Galana's Fifth - The only way from here is UP!

[Kitsafari]

thoroughly enjoyable seal series @Galana 

[Soukous]

Lovely sharp pics of the seals. Now the challenge is to get the same sharpness on your birds. 

[Galana]

1 hour ago, Soukous said:

Now the challenge is to get the same sharpness on your birds. 

As always. Size matters. Getting 7 feet of prime flesh weighing almost 700lbs in focus on a lonely beach  is a darn sight easier than a dinky little wren scratting around in a briar patch.

[Soukous]

4 hours ago, Galana said:

As always. Size matters. Getting 7 feet of prime flesh weighing almost 700lbs in focus on a lonely beach  is a darn sight easier than a dinky little wren scratting around in a briar patch.

 

excuses, excuses

[Galana]

5 hours ago, Soukous said:

excuses, excuses

I know but sometimes one has to hide one's talent in the sake of harmony.

[Soukous]

and naturally one of the species you got a nice close up of is the Black-throated Diver. Hmm, I wonder when you snagged that? 

[Zim Girl]

Great pictures of the seals!

[Galana]

On 10/13/2021 at 9:05 AM, Soukous said:

Now the challenge is to get the same sharpness on your birds. 

I try oh but I try.

Today's jaunt after a week of waiting for tradesmen to turn up (50% take up rate), meetings and getting the car serviced on the sunniest day of the week conspired to delay another trip until today. A bit dull but a flat sea as we had to go out anyway why not road test the car after its service?

A magical morning ensued.

Let's get the mammals out of the way first.

Seal foreplay I think.

 

A bit of basking followed by....

a guilty look.

 

Then came a real treat.

Bottle nose dolphins.....all heading somewhere important.

 

Ploughing by the local Eiders..

 

 

Mums and little ones.

 

Threesomes..

 

and away to the west. There were around 50 animals in all but I failed miserably to catch the leapers.

[Galana]

And some birds too.

 

A pair of Red-throated  Divers. Much easier to see when the sea is flat.

 

Followed by a singleton.

 

As we left I saw the Golden Plovers were back on station.

They were missing when we arrived for Health and safety reasons. I said the morning was magical.

 

 

[Galana]

Magical it was.

Driving to my preferred location, the absence of the Goldies from their usual spot was puzzling. No sign of doggy walkers that could have caused  a disturbance either. Was it magic or what?

And then I saw an odd shaped clump of gorse to my right.

Never mind Harry bloomin Potter. Merlin herself had appeared.

I will not bore you with the multi shots from my 15 minutes of blissful audience but here are five.

I had even time to switch from 'Bird watching' setting, which was only giving speed <100 sec, to ISO 1600 which did give modest results. Oh for some sunshine. These are at 125sec.

Ain't she cute?

And of course she moved both my scores up one.

131/108 IOM. Merlin. Point of Ayre. IOM. Really special.

 

[Kitsafari]

Magical Merlin! what a special treat! awesome shots @Galana!

and you did so well with the dolphins. we didn't when we spotted the dolphins swimming away from us on a cruise in September and the aleutian terns were following them. I was stupid on a cruise and didn't think of doing a video clip. 

[Galana]

9 hours ago, Kitsafari said:

didn't think of doing a video clip. 

Neither did I with hind sight. It would have caught more of the action with the leapers.

But it is etched in my memory.

[pedro maia]

Nice seals and dolphins but a Merlin is even better!

[xelas]

She is cute, and your photos shows her best side!

[PeterHG]

What a great set of photos! Love your seals and dolphins ( even without the leapers) and fabulous shots of the magical Merlin!

[Zim Girl]

Lovely Merlin, I have never seen one up close.

[Galana]

Not much this morning before it gave way to rain as we looked for migrant thrushes and swans yet to arrive.

But a few obliging Goldies let me achieve a modest improvement on #10 so here they are.

[Dave Williams]

That Merlin is a beauty and I'm so-so envious! Been at the top of the want to see and photograph for quite some time!

[Galana]

2 hours ago, Dave Williams said:

That Merlin is a beauty

Thanks. I had a grin from ear to ear as you can imagine after my audience. Lasted all of 15 minutes while she had a preen. They are often seen in winter as they hunt the beaches. Normally all I get is a small bird going flat out but they do like to sit on beach furniture such as a foghorn or even on the shingle or tussocks. One once did my neck in by perching on the car aerial. I could see it through the wing mirror but even the Circus India rubber man could not get a camera on it.

[TonyQ]

Superb (and magical) Merlin

Edited October 21, 2021 by TonyQ

[shazdwn]

You finally got your Merlin - and what a sighting

[michael-ibk]

Awesome Merlin indeed! 

[Galana]

Sunny but blustery morning and as I had business in the south I thought to call round the coast to check for migrant waders and new winter visitors.

I failed, again, to find new ticks for BY but it was still nice to welcome back some old friends from their summer holiday in northern climes.

Our Light bellied Brent were back and their seemed to be some 1st year youngsters among the 40 strong flock. I got off some photos before some local decided to walk out and feed the 'mallard' and the birds were not having that.

 

Stinky Dubh, so named for the pong of weed, was home to both Eurasian Wigeon

and Eurasian Teal.

 

with friends.

Frank was showing off his fine plumes too.

Back home as rain came in from the North West.

Whooper Swans have been seen in their usual haunts but I cannot find them or migrant thrushes.

But I WILL.

[mvecht]

What a beautiful Merlin!

[Galana]

The rain has stopped so we ventured out yesterday and enjoyed a fly by by both a male Peregrine and a Ringtail Hen Harrier in the sunshine. Sadly whilst I have the memories on  my retinal harddrive the shots were not fit for purpose and I did not need the 'ticks' for BY.

Today we set off for the north with two target birds in mind as it is high time the score got a nudge.

Sam was in his favourite sunbathing spot and nice and dry too so I left him to it.

 

The search was uneventful until on the drive home I nailed one of them newly arrived and very twitchy.

Through the windscreen too but not too bad and to have dismounted would have risked annihilation from the traffic as well as putting the birds to flight.

Anyway here it is.

132/109 IOM. Redwing. The first of the few