Bonxing Day?

This was the hope, anyway [[All seabirds chorus: "For you not us!!"]] as another day and another front got me down to the Nose on the 26th to see what I could see on or over the sea [oh stop it]

Ahem.

The weather was slightly better than expected, with the front arriving in actual daylight for a change, and it was a real feisty one, too! Having pinged my knee* again - the other one, this time - I decided to not go all the way down onto the Steps. There was also the consideration that the incoming forecast S to SE would make them rather inhospitable and I wasn't in the mood for having to move. I instead took the opportunity to make lemonade*** and try somewhere new. Place in question being The Tower [the lower one, obv.]

This gave the unheard of luxury of real shelter from both wind and rain, though at the significant price of a greatly restricted view and having the main path at my back. A cold rainy Bonxing Day made the latter less of an issue though.

Here's what I mean;

Looking for at the sea

Oh yeah, there it is

Still getting those bad Gannet shots

With the fun only starting after mid day, bad light stopped play before any real time elapsed [a proper seawatch is at least four hours, dontcha know]. Despite seemingly better conditions, the birds weren't playing ball, with markedly less passing, though still the same 'lots of auks and Gannets plus Kitts and Fulmars', numbers were well down. For a while it looked like bird of the watch would be the odd sight of a Mistle Thrush, in/off!

However, after no small amount of time, my persistence finally paid off and I got a skua. :) Not the Bonxie I was hoping for, but a smart adult light morph Arctic Skua, which zipped through north at a rate sufficient for me to not even reach for my camera..

Not that you are spared all shots, as there are rules and there were 'orrible gulls on display..  Heh heh heh

Tea time on the slick

'Orrible gull in flight

And hanging about wiv da ladz

I'd like to apologise, really I would..

Here's something from about the Patch which does not involve gulls of any flavour;

Redwing!

More Redwing!

Plus photobombing Green Wood!

There's still more to come, and hopefully a frenzy of posting will ensue in the coming days, as I doubt I have any more major yomps in me for at least a little while [drat and double drat].



Be Seeing You..






[[*While traversing the Northwest Passage**. Yes, there is a somewhat overdue blog post to come. Regulars will be able to guess what's coming]]
[[**If you're not a regular reader, I ought to say 'No, not that one'..]]
[[***The lemons creating access to the Tower being the attempt by the tcct to exterminate the population of Whitethroats at the Nose by destroying all their nest sites, with no small amount of success; numbers of singing males are down by 2/3...]]