Just as we arrived at Birling Matt & Jake both very kindly simultaneously text with the news of a Black-browed Albatross seen heading east past Portland at 7am. It was subsequently seen off Durlston Head still heading east so five of us kept sea-watching until late afternoon until hearing it had been seen passing Dungeness at 11.07am! So whilst it must have passed Beachy, very disappointingly, nothing resembling an Albatross was seen by us.
Gannet c.100E & 250W
Fulmar c.20E
Manx Shearwater 2W (11.00am & 15.23pm)
Scoter 17E, 6W
Arctic Skua 1E and then overland at the Gap
Yellow-legged Gull 1E juv. at 8.25am
Mediterranean Gull 16E, 1W (13 ad, 1 2s, 2 1s, 1 juv.)
Sandwich Tern 25E
Curlew 5E
Auk sp. 15E
Swift 3N
Pale morph Arctic Skua at Birling
Presumably a non-breeding adult, the migration of which in Northern Europe, peaks in July and the first part of August (Olsen & Larsson)
