They're Heeeeere!

The wind it doth blow, and while we shall not have snow [though you never do know], we do have Manxies!!


Took 'til yesterday to actually see one, mind, but that's seawatching, folks.



Friday didn't start very seawatchy at all, with me prowling around for migrants instead. I found 5 singing Chiffchaffs, which was nice, and counted the sunny side of 300 Guilles on the Ore Stone, but nothing sexier. I had things to do and so I went and did some of them.
Of course, The Boss then went and showed us how it's done and I considered myself schooled.



Saturday saw me properly at the Nose. Despite having stuff to do, I managed to get down there before the front arrived and duly saw all that passed.


Which was bugger all.

2 Kittiwakes. 2. Ok, one was a 2cy and nice to see, but still! There were Gannets and auks and quite a few Fulmars around - including passage birds as well as the local breeders - but it was utterly shearless..
Not as bad as the Dread Watch Of Infamy, but a lot less than I was hoping from what was quite a nice little front.



So, to Sunday and again after being responsible, I headed to the Nose more out of persistence than expectation. The wind blew pretty well, though with a lot more west in it than you'd be wanting. Indeed it got from WSW to near NW by the time passage dried up at six.

Read that last bit again, perhaps?
Yup, actual passage. Sustained winds being important, I reckon.


As time progressed, there was a general lessening of the gunk and lightening of the passing shower bands, but the whole day was marked by these odd little squirrelly squalls - which in the strongest cases were making sea devils* - coming through and evidently stirring everything up.


How about some numbers? No local birds included here, so nothing closer than Berry Head / Straight Point, and all south unless stated:

70 Fulmars
164S 38N Gannets [plus at least fifteen out in Lyme Bay]
95 Guillemots
2 Razorbills
15 Kittiwake [6 2cy] [with a group of about a dozen in Lyme Bay]
2 Common Gull north
1 RT Diver [2cy]
1 Bonxie [harrying Gannets way out in Lyme Bay]
3 skua spp. [2 probable Arctic N and a poss LTS out in Lyme Bay]
11S 4N Manxie [plus at least one loitering out in Lyme Bay]
1 Eider [adult female]
1 C Scoter [2cy male - one of the odd moulters; all dark!]

Not enormous numbers - though that Fulmar passage wasn't bad - but there was always something to look at. The feeding out in Lyme Bay was not a big obvious frenzy, just birds hanging about doing circuits.

The Ore Stone was markedly less-occupied [only about 155 Guilles], with two areas utterly bare of auks. This was a little odd. I remember someone reporting a Geeb snatching Guilles off the cliffs here a little while ago, so perhaps those areas have been abandoned as unsafe? If so, I'd expect numbers to be up at Berry Head [there only being so much room on the Ore Stone]


Finally;
A really nasty one. There is a Fulmar out there with oil on the top and sides of its head. This gives an horrifically pterodroma-like head pattern of cowl and shawl [also probably not bad at long range for GS]. As it's one of the darker ones - no stand out near-white rump and tail but grey and fairly brownish on top - this gives an impression [when looping and towering in the wind with angled wings, as it was when I saw it] of something no seawatcher should see without heart medication to hand...
Fortunately, it is a Fulmar; a view of the underwing will set pulses down to where they should be.

It certainly had me WTFing; passing at range as one of the mini squalls shook my scope all over the place and mizzle threatened my view.. I was able to get on it again after it passed the Ore Stone and it popped up in better viewing conditions to show its underside for long enough to be sure of the markings.


I've said it before; you never know what's going to go by.




You know, I've just checked back, and that was the first proper seawatching I've done this year! I knew something was missing from my life...





[[*Like a dust devil, but on the sea. Not Doctor Who extras..]]