Hope's Nose

After taking one look at the spray and wind direction when I got to Brixham this morning I turned round and drove to Hope's Nose! seawatching from 0700-1000hrs with Chris Proctor produced: Manx Shearwater 2655 (with peak hour count of 1373) it had slackened off considerably by 10am but still a good passage for the South coast on any normal day! 11 Great Northern Divers >S (Chris has some good photos!) and 7 more summer plumaged birds sat on the sea, 23 Great Skuas, 2 Pomarine Skuas  (one pale phase full spoons the other much closer intermediate Chris hopefully will publish pictures later), 29 Sandwich Terns, 47 Common Terns, 4 Common Scoter, 2 Dunlin, 1 Whimbrel, 13 Swift (but a more moving when I walked back up to the top of Hope's Nose), good numbers of Kittiwake, and Auks (not many Razorbills) also on the move, 2 unidentified skuas sat on the sea were only visible for seconds in the huge seas the pale bird looked full tail ended and extensive black on head so probably also Pom. I'd forgotten how close birds fly past Hope's Nose compared to Berry Head on a SE wind - which usually does better in variety and numbers!

Update 1400hrs: another 5 Great Skuas and one Arctic Skua.

This Whimbrel strutting along the road was bit of a surprise as I drove up Ilsham Marine Drive toward Hope's Nose: