Bazzo was already wedged in a dune scanning the waves when I got down to Formby Point at 9.30am this morning.
With a force 5 south westerly decreasing and cloudy conditions brightening up it was a good session, with birds passing pretty much all the time.
We stayed in position till 12.20pm.
Kittiwake 50
Gannet 210
Manx Shearwater 240
Storm Petrel 1
Fulmar 2
Great Crested Grebe 2
Arctic Skua 3-4
Cormorant 1
Common Tern 64
Arctic Tern 30
Sandwich Tern 45
Whimbrel 2
Shelduck 1
LBB 80+
Common Scoter 300
Bar Tailed Godwit 3
Good numbers of Manxies heading south, and one particlularly fine pale phase adult Arctic Skua tearing through the terns.
The Stormie whizzed through behind the surf just after high tide at noon - very nice.
Most intriguing of all was a weird juv tern - Common/Arctic size, pale orange bill, black tips to the underwing, upperwing very pale with a faint "saddle" on the mantle, dark crown.
Still haven't quite worked out what that was!
Every good seawatch should have a puzzler...
Called in at the marsh on the way home to have a quick look at the young Glossy Ibis - it was still there thankfully, feeding on the southern side of Polly's Creek, and promptly jumped onto my Marshside list.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies.....
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Nearest I can get our "funny tern" to is a juv Roseate - but the bill was the wrong colour and the saddle wasn't dark enough.
Confusing.
You can't win 'em all.