Not a Marsh TitThe sea was still crashing about today. I knew there wouldn't be many birds and should have gone looking in bushes but I went and sat on the Kettle for two hours anyway. 5 divers and 2 Mallard wrapped up the wildfowl (although I'm told there were a pile of Pink-feet in the afternoon).
Gulls included 6 adult Little, about 100 or so Black-headed, mostly flying west into the bay and 37 Common Gulls of a variety of ages - top number of Common Gulls so far. 5 Kittiwakes bothered to fly by.
Terns were of the Common and Arctic species, 9 of the former, 5 of the latter and 11 indeterminate ones.
A Knot went west.
Cormorant World stirred with 35 sightings in flight in the two hours - the majority went west but 14 went east.
On land there was a Lesser Whitethroat, a couple of Redwing and an interesting Phyllos like job that showed briefly from the sea of Gorse and promptly returned thence.
The car became very poorly on the way home and wallet was tearful again.
Jays were swearing at each other down the road in the plantation, 5 Redwing went west. A largish flock of Greylags seemed to circle the house for a while in the dark - this was a 'from the bath' tick.
House Martins still feeding young on here
Across the kelp and across the bay
Love or murder?Nice seawatch this morning. A bit of quality and lots to hold the interest.
A male Sproghawk greeted me as I arrived in the hamlet but it was a quiet walk down to the point. A Purple Sand was warming my seat (a tick for the patch I think, surprisingly). I had a bit of a swap around to shelter from the north-easterly and didn't initially get my position correct, I was seeing too many backsides disappearing into the yonder which made id harder than it needed to be for a while. However, before I sorted that out, or really had a chance to get settled a bird went east with which I really struggled. This very occasionally seems to happen at the beginning of a seawatch. Chances are, of course, it's just a common species that because of getting used to the light and the sea conditions and lack of initial organisation I see 'wrongly'. Let's face it the chances of tropicbird past Kettleness are a bit slim to say the least (very white but chunky seabird, distinctly elongated, though no actual tail streamers, black wedges in the very white upper wing, black around the head but this was hard to see as it was going away east of me, couldn't see the bill) sounds like a Rosy and maybe it was a late one but the proportions and flight didn't seem right and I thought this was a big bird. Anyway its gone now and if it was a tropicbird I completely ****ed it up.
All in all I had a bit of a bad start really. Even without the 'tropicbird debacle' what with the unfamiliar seating position and getting myself orientated correctly. Some divers went east early on and the front two were very likely Black-throats but I just failed to get on to them properly and then there were a couple of skuas and the second one was a Pom .... pobably. I stick all these bits and bats in the note book, with quick descriptions sometimes, (and these days I sometimes blog them too) but they're things best forgotten really, or at least put down to experience but not put down as a species record. The thing about seawatching is when stuff happens it often happens quickly, and inevitably several interesting things often seem to happen at once. Today, for example, I was on a fairly distant flock of ducks at x45, 3 Velvet Scoter and 3 Wigeon going west and this monster of a Great Northern fills the view flying virtually over the rocks.
Anyway what did I see? Star bird was a very nice sub-adult Long-tailed Skua heading east and conveniently showing off all its best features, upper tail coverts and all. 11 Velvet Scoter; 93 Common Scoter; 51 Teal; 31 Wigeon; 4 Brent Goose (dark-bellied ones); 18 Red-throated Diver; the afore mentioned Great Northern Diver; 1 Shag; 11 Cormorants; 1 Manx Shearwater; 1 Sooty Shearwater; 4 Arctic Skua; 3 Little Gull; 1 Arctic Tern; 5 Common Tern; 900 Gannet west and 150 east from sample counts and Kittiwakes were about 30. About 10 Common Gulls was an increase. I didn't bother to count the auks as they were about equal flying each way and they were next to impossible to pick out properly on quite a heavy sea. An interesting wader went west close that was either a Ruff or something rarer but it was gone in a moment and although it was close it defied certain id. There was a 0 Fulmar count. Rock Pipit and Alba wag were on the point with the seat warming Purple Sandpiper.
As I walked back there were a few Mepits grounded below the cliff and in the hamlet 80 or so Linnet, 250 Starling and 30 House Sparrow. The railway line produced a small Goldcrest fall of about 20 and 2 Lesser Whitethroat plus a Redwing. And then I walked to Runswick Bay.
Not looking forward to getting in very cold water .... managed to avoid immersion
Doodled about with pic of Pom below to show definitive underwing pattern and barring on under tail coverts. Interestingly the tail now looks shorter. (No I didn't chop a bit off in Photoshop.) JB comments - " I would go for Pom - on broadness of wing base and steep hook on bill".
Common Tern
Common Tern showing classic dark wedge (caused by moult) in primaries, also note relatively long bill and short tail.
Arctic Skua
Pomarine Skua, juvenile.
Pomarine Skua, juvenile. You can just see the barring on the upper tail coverts if you click for big. The bill colouration is a useful feature also (but not wholly conclusive).
Pomarine Skua, juvenile. Showing the classic double white patch on the underwing, (but beware, apparently some Arctics can show this feature). The lighter, well marked underwing is conclusive, however. Arctic Skua juveniles have a uniform underwing which is darker than the bird's body. The bill can also be seen to show the 'Glaucous Gull tip'.Early afternoon as we were leaving for Tearside Park (opening my wallet always makes me emotional) I brought the car to a sudden stop and leapt out after proceeding all of 68cm. "Clearwing!" I shouted as family all groaned (shopping trip jeopardy detected). Thereafter I was shackled to the steering wheel and fitted with blinkers. I shall be prowling the verges with camera come the morn.
Black-headed Gull
Not Black-headed Gulls
If you're going to photograph roadkill make it something substantial. The only bit of car I could find was a mudflap, however, I expect (hope) it was in a bit of a state after this double murder. (To be fair they do sometimes panic and jump out and it was on a bit of a bend.) Rather sad though, they are exquisite things, I've been seeing them fairly regularly on the way to work recently (prancing ones that is, the deer not the cars, doh).
Having drunk all the beer (and eaten a whole packet of Maryland Cookies) whilst seawatching, lost the rifle in a ditch, and finding only a small roll of masking tape in the boot, I passed on the roping to the bonnet and a-hollering and a-whooping and all that mullarky all the way to Scaling Dam. (With honours and all homage to George Bristow's Secret Freezer, whose joke this is, thanks Martin.)
Addendum - last autumn a Sperm Whale was washed up in Runswick Bay "The Bay". Somehow I missed this (very smelly) event. However in terms of critters found dead this was the big one, I'm now picturing it roped to the bonnet of the metallic green Scenic = one squashed car.
Kettleness fields
I love this thing Starlings do, groups leapfrogging to the front of the feeding flock, it creates a ripple of birds across the field. Must try and get a movie.
This very small mouse caused bridesmaid chaos outside the cottage where they were assembled for grooming etc - they all rushed out to try and see it. I think yellow-necked but I couldn't be 100%.
Skipped out of work at 5:20 and was seawatching at 5:30, although the gate was across and the tide was rising. Loads of "black" gannets, going west at around 250 an hour, the few adults seemed to be further out on the whole; eastward movement was about 100/hour. A drake Eider in the harbour mouth was joined by a Guillemot. A very distant Manx went west. There were a good few terns about although (despite the movement of 170 Arctics off the Long Nab) I failed a certain id of that species; fair numbers of Common (36) and Sarnie (14) + c10 Commic. A suspect "small" juvenile skua went east at high speed and a suspect Black/Red-throat hung offshore at awkward range exhibiting characters of both species and hiding in the troughs as much as possible. 2 Grey Herons went west together. As I left after an hour an Arctic Skua arrived to terrorise the "going to roost terns". 2 Razorbills, a small row of Kittiwakes, 4 gull species, Turnstones roosting on the east pier and Rock Pipit were the supporting cast.
For the third Monday in a row the North Wind has got itself out of the house and is having a good thrash around. This is absolutely and entirely unfair. Thursday, Friday and Saturday are the days for the North Wind to tear around, surely. Tell me which god I have angered and I'll offer a suitable sacrifice.
New Seawatch Place
RazorsTo cheer myself up over all this shearwater business here's a jolly tune, thanks again Mr E - see Movie or click the link above.
So 06:15 this very morn I tried a new seawatch place. Having studied my "Badseawatchers' Manual" with care I decided that there was very little chance of a Great Shear from Upgang Ravine (in the bay). Logistics dictate that Kettleness and work don't go or most likely = a sicky (which I can't do these days - being the boss n'all). So Whitby West Pier it was.
Obstacles had to be surmounted (like an inconvenient gate put in place to prevent the unwary from being washed away) but on a falling tide and a settling swell all looked safe enough to me.
And instantly there was a Sooty Shearwater, 30 seconds later there was another. Wow, maybe this is my new seawatch place. An Arctic Skua and then .... then rather a lot of Gannets, close Guillemots, various flocks of Wigeon heading west, which were jolly. A pile of Arctic Skuas roaring around and causing the Kittiwake and tern worlds considerable grief.
Then rather a lot of terns, like 100+++ mostly Common but a few Arctic and a good number of Sarnies passing east, some going behind me.
Eventually it became very clear that a Great Shear was unlikely (as I had guessed from the outset really). I did get a couple more Soots and 3 Manx. There were Red-throated Divers and Teal. Loads and loads more Gannets and piles of terns to look at all the time. Walking back along the pier the Turnstones were at my feet I resolved to return in better light and calmer seas as this is a place with great photographic potential. But sadly not a spot for 7,114 Great Shearwaters to pass; unless they were ill or without a compass and map or in some rare and unusual state of mind.
My interest in Puffins the other day was reflected in Norfolk where they are even less common and where amongst more exotic things two flew by. So something was indeed up in Puffin World.
I have now managed just over two years without finding a rare bird or even a fairly uncommon one. This might indicate incompetence on my part, or "Wrong Place" or just that rare birds are well, quite unusual really. So it goes.
I've neglected reporting on the garden of late.
First Painted Lady since May on Friday and Saturday. A hawker today and yesterday was seen only briefly but suspect Common Hawker.
18 Golden Plover over yesterday and a Treeper heard today. Still several Chiffchaff about. Siskin still in evidence though numbers lower but Greenfinch now up to 25 at least. Great Spotted Woody is around again. A Yellowhammer was a casualty, of the windows I suspect, unfortunately.
I waited all day - despite the news of Great Shears in the North Sea (as well) - because I had a hunch about yesterday's Little Gulls and I wanted to do an evening seawatch. I also wanted to check the evening tern situation. Kettleness is definitely pants for shearwaters coming north anyway - I think they get pushed out off Flamborough and then they see the Tees and miss me out (just compare my Sooty numbers with to the south and to the north of me - rather pathetic).
I didn't have to wait long before I locked on to a steady trickle of distant Little Gulls going east - I kind of knew they would do that. They were hard to pick out and if 130 of them hadn't gone fishing I'd have missed nearly all of them, as it was I reckon I saw 50% of those that went by in visible range because I got distracted by other birds (and tea and biscuits). So 220 went east in three hours and 2 west (although I bet they went east eventually). They're tricksy things are Little Gulls anyway, they have this way of sneaking past the seawatcher.
Arctic Skuas were out in force zooming around off the point and into Runswick and Sandsend Bays; 18 different ones may have been an overestimate. Only 1 juvenile in that lot is of concern.
Only 1 Sooty, Flamborough had over 250 today. 3 Manx in with the feeding frenzy and 3 late easterly movers.
At first the terns were only Commons and Sandwich mostly going east. Then I started picking out terns with those distant Little Gulls and suspected they were Arctics. I'd seen Sandwich Terns moving earlier from Sandsend Bay so I wasn't surprised to see 22 east and 2 west. The Commons were all over the place after a bit with quite a few close birds coming west also, I could hear them much of the time. Then I found a feeding gang of terns nearly all of which were Arctic, 40 or so. The next smaller feeding frenzy was right in front of me and close and of 20 or so terns at least 10 were Arctic.
Something happened in Puffin World today. I see few Puffins off the Kettle so 8 all east was a bit weird. There were Guillemots and Razorbills moving in small flocks east this evening as well, not too many, about 30 Razors or so. Most of about 3-400 Razors were still happy to sit on the sea and feed.
So still not petrels or Sabs (I rather fancied a Sabs today), but entertaining nonetheless.
Gannets go by
Manx close in
Arctic Skua on a mission
Feeding scrumMadeiran storm petrels Oceanodroma castro breed on three small islets in the Azores: Vila, off Santa Maria, and Praia and Baixo, off Graciosa. Analysis of data on brood patch, incubation periods, chick body size and recaptures of adults provides evidence of the existence of two distinct populations (hot- and cool-season) breeding annually on Baixo and Praia, out of phase by four to five months and overlapping in colony attendance during August and early September; on Vila only the cool-season population is present. Analyses of adult morphology indicate highly significant phenotypic differentiation between the sympatric hot- and cool-season breeders, whereas an almost complete phenotypic uniformity characterizes allopatric breeders within the same season. The hot-season birds are 10% smaller in egg and body mass but have longer wings and tails than cool-season birds. The two groups were readily separated by discriminant analysis. The preference to breed in the cooler season is interpreted as a consequence of greater food availability in that period. Morphological differentiation between seasonal populations is interpreted as an adaptative response to different environmental conditions in the two seasons. The hypothesis is given that the hot-season population has evolved from the cool-season population owing to density-dependent constraints on crowded colonies, forcing birds to time-share nest sites. These populations may represent a case of sympatric speciation through temporal partitioning of reproduction and may be better treated as sibling species.
This is similar evidence to that used to separate Zino's and Fea's - different breeding sites, different times of year for breeding, smaller vs larger bird etc (somebody will suggest I might be talking through an alternative orifice here) - there doesn't appear to be any genetic analysis but then I've only got my paws on the abstract.
My membership pack arrived from TBC yesterday. It included the 2006 report, very well done, and loads of interesting info. Impressive folks, thank you. (I know I should have joined two years ago but so it goes.)
I've put the link in above but their site appears to be down at the moment.
At this time of year, if I follow last year's plan, I transfer my attentions during the week to the Upgang Ravine. This wonderful spot along Whitby's West Cliff sits in the middle of the golf course and is a favoured amble for dog walkers. Thus, between the buzz of the mowers drowning out passerine calls and my curses as I step in yet another sweetly scented pile I attempt to find some mega rare.
Today I arrived in good time and at first the sea looked deadly quiet so I headed for the scrub and cover. But I always keep half an eye on the sea. A Red-throated Diver was close inshore, about 100 Gannets were feeding well out and then a nice adult Arctic Skua cruised along the beach. However, there were a few Chiffchaffs so I kept on the passerine theme until er, aren't those Little Gulls? A group of 7 small gulls with pitch black underwings and gleaming uppers disappeared up the coast. By this time I was a good few 100m from the sea but that was that, I legged it for the shore.
Now this is an interesting seawatching site, a classic "Wrong Place" in the pantheon of seawatch spots. Not only is it in the bay but Whitby's harbour piers are near enough to the east and the cliffs beyond Sandsend guard the north western exit. However, it is about the only place with reasonable access between home and work so beggars cannot be choosers.
In the following half an hour or so I managed to find about 300 (or maybe more) very distant Little Gulls feeding at maximum identifiable range, heading out there of the roost and then feeding out there were about 150 or so Common and Arctic Terns (about 4:1 Commons:Arctics I thought), 4 Arctic Skuas went west although two at least ended up sitting on the sea, a Bonxie appeared. Less expected were 3 Manxies and a distant Sooty. Add to these 5 more Red-throated Divers and 3 Common Scoter and 6 or 7 Sandwich Terns and that's a pretty nifty seawatch.
With admirable restraint the Good Doc (George Bristow's Secret Freezer) reviews "Ivorybill hunters: the search for proof in a flooded wilderness" and the words baloney, barmy nor even bollocks clattereth not from the GD's keyboard.
The storm-petrel id thing is furthered by the blurriest evidence ever for Madeiran off Scilly. Yes it could be a storm petrel, it might be a small, light aircraft or even a cracking, deception of a model - look closely isn't that an aerial? Ok who on that boat had the remote? And who could get the sea as horizontal as that in those circumstances, eh? Very suspect if you ask me. I'd have been that excited that you'd have water skied at world record pace down the slope I'd have created. (I'm only jealous.)
This evening gannets were all over the place - possible, but very distant Pom. Pah. maybe i'll have a quick look tomorrow a.m.
Sandwich Tern juv
Sandwich Tern adult
Quite pleasant when I got there, W3-4, but by the time I left it was howling, pitching to 7 at times and I had trouble getting off, lots of effort nil progress.
Loads of terns again. There seemed to be pretty good movement east (south eventually) and the majority were Arctic, I reckoned 249 but that possibly was an underestimate - total Arctic/Common 435 give or take. They didn't just stream past but quite a number paused to feed, at times up to 150. This always causes difficulties with numbers, so it's best guess really. A few more juvs today I thought. Only 2 Sandwich Terns in the three hours (one each way).
A Sooty, a few Manx, 3 Arctic Skuas, 3 Common Scoter and a Little Gull enlivened the proceedings. 3 Red-throated Divers and 2 Whimbrel also made things more interesting.
There are more auks flying about now, today I had the most so far with about 40, mostly Guillemots I thought and all but one flyer went west.
Good news was my pen was in exactly the place I expected to find it - busy place Kettleness.
The garden was full of Chiffys and Willow Wobblers this morning, at least 4 Chiffs and 2 or 3 WWs. The Chiffs were being even more aggressive than the WWs. I remember years ago reading a paper about Willow Warbler pre-migration aggression and then seeing it first hand a few days later in Richmond Park. Sometimes they can be quite demented chasing almost anything. Not sure I can recall Chiffs being quite as aggressive as this previously though.
Walking back home across the fields this after' flushed a Grey Partridge and then a Little Owl from the usual spot.
There's a late entry for the competition, Craig estimated 250, so he wins, sorry Darrell. Craig you'll have to negotiate your escorted visit to Green Withens - actually on second thought this is perhaps unfair and not such a good plan, especially bearing in mind Darrell's recently published views in relation to Filey http://greenwithens.blogspot.com/. Craig, Moll will bake you a cake instead (sample above).
Brass band and a duck race, "C'mon No 1081, there's a £100 resting on this. Oh, b@@@@r. Hey, Mallard, outthaway!"
What could be more perfect?
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ifXiWqKTgWU
