November 30th 2018

GORING GAP: Two hours of migration watching this morning was fairly quiet in general but a/the Red-necked Grebe heading west provided a clear highlight. Red-breasted Mergansers were hard to count but a bare minimum of 11 were on the sea. Four Dark-bellied Brent Geese, six Great Crested Grebes, a Shelduck, a Red-throated Diver and a Gannet also passed. 10 Skylarks, two Meadow Pipits and two Linnets flew through. TwoAll of the usual wader species were on the beach but I only managed to count Sanderlings, Grey Plovers and Ringed Plovers, the former numbering 90 and the plovers 24 each. Two adult Mediterranean Gulls and 11 Common Gulls were logged. Two Goldcrests were in the seaward section of The Plantation. DKC

November 28th 2018

GORING GAP : Atrocious weather but the beauty of birding at the gap there is always something to search through from the car and birds were around in quantity rather than quality in the roost field at mid-morning. 3 adult Mediterranean Gulls, 8 Greater-black backed Gulls, c160 Dunlin, 44 Ringed Plover , 164 Starling was an impressive count, only 2 Skylark and 2 Pied Wagtail were noted and brave enough to stick it out in the fields NB

November 26th 2018

GORING GAP: The 1CY drake Eider was still on the sea this morning, along with six Razorbills, 19 Red-breasted Mergansers and 33 Great Crested Grebes. Six Red-throated Divers were logged, including one or two pitching down, as well as two Kittiwakes, five Gannets, a Guillemot and six further auks. Light overhead passage involved 50 of both Linnet and Chaffinch, two Siskins, nine Meadow Pipits, 75 Goldfinches and a Skylark. With the bonus Redshank still present, all the usual waders were on the beach, including 24 Grey Plovers. The female Stonechat, four Mediterranean Gulls and two Common Gulls were also noted. DKC

November 25th 2018

GORING GAP: Wildfowl are the enduring theme of patch birding at the moment and an eventful first few minutes of seawatching/vismissing this morning saw an adult drake Goosander pass east along the shore and a 1CY drake Eider bobbing on the sea. Later, a flock of six Egyptian Geese west over land was constituted an unexpected patch tick. Offshore 28 Red-breasted Mergansers and 23 Great Crested Grebes made up the numbers, while 10 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, three Red-throated Divers, 36 Gannets, four Kittiwakes and 16 auks - mostly Razorbills - went through. The Goldfinch tap was still on, with 160 heading east, along with 22 Meadow Pipits and 12 Linnets. The usual waders were on the beach, including 20 Grey Plovers and 16 Oystercatchers, plus a Redshank but the high tide roost was again non-existent, the birds evidently using another site at the moment. Four Lesser Black-backed Gulls (three adults and a 2CY) were in the roost field, along with eight adult Mediterranean Gulls and two Common Gulls. 23 Skylarks, a Jackdaw, a Chiffchaff and five of both Goldcrest and Pied Wagtail were also logged. DKC

1CY drake Eider DKC

Egyptian Geese DKC

three adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls - the scarcest 'common gull' here, with one of the omnipresent Great Black-backed Gulls DKC

November 23rd 2018

GORING GAP: There was a marked increase in the number of Red-breasted Mergansers and Great Crested Grebes on the sea since my last visit, with 34 and 10 respectively. 40 auks were mostly very distant but those passing within ID range were Razorbills, while a Guillemot was on the sea close in. A Common Scoter and two Dark-bellied Brent Geese flew past, while 12 Red-throated Divers, 18 Kittiwakes and 43 Gannets were noted. The usual waders were on the beach, along with my first Redshank for the site since the summer, and four adult Mediterranean Gulls and five Common Gulls were around. What I presume to be the same Reed Bunting as on 18th was calling from the fenced rough at dawn. 30 Skylarks were in the roost field, a Song Thrush (still thin on the ground) was in The Plantation, three Meadow Pipits were on the stubble strip and the female Stonechat was still by the blocked road. Goldcrests had decreased to just three. Two Linnets and five Goldfinches moved east and 12 Pied Wagtails were around. I missed out on the Great Northern Diver reported by an unknown and unseen birder. DKC

November 21st 2018

GORING GAP: A 2-hour seawatch this morning was rewarded with a nice selection of wildfowl, headlined by a group of three Eiders [in fact just after wrapping up the seawatch, spotted behind me by a pitstopping CH while I was counting waders in the field field] and no fewer than eight Velvet Scoters heading east offshore, including a group of five and a singleton with a Tufted Duck in its wake. 12 Red-breasted Mergansers, three Teal, 10 Common Scoters, two Great Crested Grebes and a Kittiwake flew east, while four Dark-bellied Brent Geese went the other way and 19 Red-throated Divers, 236 Gannets and 73 auks were also logged passing. Waders present included 30 Grey Plovers and 75 Dunlin, though only 11 Ringed Plovers and four Turnstones. An adult Lesser Black-backed Gull was in the roost field, while two Mediterranean Gulls and four Common Gulls were also seen. A female Stonechat was by the blocked road, a Chiffchaff was in the northwest corner and six Skylarks, four Goldcrests and two Song Thrushes were among the other birds noted. DKC

Velvet Scoters DKC

November 18th 2018

GORING GAP: The first Pintail of the autumn, a drake, flew west past the Gap this morning. Flocks of 11 and four Golden Plovers flew over, along with a Lapwing, and offshore five Dark-bellied Brent Geese, a Curlew, three Red-breasted Mergansers, a Great Crested Grebe and a lone Gannet passed. Goldfinches were still bombing through east in decent numbers, 660 in all, with six Siskins, 39 Chaffinches and 15 Linnets thrown in, and 24 Meadow Pipits heading the same way. A Reed Bunting and a female Stonechat were in the fenced rough, while an impressive flock of 58 Skylarks toured the fields. Waders on the beach included the usual Sanderlings, Ringed Plovers, Oystercatchers and Turnstones, with a skittish flock of 50 Dunlin and small numbers of Grey Plovers. A Grey Heron flew west and an adult  Mediterranean Gull was noted. A circuit of the site totted up 12 Goldcrests, plus a Chiffchaff, and a Kestrel was hunting. In excess of 300 Woodpigeons  flew through but just what they were doing was unclear. DKC/RS/SS