The Safari didn't get out til late today. We weren't sure if we were going to get out at all and if we did where would we go. In the end we managed to leave the house just before lunchtime and dragged the scope over the hill to our nearest coastal watchpoint tucked in out of the wind lurking furtively behind the public lavvies at Gynn Square - gynn being a Viking word for a cleft in the cliffs. In the increasing south-westerly it was quite sheltered and we were able to look along the troughs rather than across the tops of the waves like wot we usually have to do at Patch 2.
As soon as we put our eye to the eyepiece a dark bird careened in and out of the waves a couple of time in the distance. It looked more jizzilly skuary than gully but disappeared before we could clinch any more of an ID than that.
The tide was on the rise but we a bit too early, perhaps might have been better after the tide but it was dark by then.
All we saw for the rest of the session were a few small flocks of Common Scoters - you've got to give these little ducks some serious respect. In the forthcoming 'super' storm they are going to sat out there come hell or high water and if the telly is to believe copious quantities of each are about to be unleashed - it'll just wash over them like the proverbial water of a ducks back - tough little b*ggers they are!
The wind was already up to around 40mph gusting a bit more but not quite reaching 50mph and there was some serious wavage going on out there. We watched the local freighter, the Silver River, come in and it was pitching all over the place its bow almost lifting clean out of the water a few times.
Even the gullage was on the quiet side with the migratory species Common and Lesser Black Backs being the most numerous and almost all going southwards. A couple of Great Black Backs cocked a snook a the oncoming weather in their own inimical 'I'm tougher than you - bring it ON' style.
We could only give it an hour and a half before having to head back to Base Camp where we wanted to try some more macro pics if the sun came out, which it did but instead we managed to whittle away the whole afternoon doing nothing in particular and certainly nothing productive and all to seen the change in the hour took its toll and it was dark! So apologies for the lack of illustrative pics today...must try harder!
Where to next? A late start tomorrow due to physio so no early Patch 2 session...we'll be swotting Black Browed Albatross pics all night just in case for Patch 2 tomorrow lunchtime!
In the meantime let us know if it's a breeze in your outback
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