Better Late Than Early..?!?

Clearing up last weekend; [I will catch up, I will catch up....]

 

 

After defying my head for all the fun on Saturday, it struck back with suitable vengeance. Not anywhere near as bad as it gets, but enough to keep me in when I'd been thinking of getting out.

 

However, as Sunday afternoon got old it relented, and having had a promising headsup* from The Teacher [who'd been seawatching again, with The Veteran, though not with much luck, let alone birds...] speaking of a goodly slick full of gulls at the Nose I resolved to get my arse in gear going. All that sustained wind, still showers coming along... 

Oh, I couldn't resist.

So I tooled up and walked [yes walked, in full seawatching kit; wasn't going to, but it rained hard as I left] over to the Nose** and was able to plonk down on the Steps by what was then late afternoon, and ended up giving it three hours into early evening!

Big boss squally showers interspersed with near sunshine on a good hefty SW to WSW wind, with a fair slick? Hmmm....

2cy BHG

[note edge of the slick, bottom right...]

Now, if it had been a month or two later, we'd be talking Serious Birds here, but still a touch early for all that fun. Nevertheless, I scored, and far better than I expected, let alone had a right to [[Though see **]].

HMS Prince Of Wales

:)

Closer to, it's Trouble!

"Got any sammiches for a poor starving gull?"

Unfortunately, I only had a katkit, and she wasn't particularly impressed by my de-chocolated offering..

Fortunately, the birding was far better than my meagre rations.

In three hours from The Steps;

219  Manx

66   Gannet

76   Kittiwake

22   Fulmar

1    Roseate Tern!

5    Common Tern

7    Commic Tern

5    Sandwich Tern

4    Common Scoter

1    Puffin

2    Dunlin

1    Whimbrel

1    Swift

Plus that 2cy BHG and 2 LBB with the slick gulls

The Scoter

Nice close Manxies 

 

Afternoons at the Nose are aided by having the Sun behind you. It is hard to overstate how much of a difference this makes. Not only lighting up distant white Manx bellies, like here, but also not shining in your eyes and taking out half the view... [This is Prawle's major disadvantage] Even through overcast skies, the glare tires your eyes. [Unless you use a UV filter on your scope... :) ]

So it was ternalicious out there, as it sometimes is on Summer evenings at the Nose. I'd had hopes, and for once they actually came through. With interest! :D

It seemed things had shifted, and this odd year was taking a new turn. With repeated fronts coming through and a late / extended passage now blending into the early Summer season, what more would come by? One thing's for sure, there would be more seawatching!

Coming up..

Oh you know what's coming.

Be Seeing You...

[[* Pronounced and thus written as one word. C'mon, you know I'm right.]]

[[** Penance to the Goddess of Birding. She requires suffering from us Her devotees, and in exchange offers the hope - yes just the hope - of birds splendid and glorious. ]]