It's Not Raining. Why Is It Not Raining?!?

The August bank holiday weekend is traditionally one of rain. Wind. Depressed mundanes and happy seawatchers.

:D

Not so this time around.

Bah humbug.

I was woken by my evil alarm woke early on Saturday, saw blue skies and no wind* and promptly went back to bed...

[[I have to get up at ohmysweetGoddesswhatabominationofanhourdoyoucallthis?!?!? o'clock for work, so doing it at the weekend is above and beyond. :p ]]

Saturday evening I toddled over to the Nose.

[I may have baked some stuff in between, didn't do nuffin' 'k?]

Yeah,

classic conditions...

The sea held my

full attention..

But we have to have something, so here's a gull for you..

[oh noes...]

Yuck...

The actual seawatching?

Miss Adams applies...

Dusk fell as I wandered home, and I finally got something new.. Bats! Pipistrelles by hour and look of them, at least 5 along IMD and @ Stoodley [one at the latter flying right into me!?! Bats are very soft, btw]

I even sort-of hit one;

Spot the bat!

Later detecting from Home gave Common Pipistrelles, up close and personal [though not quite that close!].

Sunday morning I was dragged from my bed by my alarm up at a fairly early hour and this time, seeing both cloud and some wind, I took the Big Scope over to the Nose.

The sea got 2 hours from Sunrise Bench - I correctly expected passage to vary between 'offshore' and 'closer to Fraggle Rock'..... - and I got far more than I expected!

Gannets!

Being the exception, many passing high up and close in.

Actual numbers? Realllllly?

Cloud made the difference.

Observe;

[All S unless stated]

In 2 hrs.

Gannet  298/8

Kittiwake  4

Fulmar  6

Med Gull  1

Sarnie  3

Com Tern  2

Arctic Tern  1

Balearic Shear  11

shear sp.  1

Sooty Shear  1 [0849]

Bonxie  1 [0906]

The Bonxie was trolling along, then made a sudden 180° and pounced on a group of hitherto unseen Balearics, sat minding their own beeswax on the Manx line [behind the Ore Stone, sneaky things; good job I was so high up!]. Usual 'bowling ball on skittles' effect...

Also at least 3 Swallows past S and a Clouded Yellow on the Mud path.

The Sun came out and everything vanished [such as it was]. Bigger clouds passed to N and S, and I wonder what was under them..

Not to complain, did far better than expected.

The day was not done, either.

But that shall have to wait.

Be Seeing You...

[[* Trees.]]