Dang what a couple crazy days of birding!
On 31st August, I went out for a first serious seawatch at a headland near me. I kept getting crazy reports from out west and some from the south of just about every pelagic bird one can see in Ireland, and especially after crazy wind blowing in birds from the south of the Irish Sea, I was hopeful for something! Surely something will show up after 3 and a bit hours…
The wind was crazy at first but calmed down to the end, and a couple brief showers came down, aswell as some short bouts of fog. Plenty of Gannets, Sandwich Terns coming in close, Shags out on the water, a handful of Kittiwakes, and a couple Manx Shearwaters. After 2 hours of scanning the sea, enduring the brief showers, over the horizon, I see it. Dark, gull-like, with whitish wing patches. A Skua (or Jaeger for you Americans)! Either an Arctic or Long-tailed (considering there had been a report of one in the morning), but it showed a rather short tail and sharp transition from the white belly to the dark tail. Arctic Skua! Hell yeah!!! I’ve been meaning to see this one for a while now, considering that is a fairly frequent visitor to the Irish Sea. It even showed a little hint of pirate life style, picking on a Kittiwake for a moment.
After that, I was hoping for maybe a Storm-Petrel, as they seemed to be another one present in the Sea, but alas, it had to come to a close. Another time.
But this first watch, just sitting and scanning the sea for hours on end, in weather one would rather stay inside for, really gave a taster for what it really is like. And that was 3 hours! The endurance to do all day!!! My brain was already melting by the end! As well as that, this also made me really respect the pelagic species, and the migratory birds for that matter too, for enduring the crazy conditions that may occur at sea, for staying in the air, for toughing through the storms, for riding the wind wherever it takes them…
Unfortunately no pics due to the conditions and that I already had a full bag!
But yesterday, 1st September, I was relaxing after the seawatch, when I get a notif that there is a Stilt Sandpiper at my local spot!!! An American vagrant!!! I was packing my stuff within seconds, so much so as to forget a coat and protection for the scope (foreshadowing…). I started to go down and there is another notif. This time of a juvi Sabine’s Gull!!! This got me even more pumped!!!
As I was walking to the spot, there was a large, dark cloud coming in, and to really cement my thoughts in, it started lightly drizzling. I got to where the birds were, and it started pouring. I was there with a flannel and a hat, under a tree, waiting for it to pass. It eventually did, and made my way to where it was seen. 2 birders were already there, and kindly pointed me to where the piper was. A tick and pics! A Peregrine falcon came through, surprisingly not flushing this piper, but alerting the dunlins and ringed plovers all over the mudflats. The rain came back for a little bit again, soaking my scope a bit. Now, I’m regretting not prepping too much lol. Next, I scan about to check out the Sabine’s. Poor juvi was not feeling so good, just sitting low and still in the water. But a tick and pics nonetheless, although not in the best of conditions. :(
After 15 mins, the Peregrine is back, and actually swoops at the Stilt Piper! It took off and flew high above us and away. Unfortunately, some birders that were just coming up the track missed it by seconds. :/
By the end, at least 5 birders showed up in the 15 mins I was there, with more on the way as I was heading back, with the scopes over the shoulders and everything. Very fun to see the collective braincell have when it comes to rarities lol.
The piper was there again today too! I didn’t go this time around, I was quite exhausted after these two days lol.
But! Whoa digiscoped pics be upon ye!
