Whinchats and Wagtails

An early morning drive down to Dunge delivered a fantastic bit of birding.
At least FIVE HUNDRED (as estmated at the obs) Yellow Wagtails had dropped in around the lighthouse and surrounding area. Grounded I guess by the southerly winds which no doubt put them off the long flight over water deciding instead to go to ground and get a good feed up at Dunge whilst waiting for the wind direction to become more favourable for their long migration. Whinchat numbers had increased and we counted at least twelve birds but I guess there were many more in the area. Three Black Redstarts were seen along with one of the local Ravens and several Stonechat.

Yellow Wagtail

Common Whitethroat have had a great year and they appear in every bush. A couple of Willow Warblers were noted and a single Wheatear before we found a Pied Flycatcher in the Lighthouse garden and another at the MOD site. Several Swifts were noted hawking out at sea.

Whinchat 

From the seawatch we had hundreds of Gannet, good numbers of Sandwich Tern and a few Common Tern. Large gulls were most evident and a single Yellow-Legged was picked out in flight.
A Great Skua mobbed and robbed a Gannet almost killing it in the process and an Arctic Skua tumbled it's way east. A single Common Scoter and several Kittiwake made up the entertainment as far as the birds were concerned but we had the company of a Grey Seal and several Harbour Porpoise too.

Whinchat

Whinchat

Whinchat

From the hide at ARC we picked out three Wood Sandpiper and a Little Stint before finding a Common Sandpiper and Snipe. Ringed Plover, Golden Plover and Lapwing made up the rest of the party.

Whinchat

When all the bushes are taken the car ariel will do.

What you'd call " A good bit of birding"

Year list now 251