Nasty Northwesterlies

I sometimes wonder what motivates us as birders as we will go out even if we can confidently predict that the birding will be poor. Or can we; I think it's that nagging doubt of "what if" or "just in case" that drives us on. This morning was one of those mornings and I saw very little and confidently predicted that I would see very little, but there is something about standing in the teeth of a gale and sea watching that makes you feel very much alive!

As I pulled up at the Point I waited for a squally shower to pass and headed to the watch point and joined Ian. Sitting it out and allowing that squally shower to pass cost me a Bonxie along the beach! We had anywhere between clear skies and full cloud cover with a good 40-50 mph northwesterly wind.

 Conditions out at sea this morning

As I hinted at above the sea was pretty quiet and my notebook records just 5 Common Scoters, two Red-throated Divers, eight Red-breasted Mergansers, 21 Kittiwakes, three Shelducks and a Fulmar.

A few waders were about including ten Turnstones, 200 Knots, 25 Grey Plovers and 90 Sanderlings.

I've postponed tomorrow's site visits until Thursday because of yet another atrocious forecast, but it is forecast to be a straight westerly so I might just have to go sea watching again "just in case"!