Bridges of Ross 7th Sept 2011

Time: 0645-1820

Weather: F5 W, dry & dull in the morning turning, F6 W in the afternoon/early evening with persistant rain & poor visibility.

Observer(s): Niall T. Keogh, Mike Blaver, Keith Langdon, Reg Land, Dave Farrow & Dave McNamara.

Great Shearwater: 1

Balearic Shearwater: 1

Sooty Shearwater: 430+ (morning passage)

Blue Fulmar: 1

Leach's Petrel: 5

Storm Petrel: c.80

Great Skua (Bonxie): 37

Pomarine Skua: 6 

Arctic Skua: 20

Long-tailed Skua: 1 adult @ 10:25 (NTKeogh & DFarrow)

Sabine's Gull: 30

Little Gull: 1 juv/1st-w

Sandwich Tern: 10

Common Tern: 1

Arctic Tern: 75

Puffin: 13

Black Guillemot: 1
Common Scoter: 25

Red-throated Diver: 2 adults

Light-bellied Brent Geese: 29

Whimbrel: 20

Bottlenose Dolphin: 3+

Sunfish: 3 (including one breaching three times in succession this afternoon!)

Passage this morning seemed to be 'left-overs' from yesterday, fizzling out after 11am. This was highlighted by the fact that after most of the Sooties & Manxies had passed through, mixed feeding rafts of shears containing a few lingering Bonxies drifted past at a distance throughout the day, most likely made up of the same birds we saw go West that morning. Many of the Sab's Gulls were feeding close inshore suggesting they had roosted in a bay somewhere nearby after arriving yesterday evening. If the poor weather wasn't enough, then the double figure count of Common Scoter & the first Brent Geese of the season served as a reminder that it is most certainly Autumn!


John Murphy was kind enough to send on some shots of a Pom & some Sooties that he took from land at BoR over the past few days. Make sure to check out his blog for more - www.murfswildlife.blogspot.com