Saturday 30 July 2011

De-railed

Started at Snab at 07:20 today.  Missed much of what DoB recorded - I only had one Bonxie south and 13 Manxies north (a 4, then a 3, then another 3, then a 2 then 1).  No Arctics nor Sooties tho'.

Cresswell was busy with not a lot.  The three B-h Geese are smart, and there's more Coots than Bothal.

East Chevington was equally 'quiet'.  I say quiet, if you blot out the Greylags and Canadas!  And nice to see Andy McLevy back out and about (he has been off the team with a wee back ailment and his absence has been noted by many).

Shamed into visiting Arcot by many who have asked about its state and me not knowing (and a text from Steve Holiday about a Water Rail there) I popped in at 14:15.  More than 70 Lapwings, in excess of 50 Greylags, 4 Herons, a baker's dozen of Moorhen, one Dunlin, one Common Tern but no Rail to be seen.  And a Sparrowhawk fly-by caused a small commotion that could only add to the 'excitement'!

Wednesday 27 July 2011

Shelling P's

Crikey - that was close. 

Being a Storm Petrel 'virgin', a text from SH on Sunday morning (after I had declared to 'Er Indoors' that my time would be committed to domestic matters) was frustrating, to say the least. 

And with two days away planned from Sunday afternoon to Tuesday afternoon, the use of t'interweb on the BlackBerry caused immense frustration as Petrels appeared to outnumber all other seabirds combined on home shores!

Blog titles of 'Sea Sick' and 'The Price of Petrel' appeared to be relevant as with every hour that past, the chance of seeing the 'House Martin of the Sea' ebbed faster than the tide itself.

But alas not!

6:15/8:30 last night, in the company of what appeared to be every Alan in the birding world (it was like the Monty Python Bruce sketch, but with Alans!), at least 10 Petrels and probably more.  And many Manxies, and Puffins and auks and Kittiwakes and the odd Gannet.

On my way back tonight for more!