More Patchy Birding... [Oh Dear]

Another weekend, another attempt at birding and maybe even finding a yeartick [ho ho]

The weather proving intransigent for playing Fieldcraft vs Fieldfares [too windy], but not ideal for seawatching [too sunny, despite usual lying forecast]

But if at first you don't succeed and all that...

Arctic Skua

Zoggin' 'eck!!!

You can actually see what it is and everything?!?!?!

Light morph, immature [third summer or so], probably a female.

This was taken with the aid of The Artefact ::Ominous Chanting:: on Sunday. I'd started up at 0730 from Glonk Corner, gave it 1.5 hours, then ran into The Teacher [with said Artefact ::Ominous Chanting::] and we went over to the Traditional Spot, giving the sea another 2.5 hours.

Said Dread Scope duly pulled skuas in close - enabling half-decent photography when camera also behaved - and also Summoned no less than 3 adult Little Gulls [ at 1037, 1102, 1122]; though those stayed well out.

My final scores over both included 2 Bonxies [0726 and 1056], 1 Pom [0858], and 10 Arctic Skuas past [with another loitering up North]. 3 Little Gulls, 2 Med Gulls, 5 Common Scoter, 1 GND [very odd one with a lot of white on the face]

The clickers were busy on the first stint, with 193 Gannet, 124 Kittiwake, and 416 auks [about 7:3 Razorbills] recorded - with the hour 1 totals 119, 104, 351 respectively - and another 64 Guillemots on the Ore Stone ledges.

3 Common Gull and at least 12 LBBs also went by.

That super close Light had a Dark following it;

BOGOF

[as the Kittiwake said]

More skua for the people!

Lovely :D

Some scenery;

The closest we got to rain...

Bit closer to,

Painted Lady

Quite a few still about. This looks interestingly fresh, doesn't it?

Also too slow to dodge the camera, and loitering over the weekend,

Cirl Bunting

Eider

Two shots of 'spot the birdie!'...

Normal service resumed, then!

The Eider is very close to full male plumage now, and is quite a sight when he isn't hiding behind the Lead Stone.

Overhead passage of common expected species is progressing...slowly.

And no BLEEEEEEEEPing Pallid Swifts anywhere near me, either... :(

I did spend a lot of Saturday morning chasing something brown with yellow feets, but it lost me amlongst the brambled cliff near Brandy Cove after one seriously tantalising view. [[Then the call came 'Greenish @ DW'... "[CENSORED]" said I]]

Firecrests I can and have come across [no locations for obvious reasons]. I have hope for something slightly less stripey than the BH sprite. on shore [and even something LEAPy at sea... o:) *]

But that's all AW [after work**.....]

I shall, as per,

Be Seeing You...

[[* Wrote that before the mass event of 2/11, too.  {Also... Bah. Bah I say... ::Sulks::} ]]

[[** Having Actual Proper Honest Employment really gets in the way of your birding, especially at this time of year, I can tell you!]]