shearwater sat? (1 Viewer)

[woodhornbirder]

strong sw winds sat, according to beeb site.

gonna be big movement of shearwaters?


any predictions, and for some blown to east coast ?(up channel)

 

[Nutcracker]

Might be OK for Cornwall, but won't be any good for Northumbs!

 

[woodhornbirder]

Might be OK for Cornwall, but won't be any good for Northumbs!

yeah its very random for the birds to make it round the corner(kent). I have had mixed results with shearwaters and sw/ssw winds in the past. Its hard to define a pattern for say corys reaching the ne coast.

weatehr now reporting wsw and only 20mph winds so thats a miss

 

[Nutcracker]

Some Cory's, and perhaps an occasional Balearic, might come past Kent to get here. But the vast majority (all Manx, Sooty, Great, and probably most Balearic and Cory's), get here over the top of Scotland. So you need a strong NW/NNW blow to get them into the North Sea, then ideally veering N or NNE to bring them a bit closer inshore.

If there's good feeding fairly close inshore, a lot of Manx and some Sooties will linger off the coast here for quite a while, and that's when you can see some on SW/SSW wings - they didn't arrive on them, but will hang about through them, if the feeding's good.

 

[Barry Hunt]

Some Cory's, and perhaps an occasional Balearic, might come past Kent to get here. But the vast majority (all Manx, Sooty, Great, and probably most Balearic and Cory's), get here over the top of Scotland. So you need a strong NW/NNW blow to get them into the North Sea, then ideally veering N or NNE to bring them a bit closer inshore.

If there's good feeding fairly close inshore, a lot of Manx and some Sooties will linger off the coast here for quite a while, and that's when you can see some on SW/SSW wings - they didn't arrive on them, but will hang about through them, if the feeding's good.

Would agree with Nutcracker, as coming from Kent any Shearwater is a bonus, they're infrequent visitors. They tend to pass back out of the North Sea in a northerly direction, perhaps sensing the narrowing Channel and shallower waters?

 

[Mark Newsome]

yeah its very random for the birds to make it round the corner(kent). I have had mixed results with shearwaters and sw/ssw winds in the past. Its hard to define a pattern for say corys reaching the ne coast.

weatehr now reporting wsw and only 20mph winds so thats a miss

I find SW to S winds the worst possible for shearwaters off the north-east coast. Even if there have been Manx and Sootys around in days previous, this wind clears them all out (at least out of close inshore waters). I actually find Cory's pretty predictable. Wait for a build-up off SW Ireland, watch for a high pressure centred over the western half of the UK withe the loop extending over the top of Scotland feeding N to NW winds (even fairly light), and you can see the results in shearwater passage. Long proven combo for Cory's off Flamborough and Whitburn. Not happened yet this July, but there's time..

Mark