Sunday 27 November 2011

Seawatching (quite well)

 Sea on Saturday at Point of Buckquoy, Birsay

The wind was up so I went for an hour's watch at Birsay on Saturday at midday, a 1cy Glaucous Gull was a fair reward. There were three Red-throated Divers west as well. Kittiwakes were moving through a bit with a trickle but I didn't see a single Fulmar.

View from the garden, yeserday p.m, calm before the hooley

It really blew last night, up to Storm Force 11 (yes the greenhouse was still there this morn).JB and I had seen the forecast so arranged to meet at Pt of Buckquoy at 8 or so. It was quite entertaining, I missed the best bird, a Pom, somehow it evaded me but 8 Blue Fulmars and 18 Red-throated Divers was a fair reward. In the first hour there were 124 Kittiwakes, nearly all adults (10 juv) and just 37 Fulmar. In the second hour there were about 50 Kittiwakes and 3000 Fulmars, all west. Also one each of GND, LtD, RbM, Wigeon, and two Common Scoter.

Back at the ranch the moving of horse poo was the task but there were also 18 Fieldfare over south, a few Redwings, 15 Blackbirds, 2 Robins, 6 Chaffinch, 2 reed Buntings, 100 Teal, a Sproghawk and a Kestrel. The Tree Sparrow is still present.

2 comments:

Cuby said...

What is a sproghhawk? I have written a stonechat poem. Love the wild sea photo.

Alastair said...

Sproghawk is Sparrowhawk. Birders have lots of slang names for bird species. I'll go and read your Stonechat piem, unfortunately they've died out here on West Mainland, the last two hard winters did for them, previously they were a garden bird.