A Good Day

After the getting over the shock of seeing the Solstice Sunrise for only the third time [10% hit rate, woo] I gave the sea an hour as I just happened to have the Big Scope along*

First light in late June? Hmm, what could possibly go by?

Well, not a vast number of passing birds**  but a ridiculously unseasonal [so much so that it took far too long for my confuzzled brain to register what a black-hooded bird with dark underwings might actually be....] Little Gull was the utter highlight?!?

I suppose - as it went North on the Manx Line and so wasn't exactly tight inshore - it might have been a subadult and thus possibly wandering about. Or a failed breeder.. [[A mischevious little voice in my head wonders if - as it passed at 0520 - if maybe a lot of things are there but only before we get up to see them... {naughty naughty Voice!} ]]

My plan to hit Wild Tor [where else?] was iced by Her Majesty's Finest, who were playing with the fun stuff all over the north Moor. All week.

So the south Moor it was.

Tragedy, how ever could I cope?

The Fledgling Of Consolation

O:)

I walked the Duck's Pool loop, with quite a few stops for hydration because phew it was rather scorchio up there [more like you'd expect in August, but with stronger sunshine]. Also stops and detours for some annoyingly frisky coobeasties, which got  a bit uppity with me [and they weren't even being barked at by a single LBD, either].

But those aside it was all rather lovely up there, and 33 Wheatears certainly didn't hurt.

Yes, you read right.

Nun's Cross

Fox Tor

Surprise Merlin!

Black Lane

Erme Head

Four-spotted Chaser,

Plym Ford

Eylesbarrow

"I've got my eye on

you, human"

Not just Wheatears up here.

Scenery wasn't bad, either.

"Yeah, I was over there.."

The Trans-Moor Railway Scheme

didn't end well

"Do you ever get the feeling

you're being foll-

Oh."

Looking down the Erme,

a little of the

Longest Row

Pretty clouds.

Oh, and Plimoth.

Frog!!

And with that,

I'll hop off.

[[Groooooooan....]]

Be Seeing You...

[[* Well, seeing as how it usually rains on me - often sideways - on the Solstice, the scope usually comes along.]]

[[** Impressive totals of 5 Manx, 5 Gannet, 4 Common Scoter, a Fulmar.. Under the sea won it with a large group {for here} of 49++ Common Dolphin foraging well offshore [to the NE and E], 2+ Harbour Porps in the outer Bay and a Sunfish!

Breaching Common Dolphin!

 ]]