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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jos Stratford" data-source="post: 3366912" data-attributes="member: 12449">16 February, Mosterios & Ponta Delgada.An overcast start to the day, brightening later. Fancied a bit of seawatching this day, combining it with a search for two Nearctic vagrants that were lingering on the coast at Mosterios. Jagged black volcanic rocks, offshore stacks and unforgiving seas, Mosterios is one of the north-westerly points of Sao Miguel, supposedly also the best area for seawatching. Arrived and spend a few minutes orientating and deciding on the best area to watch from, soon selecting a spot overlooking a tiny pebble beach with massive rock stacks rising to the south. A flock of about 25 Turnstones danced from rock to rock, then a small wader flew out from a hidden cove ...skimming low over the waves and settling on rocks near the beach, it was a Spotted Sandpiper, target number one of the two Nearctic vagrants, that was easy! Once it disappeared however, I never managed to relocate it, so maybe I was just lucky. Set the scope up and peered out to sea, not massive movements but in an a hour or so, several small flocks of Cory's Shearwater skimmed low the waves, plus a Great Skua buzzed flocks of Azorean Yellow-legged Gulls congregating around a couple of offshore fishing boats. Great Skuas are apparently rare visitors to the Azores, but perhaps it is simply due to a relative lack of observers in the winter season. Likewise, divers are supposed to be rare, but sitting a little offshore not only did I locate two Great Northern Divers, but also a single Black-throated Diver, the later careful checked for Pacific Diver! After a while, I walked a little further south to check a small bay. Bar a single Turnstone, no birds present. Then a cormorant flew in, circled round, passed over my head and then headed back out to sea, looping to the south and settling on a rock pinnacle just offshore. Double-crested Cormorant, Nearctic vagrant number two! Continued along the shoreline and clambered over the boulder to get a little closer to the rock pinnacle, the Double-crested Cormorant was now peering at me shouldered by two Azorean Yellow-legged Gulls.Not much else seen along this section of the coast, two Black-headed Gulls just about the highlight, so decided to return to Ponta Delgada to spend my last afternoon on the island back at the harbour. Very pleasant, Whimbrel and Grey Plover added, the very pale Glaucous Gull present again. Couldn't find either of the Ring-billed Gulls this day, but I didn't stay till evening when many more birds arrive to roost.In the early evening, I returned the rental car and then spent the rest of the evening in Ponta Delaga. The Azores leg was now basically over, I would fly out before daybreak next day.</blockquote>

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