What a Wednesday

This evening started off well with the boxing coach and her pupils up and down the access road at Wessie.  The tan suggests she was absent last week because of a spell in the sun.  I say no more as I am starting to sound like a stalker!

So to matters ornithological and much more important.

Walked into Arcot tonight - the hot weather clearly had affected the gentlemen's hormones as it was 'busy'.

As I entered the field, a white bird rose from the area of the submerged hedgeline and flew NW, landing on the spit/island.

Dog's bollocks - a Little Egret!

Bird-less

Keeping the faith and the focus on local hot spots (hot being weather related and not birds) lately, Wessie is almost 100% dried-up.  Near 20 or so Pied Wagtails, mostly young 'uns, over the last few days, a couple of Lapwings, half a dozen BHGs, the odd HG, a flock of juvenile Goldfinches and Linnets and hirundines too.  The boxing class wasn't on last night, so the bonus of the lycra-clad instructress running up and down the access road was absent as well.  Shame!

Arcot has a lower water level, some 15 inches or so, and almost every species has young in tow.  Mute pair have two, Little Grebe one, Mallards 10 and three, Coots have four and two, Moorhen two, and there's a few non-fecunds there too, such as Gadwall and yesterday, a Wigeon.  The bushes are equally busy.

You Couldn't Make It Up!

So after an early start to work today (again), and a drop into Wessie H first (one LRP, three RP, six juvenile Pied Wags and little else), it was about 2:00pm when I viewed BirdGuides and saw the biggest of the four white squares on the map.  Quick message left for The Guv (TG) as he and I were the only two birders between Land's End and John O'Scrotes (the famous 60s Scottish male porn star!) who were yet to connect with 'that tern'.

Off like Ms De Vil, and at Pegswood, the dreaded news that it had 'gorn orff' seaward.  Twat!

Slower drive back to work, and a response from TG and a wee chat whilst en route.

At my desk, a call from TG to say he had a text from another of his underlings and the bird was there.  'Are you sure it's not a delayed text you've had, as BirdGuides (I was looking at it) had it as away and not returned?', says I.

A few minutes later, and the word was it was deffo there.

Back into the phone box and a quick change into C De Vil and off back north.

Following TG from Woodhorn to the straight between Cresswell Ices and the north car park, plenty of cars and scopes and blokes.  Seconds to ornithological gismsville and counting.  And then a fecking huge RAF Hercules flying low and east over the pond and all heads turned to the sea.

As I got out the car, it was away and not ticked.

In the words of Sir Royston Vasey, I was as sick as f*ck.  Yes, f*ckin' sick.

So a few words from those present suggested it had been in and out more than John O'Scrotes' pork sword and therefore worth a wee wait.

The warm-up act were two Arctic Skuas coming over the pond and giving the terns some hammer.  Excellent!

And then the glorious moment as in from the shore to the south of the pond was the main event.  A superb bird, larger than I thought, somewhat Long-tailed Skua in appearance with a soupcon of Frigatebird.  The former resemblance might explain why the indigenous terns never left it alone, chasing it literally from pillar to post until it bogged off twards the briny at 4:25pm

No photos, you'll be pleased to hear, just one of me asking a few other birders if it was still there!