Mopping the Brow

Rare is in the air! Well rare birds anyway. So as the storm that will be inihilating all our cavities with multiple common, scarce and rare birds in one days time hits Cornwall, our winds ease. Now as any avid bird migration observer or 'vismig-er' will tell you, a drop in or change of wind can be a very good thing! And we weren't dissapointed as this little six-striped sprike all the way from Siberia was discovered...a Yellow-browed Warbler:

 

 

 

Classic Farnes views of this classic autumn beauty, in dock at 15ft. Despite this it was surprisingly elusive as the light faded...fingers crossed it and some friends are here tomorrow!

 

A brilliant supporting cast, mainly consisting of our first decent wildfowl passage of the day only added fuel to the ever-increasing fire of bird related anxiety growing inside me. I can literally feel this strom coming! But am pretty sure I am also totally over-hyping it! Anyway back to the birds. Teal came in at 296N, Wigeon 325N, Common Scoter 70N, Red-throated Diver 8N, 4S, Pale-bellied Brent 105N. Check the lovely goose shot:

 



Pale-bellied Brent geese from Arctic Canada passing our fair shores.

 

Seabird passage, much like the wildfowl was also pretty good, though far less voluminous with 5 Bonxie and a long overdue (considering how many the east coast has been getting) Long-tailed Skua north past us at various points.

 

A Bonxie looking big.

 

 

But for me you see, I love seawatching, but experiencing falls or even the shear presence of one of two migrant landbirds makes me weak at the knees! The rush of storming round an island or your patch not knowing what is in the next patch of dock or over the next wall is so so so good. And on the Farnes this is as extreme it gets, even common species here are so utterly out of their element, and have travelled so far to get hee it just boggles the mind. I get out of breath running up stairs! Doubt I'd be a very good migrant. I look forward to jamming some serious land hours over the next few days. C'mon!

 

Our posts are ready, but are the birds?!?

 

Until then here's the passerine (or small flitty birds to those less birdy) highlights of recent days:

 

Meadow Pipit getting totally posted.

 

Whitethroat being unusually showy in our minimal vegetation.

 

Wheatears posing, or should I say posting ha ha ha....oh dear.

 

The machine. At 5g this Goldcrest has just flown from Scandanvia to the UK. Legend.





And a recent highlights sections wouldn't be complete without some more random shots:

Great Black-backed Gull being a general brute.

 

Purple Sandpiper pretending its invisable.

 

Peregrine resting between Pigeon kills.

 

And finally it wouldn't be the Farnes without a stunning sunset. No more of these please. Rain and easterlies forever.

 

Goodbye Brownsman, hellow Inner Farne, lets have it!!