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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Seawatching 2012 (1 Viewer)

Forecast strong easterlies didn't amount to much here. Best in an hour this evening at Garron Point was 1 Great Skua, 1 Arctic Skua and 4 Storm Petrel.

Neal
 
Any thoughts on Pendeen or St Ives tomorrow, Saturday 25th? Looking like a good WNW with rain.

Yeah I was wondering that - but would like some thoughts from those more experienced. It's a long old schlep from Dorset... but I fancy some decent seawatching. Does it look good or does that wind need to be stronger or a little more from the north?

Ken
 
Yeah I was wondering that - but would like some thoughts from those more experienced. It's a long old schlep from Dorset... but I fancy some decent seawatching. Does it look good or does that wind need to be stronger or a little more from the north?

Ken
Looking good for tomorrow afternoon from St Ives, Pendeen, Trevose Head and Rumps Point.

Colin
 
Looking good for tomorrow afternoon from St Ives, Pendeen, Trevose Head and Rumps Point.

Colin

Per Magicseaweed it looks good at Pendeen from dawn, or at least that's how I read it. Lots of nice showers as well. Unpleasant for humans, but (potentially) rather tasty for bringing vagrant tubenoses close to land....
 
Per Magicseaweed it looks good at Pendeen from dawn, or at least that's how I read it. Lots of nice showers as well. Unpleasant for humans, but (potentially) rather tasty for bringing vagrant tubenoses close to land....

Agreed.

Latest Magicseaweed forecast and shipping forecast suggest Pendeen from dawn onwards could be good.

Perhaps not classic conditions and the drop off in winds overnight might be a slight issue. But with the number of interesting seabirds in the area at the moment then any WNW wind force 6/7 or above has to be worth a go.

Wednesday / Thursday next week also has potential for the SW but possibly currently a bit southerly for Pendeen.
 
Well, I hope it goes past Pendeen tomorrow!

They often do come round again - see the latest thread on the rare birds forum on Fea's type Petrels.
 
I will be visiting Weston (Somerset) shortly for a bit of a break and would like to know of any goos seawatching area's around Weston.
I will be based in Kewstokes very close to Sand Point if there are any regulars watching in this area could possibly meet up so they can give me advice

Kind Regards

Adrian

BCB
 
No feas off pendeen. A dozen Great and corys. Pom with full spoons.

Yes. I travelled down from Dorset for the day. It was a great craic and I had a fantastic day. When I first arrived, having set off at 3:30am, I thought I had made a mistake. The wind was a bit too south and there was not a great deal moving. Slowly, however, the day just got better. The only thing missing was a Fea's - although not probable, it's occurrence did seem very possible - but 5 shearwater sp and 4 skuas can't be bad! Cory's was a Brit tick for me B :), pom with spoons is always nice and a cracking close dark juv LT skua was great. On top of this there was good company and constant, close basking shark, several sunfish, common dolphin and harbour porpoise. One of the best days birding I've had for a while.

Ken
 
I've dusted down my sea-watching position set up the comfy chair, fixed the brace that holds the office window open without it rattling off the hinges in a force 10 westerly, contorted the tripod so I can scan 40 degrees of horizon from said comfy chair and taken the radio upstairs.

Alas there was zero passage (unless 3 Kittiwakes count). Plenty of action in the bay, 40 Gannets a few Manxies and 8 or so Arctic Skuas, which were alternating between blogging about on sea or ganging up on Sandwich Terns that were fishing with the Gannets and Manxies.

Anyway. I'm ready!
 
Westerly passage off Hoylake today

232 Gannet
208 Sandwich Tern
131 Kittiwake
68 Arctic Skua, including several flocks first thing
58 Manx Shearwater
21 Scoter
8 Common Tern
14 Bonxie
15 Leach's Petrel,only 2 up to 12, but then picking up in the afternoon
3 Guillemot
2 Red-throated Diver
2 Pomarine Skua one spooned sub-adult and a second bird
1 Wigeon
2 Arctic Tern
1 Pintail
2 Long-tailed Skua - both juvs, one intermediate and one stonking pale bird
1 Fulmar
1 Sabines gull 1 juv
1 Razorbill

Suffering retinal burn out now (8 hour seawatch!)
 
Wow! Can I ask how much the pelagic cost?

Hi Larry,

Think it was 90 euros, we were out for about 8 hours tho, with only ten people on board. As far as I know, Dani only really organises them for his friends and local birders (I only got on it by chance), and is usually oversubscribed. He did say he might be tempted to do one for Brits next bank holiday August if there was enough interest, but all up in the air atm.

Ollie
 
Ramore Head 10 - 14 September

Totals from 45 hours effort in the last week:

Manx Shearwater c.2555
Sooty Shearwater 58
Arctic Skua 68
Great Skua 249
Pomarine Skua 4
Storm Petrel 12
Leach's Petrel 57
Sandwich Tern 65
Arctic Tern 235
Whimbrel 9
Golden Plover 25
Snipe 1
Dunlin 12
Redshank 29
Bar-tailed Godwit 2
Teal 24
Tufted Duck 14
Common Scoter 57
Velvet Scoter 1
Red-throated Diver 27
Great Northern Diver 8
Puffin 5
Sabine's Gull 4
Brent 614
Pink-footed Goose 3
Wigeon 9
Red-breasted Merganser 3
Grey Phalarope 2

The wind never strayed far from westerly over the period, with strong WNW winds on Tuesday and Friday. No great passage was noted on any day, but a nice variety of species trickled by. A great run of LB Brent (and 3 Pink-feet) early in the week was great to see. A female Velvet Scoter also made an appearance on Thursday during a SW, when a good passage of Bonxies started, which culminated in 158 passing on Friday. As ever, Ramore produced its fair share of Leach's - many birds passing by close in. Suprisingly few Sabine's were seen and not even a sniff of a Long-tailed Skua.

A GYR Falcon put in an appearance on three of the days. Unfortnately it had a black ring on one or both of its legs and is believed to be the same escaped bird seen recently at nearby Giant's Causeway. Still a great bird to see - the gulls in the car park didn't know what to make of it!

Neal
 
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