So-so.

With strengthening ‘westerlies’ confidently predicted by the Beeb, I chanced my arm for a couple of hours seawatching down at the Point of Ayr this morning.

Unfortunately both flags near the car park were intent on telling a slightly different tale, with the blow coming from a more south-westerly direction – not ideal.

Things kicked-off pretty well though, with four juv/fem Eider floating along the shoreline with the prevailing wind. Only the second time I have bagged Eider down here, after my first – a Drake – was just last autumn.

Had I have known that this was as good as it was going to get I would have packed-up after ten minutes, but the constant stream of terns kept my attention if not interest.

Whilst a fair few Gannets flew fairly close to the beach, the Skuas – if there were any about – were not playing ball. The only sniff I had was of a large Skua-type silhouette moving distantly across the horizon.

Also, mere dots were a couple of Manxies, a Kittiwake and a few groups of a score or so Common Scoter. With Liverpool Bay having just been given special protection http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-11031671 I would have assumed the Scoters would have been strolling along the beach puffing in cigars rather than toughing it out in strong winds!

With an hour or so to spare there was just enough time to check-out the high tide roost from the old hide area. Try as I might, I could not winkle one Med Gull out of the hundreds of roosting Black-heads; I just can’t seem to bag one in Flintshire this year.

It was scanning through the Mallards though, that the surprise birds of the day appeared: three very early female Pintail – I don’t think I have ever seen the first ‘winter’ arrivals in August before…

4 Eider
60+ Common Scoter
1 Kittiwake
2 Manx Shearwater
30+ Gannet
250+ Sandwich Tern
40+ Little Tern
1 Arctic Tern, plus several ‘Commic.’
2 Ringed Plover
3 Pintail
500+ Curlew

Until later.