The North Wind Blows: Surf's Up!

I had something important to do on Saturday, but was able to find an hour to answer The Call from my fellow Irregulars;  "Big scoter at the Nose!"

Big-nosed scoter at the Nose; a 1w Surf Scoter was with 5 f-type Common Scoter in Hope Cove, closest to Black Head and so best viewed from Bishop's Walk.

Twitter and Bluesky have lots of pics and video, but gaggle still suck, so nothing here. [Be grateful, mine aren't good]

Still there the following morning, as I stopped in on a patrol of the lee side of the peninsula, hoping for something else sheltering from the NW now N-NE blast.

A fair-sized for these days group of about 45 [couldn't count accurately with the swell; couldn't even get them all in a photo!] Common Scoter were out by the Buoy Farm, and a few Gannets were tootling about. The shelter at Meadfoot had persons, assorted in, so I had to reesort to going to the cafe and buying a coffee to do a scope scan [oh, the sacrifices we make]. I'd brought rations, so no chips, btw.

I found 2 GNDs on the sea, and a Razorbill flew N while a Guillemot flew S.

Wow.

On to the Harbour, where on the Real Living Coast I found there were at least 8 Sandpipers Purple, in small groups among the boulders. 

Anglers on the end of the pier [not allowed to do that, but they didn't care] meant I had to go around and scan the upper Bay from Princess, where 2 more GNDs, 1 GCG, and a Grey Seal [plus of course the usual plethora of Shags and Cormorants] were all to be seen on the sea. A nicely dark and streaky Guillemot was in the Outer Harbour, too.

One GND came close enough for half-decent photos, but my hoped-for BNG, let alone anything sexier, was not to be had.

Nothing better than Firecrest in terms of land birds, and that calling and resolutely not showing.

So, WAHOOOOOOO!!! for first Surfer on the deck at the Nose, and a well-twitched easily watchable one, too [much better].

Be Seeing You...