Auks and Grebes Galore

A dawn stroll around Durlston with Hamish Murray was remarkable for the huge numbers of Razorbills - an estimated 5,000+ - joining a large melee of gulls and gannets offshore. Good numbers of Guillemot were also back on ledges (pictured), untroubled by a distant Great Skua heading west. A brief scan of Studland Bay later produced 2 Slavonian, 20+ Black-necked, 1 Red-necked and 7 Great Crested Grebe, the latter 3 in the same telescope view at one point. A small flock of Velvet Scoter also flew in with a single Common Scoter before heading south, while 4 Eider and a Red-throated Diver joined the usual Mergansers and Med Gulls in the Bay. Pretty good for a 10-minute seawatch!