Patchy Posting

The best-laid plans of mice and birders do go astray, and suffering attacks of apathy, sleep, and finding out I have urgent things to do, made a mockery of the variety of things I had had planned for the weekend.

I did manage to do some detecting, and even managed to find something other than the Inevitable Common Pipistrelle [which seems to live around my skygarden], I also got to the Nose, twice, though not when the weather was anywhere near best, due to aforementioned reasons and the whole 'having to work' thing..

Anyways, where to start?

"No, coffee is not for Leafhoppers!"

Sunday afternoon-evening at the Nose was far sunnier than my darkest fears

Bugger

But like the mantra goes I kept at it anyways [well, I was there]

Waking to rain and wind had me back the next day for a quick afternoon couple of hours. No sooner had I arrived than

Two hours too late...

Bugger. Again.

[Of notes; 1, I was in full waterproofs.... 2,  The Teacher arrived a couple of hours after I had to leave {work, you know} and the weather said RAIN!...]

It wasn't a waste of time, I did see some birds.

Sunday Manxie!

Yes, blob again.

Med Gull

BHG

How's that for a nice comparison?

:D

Numbers and so on...

Sunday, 4.5 hrs to dusk

Manx           145/3

Gannet         43

Kittiwake     97/3

Med Gull     53/1

Fulmar         7

BHG            15

LBB             2

Shear sp.      1

67 Guillemots on/by Ore Stone

Those Meds were almost entirely through in the first hour and a half. Of note, I believe more than a hundred have been around the Exe estuary and about 60 were reported roosting at Broadsands that evening.

Monday, 2hrs mid afternoon

Balearic       2

Manx           77/1

Gannet         25/1

Kittiwake    12

Med Gull     1

Fulmar         2

..

131 Guillemots on/by Ore Stone

Also on Sunday, these two on the Lead Stone;

juv Yellow-legged Gull

another juv 

Yellow-legged Gull

The first shown - which buggered off as I was waiting in vain for the second to stick [her?] head back up - markedly bigger and burlier, had just seen off an adult Herring. No, I didn't get a lovely flight shot..

Micro on the tripod!

Surprised me, too.

Hoverfly

This burred around me on my climb back, then struck a pose.

[I may get about to trying an ID]

Common Carder Bee,

risking the traps for sweet

sweet Brambles

Buff-tailed Bumblebee

Well, I had my camera out.

While lacking in epic numbers, wonderful close and nicely photographable specials, or anything even vaguely resembling a skua [Still not seen an Arctic this year..?!?] they were worth the effort.

And I will be back.

Be Seeing You...