Oh, behave.
Firstly, something atmospheric,
After the fun stuff, the sunshine.
[Sort of]
To the biggie;
Hope's Nose, Top Dell, 1042 on Sunday and at very long last all that Patch-bashing I've been doing paid off with a very active [though when are they not?] Yellow-browed Warbler, foraging along the Back Wall before vanishing behind the Olive Tree* while I was getting the news out. [Yes, I really ought to start paying more attention to this blog by going for camera first and phone second, but well....]
It didn't call [though assorted Robins and Wrens weren't helping] but was so bright that I wondered if it wasn't a Pallas' at first. Sadly a good view of the top of the head - while it eyed up its next victim - showed that it wasn't [no crown stripe] and said brightness ruled out Humes' [which are famously dull, though you really need the call to ID one as some YBWs can be very Humes'-looking].
This was on my way out, having undergone a surprise seawatch - after arriving to find unforecast stiff wind and sideways dizzle - and then confirming not only continued presence of 4 Eider and 10+2 Common Scoter, but fixing them as 1 2w, 2 1w males and a female type [too far to be sure, still] with some good light scope views at a distance that only gave photos like this
3 out of 4 by a buoy
2w m top left, f left,
a 1w m to right
Yes, 2w as if older he'd be moulting into adult basic plumage by now. He looks like he's wearing a black suit with white shirt and white scarf. :)
Also, a few Grey Seals on Thatcher Rock.
How many seals?
That's six Grey Seals.
Yes, six. There's a pale one behind a dark one, side-on on the left.
Did I say seawatching weather?
For 40 minutes it was promising
Then the vis lifted
Exit good stuff, stage right,
enter sunshine, stage left.
Also on camera,
A scattering of Guilles
on the Ore Stone
Just a few.
Right, seawatch numbers.
Glonk Cormer, 1hr
Auks [95%+ Razorbill] 1007
Gannet 148
Kittiwake 165
Fulmar 2
C Scoter 4/7
Pom Skua [light m, ad, 0858] 1
GND 2
Med Gull 2
Com Gull 13
BHG 5/2
[Note, probable L Auk, 0848§]
[§ Overtaken by large auk group I was clicking through, I kept clicking, went back to confirm... but couldn't refind. There were a fair few rather small juvenile Razorbill in and amongst, but this stuck out. Bugger.]
861 of those auks were in the first half hour, about 15 in the last 20 minutes! Big groups, a right pain to click, but impossible to count without; real fun! Also keeping an eye for extras within, as big winter auk passages can carry all sorts of goodies. Not that I got anything [just...], but you have to look!
Also a Grey Seal off Longquarry, making 7 in the area.
As well as a small siberian, at least 1 Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaff and a Song Thrush were in the Top Dell area.
It's perhaps inevitable I had to leave sharp due to an ill-advised committment to work [well, the forecast wasn't great even the day before, let alone earlier in the week...]. The Teacher went along later in the day but couldn't connect with the Yellow brow, though he did get a storm petrel sp. passing by, so swings and roundabouts.!
The day before... Is another post!
[And no, I haven't forgotten about that Yet More Fungi and Stuff Post. It is coming......]
Be Seeing You...
[[Yes, it's actually a Holme Oak or something, evergreen and tree-y, but I call it that because a) I'm me, and b) I hope if I do it for long enough, eventually an Olive Tree Warbler will appear in it.**]]
[[** What? I'm allowed to dream.***]]
[[*** Anyways, it'll be Summoned by The Artefact ::Ominous Chanting:: while I'm at work, just you wait and see.....]]
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