swifts

Three swifts zooming around over the house this evening were new for the year (99).  I never seem to get them early at Galley, its always 2 or 3 weeks after they are "in" before they show up here - great birds though, one of my favourites.

here come the skuas

A great morning seawatching today with a good movement of skuas west past Galley between 8.00 and 10.30 am. In all, we had a total of 81 pomarine skuas, 21 bonxies and 5 arctic skuas, plus 4 storm petrels, 3 common scoter and 2 great northern divers, which has boosted the year list a bit (98).

update from portugal

rufous bush chat oml ya bas!

seawatching in the gloaming

Managed to get to Galley for the last half hour of light tonight in a fairly stiff south-westerly. Wasn't quite as good as I'd hoped but I was maybe a bit late. Did manage 2 puffins and 2 bonxies for the year (94), and 1 sandwich tern, while manx shearwaters were coming past in bunches of 30 at a time (approx. 600 per hour).

sedgie

Another morning wander with not very much to show for it - the male yellowhammer was singing again,  a collared dove at Shite Lane was the second for the year, and a sedge warbler was just beginning to break into song in the roadside roses at Long Strand (92).