Monday, September 07, 2020
From my car on West Terrace I watched gulls swooping and rising as they dip-fed in the rain, spread out along the loch. During a break in the showers I took a walk out on the spit - but still got rained on. A redshank flew up the loch followed some time later by a knot. After going home for lunch and a dry-out, I returned - this time via the golf course.
Across the river as the tide fell, two or three redshanks landed near the oystercatchers, followed by four curlew; while ringed plover and turnstone found places on the growing shingle spits among the gulls. A common seal swam up the river and dived, and was perhaps responsible for fish suddenly breaking the surface in little silvery explosions.
The wind was now ferocious, but the tide had fallen enough for the long curved spit to allow the gulls to be beyond disturbance from me so I persevered; and as I scanned the closest birds I spotted the Sabine's. How had it got there?! I'd been scanning the airborne gulls until my arms ached, both in the morning and now in early afternoon, and not got lucky - and suddenly there it was on the water's edge in front of me.
I haven't really seen the Sabine's in flight properly - I just hope that if I ever see another one, it's nowhere near any juvenile blooming kittiwakes!
Another rain front swept in, almost blotting out the campers and caravans beyond the gull spit.
I called it a day. The only good thing about the weather was that it wasn't cold. In fact it was the sort of weather I used to find exciting to walk in; but trying to bird in it can be - well, very trying.
