KENTISH PUFFIN AT LONG LAST!

The Puffin today was so close to shore although in difficult conditions I managed this dodgy Record Shot. [for Marc]

There are always some birds which you seem to "Dip" time and time again  for no specific reason. Until this year it had always been Little Bunting , hence my ironic icon.Finally I managed to connect eventually with the bird at Sandwich Bay. However, I reckoned a Kent Puffin was equally difficult as you really had to be in the right place at the right time .Today fortunately was the day.I started off at Reculver in the dark with Marc and Matt and Chris Hindle.Chris' prediction that there could be more birders than birds proved almost accurate! In  two hours we recorded: 21,Gannets,2 Tufted Ducks,8 Wigeon,10 Great Skua,13, Teal,11 Common Scoter,12 Kittiwake,16 Little Gull,7,Razorbill.c50 Brent Geese, 2 Knot and 1 Red- Throated Diver.Further along the coast... Little Auks, Grey Phlaropes and Puffins were whizzing past! I made a quick decision to abort Reculver and headed for Grenham Bay in Birchington.I soon was in place with Martyn and Steve and within 20 minutes a Storm Petrel struggled past about 30 metres offshore and then after Steve had left " Holy Grail" arrived in the form of a PUFFIN!Having struggled all year to add to my Kent list I've managed to add two in a week.During the two hours seawatch the following additional birds were added;c30 Kittiwake,c20 Brent Geese,1 Arctic Skua,2 Great Skua,C20 Sanderling.Five hours in the wind and cold were ultimately worth it for two minutes and two small birds.