The Definition Of Madness

Is probably not far off that of seawatching.

Life has had the odd curveball for me in the last couple of days, but I was again at the Nose first thing today, this time I found myself almost running down, drawn by an urgent need to get set up.

This proved most prescient, as within two minutes I was on a skua! A very distant skua indeed, but bloomin' unmistakable!  :D  Oh the tail on it....


After that glorious start, I allowed myself some hope. there were Gannets moving in almost numbers, and while I wasn't raining, it had been and seemed like it could again...?


Not so much.


Two hours later, as the sun came blazing out and nothing moved, I said 'Enough'.

Not that it was dead, there had been Manxies - more than 50! - and two wonderful splendid brilliant Great Northern Divers in Full Summer Regalia - one sat on the sea for a bit! - and there had been two of these;

Shelduck!

Not even a Patch yeartick, but I got it! A low-flying bird and I got it! [maybe one day I'll get something good, you never know...???]

Now, you may be wondering, having maybe seen what went past BH, if something small and Black is coming.. The answer is no. The only terns to pass, and there were a few, were Sarnies. Indeed, all this year, the only terns I've seen have been Sarnies! [I'm starting to wonder if there are any others...]

A Whimbrel added some vocal variety, and another random in/off again had me double-taking.. female type Blackstart  [?!?!?]. Right in past me, maybe 20' to my right, too. There were Common and Black-headed Gulls, and a few Common Scoter [ 15 went north even further out than the LT and 6 came south close in - I almost got them!]. Fulmars all seemed to be the locals, but there was a definite southerly movement of Kittiwakes [quite possibly foraging from up the coast]

I leave you with some local colour!

Vocal Colour!

Mallards of Hope Cove

This afternoon, after the sun got bored and wandered off, I counted 14 Swallows moving through north past my windows.


Be Seeing You..