellow-legged Gulls grounded amongst other gulls at the Bill were of note.

The third Yellow Pearl of recent days was a surprise amongst on otherwise paltry catch of immigrant moths at the Obs.


Kittiwake - Chesil Cove, 20th August 2016 © Pete Saunders