(Crabrock) Point Break

Hey, no groaning, it could have been far far worse...


It will be no surprise to read that I wandered over to Mansands on Sunday, to have a look at the 1w Surf Scoter that's been hanging around.

It always takes longer getting down there than you remember, that track seems to grow. Then you get to toddle up to Crabrock Point.. Ah, my poor aching- Well, pretty much everything.

As it happened, I exercised great timing, as Bailey Jr was not only on site but had just found the bird! You would be best advised to have a look at his twitter feed, as while the following was taken at the same time, he was phonescoping at [I assume] 60x80-odd, while I was straight camera-ing at 30xnot very much. Cue the difference;

In the middle, about 40 birds from the right

About 45 from right,

gap behind its head

Been to Mark's twitter yet? Yeah, you get the idea...

Here's the unzoomed view.

The scoter are out there..

After getting rained on a bit and seeing that the scoters* weren't planning on getting any closer, I lugged the Big Scope back up the hill and headed homeward.


Note that 'ward', as I stopped off en route at Goodrington in an attempt at revenge on the grebes and velvets allegedly hanging about the southern Bay.

The sea was mercury calm, and a scan of the wide seanorama gave some impressive numbers;

115 Razorbills, 22 Guillemots, 8 auk sp., 1 BN Grebe, 1 GC Grebe, 8 V Scoter, 1 C Scoter, 1 GN Diver.

There were Razzies everywhere! It started to get silly, but in the wonderful calm backlit conditions I could just get bird after bird..

Inevitably, the camera came out;

The scoter saw the camera in time to turn end on,

the grebe popped up at just the wrong time..

Though much was well off in the distance;

A line of Velvets

[really!]

I gave the water park a bash on the way out, with a nice Shoveler and a few Tufties present. No interesting gulls.


In other news, I am planning a different sort of post in the near future. This will be based in part on feedback, and in part on my own deranged ranting musings. I'm not sure how near, as things are set to change [and nobody likes change] [[What do you mean, "normal people do.."?!?!??]].


Be Seeing You..



[[*Two flocks, of 205 and 170 when I counted them before I left**.]]
[[**Yes, they were in view at the same time....]]