A few more additions

 Yes indeedy, the seawatching has continued to be quite good, although the overall numbers of things other than Cory's has been quite low. However, as always, one is enough for the year list! Since my last update, even Basil has dragged his sorry ass out for a cursory glance at the sea and he even strung gleaned a few year ticks, but I'll leave them for him to declare, when he gets a moment...

So, over the last week or so I have netted a fine brace of grey phalarope, a species which for some reason (most probably apathy) has oft evaded me on patch. In addition, a cracking adult sabine's gull and a common tern while following the sab's, have both been most welcome. Numbers of cory's shearwaters have remained quite high, while great shearwaters have been chugging past but in much lower numbers.

Corys on the left; greats on the right

Up into third place in the league table, although undoubtedly this will not have been updated for ages by the other playas. Looking forward to the mig season getting underway any day now - all to play for!

Seawatching scores

 Yes indeedy, there have finally been some decent south-westerlies, and a result, there have finally been some decent seabirds passing the patch's outer limits! A massive 10.5 hr seawatch on Sunday plus another 6 hrs on Bank Holiday Monday resulted in a minimum of (count 'em!) 1,611 cory's shearwaters, 118 great shearwaters, 3 wilson's petrels (missed another 5 - ouch!), 2 long-tailed skuas, 5 balearic shearwaters, 2 pomarine skuas, 3 arctic skuas and 2 bonxies.

Not a bad couple of days birding! 

a telescope, yesterday

Still behind the goggly-eyed proccies in 5th place on the overall table tho - irksome!

At least it's stopped raining now...

 There goes another June and July, only this time without any sun and very few birds.

June did produce the only full fat patch tick of the year so far, in the form of an avocet on the Notsogreatpool on the 25/6.  This was followed by an Arctic skua cruising along the cliff tops on the 26th.

July delivered mute swan and swift both on the 9th and there's been nothing else since.

With a ten year average of two ticks for June and three of July, this years tally of two for each month is bang on average.

The forecast looks set fair for the beginning of August which could lower the water levels and provide some nice muddy edges for some nice waders; fingers crossed.  And I might look at the sea at some point. But for now the year list sits at 106 species and 86.65% of the total, which nudges me up into silver medal position.

Happy days

Bushveld