Seaton Sluice & St Mary’s
I always look forward to the spring and summer, as I get the opportunity to go birding after work. When the weather is really nice, I often enjoy spending a couple of hours at Seaton Sluice. First stop tonight was to pick up a cold drink at the new co-op supermarket, as the temperature was 27c. As I approached the bird club hide, a Whitethroat was singing nearby, while Carrion Crows and Rooks, nosily, scavenged around the outdoor benches. During an hour sea watch I picked up half a dozen Gannet’s, 50-60 Kittiwake’s, 20+ Guillemot’s, 5 Arctic Tern’s, 15+ Sandwich Tern’s, 15 Eider’s and over a dozen Fulmar’s out at sea. There was no sign of any Manx’s today, however the wind was not ideal, and I usually record these, later in the year.
Next stop was St Mary’s, where there were reports of a visiting ‘Red-backed Shrike’. After ten minutes, I quickly located this, perched on top of some bushes in the farmer’s fields, to the left of the main path, close to the ‘Willows’ and ‘Wetland’. This bird did not come as close as last year’s Seaton Sluice female, however I was lucky to capture some excellent views using my scope.Reeling in the same field, was a Grasshopper Warbler, which is a bird I have recorded more often in the county this year. There were also Chiffchaff, Whitethroat and Willow Warbler in the Willows, with reports of Stonechat.
Paul Buskin