Bert by name, frisky by nature. Sunday saw me able to get myself together in time to get out and see what was going by [sometimes backwards].
[[Now there are those who say you shouldn't go out in a weather warning, but this was only a Yellow, and it was very necessary for my mental health to do some seawatching, so we'll have no more of that]]
I got to the Nose not long after sunrise and was surprised to find absolutely nobody else there. Not even a Bass angler?!?
"No stamina, folk these days" mutters I as I manage to get down without being blown off my feet to Glonk Corner; well out of wave range, perhaps a little too out, but you can't have everything.
[I'd include a nice scenic shot to show you the impressive swell, but google still blow goats, so what can you do?]
I gave the sea 6 hours, though the last was more 'I don't want to get soaked packing up' than 'birds are still going by woo'. Then, having seen The Teacher turn up, I wandered over to find him cooing over a nice array of divers and scoter in Hope Cove. I didn't fancy climbing down into the Quarry, so I looked back over the Slick, where only common spp. were about [not even a Med. Tut.] and thus was looking the right way when a couple of Sandpipers Purple were kicked up by a wave.
:D
I got the odd photo, so go look at twitter [or bluesky if you're allergic to people you don't agree with] to see a couple, look at The Teacher's for better quality images of divers, too. More may well appear over the next few days, but not of birds so much.
This, having no character limit, is where numbers go, and you're expecting some, yesno?
Hope so as you're getting them.
Glonk Corner, 0810-1410
[All S]
Gannet 227
Kittiwake 544
Auks [Raz bar 2 Gu] 134
Little Auk 1 [poss 2nd] 0855 [0908]
Fulmar 29
Great Shearwater* 1 1026
Sooty Shearwater 2 1010, 1029
Manx Shearwater 1 1026
Shearwater sp. 1 1023
Bonxie 1 0957
GN Diver 2
Swallow** 1 0919
wader sp. 2 groups [heard only]
C Scoter 14
Com Gull 19
BH Gull 31
LBB 7
4 more GND on the sea, including one which flew in from the N. 12 more GND, 1 RTD, 3 C Scoter in Hope Cove so full totals are;
GND 18
RTD 1
C Scoter 17
Hourlies;
G 20, 59, 31, 76, 16, 25
K 191, 156, 78, 81, 23, 16
A 22, 43, 9, 34, 20, 5
F 3, 16, 8, 1, 1, 0
Spot where the front came through, the wind turned and eased, and the heavy rain started.!
All of the good stuff was in the leading or trailing edges of the vigourous if not feisty squalls that were a feature of the morning. Rain never really hard in them, but enough to hit visibility.
The Little Auk[s] came through on the Manx line [second was a very small auk, but I couldn't get enough on it in the gunk to rule out 1w Puffin], the shears were all outside it and seemingly angling out into Lyme Bay. The Bonxie came through inside the Lead Stone, which is why I got a half-decent picture. It was small and slight and dark and I confess I got a bit interested, but photos showed it had no wingmoult and a hint of rufous to the mantle, so just one of 'those Bonxies'.
One day.
A very rewarding - in variety if not numbers - watch, though I was really hoping for at least Little Gull if not a Leach's coming into the slick. The SWBCM was working all day, with lots of gulls always in attendance, but I guess you gets what you gets eyes on.
Be Seeing You...
[[* In late November?!? Climate change, people.]]
[[** Questioning its life choices, I suspect...]]
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