Backward Birding: Flaming June. Part 3; A Soggy Bottom

08 July, 2020

Flaming June. Part 3; A Soggy Bottom

No, they don't get any better.

The hot weather finally 'broke' [at least in theory] at the end of last month with some actual water falling from the sky. Though not much. Also the wind blew and as Summer Seawatching Season is on, I did what must be done. To the Nose!!

It was not the Nose of Yore, though, as someone's been parking grate big bladdy ships all over the view...

Special offer on artificial islands...

'What's the problem?' some may ask. Well, though they do make very handy reference points for calling directions [or they would if anyone else had been ~~mad~~ hard enough to be there!] they also act as artificial islands. And the thing about islands is that birds like to pass outside them. [For one thing, it makes it slightly harder to get Peregrined] Usually - if you're say, a sexy big shearwater - well outside them.

Yes, now you get it.

In the last Great Disaster, parked ships cut my seabirds down horribly, and I fully expect to get the same. Indeed, you only have to compare numbers with Berry Head, let alone Start Point;

I got 19 Balearics in 3.5 hours. Berry had 188 in 9.5, Start 425 in 9 [and Prawle 329 in 7.25]. Wow.

Though you should also note that the Backwater and Fraggle Rock each got 2, so..... Perhaps, location in Lyme Bay was also a factor [I suspect the birds were sticking fairly well south and west].

Same time; 138 Manx and one very interesting 'shearwater sp.' with grey-brown uppers, a dusky undertail and white belly.. [0805-0807 - picked up early doing a big shear impression..!]. What was presumably the same bird provoked much interest when it went past the Great and the Good at BH. A word beginning with Y may even have been used. I, of course, couldn't possibly comment.

Ahem.

Also 4 Puffinses, a Bonxie trolling through, 2 Arctics into the Bay, and a scattering of lone terns.