Saturday 18 August 2018

Too Early

I set my alarm this morning for 0430, not a good idea as it was gone midnight before I got to bed, but high tide was at 0445 and I wanted to get to Rossall as soon as it was light so I could have a look on the sea before the tide dropped! I actually wished I hadn't bothered, as you will find out in a moment as it was very quiet, but as Ian Wallace (I think?) once said "time out = birds in"! I got there at about 0515 and it was too early as it was still very dark!

I had full cloud cover with a 20-25 mph southwesterly wind, and the visibility in the bay was pretty poor; I couldn't see the wind turbines or across to Walney. And consequently there was little movement. My notebook records 28 Common Scoters, a Cormorant and an Auk sp. and that was it on the sea. Not a Tern, Gannet, Manxie or anything! In fact by 0700 I'd had enough and headed home.

A few waders moved past including five Ringed Plovers, four Curlews, 19 Oystercatchers, two Dunlins, 20 Turnstones and twelve Sanderlings.

The highlight of the morning was a Hummingbird Hawkmoth that flew past me and round the observation tower. I followed it, but it was constantly on the move and sadly I couldn't get a photograph of it.

The forecast is grim for tomorrow so I can have a few beers tonight and a lie in before early mornings and north Cumbria beckons again next week!

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