Seaford seawatch (01 May 2019): Bottle-nosed Dolphins

Wednesday 01 May. I arrived at Splash Point at 05:40, a few minutes after JK and a few before SL. It was a lot quieter than recent days although we saw just about enough to make it worthwhile. ME joined us after a moderately productive visit to Seaford Head but it had quietened down a lot by then and the others left at 11:00, me sticking it out to 11:10 which added nothing. I recorded the following flying east: 145 Common Scoter, 31 Gannets, an adult Shag, 3 Avocets (at 08:09), 5 Whimbrel, 18 Bar-tailed Godwits, 3 Turnstone, a Common Sandpiper, 4 Mediterranean Gulls (2 first and 2 second-summers), 46 Sandwich Terns, 120 Commic Terns (with just 9 Arctic and a Common identified) and 8 Arctic Skuas (4 pale and 4 dark-morph). Two Egyptian Geese and a female Eider flew west  and 4 Swallows came in (JK also had a Yellow Wagtail as I was arriving). However the day's highlight was a pod of 10-12 Bottle-nosed Dolphins than did a close circuit of the bay before heading out. I should have stayed longer as, unknown to me at the time, 3 Pomarine Skuas were passing Selsey as I left Seaford. They were later seen at Dungeness so there is a good chance I would have seen them if I'd stayed. With unsuitable winds forecast for the next few days I'm looking forward to catching up on some sleep.

Bottle-nosed Dolphin in Seaford Bay

Whimbrel on the groyne ...

... briefly

White(ish) Wagtail, one of two that put in a brief appearance on the groyne