December 8th

This morning Storm Darragh was still battering the coast at Reculver with a severe northerly gale so Matt and Derek Smith seawatched between 0730 and 1300. They counted 12 Common Gulls W, 241 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Velvet Scoter flying W at 0742, 212 Kittiwakes W, 1 Curlew, 4 Common Scoter, 14 Red-throated Divers, 1 Great Northern Diver E, 900 Cormorants, 2 Great Crested Grebes, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 59 Gannets W, 1 Peregrine and 4 Great Skuas W. At 0845 they had a Puffin fly W and at 1214 there were 2 more sitting on the sea off the Towers before flying W and then at 1230 another flew E. In addition one Little Auk flew E at 1020 (201st). Other birds recorded included 4 Little Gulls W, 1 Pomarine Skua W, 7 Shelduck W, 3 White-fronted Geese W, 37 Wigeon W, 95 Teal W, 4 Gadwall W, 2 Shoveler W and finally a male Goosander flying W.