I was wondering when Summer would get here....

So I got me a shiiiiny new tripod. Ok, not so much shiiiny as sheeny. You might not think that cutting a kilo off your setup would make much difference, but it's surprising how much it really does! Today, after realising that the rain wasn't going to stop, I took the Big Scope on a Patch Patrol and wandered right down to Hope's Nose. Normally I'd only take it for a full-on seawatch [with coffee and everything :) ] and drive over. I know its not that many miles, and only two big hills, but hey - I'm lazy. So, wandering the streets with a big chunk of optics over the shoulder was different. Fun to use too - fast and easy to level, and the head was a joy - I hadn't realised just how much a counterbalance helps. But on with the fun!

It was rainy and gungy and from IMD the Ore Stone was obscured when I got there, and if I'd known it'd be that interesting I'd have been there for a full seawatch! The wind was somewhere around south but too light to do much and I doubt I'd have seen much - an hour got me 30-odd Gannet, 2 Razorbill, 2 Fulmar and 3 Kittiwake - but it would have been fun swearing at the two trawlers coming in far too close to rip out the seabed while they can... >:( One benefit was getting to see the 200-strong gull mob going after the discarded rocks / coral / skate / tentacled stuff as a trawler sorted its haul going past the Lead Stone. One was a 2cy Yellow-legged, another might have been a 3cy, but unhelpfully never showed enough to be sure, and a dozen Gannets of all age groups added to the fun. Having the Big Scope meant that, when the gunge cleared, I could give the colony a count - ~210 Guillemots were present.

The assorted bushes, trees, and 'somewhere in betweens' on the way there and back contained a surprising number of surprisingly active and vocal birds. [[You think I've said 'surprising' enough?]] Chiffs and tits, mobile phone Blackbirds and Dunnocks, Robins and Wrens you'd expect, showy Whitethroats swearing at you you'd hope for [ok, maybe not the being sworn at], another Garden Warbler was very nice [if annoyingly skulky], but the irony of the Lesser Whitethroat [after the nonsense last year, chasing the damn things for my Devon Yearlist and only getting a 'heard'....] What's the cliche? "Th-th-th-th-that's birding, folks..."

It's not something I'd want to do too often - its fine with bins or the Li'l Scope but even with a feathery tripod the Big Scope still weighs a bit - but I admit I feel quite pleased I've done it. Also, HMS Daring was still in the Bay [she arrived yesterday] and she's quite pretty [in a strangely angled way]. Just a pity none of those spoon-tastic Poms that've been bombing around the south coast made an appearance, but hey, you can't have everything. [This year, that seems to apply to Skuas, for some reason]. Nice to see some rain [he says, switching back to topic 1], sur- amazing how quickly the plants respond - almost glowing green. I love the way the rain brings out all the scents [ok, not all the scents] - turns everything up. I'm going to stop babbling now...