Northumberland seawatching

[martin kitching]

After missing the fun of earlier this week (although I was crossing the Bay of Biscay so I'm not too disappointed) I decided to visit Church Point, Newbiggin early yesterday evening. I arrived at 16:30 and the three birders already there suggested that I would wish I hadn't bothered as there was "absolutely nothing moving". Afer 3 min I picked up a Sooty Shearwater, then 2 Bonxies and a couple of Manx, and then things really livened up........

In 1h 30m I had the following totals:

200+ Manx Shearwaters
1 Sooty Shearwater
4-5 Arctic Skuas
1 Pom Skua
17 Bonxies

The Pom was a nice "spoony" adult which gained altitude as it headed N. Following it while it was high in the sky I was amazed to see it pass beneath 2 Bonxies! How many skuas could be missed on seawatches just because observers (naturally) are concentrating on the sea?

All the birds were passing N and a healthy debate ensued about the reasons for this...........

martin kitching
(currently praying that the pelagic I'm leading on Sunday doesn't fall victim to the weather)

[Michael Frankis]

(currently praying that the pelagic I'm leading on Sunday doesn't fall victim to the weather)

Same here (I'm booked on it too!), but I fear it will, the N wind continuing and the sea now distinctly rough. Too much risk of people joining the chum. Still, there's always the next one on 13th Sep.

When I can find the time, I'll be posting some theories about seabirds almost always flying N along the UK east coast

As for the scheming tricks of skuas to get past unseen . . . the nine Poms I got at St Mary's on Tuesday almost escaped by coming in very close, very low, below everyone's scopes - fortunately someone happened to glance south with no scope and saw them coming. And I've also known skuas to fly across the land behind the assembled birders at Newbiggin! Devious b*ggers!

Michael

[Michael Frankis]

Just checked the weather charts:
http://www.maalla.co.uk/uk-weather/syn.htm
The wind is going to stay the same for the next 4 days, finally quietening down on Tuesday

Michael

[Harry Hussey]

Hi Michael,
Any idea of wind diection/speed for Ireland for the next few days?
Harry H

[Michael Frankis]

Hi Harry,

Light northeasterly today, then light northerly for the next 3 days, and calm on Tuesday.

To read weather charts (at the link above, click on the series of times below 'With fronts: Bracknell') - wind is clockwise round high pressure (H), anti-clockwise round low pressure (L), with the wind direction more-or-less parallel to the isobar lines (actually spiralling slightly outward from highs, spiralling slightly into lows), and wind speed, the stronger the closer the isobars are together

Michael

[POP]

Harry forecast for tuesday WARNINGS: Nil. WIND: N moderate. WEATHER: A ridge of high pressure is expected build slowly across the U.K. from the west bringing mainly dry and stable conditions; however, scattered moderate showers continuing in the extreme NW. Chance of a light shower elsewhere. Temperatures recovering to around normal. Another cool night. VISIBILITY: Good. Moderate in showers/rain. CLOUD: Partly cloudy, cloudy in showers.
John

[Grousemore]

Same here (I'm booked on it too!), but I fear it will, the N wind continuing and the sea now distinctly rough. Too much risk of people joining the chum. Still, there's always the next one on 13th Sep.
Hi Michael, I was going to post and ask you if you meant "churn" as in the sea,but checked the dictionary and found out what "chum" is;not a term I've heard before.

[Michael Frankis]

Hi Grousemoor,

Chum: mixture of vegetable oil, cod-liver oil, rice krispies and chupped-up fish guts, used to attract seabirds close in to the boat and feed them. Smells disgusting to the human nose, delicious to the average Fulmar, etc.

Michael

[Grousemore]

Sounds revolting,Michael,but if it works.....

By the way,the name is GrousemORE,there is a sublety there,but never mind.;)

[Michael Frankis]

Hi Grousemore,

Ooops!

Probably because I've got a bird brain, and 'grouse' automatically spells 'moor' ;)

Michael

PS Yes, chum does work, very well!

[Harry Hussey]

Hi Michael,
Thanks for info on winds:may as well stay at home until at least Wed.so,very few passerines will come in with those winds either!
Harry H

[Darrell Clegg]

Originally posted by Michael Frankis
And I've also known skuas to fly across the land behind the assembled birders at Newbiggin! Devious b*ggers!

Michael

Hi Michael,

They do this at St Ives as well.


If you think that chum smells bad, have you ever had a whiff of DMS - the stuff they sometimes add to attract birds? - it's undescribably bad, it gets everywhere, and you can't get rid of it!!


Darrell

[Michael Frankis]

Hi Darrell,

Originally posted by Darrell Clegg
If you think that chum smells bad, have you ever had a whiff of DMS - the stuff they sometimes add to attract birds? - it's undescribably bad, it gets everywhere, and you can't get rid of it!!

Yep - once made some of the stuff at school in after-school chemistry club, after reading about the smell. Stank the place out good'n'proper :-O lessons the next day were held with the windows wide open :king:

That was long before anyone discovered its attractant power for seabirds when in low concentrations

For anyone wondering, DMS = Dimethyl sulphide. To prepare it, reflux methyl bromide over sodium sulphide crystals. Don't breath a lot in, it is quite toxic (though the smell so revolting, that you'd leave the room long before getting a harmful dose). Very, very low concentrations of it (one or two parts per million) are produced by plankton when it gets eaten by small fish, and some seabirds (notably petrels) have a very keen sense of smell for it, enabling them to home in on good feeding prospects.

Michael