Thursday 29 August 2013

Strumble Head (29 Aug 13)

Time: 0600 - 1630
Weather: Cloudy at first then sunny spells.
Wind: SW (F3-5)

Sooty Shearwater - 1
Great Skua - 3
Arctic Skua - 19 (5J, 2P, 12D)
Pomarine Skua - 3 (2J, 1P)
Sandwich Tern - 13
Comic Tern - 6
Mediterranean Gull - 3 (AdWin, 2 1stWin)
Little Gull - 1 (2ndWin)
Common Scoter - 15 (2F, 13M)
Wigeon - 2
Curlew - 1

Whimbrel - 4 (Including one bird with dark rump and no white tip to the tail.  It had an overall cold plumage tone compared to the other bird it was with - seen at reasonably close range.  Having read up on Hudsonicus I cannot confirm whether the head pattern was any stronger than normal and whether the under-wing was darker.  Certainly all Whimbrels past so far this year have shown a white rump including the 1,498 last week - oh well!)

Dunlin - 3
Ringed Plover - 1
Puffin - 1
Grey Heron - 1

Common Porpoise - showing very well with a number leaping clean out.
Basking Shark - 1 (Full Breach from very big individual)