Technically, this is also about some fun had on Saturday, but the main action was the frontal systems including the remains of Hurricane Lee on Sunday.
This didn't look as good close to as the forecast had led to believe earlier in the week [my anticipation building up through a typical week's toil, as per usual], but I thought.. "Ach, what the what - I'll take some lunch down and see what Lee brings"
Turns out, it was better than the weather, due to that wonderful pull-factor; fooooood! :)
Most of the action was well offshore, with a frenzy - encompassing about 20° of view - that slowly moved North, then shifted Southwest, until not far outside the Big Shear line, still stretching about 20° from the SE.
I have some truly horrible pictures of this - as many Gannets [well over 200 at any one time] were involved and so could be seen even through bins - and yes, you're getting a couple as 'proof'.
Dust on the lens?
Oh, maybe birds..
Allegedly also containing skuas
[Bonxie + 2 Arctic..!]
Wait.. that's a big ship?!?
Why a picture of the 'YM Express'? This would be context for why I'd also shoot the 'Celtic Vigour';
"Well, Dougal..."
Yes, I have been known to photograph ships as well as the odd yacht - if it passes by, it's fair game, after all. It was in lining up on the CV that I noticed she had company. Oh yes, first species shots incoming!
Wait.. What's that?
Itsa blur
Itsa blur with a blob on it
That one better?
Last one
Dolphins! I'd like to be very certain about which dolphins here, as I definitely got a Common through my scope before I started up with the camera, but looking at the actual pictures, I'm not so sure. The pattern of pale markings seem to give a back swept dark triangle below and behind the fin, as opposed to the 'mirrored' down-pointing dark area you see in Common. Also some of those fins look awfully big and falcate.. Hmm.
Two cetacean theory?? I don't know.. Probably just dodgy photos of Commons.
Two cetacean theory?? I don't know.. Probably just dodgy photos of Commons.
Speaking of things in the water, later on a Gannet got a bit nervous...
Derrrr-dum.... derrr-dum...
Gannet:"Who's playing that?!?"
Der-dum-der-dum-der-dum-dah-dah
Gannet:"Seriously...This isn't funny"
Derrrr-dum.....
Gannet:"Wait a minute, it's only BLEEPing Harbour Porpoises..."
Gannet:"Wait a minute, it's only BLEEPing Harbour Porpoises..."
[Porps swim off, sniggering]
I may have missed all the good birds, but at least I got some cetaceans! :D
Yes, there were good birds, mostly skuas.
Lots of skuas! Arctics and Bonxies mostly, as you'd expect, but some nice Poms and.. yes! Long-tails! Plural! [[Stop using all the !s...]]
More specifically, four of them. All juvs, all seen well [considering] including one that very thoughtfully flew along near an Arctic - both dark morph, too - if only I'd had a photoscope thing, I'd have a wonderful 'it's structure not size' comparison shot.. Oh well. Speaking of Arctics, my count was an impressive 49. With 18 Bonxies and no less than 12 Poms also. Also 4 skua sp. - all small ones, but probably also Arctics - that were too far out and unco-operative to be sure of.
One of the Poms [a cracking light morph male, no less - though minus spoons] came right in towards me, and I had the camera out with hope and almost expectation.. But no, the bar steward turned back away and I didn't even get a blob.. Drat.
Now, these numbers are the best I can get, as quite a few skuas [notably a team of dark and intermediate morph Arctics] tarried to forage, annoying the Kitts [and Gannets and gulls, too]. Only those seen heading off south were recorded, and anything coming north was monitored but not counted [usually coming in to have some 'fun']. I'd like to thank the Kitts in particular, who made that 'sp.' count so small, as there's nothing like getting a direct comparison to a Kittiwake, plus the popped-up silhouettes, to help ID a distant skua! :) Indeed, one of the LT's was nailed that way - yes, chasing a Kitt! :D
Speaking of harrying, as well was the usual 'everything on the poor Kittiwakes', notable scraggings included a particularly hard Pom on Gannets, Bonxie vs three GBBs [the gulls lost], 2cy GBB on a Pom [and it won, too!], 3 Arctics vs Pom [that was a dogfight and a half], and a drawn out Arctic vs Kitt vs two more Arctics vs Bonxie vs four GBBs that ended with a juv Herring sneaking off with the fish while the rest were still fighting! [Phew]
Getting back to some harder numbers.. With all the feeding activity, it was hard work trying to count actual passage, so the counts of 649 Gannet and 120 Kittiwake are to be considered ballpark figures, I think. I did only click birds moving, but no way to tell if they didn't circle back again [as is ever the way, though]. 26 Razorbills and 2 Guillemots were moving [inshore of all the fun] as were 6 LBB and 2 BHG.
I also saw some shearwaters. Not many, but all were welcome. The best was a Sooty - within 5 minutes of me getting going, too - which was circling around the feeding frenzy but banked beautifully for me. I'm going to be in trouble, though, as I saw only 1 Manx compared to 13 Balearics [plus 2 shear sp. which could have been either, out in the haze], even though they were all in on the Manx line and so nice and clear to view. Whatever.
More specifically, four of them. All juvs, all seen well [considering] including one that very thoughtfully flew along near an Arctic - both dark morph, too - if only I'd had a photoscope thing, I'd have a wonderful 'it's structure not size' comparison shot.. Oh well. Speaking of Arctics, my count was an impressive 49. With 18 Bonxies and no less than 12 Poms also. Also 4 skua sp. - all small ones, but probably also Arctics - that were too far out and unco-operative to be sure of.
One of the Poms [a cracking light morph male, no less - though minus spoons] came right in towards me, and I had the camera out with hope and almost expectation.. But no, the bar steward turned back away and I didn't even get a blob.. Drat.
Now, these numbers are the best I can get, as quite a few skuas [notably a team of dark and intermediate morph Arctics] tarried to forage, annoying the Kitts [and Gannets and gulls, too]. Only those seen heading off south were recorded, and anything coming north was monitored but not counted [usually coming in to have some 'fun']. I'd like to thank the Kitts in particular, who made that 'sp.' count so small, as there's nothing like getting a direct comparison to a Kittiwake, plus the popped-up silhouettes, to help ID a distant skua! :) Indeed, one of the LT's was nailed that way - yes, chasing a Kitt! :D
Speaking of harrying, as well was the usual 'everything on the poor Kittiwakes', notable scraggings included a particularly hard Pom on Gannets, Bonxie vs three GBBs [the gulls lost], 2cy GBB on a Pom [and it won, too!], 3 Arctics vs Pom [that was a dogfight and a half], and a drawn out Arctic vs Kitt vs two more Arctics vs Bonxie vs four GBBs that ended with a juv Herring sneaking off with the fish while the rest were still fighting! [Phew]
Getting back to some harder numbers.. With all the feeding activity, it was hard work trying to count actual passage, so the counts of 649 Gannet and 120 Kittiwake are to be considered ballpark figures, I think. I did only click birds moving, but no way to tell if they didn't circle back again [as is ever the way, though]. 26 Razorbills and 2 Guillemots were moving [inshore of all the fun] as were 6 LBB and 2 BHG.
I also saw some shearwaters. Not many, but all were welcome. The best was a Sooty - within 5 minutes of me getting going, too - which was circling around the feeding frenzy but banked beautifully for me. I'm going to be in trouble, though, as I saw only 1 Manx compared to 13 Balearics [plus 2 shear sp. which could have been either, out in the haze], even though they were all in on the Manx line and so nice and clear to view. Whatever.
No scoters, still no divers yet, and no terns at all! [Odd, but maybe they were right out, or just avoiding all the skuas?]
It was a far better watch than expected, and I didn't even need my bumbleshoot. Score.
Right then, after all that blabbering, now we head back further in time to the day before, when I wandered to the Nose, got rained on a lot, and saw.. Well mostly;
"Don't you dare call me ordinary!"
Rarer than Bullfinch
Poseur
Commoner than a Chaffinch
Warbler flycatching
Hardly an ID challenge, though
[it was singing]
Crow Patrol
"I'm a Blackbird, me"
Most interesting thing seawards
I dunno, that woodpecker looks a bit plastic..
Gorgeous
[Though no WAs here, more's the pity...]
How's that for a Patch patrol summary? Hands up who misses the days when it was all talk, no pictures..
Be Seeing You..
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