Katie's Seconds

After very rudely passing by overnight, Katie has left us with a few things to think about. On the home front, this unfortunately includes my inability to properly seal a window.. :(


The morning seemed to be far sunnier than I expected [cheers, Lucy], so I concentrated on putting things back where they should be and mopping up the damp bits. After that fun, I thought 'ah, what the hell' and took the Big Scope over to the Nose. There were some big clouds mooching past, and there'd been enough rain to turn the SWBCM on, so you never know, right?


This was a good call.

When I got there, the wind was a lot more SW than NW and good and stiff to boot. So I toddled down to the Mounds and found a GC Grebe [full s/pl] on the remains of the slick [though sod all else other than Herrings] and a GND [small one, w/pl] in Hope Cove. Even better, what I assume is the same pod of Harbour Porps from Saturday were feeding off Black Head.
Then a big shower gave us a sideswipe as it passed to the north [I think it had seen people on Exmouth beach...] and I flashed back to a certain day at 'Gwarra.. So despite having none of my seawatching kit with me, over the edge I went, across the rocks, and plonked down on to The Steps to gave the sea an hour as a nice tight shower line duly came over.

This was a very good call.

It was a very good hour to be looking at the sea, though with sunshine between the rain bursts much of the passage was waay out. Good stuff included 47 Manxies and a Balearic! Gannet rate had reduced by 2/3 from Saturday and the Fulmar rate had halved, but that was still a fair few. Smattering of Kittiwakes headed north, and again the odd Razorbill amongst the Guilles. No Scoter this time, but a Sarnie was again a year's first. But this was not all.. my first skua of 2016 was none other than a dark phase Pom! Well out but really nicely identifiable [which was considerate of it]. Another, smaller-looking skua was less obliging, shearing past at about 2mi...

Star bird? Oh no. That honour goes to the little devil who came zipping past south at 1213. I picked it up head-on as a little whirring black blob; the lack of white belly made me stay on it and it passed the Nose at maybe 600m out, then angled out to 1km to pass outside the Ore Stone. Showed wonderfully in the mixed cloud and sun; I could happily call it an adult.. summer plumaged Tystie! :D    Get. In.

After that the movement quietened down and then died as my hour came up, so I slung the scope back over my shoulder and wandered around the Sole path, picking out a female Wheatear by the Grassy Ledge, and then went my way homewards, feeling most joyous and Spring-y I can tell you.




Now all I have to do is finally finish that Moor thing [oh dear...]