A Little Seawatching

Because if you can't do it in August, you might as well do it in December, right?


Only a little seawatching, though, as it's been very Relative down here. Not that I wasn't glad to see them [well, the unspeakably cute kids, anyway.. ;) ].

So, when not hanging with the Clan, I managed to nip to the Nose briefly on Saturday morning and then for longer on Sunday. In between there was a trip out to perambulate about Cockington [which was great, as there were owls there {the Boy loves them possibly even more than I do!}] - which had a few of the expected species, but mostly everything was cowering out of the wind.



Saturday was a very quick morning raid, and I only had half an hour to give to the sea, but I evidently picked the right half hour, as I got 6 divers! 4 GND and an RTD came through, and a cracking w/pl BTD was on the sea north of the Ore Stone channel. Gannets and Kittiwakes were passing in numbers, with Razorbills and the odd Guillemot. Also of note a flock of 8 Purple Sands, and a distant skua sp. which may have been the Bonxie that went past Dawlish Warren, but it was waaaay out.

Also success on shore, with a female Blackstart along IMD - lurking in a sheltered section with most of the other visible birds!

I don't blame her for lurking either, it was blowing a fair whack;

You can sort of see the marbled effect 

of the wind blowing the wave tops out

Sunday was a different kettle of fish, with less force of wind [though with some vicious gusts] but day-long dizzle. With visibility from ~1-1.5km, it was pretty much what The Boss calls big shear weather [alas, without any shears, let alone big ones].

Only 7 divers in 4 hours, but there was some small consolation in a Little Auk! :) It came by at 1242, so probably not the Broadsands one [unless it had done a big loop]. The Gannet rate was about 15% of what it had been the day before [unless they were out in the murk], likewise with the Kitts, but Razorbills were passing at about the same rate. Also of note was a pod of at least 6 Harbour Porpoise, who passed by south at 2:00.



Closer to home, when not being spun like a merry-go-round by the wind, the feeders are still being frequented, though with less fervour, by assorted Green, Gold, and the odd Chaffinch, with Coal and the odd Great and Blue Tits. A variety of ladybirds have again taken up residence, with one 15-spot currently quite active around my kitchen - last seen clambering around on my salt cellar [no, I don't know why either...]



And finally... News that the LBD - the Terror-er herself - has been savaged by a Squirrel. Yes, really. Apparently she chased it into a bramble patch and then emerged [when called] minus Squirrel but with a bite on her flank.

It's a clean nip, and I think the main injury has been to her pride. After all, this is a dog who's sorted out dogs twice her size, stood up to bull terriers...  I mean, getting ambushed by deranged cats is one thing, but a Squirrel?!?




Laugh? I could've died.....