a patch tick!

Out scouring for rare american passerines this am and was rewarded with a fly-over tree pipit - it called a few times as it flew over, and may have dropped into fields near the top lane but I couldn't relocate it - a long-awaited patch tick (115).

return to cape

Back to Cape again today on the 2.15 ferry. This time for crippling views of a solitary sandpiper and a northern waterthrush in the same ditch, and often in the same field of view! Incredible! When it rains, it pours!

Galley gets another fea's (& there's a yellow warbler on cape!)

An evening seawatch produced Galley's second (or third??)  fea's petrel of the year which flew past at 7.15pm tonight. Other morning & evening combined totals included 2 great shearwaters, 1 balearic shearwater, 38 sooty shearwaters, 6 bonxies and 1 pomarine skua. Not that I saw any of the evening stuff as I cracked and twitched Cape this afternoon for the yellow warbler there - what a cracker!!

blackwits at long strand

A flock of 7 black-tailed godwits over Long Strand this morning were a welcome year tick (114) - things is moving all right!

barwit at long strand

Its been quiet enough for waders at  Galley so far this autumn but a single bar-tailed godwit at Long Strand this evening was hopefully an indication of a bit of movement.  An optimistic morning seawatch produced 1 balearic shearwater, 11 storm petrels and 2 common scoter, with 2 sooty shearwaters and 2 arctic skuas this evening.

murky seawatch

A seawatch off Galley from 8.15 to 11 am produced 3 great shearwaters, 2 cory's shearwaters, 6 balearic shearwaters, 7 sooty shearwaters and 5 bonxies.

wet 'n' orrible

A wet seawatch between 9.15 and 2 pm produced 1 great shearwater, 3 balearic shearwaters, 9 sooty shearwaters, 1 pomarine skua and 2 bonxies.

a quieter day

Despite a reasonable SW wind, things were a bit quieter this morning with 3 great shearwaters, 6 sooty shearwaters, 2 bonxies, a juvenile mediterranean gull and a 'blue' fulmar off Galley between 7 - 9 am.  This evening scored 1 balearic shearwater, 15+ sooty shearwaters, 3 bonxies, 1 prob pomarine skua and lots of arctic terns.

flat calm fea's

An adult sabine's gull west was the start of it - unusual enough off Galley, certainly in flat calm conditions. A great shearwater flew past next, before we got on the fea's petrel - the light was poor enough but the very different structure was obvious straight away, and as it flew further west we could see a bit of contrast on the upperwing and the all black underwing. Magic! Managed a couple of cory's shearwaters, 1 balearic shearwater, 7 sooty shearwaters, 1 arctic skua, several storm petrels and 7 bar-tailed godwits before having to head home for a lie-down!

What a seawatch! Very strange as it was totally calm! And 3 patch year ticks to the good (113).

 

Amazingly, another (?) fea's petrel was seen off Dunowen Head this evening from Galley, and later from Dunowen itself, while 2 cory's shearwaters, 1 great shearwater and 10 sooty shearwaters were seen from Galley this evening.  A  juvenile mediterranean gull was at Red Strand this evening.

becalmed

Flat calm this morning but still managed 2 balearic shearwaters, 2 sooty shearwaters, 3 bonxies and 1 common scoter in an hour before breakfast.

1st great shear for a few days

A single great shearwater through this morning, with 1 sooty shearwater, 1 bonxie, 1 arctic skua, 4 common scoter and a few storm petrels.

med gull

Crap seawatching this morning with just  1 bonxie and 1 sooty shearwater. A juvenile mediterranean gull at Long Strand late morning was new for the year (110).

more seawatching

Bit slower this morning, with 45 cory's shearwaters, 5 great shearwaters and 5 sooty shearwaters past this morning, with 5 more cory's shearwaters and 5 great shearwaters this evening.

cory's make a move

A good seawatch this evening between 5.30 and 9.15pm with c. 750 cory's shearwaters (outnumbering manx!), 8 great shearwaters, 7 sooty shearwaters, 1 arctic skua, 6 puffins and c. 10 storm petrels. Although most cory's were quite far out, a few came in close for excellent views!