On the coast, the sturdy Westenwind ensured that seabirds that normally pull over the high seas were driven more to the coast. With good telescopes they can then be seen from the mainland. On counting posts spread along the coast, both Saturday and Sunday, with species such as Jan-Van-Gent, Kleine Jager, Alk and Sea Cut, but also fewer general species such as Stormvogeltje, Vaal Stormvogeltje, Nordic and Gray Storm bird, Middle Hunter and Pearl Diver. For the coast in Middelkerke, 1,067 Jan-Van-Genten passed on Sunday.
Furthermore, 268 gray arrow storm birds were seen in Middelkerke on Sunday. That is not a record: on October 1, 2008 and on September 29, 2005, 505 and 404 were observed in De Panne respectively. But according to Belgian standards, 268 remains an exceptionally high number according to Natuurpunt.
The gray arrow storm bird is an outsider under the sea birds. He has a brown plumage and white spots on the underwear. Such a arrow storm bird has a wingspan of 1 meter and weighs around 800 grams.