Wooltack Point 0615-0900

Very strong westerlies during the night pushed thousands of Manxies into St Bride's Bay, and they flowed out steadily early in the morning. They were joined by (slightly) smaller numbers coming south from the direction of Ramsey. Some lingered off the north coast of Skomer, and a few small groups were feeding very actively, accompanied by a handful of Kittiwakes, as they made their way out of the bay.

Watching Manxies, especially in this quantity, is pretty exhilarating stuff, temepered by the rapid emotional highs and lows as you watch what appear to be particularly large, dark birds, hoping for a Sooty, or very brown birds, wishing for a Balearic, only for them to bank, revealing pristine white underparts.

Around 0730 a straggle of around a dozen terns flew south. Too far out to be sure of the ID, but possibly Sandwich on account of their size relative to the Manxies.

In Martin's Haven: a Wheatear and the immature female Sparrowhawk, plus a family group of 5 Chough. Yesterday's Chiffchaffs have either moved on or, very sensibly, are keeping their heads down.