Calm seas

Blackdog - 5th March

A nice calm sea produced an excellent count of 140 Red-throated Divers. These birds have done some strange things recently. Until last year there was always a spring peak with May usually producing the only three figure counts of the year. Then last year spring passage was bizarrely non-existant with a May peak of just 20 birds. However there were then big late autumn influx with 131 in late November. And now this. An excellent count of Long-tailed Ducks too with 67 birds - quite possibly a Blackdog record!

However, back to more important things - 5 Fieldfares, single of Fulmar and Goldeneye and then a pair of Stonechats moves the year list to 67, or 54.18%, ahead of Seppy and hot on the heels of Roy Castle.

Statto