Since my last posting there have been significant weather changes. High pressure on 9th December over europe spread to the UK on 10th and as it moved towards Scandinavia a north-easterly airflow was created bringing cold weather to the UK. Snow and Ice hit the north and east causing a southerly movement of many birds. For me, lapwing, golden plover, woodpigeon and skylark were the main movers with a surprise Common Crane. In the Netherlands white-fronted geese, pink-footed geese, great crested grebes and skylarks were recorded moving south in their thousands. Wildfowl have been forced to move as stretches of water freeze. Bewick's Swans were on the move on 18th and 19th with Avon and Somerset recording small parties.

10 degrees, partly cloudy, 15mph SW wind, 994mB. Sea watching at Sand Point between 8:30 and 11:30 proved quite productive. Most movement as usual moving down channel. Big numbers of Dunlin included a single flock of 1,000 went down channel about a mile out. Further smaller flocks down up to 11:30. Gulls were trickling down the whole 3 hours. Biggest surprise was a flock of 35 Guillemot. With good numbers off Cornwall it would seem these birds may have been blown up from here. Full count: 40 Common Gull, 20 Herring Gull, 50 Black-headed Gull, 1 Cormorant, 5 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 30 Kittiwake, 1 diver sp up channel, 1,200 Dunlin, 2 Great Skua, 12 Shelduck, 1 Greenfinch, 40 Teal, 35 Guillemot flying up channel.
Not much news from elsewhere yet but Lapwing and Bean Geese on the move in the Netherlands.

8 degrees, partly sunny, 12mph SSW wind, 998mB. Still a small amount of movement today and more typical for december. Total counts: 1 great northern diver up channel. Down channel were 60 black-headed gulls, 30 common gulls, 20 herring gulls, 1 lesser black-backed gull, 16 oystercatcher, 3 curlew, 120 starling. A trip to the Axe Estuary revealed changes in duck and wader numbers. Teal up to 275. 3 Bar-tailed Godwits and a Golden Plover were recent arrivals.
In Jersey, a good passage of Red-breasted Mergansers heading south totalling 134 where 19 Sandwich Terns were also seen heading south. In the Netherlands the only notable species on the move was Great Crested Grebe.

6 degrees, sunny with 20% cloud, 14mph WNW wind, 1000mB. Sea watching at Sand Point between 8:30 and 9:45 proved quite productive. The winds had increased to favourable sea watch condtions for only a couple of hours but already 20 kittiwakes were seen to fly up channel. A great skua and 2 kittiwakes came down channel in that time. Non pelagic species past included: 2 Red-breasted Mergansers, 25 common gulls, 30 herring gulls, 60 black-headed gulls. 12 shelduck, 170 dunlin, 5 lesser black-backed gulls and a curlew.