More Of It

As threatened promised, more about the fun and frolics had down at t' Nose over the weekend before last.


Yeah, abandon hope all ye and so on...




Friday I arrived back from work full of determination. So much so that I didn't even stop for breakfast, but grabbed and ran. Ok, grabbed, waited for kettle to boil, and then walked briskly, but you get the idea.


It was pretty bright, but the brisk WSW was picking up the waves a bit, a few light showers were coming through, and more importantly, there was some passage early on. Very much a two-stage watch, with the early passage and then the offshore show. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

A Balearic and 2 Puffins were the stars, with a skua sp. [dark, probably Arctic, and going north] and a few terns. Only 56/14 Manxies - compare 54/8 Gannet, 82/5 Kittiwake - with again Common Scoters moving, 89 of them. A Whimbrel, a Swift, a Swallow were other passers-by, but as passage died right off, my attention was caught by a frenzy much further offshore.


Starting about 2km out, due east from the Nose, a group of 115 or so Gannets were maintaining over something. Said something was gradually moving offshore but also gained a few Manxies and Fulmars, and eventually [to the Gannets' discomfort] a party of 5 Bonxies!

After much looking I started to catch dolphins porpoising - dark backs, with big falcate fins! Common Dolphins, at least 5 of them. [Patch Cetacean Tick, folks :)]  I had about 50 minutes of watching them before they got too far out - all the while staying on the same bearing, too.

Not bad.



Fast forward to Sunday evening, yes evening, where I gave the sea an hour and a half - stopping at sunset [proper hardcore.. ahem]. I took a bite and a flask and sat on The Ledge* for the first time in years.


The SSW was theoretically possible, but I was still surprised to actually get some passage! A Balearic and 66 Manxies, even, plus juvenile Med and YL gulls, a Whimbrel, 71/6 Gannets, 9 Kitts, 6 Guilles, and a Fulmar.

Also of note was a great big saily ship, the 'Tenacious', which came down the coast [on motors, the wimps!] and went into the Bay.


Even better, well out to the due east again, at least 9 Gannets were lingering over a cetacean / some cetaceans. I use the term as despite much staring, I only got one glimpse and all I saw was a dark back with no obvious fin. There might have been a blow, but it could just as easily have been spray from a particularly vigorous wave. It was definitely an animal, but as to size and fin or not - it could have been a trick of the angle / light or it could have been.. well a frickin' Humpback for all I could see! It was something, anyway.



Now to Monday - yes Monday! - when I snuck out for a sneaky afternoon watch. I just couldn't resist, even though I only got to give the sea a half hour or so. I scored a few Manxies, but the best bird was as I was leaving - Bonxie!



And last and definitely but not least, some piccies!

Lead and Ore Stones from The Ledge

'Tenacious'

Watercoloured by the evening heat haze..

Told you she was big!

[[*Very roomy and private, higher up than The Steps or the TSWS, though not useful for proper seawatching weather, as it's exposed to the south and has a big bank of soil behind it...]]