Early mist delayed the start to a seawatch session I'd promised myself , whatever the conditions. As such, a flat sea. light winds and reasonable visibilty ( a fog bank lay in the distance ) held liitle potential for surprises!
Limited numbers of Gannet and Manx Shearwater passed ( ca. 300 each ), 40+ Fulmar and the odd Kittiwake, a couple of Red-throated Diver and a party of Wigeon........and that was it! My good friend Andy Schofield maintains you should hang on in , come what may , as IT will turn up eventually. Well, after almost three hours, there seemed more likelihood of a computer terminal flying past than IT turning up ( sorry, folks ). What's more the dreaded midges were out in force! After Three Anointings ( of repellant ) this Biblical epic of a seawatch was losing its focus......but I've to confess that I enjoyed every minute!!. For once, the opportunity to just sit and watch the birds moving leaisurely past was a real treat! There was no imperative to keep five or six "running counts" going of species on the move!! Throughout the time 50-60 Kittiwakes rested out on Frenchman's Rocks, as did a small party of Redshank and of Turnstone along with the odd Alba wagtail and Meadow Pipit migrating south. It occurred to me that the handful of Hooded Crows that diligently search around on the rocks each morning session were possibly doing it in the hope of finding some exhausted migrant that had succumbed!
Later, birding the local area, a mixed flock of Linnet and Lesser Redpoll, and a few other parties of the former, Skylark numbers within the grasslands , as well as replenished numbers of Meadow Pipit compared to yesterday, showed birds were well and truly on the move and taking benefit from the good weather conditions. Near home two "Greenland" Wheatear and a Northern Wheatear paid additional testament to passage happening after none had been seen yesterday whilst covering a lot of ground.
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