Day in Kent

Tried my luck today on the coast in the rather blustery easterlies. Started off at Leysdown Country Park and then went over to Oare for some sea watching. Both bushes and sea were quiet and it all seemed a bit blown out. Ebird lists HERE and HERE. Highlights were 5 Spoonbill at Oare, a close Red-throated Diver on the Swale, a juv Gannet there too, Brambling, Fieldfare & Redwings and a few Goldcrests. There were a few bits on the East Coast including a couple of Red-flanked Bluetails at Spurn but overall these easterlies have been a bit underwhelming so far. 

Torrential rain started at 3pm and is due to continue tomorrow so I decided to throw in the towel and headed back to the London base, will give my old stomping grounds of Beddington Farmlands a go tomorrow but not expecting much. 

Was thinking of going to Corvo next week but the winds don't look so great and sounds like most people are leaving so looks like I'll talk myself out of it as don't fancy working the whole island in suboptimal weather on my own.  There's been a bit of a westerly airflow this week and things have picked up there again. Since the epic late September period (on the Azores and UK) it's been relatively quiet on Corvo so good to see another pulse of excitement.  I will make it a top priority to go next year as I haven't been to Corvo for four years now (although I went to the Azores last winter). Interestingly most of the Azores ticks that I've missed have been early;  in late September or later in the season so if I had gone in the usual peak period (mid-October) I wouldn't have actually seen that much. I think I'll keep a flexible schedule next autumn and watch the weather from late September- couldn't do that this year because needed to fix some dates for Bulgaria but should be able to do Bulgaria and the Azores next autumn with a flexible approach. Would also like to do Azerbaijan in autumn too- Besh Barmeg sounds incredible.  

We had a great September with a very successful Bulgaria trip but October has been a bit of an anti-climax on the bird front with once again the moths saving the day in the UK. There's some rather turbulent and dynamic weather over the next week so it's not over yet but I'm feeling a bit burnt out already- sort of hoping there will be something to twitch and do some 'Spurn effect' birding on the back of that.  

Spoonbills (all young birds from what I could see when they were flying round) 

Red-throated Diver, adult moulting out of summer plumage

Pintails