December 1st
With a moderate NE wind blowing we arrived at the Towers at about 0710 and spent two hours seawatching. Virtually all the birds we saw were flying E and included 1 male Red-breasted Merganser, 124 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 6 Oystercatchers, 108 Red-throated Divers, 20 Common Scoter, 1,235 Cormorants flying out from the Stour Valley, 2 Kittiwakes, 1 Curlew, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Grey Plover, 20 Great Black-backed Gulls and 4 Gannets including one with a broken wing swimmimg off the Towers that had probably collided with one of the wind turbines.
Whilst we were doing this Marc Heath walked up to Coldharbour having first visted Shuart where he recorded 2 Barn Owls, 1 Woodcock, 1 Red-legged Partridge and 1 Buzzard. On his walk up to Coldharbour he counted 18 Oystercatchers, 16 Redshank, 139 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, 1 Black Redstart on the seawall, 854 Cormorants, 7 Mute Swans, 2 Snow Buntings, 21 Ringed Plovers, 1 Grey Plover, 4 Shelduck, 38 Mallard, 30 Turnstone, 6 Golden Plovers, 1 Little Egret, 3 Reed Buntings, 14 Red-throated Divers, 2 Common Scoter, 1 Sanderling, 1 Curlew, 30 Corn Buntings, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 5 Wigeon and 6 Eiders E.