18th September

Wondrously, blessedly calm all day with long spells of bright, warm sunshine and a light breeze generally somewhere in the easterly quadrant – heaven after the last week!   As often happens after a big blow, the seawatching was brilliant with basically an all day watch producing a GREAT SHEARWATER north at 0730, 5 Long-tailed Skuas (3 adults and 2 juveniles), a juvenile Sabine’s Gull, 2 Leach’s Petrels, a Storm Petrel, c2,000 Fulmars including at least 15 Blue individuals, 205 Sooty Shearwaters, 116 Manx Shearwaters, 5 Arctic Skuas, c2,500 Kittiwakes, a Common Tern and 13 Arctic Terns.   The land was pretty quiet but there were certainly highlights to be found with a Marsh Warbler at Ancum Willows, a late Quail flushed from Kirbest (maybe one of the lingering juveniles), 4 Herons, 2 Hen Harriers, 2 Merlins, a Kestrel, 9 Rock Pipits, 4 Whinchats, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 5 Willow Warblers, 2 Goldcrest and 5 Lapland Buntings.

Merlin