We had a great turn out for our first Outdoor meeting post lockdown on Sunday 30th August 2020 and due to the weather conditions, a breezy wind East of North I decided to start at Shellness seawatching. Many other people had the same idea and so we socially distanced to the others but close enough to hear some of the shouts.Seawatching is tough birding as you have only a couple of minutes to get onto the bird usually before it disappears out of sight. One of the advantages of Shellness is that the seabirds get lost and so can come past on multiple occasions as they get their bearings adjusted. A problem though is the sound of the wind and with hoods up it can be difficult to hear the cries and instructions. A good spotting scope is essential.

A couple of Green Sandpipers were flying around our meeting point at Shellness Car Park giving their too-it calls, Swallows were hawking low over the salt marsh and it wasn’t long before we were watching Gannets in an array of plumages including 3rd year birds with their piano-key marked secondaries. Arctic Skuas were significant birds today with large numbers being enjoyed by everybody. We had adults in dark and pale morph plumages and a variety of juveniles, it was noticeable how much they could differ in size. Some of them came over the blockhouse and went over the salt marsh and a distant flock of 42 birds from Oare in the afternoon was my largest flock ever. A group of eight birds contained two juvenile Long-tailed although not all the group picked these up.

A couple of Common Scoter went by as did Wigeon and Kittiwakes. Great Skua/Bonxie flocks of up to a dozen birds wheeled around before we walked up to the blockhouse to study the waders and terns Knot, Sanderling, Bar-tailed Godwits and breeding plumaged Grey Plover were watched through the scope. Among the terns Sandwich and Common were the most numerous and eight Little and a single Arctic Tern were found perched. We had a few of the latter at both Shellness and Oare.

We headed to Oare Marshes late morning to catch the tide and because of parking we walked onto the reserve along side Oare Creek where Hobby and Mediterranean Gull were added to the day list.

At Oare we walked past the East Flood seeing Golden Plover many of them still in breeding dress and also several Ruff. We carried out another seawatch from by the hide on the Swale where both Common and Grey Seals were watched. We walked from there to Dan’s Dock seeing several Wheatears and Whinchats.

Another look on the East Flood produced juvenile Yellow Wagtails, Bearded Tit, Snipe and a Water Rail feeding out in the open along with the usual waders.