The seawatch this morning took some time to get going, but out of nowhere, a small Auk was spotted at the bottom of my scope, which showed a large, orangey toned bill, no more then 150 metres offshore. Panic now set in, I lost the bird, but when I scanned back west, I spotted the bird sat on the sea in all it's glory.
It was a winter-plumaged Puffin. I was completely stunned by this sighting, so much that I obtained the worst possible pictures (which can be seen below, don't mistake it for a King Eider!!). It was great to watch it dive into the large waves and pop out the otherside, and at one point, a Bonxie flew through the field of view, and nearly flattened the bird. I phoned as many people as I could who were in the local area, but unfortunately, it flew off East and out of site. A truly brilliant experience.
Totals between 8.05-11.05 are:
Puffin - 1 8.24-8.29
Bonxie - 1
Little Gull - 4 adults
Kittiwake - 61
Auk sp. - 126
Guillemot - 52
Brent Geese - 35
Red-throated Diver - 13
Diver sp. - 1
Afterwards down the Cuckmere the Spoonbill was again roosting on the meanders and 2 Firecrest were along the western path.
Managed to dip the Glaucous Gull at Shoreham this afternoon, but did see 2 Purple Sandpipers.
Puffin off Splash Point - trust me on computer it is just a Puffin
Rear end view
