Hot Date With Cara

First of all, no that's not a typo up there.

[Rant deleted]


Ahem.

Secondly, blagger have seen fit to remove the Spellcheck function, so expect typos and eccentric spelling now and again. I do read this thing through [more than once] but it's amazing how the eye slides over your own mistakes... ::shrugs::


Anyways, with sustained SWerlies and some proper fronts finally coming through last Sunday, I couldn't not get in my monthly minimum. Despite the actual wind direction being far from ideal [you need a good SE or at least S overnight to push the birds right into Lyme Bay], and the seeming lack of heavy rain meaning it was unlikely the SWBCM would fire up before it got dark..
Despite all that, I was down the Nose in the morning - far too early for a coming night shift week - and I gave it far longer than it deserved. But, while the numbers were truly awful, oh the spots of shock...

Whowhatwherewhenhow???? Read on.


Amazingly, I found nobody at the Nose. You'd think threats of Force Ten winds wouldn't deter people, but well... I did find myself cowering in the lee watching from the Tower, rather than by the Wall, as the wind was rather twisty, and yes, blowing a frickin' hoolie. Taking the limited field of view seemed worth it with me not expecting the chummer to fire up [I've said it twice now, can you guess..?] , and indeed, with the way the wind went, it was the right call. I hate to think what it would have ben like on the Steps if my spot was still there [yes, I would have tried it]..

So;  Frisky. :)

Lead Stone strangely gull-free...??

Field of View.

I naturally never caught the best waves - including the one that broke white water right up onto the top of the Ore Stone - but you get the idea. Note the reef right [SW ish] of the Ore Stone, visible as a line of white water. The further edge is about 3/4 of the width of the island right of it from this viewpoint; there was the odd lovely vertical burst of spray from this [I got a picture of one similar near Pendeen Watch after Booby1 last Autumn].

Ok, birdies.

Numbers? More pictures? Well, in 6.5 hours [yes, I lasted that long] I counted 93 Gannets past. All south.
Yeah, I know; epic, truly vast passage..

Auks [the Ore Stone was bare, but Guillemots and half a dozen Razorbills went by] 16, Kittiwakes 28, Fulmars 20, and not a great deal else that wasn't a gull. I was hoping for a skua or two, at least the odd diver, maybe even a fancy auk, but nope. A Red-breasted Merganser went by north almost overhead - I'd have missed it if I hadn't been so far back! - which was a surprise [First on Patch for a while. To think, they used to winter in the Bay in double figures..]

But the big shock.. Ah, that also went by north, but much lower and skimming the shoreline, maybe 20' up... I got on it - really lucky not to be looking through optics at the time - and went 'Huh, that's a funny-looking gull..???' And got bins on it as it got level and then the angled wings were no not gull, oh look at that tail fork...!!!

A frickin Red Kite. A Red Kite. What the frilly knickers?!?!?!?

Looked like a [very soggy] 2cy..


You just couldn't make it up, could you?

[You would - to those who aren't keen birders - expect pretty much every Red Kite in the country to be clustered around the feeding stations {such as Gigrin Farm, Wales} over winter. All I can conclude is that the unusually mild weather has caused a few - well, at least one - to not bother as there's enough to eat elsewhere..?? Well, either that or a) someone's wondering where their pet Kite is, or b) I experienced a truly amazing hallucination*. **]


Photo? Aha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-haaa....


I did get some of the assorted gulls, so here you go;

Herring Gull!

Nice classic argenteus, with whiter head for time of year, blue-ish hue to saddle, and primaries showing lots of black, not much white when compared to nominate argentatus.

 

GBB

[FYI non-birders; Pronounced 'Geeb', stands for Great Black-backed Gull. Which is a mouthful. A mouthful being what GBBs make of anything smaller than them....]

Gull ID Contest 1

Gull ID Contest 2

[Spot the Gull!] ID Contest 3

ID Contest 4

1 is pretty easy, 2 is.. well, quite interesting, 3 is worth making a comparison to that nice argenteus, and 4 is also educational.
Yes, I am being deliberately cryptic.

Ok, enough of that..
Better pictures ahoy!

Common Gull

Adult, winter plumage

Look at that primary tips shot! :)
If only I could get a fancy gull to pose like that..  ::wistful sigh::

Horribly blurred but 

adult winter and 3cy Common Gull

compasrison shot!

Yup, the SWBCM is up and running

Interestingly [maybe something to do with the weather?] Common Gulls outnumbered BHGs by more than 3:1 [Totals 35 and 9]

Big gulls hiding along The Sole

Well, they had to loaf somewhere.. Nothing sexy caught the eye amongst their ranks, more's the pity. None of the ID Contest birds are with them.

Also of interest, this appeared;

Looming out of the gunk...

And heeling over quite alarmingly in the wind!

L800 'Rotterdam'

Dutch amphibious assualt ship ['Landing Platform Dock' in the proper parlance], dropped into the Bay before anchoring out in Lyme. She was the only thing moving on the sea - which was good if unexpected, there's usually a nutty yachtie out there, even in awful weather.. - without feathers.


So, an interesting little visit. Definitely worth the try. And I didn't get soaked. Or blown away [though I went sideways crossing LookOut on the way down..!]


Be Seeing You...



[[*Shut up.]]
[[**Though, of course, the above Disclaimer still applies.]]