Today has been a quiet but exceptional day. I returned
from the nightshift utterly grounded by my virus, crashed and went to bed. Upon
my awakening I decided to not go out birding but to stay in bed in the hope
that some rest would help clear me up for the days ahead. It was a quiet days
birding anyway, with nothing much reported in.
At around 4.30 I decided that rather than waste the whole
day I would go and do a little sea-watching. I was joined by Tim, and we
watched the good old sea for about half an hour. It was pretty quiet. I managed
to spot 2 Skuas, probably arctic but difficult to tell for the distance, and
Tim found a couple of Arctic Terns. Nothing exceptional, but about 2 mins after
Tim had left a juvenile Kittywake dropped in, so that made it a bit more
interesting, something different.
I headed down to make some tea and to settle down in
preparation for the evening ahead. Another birder, called Adam, was also
staying in the Warren and he came in around 7.00 to get some stuff and said
that a couple of guys were Seawatching, and that a black tern had been spotted
further north and that it should be here within half an hour.
Black tern or no, any birding would be better than
lounging round, so after dinner I headed up. All my days, Adam is the best
birder I have ever birded with. He had birds all over the shop. In fairness,
during our 90 min seawatch I did not do too badly, with a Yellow Wagtail,
Fulmar and a couple of flyby Sanderling to my name. I have no idea where these
birds came from, but Adam found Black-Tailed Godwit, Manx Shearwater, an
immature Mediterranean Gull (My first of this age and at Spurn) and most
importantly the Black Tern itself.
It’s almost August and I have finally managed to get one
of my target lifers this year, finally. When a large flock of Common Terns flew
past I naturally gave them a once over and then went back to my searching. I
clearly overlooked the immature Black Tern among them, but such was my shock
when Adam announced it that I nearly sent my scope flying in order to get a
view. I did manage a view, but not a good one, as the bird had already past me
when Adam spotted it. I got around 3 seconds of viewing before the bird was
gone, but it was clear to see the dark upperside and generally stockier body
compared to the Common Terns it was with. No record photos, sadly, as the whole
thing happened very quickly and I opted to watch the bird rather than
photograph it. But I can now finally tick this species, my 20 LIFER this year.
Buzzing from that, and the other stuff, I headed back to
the warren to prep for the nightshift. The birds on the ponds consisted of the
usual crowd, but I re-located the Avocet chicks this evening, their being
dragged all over by their parents. They had grown far more than I had expected,
though they still had their immature fluff. Other birds on the ponds consisted
of the usual crowd of waders; Grey Plover, Golden Plover, Knot, Sanderling,
Dunlin, Redshank and Oystercatcher.
On the face of it, a good day, even though it was wasted
on the whole. Hopefully said virus will begin to clear up and some more birding
will be in store over the next few days.
The Daily
Oystercatcher
Today is also a monumental occasion in the lifer of our
Oyks. It’s likely that this is not the first time, but today I saw the juvenile
birds fly. They have probably been flying for a few days, as they seemed pretty
competent, but since it’s my first time seeing them it feels like a first time.
They flew from one of the spits, round and then down into the area behind the
dunes where it is difficult to see. It was wonderfully rewarding to see,
feeling safe now that they have made it.
In the evening both chicks were sat with one adult on the
isolated crab pot, roosting up ready for the evening’s kip. They looked rather
snug and content, a good sign. I am beginning to feel very much like a proud
parent.
Species List:
Beacon Ponds: Oystercatcher,
Dunlin, Little Egret, Mallard,
Seawatching: Gannet,
Arctic Tern, Sandwich Tern, Little Tern, Arctic Skua, Sanderling,
Oystercatcher, Linnet, Kittywake, Swallow, Sand Martin, Manx Shearwater, Black
Tern, Knot, Dunlin, Fulmar, Black-Tailed Godwit, Herring Gull, Yellow Wagtail,
Swift, Turnstone, Mediterranean Gull,
Beacon Ponds: Grey
Plover, Golden Plover, Sanderling, Dunlin, Oystercatcher, Avocet, Ringed
Plover, Cormorant, Knot, Herring Gull
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