Run! Run while you can! Aaaarrrgh........
Ahem.
In the first part of my pointless blabble about seawatching, I went on about the why's and the where's. Now that the weather seems to be turning back to 'proper' summer [ie. rubbish for seawatching], I might as well carry on..
The kit you take is pretty much common sense; you're going to be sitting [or even standing] around for hours in the wind and rain, staring at birds which may well be going past a kilometre or more away.
So;
Optics - a scope is pretty much vital. This needs to be at least protected against the wet, ideally fully waterproof, with a good sun-shield - now a spray shield. I also keep a UV filter on the objective, which not only protects said objective from the salt and sand [yes, all sea spray has tiny sand grains in - beware!] but also makes it easier on the eye to look at the sea. How so? Glare, even on an overcast day, gives you 'tired eyes' [or rather, 'eye'] a UV filter makes a difference. The better the filter, the less light you lose. In areas with lots of sunshine, some people advocate using a plane-polarising filter, which seems like a good idea, but they cost a fortune...
Most seawatchers around here use a straight scope - many resting bins on the top as sighters [a nice idea, mine won't fit, though...] - as its easier on the neck and the eyepiece is less vulnerable to getting rained up. Eyepieces vary - there are fixed and zoom officianados. I prefer the latter unless visibility is in the tank - to me scanning at 25x then having 75x waiting if I get something distant [or close and gorgeous!] to ID seems a good idea. Many though, prefer a fix at somewhere from 30x to 40x. It does depend on the site; at Hope's Nose, if you want a big shear [ho ho...] you can ID, you'll need a lot of mag as they've never come closer than about a mile...
Bins too, where 10x has a notable advantage over 8x, and again make sure they're waterproof!
A tripod that can stand up to strong gusty winds is vital - heavy ones [with or without added weights] are not always [though again site specific] necessary, as if you set up properly braced and as low as you can, you're usually ok. Still, best to make sure your scope can take a tumble - mine has foam and duct tape padding, just in case!
Being low is also advisable as an aid against the wind, keeping out of it is very important - a brolly can keep you dry, but not if its been blown into the sea!* Also, scope shake from the wind can be a right pain. Every site is different, and the wind will shift, so nothing more specific can I say.
As well as the handy bumbleshoot, waterproofs, including trousers and footwear, are a definite must [unless sunny seawatching, of course!]. You will get colder than you think - even in summer, rain will drop the temperature, there's windchill too, and sitting for hours makes you cold, so be prepared. Also don't forget your skin - rain and sun and seaspray will do you no favours. I always use sunscreen; the top Ambre Solaire** gives not only full UV protection but also has fancy things to protect your skin. In winter I mix it with some Norwegian Formula** hand goo to give extra protection to my hands and face. But I'm
Something to sit on also helps! Some sites have natural seating - there's a bit at Berry, for example - but even then, rocks are cold, hard and wet. Various foam things are available from outdoor shops and pack easily into a rucksack. Or you could take a folding chair, or a stool, or even one of the increasingly-popular chair bags - a rucksack with folding chair as part of the frame [from fishing tackle shops]. In your bag a flask of something hot is advisable - keeps your core temperature up - and rations won't hurt either. It has been mooted on more than one watch that someone taking a portable barbeque and plenty of scram would make a killing at many sites [though using anything that burns holes in the ground at a SSSI is illegal and I believe the fine is £20,000***. Food for thought..] One of those big ones on wheels - you'd need the cover - and a sign saying all sales will include a donation to charity?
Ok, back on track.
I think that's all the kit for starters.. If you get into counting what's passing - not recommended at first, on a good day you'll be amazed, just drink in the spectacle! - then tally counters are quite useful little things. Expensive ones from stationers, cheaper ones from farm stores. A camera will need water protection and to be set up for long range low light hand-held... It can be done, [Famous Devon Birder] has taken some wonderful shots at Berry Head, for example.
As to working out what's going past.. This is the really fun bit. Books help - the Black Book has some lovely plates - Killian Mullarney knows his stuff, after all! The pages on shearwaters and storm petrels, all shown together, are wonderful. A more specialist book is 'Flight ID of European Seabirds' by Blomdahl, Briefe and Holmstrom - a very good work with lots of advice for seawatchers as well as brilliant bird identification. The two 'world seabird' books I find to be a bit disappointing; one's plates are too dark, the other's too washed-out.
In the field, you will need practice! Its very different to anything else, with birds going past at different ranges and speeds, often coming in and out of sight for seconds at a time. the first time you go to a major site on a big day you will be overwhelmed! I advise persistence [[Didn't see that coming, did you? ;) ]] - at first just concentrate on watching the birds. Don't hope to ID everything, don't even bother trying to count! Get used to them, then work on the standards. Getting on and identifying your first Manxie may not sound fancy to some, but to me it was a big moment. Like all birding, once you become familiar with the 'ordinary jobs', their variation in both shape, plumage and flight action - because they do! - the extraordinary ones [if they show up] will start to stand out.
Watching with a crowd can be very helpful and also overwhelming, frustrating and, well, a bit intimidating, but sitting next to someone who knows their stuff and [as is almost always the case] is happy to help you, will teach you a lot very quickly. The tricky business of calling directions is a subject for a post on its own - its the edge of the sword of solo vs group. Groups see more, but then there's getting on what someone's seen or getting them on what you've seen. At least on your own you don't know what you just missed [until you get home and see 'Fea's Petrel at...']. There's a lot that isn't in the books, that you might work out on your own, but that someone like [Famous Devon Birder] can impart merely by example. [[Or by teasing you with Pom Skuas...]]
Finally [stop cheering!], I think its a very worthwhile form of birding. It is to me a very pure one, as you are in no way disturbing the birds doing what they do naturally - all those 'contact calls' are actually the birds going "Oh shit it's a human!", after all - behaving as normally as is possible [trawlers - though I suppose its the same as following feeding megafauna?]. Also you can seawatch whatever the weather, unlike almost anything else. Yes, you might not see much, but just today I saw a flock of about 25 Common Scoter go past north from Babbacombe Downs. I say about as I only had bins on me and they were well out. And counting Scoters, especially Commons, is a fun pastime in itself. Encourages patience. Also a Gannet south and at least 4 juvie Herring Gulls flapping about.
Where was I? Oh yes.. Seawatching. Its fun. Try it, you might even like it.
And there is an albatross out there... ;)
[[*I've lost 3 so far...]]
[[**Shameless product placement - but they both are fragrance free and don't stain, unlike say Soltan! :( Yes, I name and shame as well as plug!]]
[[*** Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 incorporated into the CROW Act - something like 'reckless or deliberate damage, disturbance, or destruction of a SSSI'. I've yet to catch someone in the act with a barbeque at Hope's Nose, but if I do the look on their faces will be amusing; "How much?!?"]]
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