Thursday 21 August 2014

Bridges of Ross 21st August 2014

Time: 0630-1030 & 1150-1820
Weather: F3-4 W-NW, intermittent showers & mod-good visibility.
Observers: Niall T. Keogh, Neal Warnock, Des Higgins, Keith Langdon, Simon Mitchell, Reg Land, Will Soar, Davey Farrer, Peter Gluth, Peter Colston et al.

Common Scoter: 7
‘Blue’ Fulmar: 1 intermediate (L)
Sooty Shearwater: 21
Manx Shearwater: c.1,000 in 4 hrs (pm)
European Storm Petrel: 6
Grey Phalarope: 1 juv.
Arctic Skua: 5
Long-tailed Skua: 1 juvenile @ 1615
Great Skua (Bonxie): 11
Sandwich Tern: 4
Arctic Tern: 14
Sabine’s Gull: 1 adult

Choppy seas with a backing wind from the right direction made for a hopeful afternoon watch with a decent run (by recent standards apparently) of 600 Manx in an hour at close quarters during drizzly squalls. All quietened down fairly quickly after that however but not before a juv Long-tail Skua gave an all too quick flyby at super close range to wake us all up! The adult Sabine’s Gull showed well early doors and a few overhead and/or behind the watch point passing Bonxies were good value too.

A slow start but a good day for ‘getting the eye in’!


The first of what will no doubt be many iPhone-scoped seabird pics to feature on the blog over the next 10 days... today's subject, a Bonxie © Niall Keogh

No comments:

Post a Comment