Couldn't resist it - a first for Britain tootling round in the bay off Dawlish Warren? Time to hit the road.
Picked up Bazzo, Tropical and Neill and headed south at 4am this morning.
It should have been earlier, but someone slept in and had to be roused from their pit like a confused warthog.
Let's just say it wasn't the Irish one, the one with red hair, or the fella with the moustache and leave it at that.
At Dawlish in Devon by 8.30am, bird was still showing, but 200 miles out - one hell of a way off to tick a first for Britain, a grey and white speck on the horizon, amongst GBBs, Eiders, Common Scoter and Red Throated Divers.
Luckily later in the morning it took flight and bombed straight in towards the vast birding crowd to give superb views close inshore - what a stunner!
In flight it reminded me of a Long Tailed Duck for some reason, but then again I may have drunk too much motorway service station espresso..........
Saves going to Kamchatka to see one though. Life is good.
Look at it trying to sneak around behind the gulls and Shag.
Here's some of the crowd, that stretched right round Dawlish Bay - at least 1,000 people watching the Murrelet, and I think everyone that stuck around got very good views eventually.
When the little bird dived, it entered the water with wings outstretched like a Stuka fighterplane, and once jumped clear of the water before going under.
Nearby gulls chose not to eat it. Which was good, but the bird is a good deal bigger than Little Auk and quite broad in the beam, although not as big as Razorbill or Guillemot.
Even so, it was probably too much of a mouthful for a hungry gull.
One Herring Gull did lunge at it, but I think they were just after the same fish in the shallows.
Its flat head and gleaming white throat stood out even when it was a long way offshore, and when it came close in, the white eye-ring and marbled chest were visible.
Marvellous.
Watched the Murrelet for about two hours on and off, a great morning, then headed back north.
Soundtrack for the journey included the Zutons, Ramones, Jimmy Vaughan and the Ruts.
Watching Tropical sleep through "Blitzkrieg Bop" and "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" at volume level 17 in my rear view mirror was quite astonishing.
A great day.
Have I missed much on the marsh this weekend?
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies.....
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ron jackson wrote...
John,
The Goshawk was seen today at Banks, not by me. 10k 'Feet on out marsh between Old Hollow and the ' End, so probably up to 20k on the estuary in total. 3.5k 'Feet by the Withens. A Emperor Goose with the Banks flock but nb they breed ferally on Walney. Wait though until it turns up in Norfolk!
A Blackcap, Grey Wag. and a Nuthatch in my garden behind Botanic on Friday. The latter possibly, just, from the relatively undisturbed (and unwatched) Meols Hall grounds,
Cheers,
Ron
Posted by: ron jackson | November 12, 2006 8:51 PM