There was staggering amount of birds off the brick-house this morning whilst I was there between 0700 and 0900 hrs. One feeding flock of gannets contained 700 birds and a scan and watch revealed at least another 800 moving north to join this frenzy. Around 4,500 kittiwakes were feeding off-shore with at least 30 Mediterranean gulls in with the flock as well as hundreds of black-headed gulls. 24 red-throated divers passed with some settling on the sea close in with one group of nine just off-shore and in stunning summer plumage. 840 manx shearwaters passed north and all this commotion attracted nine arctic skuas and five pomarine skuas (4 pale-phase adults and a juv.). Lots of auks moving too as well as smaller numbers of wigeon. I was joined later by Harry Pepper and he too enjoyed the spectacle.
At RSPB Ynys-hir there was a great egret today but the most interesting birds have been on Foel Fawr. Whilst checking the ponies on the hill I flushed a red grouse yesterday with Tom Kistruck flushing two later. Today Tom flushed five whilst checking the ponies. As far as I can recall these are the first seen up there for at least 25 years.