All at sea

I decided to spend the early afternoon sea watching at Cresswell.

Big movement of Kittiwakes; in the hour I watched between 14:00 and 15:00 there were at least 1500 Kittis moving north and around 500 Gannets.

Had a good chat with a guy from Sunderland who was extolling the virtues of Whitburn for sea watching, they've had a good few days this week. He was telling me that a Cory's has been reported passing north Norfolk and quipped that, at the pace they go, we need to be looking out in Northumberland in about two weeks time.

Plenty of Sandwich and Common Terns and a smattering of waders. The tide was out, so anything passing was some way out. Still not managed to pick out a Rosie.

Just as I was leaving, four Manx moved north.

Next stop, East Chevington. Lots of Lapwings, a Greenshank and a Black T Godwit. Sandwich and Common T coming in to bathe and preen. One young Sandwich seemed to pursue any passing adult with expectant open beak, but it was largely ignored and it's call got louder as the afternoon passed.

At about 15:30 a loud 'crek crek' came from the undergrowth somewhere the left of the hide nearest to the road. Now, had I been in Scotland I would have been excited by the thought of Corncrake; but the ones that I have heard in Scotland go on for ages. Twenty minutes later another 'crek crek' from the same area. Unless anyone else has been and heard the same call it will have to remain a might have been.

The highlight at Chevington was a Little Gull. A young couple came in to the hide as I was leaving and were excited by the prospect of seeing of Little Gull. I pointed them in the right direction, picking out a Sandy that was flying towards the Gull which then, bizarrely, seemed to land on the Little Gull's back. In fact it was on a stone just behind the LG, but a remarkable coincidence nevertheless.

Three GC Grebes at the far side of the lake. Two of them with a confused internal calendar displaying frantically to one another.

A C Whitethroat was still singing in the lane to Chevington; testimony to the warmth of the bright sunshine that added to a very enjoyable afternoon.