Weather: WSW force 8/10, gusting 11, W 8 by the middle of the afternoon
This daunting prospect faced our observer walking down to the sea watching hide in these conditions !
There were lots of sea birds, the best were 2 Black Terns, one seen early on, and 5 Arctic Skuas.
Kittiwakes have been scarce lately but 8 today made up for that.
An immature is always striking but a trap for the unwary hoping for a Sabines Gull.
A Common Gull for comparison.
A Manx Shearwater passed, 14 Sandwich Terns were still here and 6 Razorbills and 2 Guillemots were logged.
For good measure there were 45 Scoters, 84 Brent (1 dark-bellied), 2 Eiders, a Great Crested Grebe, a Red-breasted Merganser, 2 juvenile Goosanders and 2 Shags.
As usual the 35 Gannets fishing gave a good performance,
The rarest birds of the day (in a Hilbre context) were 4 Tufted duck that flew west during the seawatch.
Other small waders on the shore were 25 Ringed Plover, 20 Dunlin and 25 Turnstone, larger ones being 85 Curlew, 45 Redshank and 4 Bar-tailed Godwits.
Photos SRW
No comments:
Post a Comment