March 9th
On a thoroughly unpleasant morning with rain and a southerly gale blowing we spent 40 minutes seawatching at Minnis Bay. There was not a great deal happening but we did see 27 Gannets, 4 Curlews, 2 Great Crested Grebes, 4 Fulmars, 29 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Red-throated Diver, 3 Bar-tailed Godwits, 50 Oystercatchers, 37 Cormorants and 20 Grey Plovers.
At this time of year it is difficult to know whether Chiffchaffs are over wintering birds or migrants. I always look for active birds in places I haven't seen them during the winter. This afternoon when Matt and I found two birds at Chamber's Wall, one moving along the ditch at the entrance track and the other moving rapidly along the bushes towards the railway, they seemed good candidates for our first migrants of the year.
Other birds we saw on our walk to Coldharbour included 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Marsh Harrier, 34 Cormorants, 33 Mallard, 4 Dunlin, 7 Shelduck, 16 Redshank, 1 Little Egret, 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 750 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 2 Mute Swans, 67 Oystercatchers, 2 Ringed Plovers, 9 Linnets, 109 Golden Plovers, 14 Great Black-backed Gulls and 1 Goldcrest.