Sea Watching. Or; Forecasters Speak With Forked Tongue

Having been vexed in my intent for my usual holiday sea-fest by inclement weather, I've been trying to hit the Nose whenever I've had a sniff of a chance.

This is, of course, when I'm not working - best stuff always in the weeks I'm not available [like for the 35 Greats past BH...FFS] - and of course, while the birds are about [well, those not massacred by wind turbines H5N1....] you need at least a little help from the weather. Which in turns needs something approaching an accurate forecast.

Yes, that old chestnut.

You'd think by now they'd at least try to tell the truth?

Fah.

Fah I say.

Anyways, it's not been all bad, and I have found myself looking at a few good birds.

Sometimes seeing very well, due to large quantities of surprise sunshine;

Blazing Sun,

blue skies,

silver linings....

Dark Buzzard

 

Blue(ish) Oyster Cult

[Ahem]

Rock Samphire.

Still going in October

And sometimes the weather has at least partly behaved,

Spot the Skua

And ID it!

O:)

zomg! Sideways rain!!!

:D

Arctic Skua

[sorry; 'spot the dark morph Arctic Skua'...]

Let's see...

30/9  5hrs,

Arctic Sk  11

Pom Sk  3

LT Sk  1

Stormy  1

Sooty  1

Balearic  6

C Scoter  26

Fulmar  3

Gannet  315

Kittiwake  298

Razorbill  40

BHG  10

Com Gull  2

LBB  2

2/10  2.5hrs,

Arctic Sk  1

Bonxie  1

Balearic  31

Gannet  no count

Kittiwake  189

Auks  no count

LBB  1

[Swallow, H& S Martin, Mipit passage + Yellow Wag, 2 Clouded Yellow]

3/10  .5hrs,

Arctic Sk  3

Balearic  13

Gannet  33

Kittiwake  179

Razorbill  4

BHG  1

[Mipit, alba Wag passage]

Of interest: This Autumn I have so far seen more Long-tailed Skuas than Bonxies. This should be beyond ridiculous, and demonstrates the extent of the population collapse suffered by the latter...

Rafting Kittiwakes

Balearics

And as to land birds... 

Very little. On one day a few Chiffs and Blackcaps were clear migrants [and gone the next] but the hoped for if not expected other stuff? 

Well, there's still time.

[Here's hoping the Goddess of Birding is merely testing us before we get something worth a Big Red Star...??*]

Be Seeing You...

[[* Oh stop laughing... ]]