Sheringham Seawatching 6.30am to 12.00pm
Arrived Sheringham and sat in the shelters at 6.30am with Justin L. Andy W. and Dave A. Shelters filled up by sunrise (ish!). Also Sue, Paul, Stuart, Dave H. and other familiar faces but don't know names!
Freezing cold first thing in the dark - complete madness!!! Justin was on top form with banter which kept us all going!
Made cheese scones last night for bribes
!!! Anyone that got me a year tick, got a scone!!!! Justin and Dave both got a scone!!!!
Just tallied up birds seen by me only - there were much bigger numbers than this and I didn't count all the gannets/cormorants but here is my list:
1 Shag at 7.40 east, 1 Great Northern Diver east at 7.50am, 2 Bonxies, 90 Gannets, 51 Common Scoter, 22 Kittiwakes, 5 Red Throated Divers, 3 Eiders, 10 Brent Geese, 2 Fulmars, 2 Curlews west, 1 Scaup, 4 Red Breasted Mergansers, 9 Cormorants, 1 Long Tailed Duck, 1 Manx Shearwater. 1 Owl flew on off sea east at 9.40am above horizon either short or long eared, Little Auk at 9.45am east and another one at 10.58am (thanks Dave:t and a cracking Pom Skua with spoons VERY close in going east at 11.15am.
Justin and Andy left to go to Minsmere - I stayed until 12pm - bored now! Sea virtually empty! Put stuff back in car and walked back down with camera to photograph the Purple Sandpiper which obviously had been flushed by the now increasing people and dogs as all I saw were turnstones!
West Runton
Spent alot of time east of the farm buildings searching for a Richard's Pipit or/and lapland bunting or possible a black guillemot but no luck with any of them. Watched a male kestrel hovering in the wind over the cliffs, lots of cormorants down on the beach, lots of skylarks about in the long grass. Hedge sparrow and blackbird around the farm buildings. No sign of the short toed lark when I spent time round the stubble field but to be really honest I felt absolutely shattered and did not look very hard really, gave up and moved on.
Walsey Hills
I had a lovely
Stonechat by the back of the willows at the end of the path, but nothing much else.
Cley Coastguards
Spent the evening here which was very unproductive until Eddie M. came along and sharply picked out a
Med Gull and an
Arctic Tern - dark now time to go home!
Best Wishes Penny:girl: