Another Little Gull

27th February 2008 - bright and sunny W4
Offshore
Morning observations (0945-1045) produced 3 Kittiwake, 2 Red-throated Diver and another adult Little Gull.
Miscellaneous
At least 3 Little Egret remain.

Little Gull highlight

26th February 2008 - bright and sunny SW6/7/8
Offshore
Observations on the rising tide (1000-1100) produced 60 Kittiwake and an adult Little Gull.

Gannets start to appear

25th February 2008 - overcast S4/5
Offshore
Early morning observations (0845-0945) produced 14 Common Scoter, 8 Red-throated Diver, 8 Razorbill and 2 Gannet.
Wildfowl and Waders
The flock of 61 pale-bellied Brent Geese continue to linger.
Miscellaneous
Single Raven and Peregrine were logged and at least 2 Little Egret remain.

Scaup new in

24th February 2008 - overcast W4/3
Offshore
Offshore sightings were again scant and limited to 19 Common Scoter, 12 Red-throated Diver, 6 Shag and a Kittiwake.
Diurnal Migration
A total of 3 Pied Wagtail hinted at some movement.
Wildfowl and Waders
The flock of 61 pale-bellied Brent Geese remain and a female Scaup was new in. Waders included 4100 Knot, 3 Greenshank and a Spotted Redshank.
Miscellaneous
A Merlin stalked a flock of 70 Twite and just 2 Little Egret were logged.

Little action offshore

23rd February 2008 - overcast SW4/5/6/7
Offshore
Despite the increasingly fresh SW winds observations on the rising tide were limitd to 21 Kittiwake and 6 Common Scoter.
Wildfowl and Waders
The flock of 61 pale-bellied Brent Geese remain and 10 Shoveler were logged. Waders included 3000 Knot, 2000 Dunlin and 5 Purple Sandpiper.
Miscellaneous
Just 3 Little Egret were logged.

Winter Doldrums

22nd February 2008 - overcast/showers SW6/7
Offshore
Observations on the falling tide produced just 21 Kittiwake and an out of season Fulmar.
Wildfowl and Waders
Wildfowl numbers continue to dwindle but 61 pale-bellied Brent Geese and 30 Pintail remain.
Miscellaneous
At least 12 Little Egret remain.

Winter specialities remain

17th February 2008 - bright and frosty E1/2
Diurnal Migration
Again some evidence of movement with 2 Pied Wagtail and 2 Siskin logged.
Wildfowl and Waders
At least 43 pale-bellied Brent Geese remain along with the drake Long-tailed Duck, 10 Greenshank and a single Spotted Redshank.
Miscellaneous
A total of 5 Little Egret were again logged and single Merlin and Peregrine remain.

Remaining quiet offshore

16th February 2008 - bright and frosty SE3
Offshore
Again quiet on the sea with just 10 Razorbill, 6 Red-throated Diver, 3 Common Scoter and 2 Shag logged.
Diurnal Migration
Yet another northbound Siskin flew through
Miscellaneous
A total of 5 Little Egret were logged and 2 Merlin and a Little Owl were seen.

Little of note

15th February 2008 - bright and sunny/early frost E2/3
Offshore
Morning observations (0930-1030) provided little of note with just 3 Red-throated Diver, 3 Razorbill and 3 Common Scoter logged.
Diurnal Migration
A Fieldfare provided some further evidence of continued small-scale movement.
Miscellaneous
A total of 3 Little Egret were seen.

Divers quickly move on

14th February 2008 - bright and sunny NE1/2
Offshore
A check along the western shore produced just 10 Red-throated Diver and 5 Razorbill.
Diurnal Migration
Another northbound Siskin flew through.
Miscellaneous
Just a single Little Egret was logged.

Great Northern Diver headlines

13th February 2008 - bright and sunny, calm
Offshore
Flat calm, mill pond, conditions early morning provided a Great Northern Diver, 67 Common Scoter, 63 Red-throated Diver, 44 Red-breasted Merganser, 8 Shag and 3 Pintail scattered along the western shore.
Miscellaneous
At least 5 Little Egret were seen and BTO Winter Atlas highlights included 2 Red-legged Partridge and a Little Owl.

A hint of spring!

12th February 2008 -bright and sunny SE1
Diurnal Migration
Single northbound Siskin and Grey Wagtail were perhaps obvious candidates for early spring migration.
Miscellaneous
After the atrocious weather in January at last suitable conditions for BTO Winter Atlas survey work. Birds found in some of the less well visited areas of the island included 7 Long-tailed Tit, 3 Rock Pipit and a Coal Tit. At least 2 Little Egret were logged.

Red-throated Divers on the move

11th February 2008 - bright and sunny SE2/1
Offshore
Early morning observations (0830-0930hrs) produced a passage of 31 Red-throated Diver, 9 Common Scoter and 4 Razorbill.
Diurnal Migration
Two Pink-footed Geese flew south.
Miscellaneous
A total of 7 Rock Pipit were amongst the scars along the western shoreline.

Long-tailed Duck still here

10th February 2008 - early mist then sunny SE1
Diurnal Migration
A skein of 180 Pink-footed Geese flew north and 2 Siskin flew through.
Wildfowl and Waders
The adult drake Long-tailed Duck remains and a pair of Gadwall continue to linger. Waders included 10000 Knot, 3450 Dunlin, 8 Greenshank, 3 Black-tailed Godwit and a Spotted Redshank.
Miscellaneous
At least 4 Little Egret remain, other records included 35 Twite and a Merlin.
Butterflies
Small Tortoiseshell were again on the wing.

Snow Buntings remain

9th February 2008 - bright and sunny SE3/2
Wildfowl and Waders
The flock of pale-bellied Brent Geese continues to increase with 67 individuals recorded. However, the numbers of wintering wildfowl in general continue to fall with just 535 Wigeon, 420 Shelduck and 16 Pintail logged. Waders included 5000 Knot and 22 Purple Sandpiper.
Miscellaneous
Although elusive at times the group of 8 Snow Bunting remain. Both Merlin and Little Owl hunted the island and at least 5 Little Egret remain.
Butterflies
The first Small Tortoiseshell were on the wing.

Snow Buntings increase

8th February 2008 - overcast SE3/4
Miscellaneous
The flock of Snow Bunting increased to 8 individuals and a total of 13 Little Egret stalked the salt marshes along the eastern side of the island.

Snow Buntings new in

6th February 2007 - bright and sunny NW3/4
Diurnal Migration
A flock of 8 Whooper Swan flew north.
Miscellaneous
A group of six Snow Bunting fed on the tideline and a total of 12 Little Egret remain along the eastern salt marshes.

Slavonian Grebe reappears

3rd February 2008 - overcast SW5/6
Offshore
The Slavonian Grebe remains along the eastern shore.
Miscellaneous
A Merlin hunted the island and at least two Little Egret were present.

Meagre pickings

2nd February 2008 - showers SW5
Offshore
Observations (0900-1000hrs) produced 50 Kittiwake, 6 Razorbill, 4 Red-throated Diver and 2 Fulmar, rather poor fare considering the storms of the last few days.
Miscellaneous
At least one Little Egret remains and 70 Twite were logged.