Saturday 18 September 2010

Seawatching, 15-17th september

Hi all,

there was an amazing seabirds migration from the 15th to the 17th september :

+1000 sooty, 200 manx, 140 balearic and 1 GREAT shearwater
20 leach's storm-petrel
2900 gannets
300 arctic, 25 pomarines, 30 long-tailed and 360 great skua
6 sabine's gull
3200 sandwich, 3600 common, 80 black and 1 ROSEATE tern
were seen passing the "Strait of Dover" from the North Sea to the Channel

Like I couldn't go to the best spot, The Clipon in France near Belgian border, I went to Oostende Wednesday and Thursday afternoon but I was at school on Friday. There is far less birds in Oostende but at least I managed to add a bird to my Belgian list (and is also self-found tick!) : a balearic shearwater on Wednesday evening. It's a rare bird here but it's commoner at the French spot.

the seawatching spot in my area are (a map) :

Westkapelle, NL (Westkap) : http://trektellen.nl/trektelling.asp?telpost=3&land=1&site=0&datum=20100917&taal=2
Oostende, Be
De Panne, Be
The Clipon, Fr : http://www.leclipon.com/ & http://trektellen.nl/trektelling.asp?telpost=7&land=3&site=0&datum=20100917&taal=2
Cape Gris-Nez, Fr (CGN) : http://seawatchcgn.free.fr/ & http://trektellen.nl/trektelling.asp?telpost=148&land=3&site=0&datum=20100917&taal=2

on the 14th september, Western wind pushed the birds from the atlantic into the north sea :


on the 15th september, the first pelagic birds arrived in the Strait of Dover but the South-West wind was better for the Cape Griz-Nez (CGN) than the other spot. There is again good wind north of Scotland pushing new birds into the North Sea.



Here is the sighings at each spots :
 

Westkap
Ostende
Panne
Clipon
CGN
hours of seawatching
12:30
4:40
?
4:45
12:20
Red-throated diver




1
Black-throated diver




1
Black-neck/slov grebe




1
fulmar
1



3
Sooty shearwater
64
32
35
174
372
Manx shearwater
37
15
33
22
36
Balearic shearwater

1
2
3
98
Leach’s storm-petrel

1
1


gannet
87
53
?
233
262
eider




1
Common scoter
25

?
44
56
Other duck (all species)
2
3
?

4
kestrel




1
Peregrine falcon




1
hobby
2




Curlew sandpiper




4
Waders (all species)
61
11
?

53
Arctic skua
12
1
2
28
25
Pomarine skua

3


1
Great skua
22
1

4
8
Skua sp.
4
4
2

1
Little gull

50
?


kittiwake



1

Sandwich tern
88
Xx
?
408
332
Common tern
218
Xxx
?
176
702
Arctic tern
4
4
?
1
3
Black tern
17
15
?

20
Razorbill / guillemot



1
4
kingfisher




1


 On the 16th, the wind was awesome in the North Sea with the NW (force 8) coming from Norway to the Netherland but here the wind was still from the west and thus there was again more birds at the CGN but the Clipon was very good with leach's storm-petrel, sabine's gull not seen at the CGN and more long-tailed skua. In Belgium, there was a ROSEATE TERN and again a Balearic shearwater at De Panne




sightings :


Westkap
Ostende
Panne
Clipon
CGN
Hours of seawatching
13:00
12:15
?
13:00
12:15
Red-throated diver



2
2
Black-throated diver



1
2
Sooty shearwater
188
53
11
158
537
Manx shearwater
20
36
29
98
129
Balearic shearwater


1
10
42
Leach’s storm-petrel
2
2

5

gannet
500
109
163
857
1858
Little egret




3
Pink-footed goose




5
eider



3

Common scoter
75
28
13
46
52
Other duck (all species)
43
1
?
4
3
Osprey



1

Marsh harrier



1
1
kestrel

1



Peregrine falcon
1




Merlin




1
Curlew sandpiper



1

Bar-tailed godwit
713




Waders (all species)
942
80
13
183
82
Arctic skua
34
1
28
102
123
Pomarine skua
7
4
2
9
12
Long-tailed skua
6

1
4
1
Great skua
70
12
11
31
132
Skua sp.
9
32
9
14

Mediterranean gull

1



Little gull
3
20
2
1
3
kittiwake


1
16
4
Sabine’s gull
1


1

Sandwich tern
229
86
171
781
1733
Common tern
228
xxx
134
609
1086
Arctic tern
3

1
14
6
Roseate tern


1


Little tern



2
1
Black tern
5
22
2
17
32
Razorbill / guillemot
1
1
2
2
5

On the 17th, the wind was finally NW here too and the best spot was by far The Clipon where a GREAT SHEARWATER was seen, the 6th for the spot and first since 2002!! :



sightings :

 

Westkap
Ostende
Panne
Clipon
CGN
Hours of observations
12:30
9:50
?
12:00
5:20
Red-throated diver



2
1
Diver sp.
1




fulmar
1

1
13

GREAT SHEARWATER



1

Sooty shearwater
23
4
8
171
243
Manx shearwater
8
3
1
56
14
Balearic shearwater


1

3
Shearwater sp.

2



Leach’s storm-petrel
16
12
2
17
1
gannet
73
22
335
789
680
eider



1

Common scoter
49
30
27
116
117
Other duck (all species)
40
3

4

Merlin
3




Dotterel



1

Curlew sandpiper



6

Little stint



1

Bar-tailed godwit
210




Waders (all species)
324
168
17
25
52
Arctic skua
34
19
20
166
53
Pomarine skua
2
13
6
11
6
Long-tailed skua
1
1
1
26

Great skua
33
18
6
239
219
Skua sp.
5
16

17

Mediterranean gull



2

Little gull
2
38



kittiwake

1
15
16

Sabine’s gull
2
1

5

Sandwich tern
414
41
108
1136
295
Common tern
644
360
369
1849
1100
Arctic tern
6
2

14
4
Little tern
4

9
1
2
Black tern
6
3
5
36
28
Razorbill / guillemot
1
1

4
3
Spotted flycatcher
1






Now I wait for the next NW storm and I hope it'll be during the we and that I'll have the possibility to go to the Clipon

FD