Black!

Firstly, yesterday evening I hit Blackball for the grebes, and counted 54 before my fingers froze...

[I also tried it on Wednesday, but despite the wind being in the southern half of the compass, the waves were coming around the peninsula and there was only a single GC Grebe bouncing around, though a Grey Seal put in an appearance, so it was worth the trip!]


Today I gave the Patch a bash, with a brisk NE making a survey along the sheltered side of the peninsula seem like a good idea.

Before I'd even got to my starting point at Hope's Nose I'd scored big time! From IMD I picked up a movement on the sea - bins up and Brent Geese!! Four of them, all dark, heading south. Result! :D They used to be a fairly irregular sight, coming in groups of a dozen or so to munch the weed off Corbyn's and Hollicombe, but not so much in the last few years. I like Brents.

The Nose itself was as expected; pretty windswept - ok this is the default setting - so it was in the lee of one of the few remaining gorse bushes that I had a look at the Trinity House ship setting great big buoys around the Famous Wreck Site. It would be nice if they left a few, evenly spaced out, maybe marked in different colours? [Yeah, I wish... ;) ] Downslope from me, my first Stonechat on Patch this year clung on to a bit of thistle determinedly. Right then, what's in Thatcher Cove...?

Three divers! 2 GND and this one isn't a probable, a Black-throat. Very nice :)  Also a lone GC Grebe and plenty of mixed auks. Scanning in more hope than expectation for the Scoters I find another diver near the Lead Stone - a Red-throat!?! Ok, I go on about how unusual it is for RTDs to hang around in these deep, rocky, and current-swept waters and now they're all doing it.. Gits. Still, a good start and maybe there'll be everything that usually shelters off Broadsands to come?

Off Meadfoot there is a raft of 26 GC Grebes and two more GNDs - one very close inshore - plus several Razorbills. I can see big waves breaking on the southern side of the Bay and my hopes of a hatful of grebes off Torre Abbey pick up another notch. Plenty more to do before then, though.


After failing to find a Firecrest [or much else] I get to the Real Living Coast and ooh! Purple Sandpipers! I counted 13 along Haldon Pier, then saw another two fly from under Princess Pier towards the Torre Abbey steps, making a total of 15. Not bad at all - more like the old days. Also 2 Turnstone and at least 2 Rockits. A 1w Razorbill was hanging about the Outer Harbour entrance and a 1w LBB was with the Herrings on their pontoon in the Inner Harbour.

Right then... Past the Theatre and let's see what's on the lovely calm sheltered waters off Torre Abbey...





Nothing.


Well, a group of 73 BHGs were sitting around, but not a single grebe was to be found. Drat. I don't know; lovely sheltered water, lots of little fishies hiding by the pier and sea wall, but not even a GC Grebe.. Tut. In scant consolation, a Grey Heron was lurking on the weedy rocks by Corbyn's Head with a Little Egret for company. Oh well; you win some, you lose some - I reckon I came out ahead today. :)