Out with the visiting bro

Monday 24th

With my brother down from Scotland for a few days, we decided to try St Caths on the first morning as the forecast predicted winds in a direction that would at least give us some chance of something at sea, rather than on any of the other days anyway; though just after my bro leaves, and I return to work, it's meant to swing to the SE; thems the breaks huh.
But despite it being hard graft at times we managed to scrape a few things:

06:30 - 08:30:

Bonxie (Great Skua) 1 east
RT diver, 1 east
Common scoter, 96
Eider imm, 1
Med gull, 19 (14E/5W)
Sandwich tern, 5
Gannet, 34
Willow warbler 8 (including pale 'acredula' types)
Swallow, 13

Afternoon visit to Brading NR:

Hobby, 1 north (my first of the year)
Yellow wag, 3
White wag, 2
Swift, 1 (my first)
Sand martin 35
Wheater 8 (showing Greenland characteristics)

Tuesday 25th

We tried West High down this morning. Felt really (really) cold at times, what with a dogged northerly head wind cutting through us. Again it was hard graft really, but a male whinchat, wheatears, and a redstart, at least kept our spirits up. 

Brading NR afternoon:

By myself,

common sandpiper 3

green sandpiper 1

grey wagtail 1

white wagtail 1

LRP 1

Lesser whitethroat singing