So, a new calender year. No List to chase this time*, but a slight case of the lie-ins had me staying on Patch anyway. I attempted to get out and to a bash before the forecast rain arrived. It might have worked if the rain had arrived when forecast. It almost certainly would have arrived if I had started at dawn. But it didn't and I didn't.
It started fairly light, and I pressed on, but on IMD it developed into what is technically known as Pissing It Down, and as I hadn't taken waterproof troosers with me [a lamentable oversight, primarily due to it being still far too warm] I got very soggy from the thighs down. As Dirty Harry so eloquently put it "A man's gotta know his limitations", same thing applies to birders. I gave up and headed home to dry off.
Later, I tried again. This time with the simple goal of checking the grebe roost. Such as it is - I don't know what's going on, but its a tenth of where I'd expect it. Warm conditions keeping grebes on inland waterbodies, where there is no ice and still-active fish, to guess.
So, I sallied forth in dry conditions and hey presto the rain came back, but this time I had my troosers, so I went "Ho ho ho, try it" and the rain sulked... :D There were a pitiful 12 GC Grebes, a slightly more impressive 102 Kittiwakes huddled nearby, and a Guillemot very close in. This one was a different individual to the one last week - yes, it was close enough to distinguish the fine details of plumage! I'm loving those surf auks.
35 species for the day is markedly better than 1/1/11, but ain't that always the way? Oh, I know I still owe you a burble, but it'll have to keep waiting. Sorry. :)
[*No chasing Yearlists this year, but I'll keep count. Just for comparative purposes, of course.. ;) ]
I'm-a gunna git you, plover...
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