Getting There Eventually

Once upon a time, I had drive. Vim and vigour. I could work a full week, then be up at aaargh o'clock chasing birdies.

Oh, I feel so old.

Anyways, my [it's the drugs, I tell you] inability to actually get up and at 'em * once again stopped many things from happening. [I'm blaming the same for my inability to get a simple post up in a timely fashion, too]

My sight of the forecast prompted me to go 'Oh need to be at Gwarra on Sunday'

[HOW MANY?!? thousand big shears proved me right. Don't arsk about petrels.....]

But it did not happen.

I did get a brief stop at Exminster in - though I'd forgotten to actually put the scope in the car FFS - and there were many of these overhead;

Rapid flying things

The RSPB have been busy, clearing some sight lines and putting up a lovely new viewing platfor-

Never failing to disappoint

..... Oh.

That's grey-painted wood, so doubtless soon to be set on fire, and as you can see, if you can't see over, you won't be seeing anything, and forget about any kind of rest point, say a shelf? [Roof? Windbreak? Hah ah ah ah ah ah ah........] They've also helpfully cleared away all the shelter to the sides, so winter will be fun with free range for the icy blast to shake scopes to unusability and inflict hypothermia.

I suppose it's better than nothing.

Look, out there

Hit the zoom

Coots, mostly.

'Sierra Leone'

I said 'mostly'

:)

I also got a couple of afternoon hours in at the Nose, where a Cory's Shearwater was technically the best bird, and if it had come through as close as this Arctic Skua... 

 

 

Passing outside the Ore Stone,

of course..

 

 

 

It'd probably still have been a shite 'that looks like a gull' photo.

 

 

 

[What do you mean, 'what bird???'.....]

 

 

 

 

In 2hrs, [S(/N)];

 

Cory's Shear  [1654, 2.5-3km out]                                         1

Balearic          [1641, nice and close]                                     1

Manx                                                                                     23/2             

Arctic Skua   [1700 dk, pic, and 1745 dk+int]                       3

Gannet                                                                                   54/8

Kittiwake                                                                              17/19

Fulmar                                                                                   4/1

Razorbill                                                                                 3

YLG            [juvs]                                                                  2

Med Gull     [juv]                                                                   1

Also 8+ Common Dolphin in from E and to S, and 2+ dolphin sp. [90% Bottlenose] in from E and to N

Interesting variation in flight action, with the Balearic [first shear to pass] coming in like an auk and passing with more fluttering than shearing in the stiff WSW. The Manxies were typically more at home in the rather gusty wind, but still gave the odd burst of wingbeats, especially at the start of a shear. The Cory's didn't flap once, the whole time I tracked in past [and that far out, it was minutes :D].

[[A mischevous side of my brain is whispering that as it was that far out, really it should be 'Cory's/Scopoli's', what with one thing and another... Ahem. Though more seriously, the underside of the hands - which it showed quite nicely as it towered on the upwind side and Big-Sheared on the downwind - was no way pale enough to start that one. But I still had to say something... o:) ]]

Also

Yellow Shell, showing much better

from Glonk Corner!

A moth?

A moth, you say?

Scorched Carpet

Ruddy Carpet

Black Arches

[conventional angle]

And,

Juvenile Blue Tit

Blending nicely with my Goat Willow. Note bit of UV window sticker top left [required to stop Greenfinches etc. bouncing off it..!]

Swifts last sighted on that same day, though only one [weather, though] and at least 7 the day before. So it looks like Summer Is Over.

Rather early, and no big band of all the families seen - though again, weather - I do hope they were ok.

And on that note, I shall 

[silently hoping to have screaming party tear past as I hit Send]

EDIT: I knew it I knew it I knew it!!!!!!

2055 and at least 5 screaming about. :D

Summer NOT over yet.

Be Seeing You...

[[* Pretty much any 'em, too.]]