captaincarot
Well-known member
i've heard of people lining them with velcro to soak up stray light but growing moss in it, is taking the principle to a whole new level
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Hoylake Bird Observatory (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Jane Turner
- Start date
i've heard of people lining them with velcro to soak up stray light but growing moss in it, is taking the principle to a whole new level
Jane Turner
Well-known member
Shipping Forecast - Issued: 0405 UTC Wed 21 Sep
Wind: West or southwest 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first, decreasing 4 at times later.
Sea State Moderate or rough.
Weather Rain or squally showers.
Visibility Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
No wind at all just now. Can't see there being much action for at least 36 hours.and even then its looking like there is too muchS in the wind for Wirral.
Wind: West or southwest 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first, decreasing 4 at times later.
Sea State Moderate or rough.
Weather Rain or squally showers.
Visibility Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
No wind at all just now. Can't see there being much action for at least 36 hours.and even then its looking like there is too muchS in the wind for Wirral.
Jane Turner
Well-known member
Two species added today and another one messed up.
The highlight was an apparent passage of Grey Phalaropes. I had 6 sightings, including several prolonged ones of birds feeding and generally messing about in the tide edge. I had two in one sweep, so I know there was more thanone, and I think therte may have been 4-5. 3 is probably the safest number.
Other seabirds included a Fulmar, 7 Manxies, an Arctic Skua acting like a migrant as opposed to the usual 3-4 birds that have been mugging the terns for weeks. 350+ Sandwich Terns passedwith 10 Arctic Terns (60+yesterday evening). Many more auks than recently, 70 Guillemots, 12 Razorbill and another 100 Auk spp.
Waders were passing through too - Black-tailed Godwit was new for the year. A Curlew Sand went west too. WhenIwas watching the 1st Phalarope a Golden plover type flew over it. It appeared to have no contrast between the belly and the auxilliaries,mind I couldn't see any contrast between the auxilliaries and the rest of the the underwing. However even Euopean GP would have been new for the year!
Also a biggish Pipit pasage - 120 Meadows and my first Rock Pipit of the autumn (unless it was a BBP!)
138spp for the year
The highlight was an apparent passage of Grey Phalaropes. I had 6 sightings, including several prolonged ones of birds feeding and generally messing about in the tide edge. I had two in one sweep, so I know there was more thanone, and I think therte may have been 4-5. 3 is probably the safest number.
Other seabirds included a Fulmar, 7 Manxies, an Arctic Skua acting like a migrant as opposed to the usual 3-4 birds that have been mugging the terns for weeks. 350+ Sandwich Terns passedwith 10 Arctic Terns (60+yesterday evening). Many more auks than recently, 70 Guillemots, 12 Razorbill and another 100 Auk spp.
Waders were passing through too - Black-tailed Godwit was new for the year. A Curlew Sand went west too. WhenIwas watching the 1st Phalarope a Golden plover type flew over it. It appeared to have no contrast between the belly and the auxilliaries,mind I couldn't see any contrast between the auxilliaries and the rest of the the underwing. However even Euopean GP would have been new for the year!
Also a biggish Pipit pasage - 120 Meadows and my first Rock Pipit of the autumn (unless it was a BBP!)
138spp for the year
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Jane Turner
Well-known member
Two Curlew Sandpipers and an intriguing plover on the tide today.
Attachments
Jane Turner
Well-known member
three Curlew Sandpipers (2 juvs and an adult before the tide)and at least one juv and the adult during the tide. The bulk of the waders left before the tide, though they did come back quite early after it. Another Semi-P headed Ringed Plover - a different one to yesterdays too.
Attachments
Jane Turner
Well-known member
common sandpiper ?
knotsbirder
Well-known member
Cheshire Birder
Well-known member
Got to be either AGP or PGP for you eh Jane? 
CB
CB
Jane Turner
Well-known member
Just a plain old Goldie....despite it being quite big and very golden, there was a valiant attempt to make into a Lesser - after all it was on the beach. However it had the most brilliant white of armpits as well as being stumpy legged and fat!
And its with Oinks! Lapwing is a mega here... though I think its on the year list.
And its with Oinks! Lapwing is a mega here... though I think its on the year list.
Jane Turner
Well-known member
Westerly passage in 10.5 hours...with breaks for squalls, lunch and a bath to get warm again.
Northern Pintail 12, Scoter 98, Red-breasted Merganser 10, Red-throated Diver 8, Great Crested Grebe 60, Northern Fulmar 3, Manx Shearwater 14, Leach’s Storm-petrel 8, Northern Gannet 93, Great Cormorant 200, Eurasian Oystercatcher 20, Ringed Plover 54, Grey Plover 70, Knot 380, Sanderling 100, Dunlin 530, Curlew 70, Arctic Skua 46, Black-headed Gull 60, Common Gull 60, Lesser Black-backed Gull 70, Herring Gull 60, Great Black-backed Gull 40, Kittiwake 26, Guillemot 32, Meadow Pipit 40, Golden Plover 12, sabine's gull 1, pomarine skua 3, great skua 10, long-tailed skua 2, tunstone 5, grey phalarope 1, curlew sandpiper 3, razorbill 13, arctic tern 4, little gull 1, sandwich tern 11, black-tailed godwit 1, common tern 4
9 unidentified skuas, 50 Auk spp.
2 juv Pomarine skuas, one on the beach with 4 Bonxies 1st light, another one powered west a little after one and finally a darkish spooned adult. (new for the year). A presumed intermediate darkphase juv Long-tailed skua was confirmed on Hilbre -Ihave trouble getting enough plumage detail on the darker ones,though the jizz was bang on. Later a classic white-headed juv went through. The Grey Phalarope was early in the morning, intially out towards Dovepoint, then on pools on the beach. The Sabines Gull[ was about much of the day, a lovely juv, which spent most of the day dip feeding between the buoys. (New for the year)
The highlight of the day was the darkest Blue Fulmar that I have ever seen (at least I hope it was a Fulmar because I couldn't see the primary bases on the all dark big headed shortish winged tubenose that powered past a careening Arctic Skua like the latter was in treacle - it looked less brown but as dark as the Skua (on which I could see flashes easily)
141 for the year from the house
Northern Pintail 12, Scoter 98, Red-breasted Merganser 10, Red-throated Diver 8, Great Crested Grebe 60, Northern Fulmar 3, Manx Shearwater 14, Leach’s Storm-petrel 8, Northern Gannet 93, Great Cormorant 200, Eurasian Oystercatcher 20, Ringed Plover 54, Grey Plover 70, Knot 380, Sanderling 100, Dunlin 530, Curlew 70, Arctic Skua 46, Black-headed Gull 60, Common Gull 60, Lesser Black-backed Gull 70, Herring Gull 60, Great Black-backed Gull 40, Kittiwake 26, Guillemot 32, Meadow Pipit 40, Golden Plover 12, sabine's gull 1, pomarine skua 3, great skua 10, long-tailed skua 2, tunstone 5, grey phalarope 1, curlew sandpiper 3, razorbill 13, arctic tern 4, little gull 1, sandwich tern 11, black-tailed godwit 1, common tern 4
9 unidentified skuas, 50 Auk spp.
2 juv Pomarine skuas, one on the beach with 4 Bonxies 1st light, another one powered west a little after one and finally a darkish spooned adult. (new for the year). A presumed intermediate darkphase juv Long-tailed skua was confirmed on Hilbre -Ihave trouble getting enough plumage detail on the darker ones,though the jizz was bang on. Later a classic white-headed juv went through. The Grey Phalarope was early in the morning, intially out towards Dovepoint, then on pools on the beach. The Sabines Gull[ was about much of the day, a lovely juv, which spent most of the day dip feeding between the buoys. (New for the year)
The highlight of the day was the darkest Blue Fulmar that I have ever seen (at least I hope it was a Fulmar because I couldn't see the primary bases on the all dark big headed shortish winged tubenose that powered past a careening Arctic Skua like the latter was in treacle - it looked less brown but as dark as the Skua (on which I could see flashes easily)
141 for the year from the house
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Jane Turner
Well-known member
SHocking.... I'll upload a video shortly just shy of 11 hours seawatching today. Itwas time tostopwhen Icouldn't decide if birds were Kittiwakes or Arctic Skuas!
Jane Turner
Well-known member
Here is a measure of the weather.
Glad this guy got soaked... he flushed the waders that I was using to kill time between squalls...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YErEjUvSs0Q
And if you have seen one of these up close, you'll realise that the swell is 20ft+
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-r22IIdA2g
Taken when Icouldn't tell if the shapes were Kittiwakes or skuas any more and was losing Gannets!
Glad this guy got soaked... he flushed the waders that I was using to kill time between squalls...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YErEjUvSs0Q
And if you have seen one of these up close, you'll realise that the swell is 20ft+
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-r22IIdA2g
Taken when Icouldn't tell if the shapes were Kittiwakes or skuas any more and was losing Gannets!
Hadn't realised how rough it's been round your way today. Some impressive birds though.
Nice collection of 78s too.
Nice collection of 78s too
.
Jane Turner
Well-known member
They are mostly for sale, though Billy Fury has gone. Don't they sound great on an old Dansette!
Jane Turner
Well-known member
Final totals
meadow pipit 285, shelduck 36, Kittiwake 38, Scoter 79 skua spp 18 Birds mostly very distant, picked up careening almost straight at the shore before turning west, presumably as they saw land. Arctic Skua 11, Leach's Petrel 19 moving all day, but mostly close to the tide edge (Ifound I m1ssed them when looking out for skuas/shearwaters) Manx Shearwater 39, Great Skua 12 including an epic dogfight with first a GBBG and when that failed a Herring Gull. Gannet 7 - very few today! Common tern 6. rent goose 5 Fulmar 7, peregrine 4, ad m, imm m imm f ad m, Goldeneye 3 1st of the winter, Red-throated Diver 7, Merlin 3 passage w, Long-tailed skua 3 0820 palish juv over the beach west, well tailed adult east at 10.37 and west at 12.20 in the company of a sunning white headed juv. The adult landed on the sea and the juv carried on towards Hilbre. Greylag 3 (new for the year) Guillemot 20, Razorbill 16 Arctic tern 2, RB merganser 2, big shear water spp 2 1 e then w 10.20 presumed sooty, later a possible Cory's at 10.50 though the briefest of views - I'd tracked a partyof Kittiwakes as far west as I could see though the window, when an apparent Fulmar dropped down low in myview,as it came over the wave trough Isaw a brown head and mantle... and it went out of view. It would have been seen on Hilbre so I'll chalk it up to wishful thinking! Teal 1, Sooty shearwater 1 7.55 taking the same line as the skuas and rather distant! New for the year
143
meadow pipit 285, shelduck 36, Kittiwake 38, Scoter 79 skua spp 18 Birds mostly very distant, picked up careening almost straight at the shore before turning west, presumably as they saw land. Arctic Skua 11, Leach's Petrel 19 moving all day, but mostly close to the tide edge (Ifound I m1ssed them when looking out for skuas/shearwaters) Manx Shearwater 39, Great Skua 12 including an epic dogfight with first a GBBG and when that failed a Herring Gull. Gannet 7 - very few today! Common tern 6. rent goose 5 Fulmar 7, peregrine 4, ad m, imm m imm f ad m, Goldeneye 3 1st of the winter, Red-throated Diver 7, Merlin 3 passage w, Long-tailed skua 3 0820 palish juv over the beach west, well tailed adult east at 10.37 and west at 12.20 in the company of a sunning white headed juv. The adult landed on the sea and the juv carried on towards Hilbre. Greylag 3 (new for the year) Guillemot 20, Razorbill 16 Arctic tern 2, RB merganser 2, big shear water spp 2 1 e then w 10.20 presumed sooty, later a possible Cory's at 10.50 though the briefest of views - I'd tracked a partyof Kittiwakes as far west as I could see though the window, when an apparent Fulmar dropped down low in myview,as it came over the wave trough Isaw a brown head and mantle... and it went out of view. It would have been seen on Hilbre so I'll chalk it up to wishful thinking! Teal 1, Sooty shearwater 1 7.55 taking the same line as the skuas and rather distant! New for the year
143
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Jane Turner
Well-known member
In the end bad visibility ended my3 day seawatching marathon
Arctic Skua 6 Great Skua 4 Leach's Petrel 9 common tern 1 grey phalarope 1 making slow westerly progress with much landing on the water and wave dancing at first light. little egret 1 west, Mediterranean Gull 1 ad W west at sea! Skua spp1
In other news there was a Grey Wagtail West and two Goldecrests in the front garden. The first migrants in the garden for some time!
Arctic Skua 6 Great Skua 4 Leach's Petrel 9 common tern 1 grey phalarope 1 making slow westerly progress with much landing on the water and wave dancing at first light. little egret 1 west, Mediterranean Gull 1 ad W west at sea! Skua spp1
In other news there was a Grey Wagtail West and two Goldecrests in the front garden. The first migrants in the garden for some time!
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