5th September

A nice day only marred by a few light showers on the moderate westerly wind until some very heavy rain arrived at dusk; the pick of the birds were again on the sea, highlighted by a lovely adult SABINE’S GULL floating past the seawatch hide late afternoon (always a scarce bird on here, with the last one in 2013).   Other seawatching totals comprised 3 Red-throated Divers, 2,069 Fulmars, 97 Sooty Shearwaters, 12 Manx Shearwaters, a Storm Petrel and 14 Bonxies.   Also unearthed today were 4 Herons, 79 Teal, 750 Golden Plover, a Grey Plover, 52 Knot, a Black-tailed Godwit, the Shorelark back up at Trolla, 29 Sand Martins, 110 Swallows, 100 Wheatears and a slight increase in passerines with a Whinchat, a Lesser Whitethroat, a Whitethroat and 12 Willow Warblers. 

Lesser Whitethroat