martin kitching
Obsessed seawatcher
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)
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)