Sunday 13 April 2014

Niggling Northerly

I bumped in to Ian at first light this morning and we headed to the Scar where we could 'watch' the sea even though the tide was out and had yet to turn and run in. The forecast had been for it to be a straight westerly this morning but in reality there was a 'niggling northerly' in it making it a chilly west-northwesterly. In fact it felt like a November morning this morning, not like mid April at all!

The first hour after first light was definitely the best and it slowed down a great deal after that. Passage on the sea included 31 Red-throated Divers, a Fulmar, two Gannets, 19 Common Scoters, 15 Kittiwakes, two Red-breasted Mergansers, ten Eiders, two Sandwich Terns, four Cormorants and a Shelduck.

As you might expect there was very little vis under these conditions other than two Swallows, a Meadow Pipit, a Sand Martin and 21 Goldfinches. I had a few waders on the shore in the form of 28 Sanderlings, 55 Dunlins and 85 Turnstones. The only grounded migrant was a single Wheatear.

Back home in my moth trap were two Hebrew Characters, a Common Quaker and an Early Grey. It's forecast a stiff northwesterly for tomorrow so I'm not sure if I'll get out other than to drop some food off at the bin at my feeding station followed by a short walk on the Moss perhaps.

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