Snuck down to the sea

Skipped out of work at 5:20 and was seawatching at 5:30, although the gate was across and the tide was rising. Loads of "black" gannets, going west at around 250 an hour, the few adults seemed to be further out on the whole; eastward movement was about 100/hour. A drake Eider in the harbour mouth was joined by a Guillemot. A very distant Manx went west. There were a good few terns about although (despite the movement of 170 Arctics off the Long Nab) I failed a certain id of that species; fair numbers of Common (36) and Sarnie (14) + c10 Commic. A suspect "small" juvenile skua went east at high speed and a suspect Black/Red-throat hung offshore at awkward range exhibiting characters of both species and hiding in the troughs as much as possible. 2 Grey Herons went west together. As I left after an hour an Arctic Skua arrived to terrorise the "going to roost terns". 2 Razorbills, a small row of Kittiwakes, 4 gull species, Turnstones roosting on the east pier and Rock Pipit were the supporting cast.