Big Seawatching Post Pt. 1, The Flashy Post

With far too many pictures and not enough words, here's something longer  from Sunday's fun at the Nose.

Not bad, eh?

It wasn't as bright as it looks in that, and the bumbleshoot was very necessary - if hard to hold on to - so this was taken one-handed. Speaking of one-handed photos.. What's that there?

Not bad for max zoom, one-handed, in the wind!

This isn't the gullfest post*, but the two pictures go together. Those of you who are deranged enough to be into gulls will know what that is, those who aren't probably don't care and have already scrolled down past it. Just in case you are interested but don't know, this is a 1cy Yellow-legged Gull. If you want to go into the ID and why it really isn't yet another manky Herring Gull, try The Artist's twitter; he's got lots of much better pictures than I take, and links to others and so on.


Water has at last fallen from the sky in half-decent amounts, as you can see from the restored Rockit Lake

Water!

Gannets were passing, sometimes close

Sometimes very close!

I'd apologise for the impinging brolly, but I'm going to do it again...

Significant Fulmar movement

 

 

Unfortunately, I didn't realise until it was too late to start using a clicker and had to abandon counting - juggling this and that while trying to not miss anything isn't easy - but they kept coming, in steady singles and the odd pulse, and I wouldn't be surprised if the passage was three figures.

Vanishing behind the Ore Stone

Common Scoter flock

Not massive scoter numbers, with small groups passing now and again.

Little beauty!

At least 16 juvenile Kittiwakes - in other years that'd be bad, but this year any are a win - were with the Kittiwake passage, mostly not this close in.

Kitts on the Manx line

With that flock was this character;

Skua!

Arctic Skua

Light morph adult

And speaking of, there's the issue of the mystery skua from my last post;

Wotsit the skua

It is of course this;

Lager Lout of the sea

B-b-b-b-b-b-b-Bonxie!

"'Cos I'm a big bad Bonxie,

flying across the sea,

you'd better give me some grub

or I'm having you for my tea!"

Told you this post would be flashy...


Ahem.


Closer to, of the assorted passing waders, a couple were kind enough to stop off and pose;

Ringed Plover!

With junior!

:D

Later on, the weather cleared, but in a shock move, there was a later shearwater passage, some quite close, and involving not just Manx and Balearics, but Sooties! Not what you'd expect with this;

Drier and calmer

Go and indeed figure. Even as I had to call it a day and go [pesky things to do..] there were still nice big brown shears coming past..

Time for more gulls!

Assorted gulls on the slick

Just to show they were there.

Unlike the hordes of Meds previously; I counted a mere three. Here's one, if you can see it;

Adult Kittiwake and 2s Mediterranean Gull

On my way out, I was given a consolation prize;

Common Blue

Now, you may be wondering about numbers and species and so on. And well you should. They're not here, they are the hook to get you to read the sequel! [[Oh, how despicable..]]




*Coming up, Pt. Two; 'The Gulls Of Hope's Nose'.........

Run, run while you can!


Be Seeing You...