Yes! Yes!

I've been dancing in public again. I really ought to stop before someone calls in the Nice Men In White Coats, but what can you do?

After all the fun yesterday, I was left with soggy gear that needed drying [the rain was quite handy for getting the salt spray off, fortunately]. The forecast had also changed it's mind and decided that no, the cold front wouldn't be through first thing this morning. These two things caused me to not get up early and head down to the Nose this morning.


I had a nice lie-in instead.


This afternoon I wandered down to see if the eventual arrival of whatever broken-up mess this previously formidable-looking weather formation had become would provide anything interesting. I wandered over with bins [nice to get some decent exercise] and a damn good thing I did too.
I have to cross two hills to get to the Nose, and as I ambled down the first, a bird flew over the road in front of me, rooftop height. It was banked over in the wind and kindly reversed the manoeuvre as it went, showing me it's underside.

That's a Sand Martin....



That's a Sand Martin.




That's a fucking Sand Martin!!!!!!!!!



Oh, but the Patch Tick joy! :D
There may have been dancing... [What the little old lady coming down the road behind me thought, I do not know.. ;) ]


Ahem.

So, it was with a spring in my step that I carried on to the Nose. I noted a couple of Chiffs and Blackcaps among the more regular residents en route, but aside from the Greenfinches in particularly fine vocal form, nothing more of note until I got the the Desolation Of TCCT*. There the first couple of Swallows came past, freshly in/off. 20 more would follow in a slow but steady trickle.

The Nose was pretty windswept and disturbed, with a plethora of assorted anglers, dog walkers, and Others, so no surprise I found nowt ashore other than a single Wheatear. The rain arrived and I decided that, as the leafless state of the foliage meant I couldn't get properly out of it, I might as well use it. Down to the Steps I went and I gave the sea half an hour.

Such a good idea.

Aside from at least 40 Guilles and 1 Razorbill on and about the Ore Stone [amazing how much you need a Big Scope for counting them unless the light's exceptional] this is the tally [not counting in/off Swallows]
1530-1600;
Gannets 6
Kittiwakes 5
Fulmars 5 [+ 1N]
Sandwich Terns 14
Common Gull 1

But these are merely the support acts...

Black Swan** 1 - Flew south well out [best part of a mile, I'd say], settled briefly on the sea, then went on.

Shoveler 4 [2 male 2 female] - PATCH TICK! South into the Bay in neat line ahead, FMMF; gorgeous!!!


Oh yeah, a two Patch Tick day! Ok, I got rained on while not wearing waterproof trollies, but it wasn't coming down that hard.. and even if it had been, I really wouldn't have cared :) Happy Happy Joy Joy

:D





[[*That's where they've hacked all the trees down along IMD by the Nose, btw]]
[[**Have I gone on about Black Swans before? As far as I am concerned, if a species has bred in the wild, it's Feral. Thus unless an example is clearly an escape, with bling or whatever is appropriate, it's as good as a Canada Goose. The whole 'ten years self-sustaining' thing would only be reasonable if it was applied universally. But this is just imho, it's not like I am or ever will be on a relevant authority and I know that there are legal reasons for the official line.
But anyway, here's an example of how I'd put one species into categories; take R-B Goose.. you have three kinds: the escapes with bling, the wild ones with Brents, and the ferals in Holland {and East Anglia}  ;) ]]