(If) only the sun...

The Safari reckons you can't beat a bit of The Stranglers but wasn’t able to drag Frank far enough up the hill to get anywhere near anywhere of note on Patch 1...seriously beginning to think it’s more or less defunct as a regularly watched patch.

On our drive to work up the hill we noticed one of the Peregrines was on the tower, first time we’ve seen one up there for over two weeks.

Due to Wifey’s car being taken in for its MOT and horrid inclement weather we didn’t get an early morning Patch 2 safari either...we want the sunshine back, cold wet and windy isn’t nice! Although it is giving the 100 or so saplings we planted last night a much needed watering. Many thanks to 177 ATC Squadron for not only planting the trees but donating them in the first place...all part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Woods celebrations....Long Live the Queen...!

A short lunchtime safari gave us a nice selection although the horizon had something of a wibbly heat haze somehow. Three Little Gulls were definitely pick of the bunch – never get tired of seeing those little beauts, three Kittiwakes blogged about a bit with them for a while before they went their separate ways. A succession of solitary Sandwich Terns wandered northwards, eventually reaching the dizzy heights of six. An auk sp sped southwards at range and two Gannets shimmered in the haze, also going south...probably already fed up with the change in the weather and heading back to warmer climes.

A Cormorant struggled with a sizeable fish that for a change wasn’t a flatty. The small number of Common Scoters in the distance didn’t contain any Velvets.

Back on Patch 1 we saw the Peregrine again this evening. We heard it as it came in giving its vocal chords a good exercising. Didn't stay long though.

We've been a bit lax updating the various tallies - so here we go - - 

Gannet P2 # 52

Razorbill P2 #53

Lesser Black Backed Gull P1 #28

Heron P1 #29

and 

Meadow Pipit Garden #30

Total for year remains on 144, still 16 behind Monika...unless she's been out and had some further success.

Where to next? Hopefully the nasty colds wind will blow something interesting our way tomorrow.

In the meantime let us know what's exercising its vocal chords in your outback.