Wednesday saw me out seawatching at Yttre Kattvik in an 8 metres per second westerly wind. After dropping the kids at school, I spent seven long hours here and it was quite stunning how few seabirds were passing. The one exception was what I thought looked like a good Balearic shearwater at 1230. Distant sure, but the mode of flight and lack of silver underwings screamed Balearic. I tried in vain to get the only other observer present on to the bird but it was slipping through low to the waves, seldom breaking the skyline and he failed to find it despite it being present for 3-4 minutes. It was missed completely at Hovs Hallar and claimed as a sooty by the guys at Ripagården... Don't you just hate when that happens? Not sure what to do with the record now but certain that I was right! So you wait all day for one bird and then it is contentious!
Other birds were few and far between but included three black-throated divers, a late grey plover and a light passage of guillemot (8). The latter the only sign that things might be moving on the sea. Early autumn seawatches here can be very subtle, very few birds moving and then bang a groovy shearwater goes past.
Other birds were few and far between but included three black-throated divers, a late grey plover and a light passage of guillemot (8). The latter the only sign that things might be moving on the sea. Early autumn seawatches here can be very subtle, very few birds moving and then bang a groovy shearwater goes past.
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