Saturday, July 18, 2009

After the rain...


Today was much better after 24 hours of very heavy rain. This morning was dull with some light showers but this afternoon was warm with sunny spells.

I had an hour and a half seawatch this morning from the coast path near home. I find it strange to pick up the scope and deckchair after seawatching and instead of putting them in the car, I can just walk the few hundred yards back home.

Totals seen as follows-

9.30am - 11am -

Tufted Duck 1 female with a flock of auks N.
Common Scoter 45 N and 7 S
Red breasted Merganser 1 ec male N
Cormorant 6 N
Gannet 1200 per hour N ( 22 in 1 minute)
Fulmar 15 per hour N
Manx Shearwater 20 N
Kittiwake 500 per hour N
Little Gull 2 ad summer N
Puffin 35 N
Bonxie 6 N including a group of 4
Arctic Tern 74 N
Common Tern 4 N
Roseate Tern 4 ad N
Sandwich Tern 13 N
Knot 50 N in one flock. Too quick to get an accurate count.
Sanderling 7 N
Whimbrel 1 N

A Porpoise was seen close in for a few minutes.

This evening at 6pm we had a visit to our friends house to feed their cat. They live on the other side of Howick Estate. On arrival a Barn Owl flushed from the top of a telegraph pole and vanished into the wood. Later 5 Crossbills flew N low over head calling constantly.

Back home, at 7.30pm our Barn Owl was hunting out the back field. In the bright sunshine it looked really good. These images above were taken from inside our kitchen, through the window. After the prolonged heavy rain these birds will be hungry now...

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your Barn Owls are beautiful. Thanks for the lovely picture.

Susan

Greenie said...

Great shot of the pair of Barn Owls .

midlands birder said...

im so jellous i got exited about 2 arctic terns near my house today and look how many you get.and you get a lot of stuff i would love to see.

Emma Anderson said...

Beautiful barn owl pictures.

Tricia Ryder said...

To be able to seawatch within walking distance of your home must be great. To see, and photograph, barn owls from your kitchen - sublime!


(Sighs whilst turning a funny shade of green :) )

Stewart said...

Ta all, yes I hope there'll be more sea watching exploits as the autumn progresses...

oldcrow61 said...

Fabulous picture of the Barn Owls.