Hope At The Nose

I can't believe it took me all these years to finally come up with that one...


Yeah, so.. Apathy.

It's a pain.



So is work, but those bills keep on coming.




Thus it was that I have only a few trips to the Nose to report [I was also about Patch several times, but bugger all came of those bar a Badger*].


First thing on Saturday felt good, and indeed was pretty good, with falls of phylloscs and sylvias. 10 to 1 ratios for both Chiff:Willow and Blackcap:Garden. The Garden was a proper one, btw, all olivey and contrasting neck side like they should be. At least three of the Chiffs were possible abietinus; very pale underneath and grey-brown on top with standout eyerings. Another looked interesting for Sibe, but it didn't utter a peep, the little bugger. The rest were the usual mix of browny, greeny and yellowy Chiffyness. An overhead passage of assorted finches was light but steady, and a couple of Swallows went north [but of course..].

Then there was work. Happiness.


Sunday morning was radically different! Mass mistyfog, but also a brisk rising to stiff SE-SSE. The hope I had of interesting passerines was blown out, but at least a proper passage of Swallows going the right way was something. I counted 44 in 15 minutes.


Such was the wind and dark clouds looming that I figured the sea needed at least a look. So it was I wandered back in the afternoon. I wasn't holding out much hope; in the morning there wasn't even so much as a Gannet moving!



So I took the li'l scope and baby tripod [usually used for counting roosting grebes] instead of the full monty.

In the bit under two hours before it got dusky [and the birds stopped moving], I was shocked to actually score!

The wind was a stiff verging on strong SE with twisty gusts - so finding a spot away from the TSWS was tricky. [I didn't want to go down there, primarily due to not having brought a stool and not wanting the score or so of fishers walking over me when they went!]

Eventually scouring The Mounds got me a spot in the lee of some brambles, which was surprisingly sheltered. Here's the view;

Lead and Ore Stones from The Mounds

[They are due SE from the seawatchy end of the Nose]

There was gunk along the horizon, but the rain didn't arrive until it had gotten dark [ie. after I was back home!]. The wind was quite warm - especially for October - which was just as well as I was without flask [shock].


But not without birds. 118/3 Gannets, 11 Kitts, 9 Guilles, 2 Razorbills, a Puffin [1731], 3 Med Gulls, 2 BHGs, a Balearic [1623], and a Manxie at 1642, which was wonderfully overtaken by a Sooty!
The Puffin had been a sneaky one, but the Sooty showed wonderfully as it went zooming along. Bird of the day? Nope.

1738. Going north [running before the storm? I have no idea]. Juvenile Sabine's Gull. Close enough for scaleyness. :D
Damn, but it's been too long since I saw one. Its not just the whole prettiest gull thing, it's the way they fly. Wonderful wonderful birds....


Ahem.




Right. I was going to switch tone at this point, but I just can't spoil the happy smiley mood remembering that has brought out in me. So it can wait for another post in the near future.


Ooh, almost forgot; a subadult [plumage looked ad., but black smudge on bill] probable HerringxLBB on the Lead Stone - one of Matt's ones, maybe? - nice-looking bird, anyway.






[[*Which came trotting up my road as I walked down it on Friday evening, to much mutual surprise. It took off at a claw-clicking canter - an actual canter! - to and down an alley. Brilliant!]]