Balearic Morning

After yesterday's Fea's Petrel off Hunmanby and Filey, I took a punt on it doing a big loop and coming up the Yorkshire coast again. Up (too) early, I headed east and was down at the shiny new Flamborough seawatching hide by 7.15am, joining Lee J and one other birder. The light was tough, but by 10am, I had seen c60 Manx Shearwaters, several Sooty Shearwaters, a close, deliciously dusky Balearic Shearwater (see video below), c12 Arctic Skuas, 10 Bonxies, 15 Red-throated Divers and plenty of Common Scoters and Teal. A Puffin flew north, a Greenshank went south calling and c200 Meadow Pipits were flying about. Harbour Porpoises were showing well, with some frisky breaching. I tried to do some phonescoping of the seabirds, just to practise in case one day that Fea's does come past....

Balearic Shearwater, Flamborough. Phonescoped.

Arctic Skua (pale phase adult) with Kittiwakes, Flamborough. Phonescoped.