What a day! Even after a manic, crazed but wonderful #Migweek - nine days of mighty fine migration celebrations, to be summarised here anon - with strong North-easterlies howling down our North Sea coast, sleep would have to wait. Thus I spent over eight hours of it (with an hour or so's mid-afternoon break having a look at South Landing) in the uncommonly snug and yet roomy Seawatch Observatory, in the good company of various local and visiting birders who came and went, enjoying the Great White Cape at its best.
Star bird was this White-billed Diver which headed north at 0940hrs (and south-ish again not too long after), but it was a day of much quality, including 42 Little Auks, a Sabine's Gull, three Long-tailed Skuas, a Grey Phalarope, a European Storm-petrel, eight Pomarine skuas, seven Sooty Shearwaters, a Velvet Scoter, five Whoopers, three Great Northern Divers, Merlin, Long-eared and Short-eared Owls all in off the sea (and several other unspecified Asio owls likewise), 16 Bonxies, 20 Manxies and much more besides.
