Been a quietish week, so great to get the call from Derek about the Osprey. Ian S and I watched it for a couple of hours as it fished along the river. Following plenty of half attempts and at least 6 plunges it eventually came up with a small mullet, which it drifted away with, harassed by the local corvids. Not a bad raptor day. George M who joined us to watch the Osprey, reported a Merlin dashing through earlier. There were at least 4 Buzzards, female Sparrowhawk and a Peregrine, all of which gave the Osprey a 'welcome'. Just as I was leaving a last scan of the marsh revealed a female Marsh harrier, low over the area where moments before we'd been sitting! It drifted west and may have continued to the mere (no further sign from Mullock Bridge). Otherwise 132 Curlew, with a Bar-tailed godwit among them (spotted by Ian) on the marsh and 8 Greenshank on the pools.
Yesterday evening in a couple of hours at Strumble Head, Derek and I had a dark Arctic skua, 4 Scoter and a couple of Sandwich tern.