Gales.......

Early morning seawatching was a predictable disappointment again today, but we didn't have to wait long for some excitement, as this juvenile flew low west over the harbour mid-morning, even hovering a few times, though it never actually dived.

By 13:00 the wind had gone around into the North and strengthened sufficiently to warrant a seawatch. It started nicely with a good few Arctic Skuas and Bonxies and 2 Poms, but soon the weather worsened. There's not a lot of shelter for sewatching on The Point, now that the Sea Hide has gone, and viewing became impossible for an hour or so with the rain so thick that the scope became as effective as a full milk bottle. As soon as the rain passed the lens caps were off and even more birds were moving. Conditions were still tough, with the salt spray being so bad that objective lenses needed cleaning literally every few minutes, and scopes were wobbling all over the show, but by 19:00 we had totals of 78 Arctic Skuas, 50 Bonxies and 4 Poms, 33 Manx Shearwaters and a Red-throated Diver. Not too shabby at all. Obviously photos aren't easy to come by on a seawatch, but a few Bonxies came close enough for some atmospheric shots.

 Passerine migrants were thin on the ground, or at least staying well hidden, tomorrow they might be more apparent....