05:50 no wind

Not so good, no wind poor vis. But An Arctic Skua went east and a Manx went west close by almost immediately. Then after a bit the terns started flying northeast out of Runswick Bay - this made them very difficult to id. For some reason the Sandwich (easy to id) float past close in whilst the Commons and Arctics (hard to separate) are further out, going like the clappers and at that awkward north-easterly angle. In the end I reckoned that about 75% were Arctic but I'd prefer the id to be more certain. Of the few close birds that were easier to id the split was 50:50 There are more juvs present now which is encouraging. There were about 120 Commics altogether and probably at least that many Sarnies. Gannets were going at about 140 an hour and there were but 100 Kitts in total.

After an hour or so the wind picked up a bit and the sea fret came in and the ducks started moving. 72 Common Scoter, 110 Teal, 8 Eider all went west. There was a Knot with one flock of Teal, a flock of Whimbrel went over but I couldn't see them (how often do they do that?) and as I left a Greenshank called and flew over my head.

Star bird was a very close Sooty that came out of the sea fret and close to the cliff before disappearing west.

Later on we went south the Bempton and South Landing. Whimbrel and sea fret at Bempton, plus the wonderful aroma of Gannet, of course. South Landing produced more Whimbrel (3 and a 1, seen this time), a Knot, Dunlin, Ringed Plovers and the usual South Landing things. It is an interesting beach, huge variety of washed up seaweed, interesting tide lines and interesting plant colonisation.