A Week Later

I don't put everything I see and do in this. Not a surprising statement, of course. You neither need nor want to know the day to day details of my existence - can you imagine it? Arg. [[I had put in an example, but really, no point in inflicting it on you, is there?]]

This also applies to birds. Raptors and other interesting breeders, for the frustratingly obvious reasons [May their karma be swift and thorough.]. If you were very quick off the mark, last Sunday you may have noticed another one. The same bird I went straight from work the day after to look for - no joy, it was far too dark but I had to try. The same bird I went looking for yesterday and today. The Cormorant with the orangey-yellow bill. Last Sunday, as the rain tipped down, I spent about 10 minutes watching it fishing close in to Oddicombe Beach. I couldn't quite believe what I was seeing. Small and slight, with an oddly rounded head and slender bill - though still markedly not a Shag [like the one about 40' thattaway]; sloped forehead, bill far too heavy, big gular patch. Oh yes, that patch - the angle alone ruled out carbo. Nicely orangey yellow, the same tone as the lower mandible. The culmen was dark, looked like the cutting edge was orangey-yellow and the border was uneven and spotty. The bare parts made an orangey-yellow triangle, with the eye in the upper angle. Not a trace of white. The rest of the bird was browny, with noticeably scaly upperparts.

Why say nothing about that? Over and above the whole 'being ignored / ridiculed' routine I usually get, I wanted to see it again - not for ID [all my research tells me the bill is diagnostic - yes, sinensis can show all the rest!*] but so I'd have any kind of confidence that it was still in the area. This morning I saw a too-distant cormorant that had bare parts that looked orangey rather than yellow-white in the sun, and was very brown in flight [a flight mostly flapped, but with the odd short glide]. It went north, quite low and close in to the coast. I suspect it was the auritus, but cannot be certain. I also suspect that if it was, and it is staying in the area, then it's moving up and down the coast between Oddicombe [if not further; I've been checking the Lead Stone] and Teignmouth** - and will be an absolute bastard to find. But its such an important bird I feel I have to say something. Believe me or not, at least check every Cormorant you see. If I do find it hanging around [I'm not stopping looking, though its back to work again] I will get on the phone.

[[*Ok, yes, the 12 retrices are diagnostic too, but unless it gets out and poses like a porn star, you haven't a chance of counting.]]

[[**Why that range? If it had gone further south, say to Preston/Broadsands, then [Famous Devon Birder] would have picked it up. North is Dawlish Warren and more red hot birders. Thus it must be staying in between their areas of coverage.]]

Ok, enough of that. Time presses, so a quick roundup;

Monday - Oddicombe at dusk; 500+ large gulls roosting, with 7+ GC Grebes and 225+ Kittiwake

Saturday - From the Nose to the Harbour as the NW pushed all the birds away from the north coast of the Patch. A drake RB Merganser flew in from the south and landed north of the Ore Stone [At last! :D ] At least one Razorbill off Meadfoot, 8+ Guillemots on the Ore Stone, 9+ Purple Sands and 4+ Turnstone on Haldon Pier.

Sunday - possible sighting of the DC Cormorant off Oddicombe, a much closer and nicer form haigi on a chunk of conglomerate at the same site. Also 62 GBB among two groups of gulls attending two small fishing boats and a Treeecreeeeper with a band of Long-tailed and Coal Tits and Goldcrests mobile in the woods above Blackball. Dusk; 650+ large gulls roosting with 6+ GC Grebe and a very distant lone scoter sp., which may have been Velvet. Nice to watch were two immature Shag fishing right in the low surf and getting a lot of small fish.

And finally.. Today I ran into [Devon Birder] who relayed a report of a 'huge white owl' flushed by a dog walker from the bottom grass at Hope's Nose 'a couple of weeks ago'. I'm sure salt comes to hand, but surely Snowy Owls are bloody hard to misidentify, no matter who you are.

Drat?

PYL: 84%