The Safari didn't see much on Patch 2 this morning mostly because a large Peregrine was bombing up and down the beach about a foot off the sand trying to flush something tasty out off the gutters. It did three or four passes without venturing as far as the 400 or so Oystercatchers further down...maybe Oystercatchers don't taste too good. A Grey Seal bobbed around offshore to the north and a Curlew called bringing it to our attention as it passed southwards along the water line.
We'd not long started the last of our hour long extra National Whale and Dolphin Watch watches when we noticed a fair few Common Scoters on the move, we started counting and got 180 or so but then got distracted by a little girl wanting to know about the dead whale that was on the beach earlier in the week. We resumed scanning after answering her questions and found this morning's Grey Seal and then a second one in the opposite direction.
Towards the horizon a great cloud of large white headed gulls surrounded the trawler Emily J and this seemed to have the effect of flushing another group of Common Scoters giving rise to a domino effect as one flock lifted and passed so another followed shortly afterwards - in all at least 450. Making a minimum of 630. There were probably more but a colleague dashed over to tell us that we'd had a call from Wifey saying Frank was really struggling today. That meant it was time to nick off early go home and call the vet for more advice...poor boy is having a torridly uncomfortable time and it's looking more and more likely he's going to need the big operation.
Where to next? Seems like the Turtle Dove has done one so no early morning twitch tomorrow and the overnight weather doesn't look good for the mothy to go out; even if Young Un AB found north Lancashire's first Small Ranunculus this morning.
In the meantime let us know what's on the move in your outback.
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