Galana's sixth. Building on what was started.

[PeterHG]

A wise decision, even if it unsettled the Maitre! Your Dutch is impeccable.

[Galana]

Thank you @PeterHG. My minimal Dutch was 'learned' at small cafes around Europoort whilst passing the hours before boarding the ferry to Hull. They used to serve excellent Smoked Eel and Beer for lunch. Gerookte Paling und een bier alstublieft! usually worked well enough to get me by.

 

Time for some duplicates in odd places perhaps?

Barnacles with goslings.

We do get Leucistic variants in Scotland in season. Maybe this one knows the way?

 

We get Snow Buntings most winters but not as smart as this male.

 

Tysties (Black Guillimots ) breed on Isle of Man.

 

But we never see our Arctic Terns roosting quite like this....

 

Truly well named.

 

.

More tomorrow...or sometime soon.

[Galana]

Time for a couple more from the North Pole.

 

274. Great Skua. Bonxie. Rubbish photo through the Porthole but it's all I have got.

 

and

275. Little Auks. Barents Sea. My attempt at BIF.

[xelas]

The second LA shot is actually an amazing artistic photo!

[Galana]

3 hours ago, xelas said:

The second LA shot is actually an amazing artistic photo!

Thank you.  Copies for sale. contact my Agent.

[Kitsafari]

i would have done the same for the Skua! 

 

great shots of the arctic birds, and agree on the BIFs of the LAs. 

 

[Galana]

6 hours ago, Kitsafari said:

agree on the BIFs of the LAs. 

Here is another that I found in my editing process.

 

Meanwhile here are two more species both ironically ones that I would get at home but won't add to my IOM count just yet.

276. Pink-footed Geese. Somewhere off Alesund I think. We were promised a daily chart for locating but it has yet to materialise so my 'locations' are based on guess work.

Odd to see these birds in small family flocks instead of 1,000 strong flocks we get in winter here.

 

And...

 

A bird I could get if get around to going to find it but not in conditions it seems to prefer in Svalbard.

277. Black-legged Kittiwake. NW Spitzbergen. Good to see the legs are the correct shade. I don't often get to see those.. One of my favourite 'gulls'

[Galana]

Saving the best 'til last for Svalbard and both 'lifers' for me.Or in one instance 'still lifers.)

 

278. Brunnich's Guilimot.  Svalbard. Plenty left to carry on the species.

 

And the jewel in the crown for me.....forgive the indulgence.

279. Ivory Gulls. Svalbard. ~Really testing the white balance here. But what a beautiful little bird.

 

 

 

[PeterHG]

Congratulations on the lifers and what a beautiful gull, indeed!

[michael-ibk]

Ivory Gulls on ice - beautiful! 

[Kitsafari]

Ivory gulls in "abundance!" what a blessing! it's a beautiful snowy bird. 

 

 

[lmSA84]

Beautiful Ivory Gulls!

[TonyQ]

Another vote for the beautiful Ivory Gull

[shazdwn]

Love those ivory gulls on the blue ice - gorgeous

 

[Dave Williams]

A great adventure.300 calls.

[Galana]

13 hours ago, Dave Williams said:

300 calls.

looking possible as I do have a couple in the bag already but saving them for an IOM tick also. I am also afflicted by your tendency to midsummer sloth.

Heading for Solway and Budle in November, my usual birthday treat to me, so expect a few.

 

And if this is  a Short-toed Lark I can scrape up one more from Hebrides. 

[Galana]

Well , like my honourable friend from Wales I was also tempted out of my sloth. Really wished I had not as there were too many folks not back at work.

I did check up on a local deaf pair of Chough who have raised one chick to fly.

This is mum and already ringed.

Deaf? Well they must be as they nest in the bloody foghorn trumpet on which she is perched.

 

[PeterHG]

16 hours ago, Galana said:

they nest in the bloody foghorn trumpet

[Galana]

Well it was a small step but today's trip out, a sin to stay in with such weather despite other calls on my time. The lounge ceiling can wait and the newly tiled kitchen floor is done.

So to the sunset city I went with the hedgerows alight with autumnal Fuschia in the sunshine.

My target was at home so here is number 81 for IOM but no score for the main total as I had seen them in Svalbard last month (277).

 

Black-legged Kittiwakes. (277/81 IOM) Peel harbour wall.

 

Whilst out I met some Redbilled Choughs, Eiders together with Turnstones, Linnets and Stonechats so amused myself with those.

Then after our world beating Ice Cream it was back to the Lounge.

[Dave Williams]

The Dotterel has left the Great Orme but the Osprey is still hanging around a small reserve near Bangor so get your cossie on and get swimming Fred, like me you need an Osprey for the count. 

 

Mind you I'm told it's bedlam with folk coming from many, many miles away to get their shots. The equivalent up in Scotland cost's £100's.

[Galana]

5 hours ago, Dave Williams said:

get swimming Fred, like me you need an Osprey for the count. 

I think I will give it a miss, thanks.

[Galana]

I put my cozzy back with the mothballs as the first of our Autumn houlies blew in this morning.

So I finished the lounge ceiling and will re-hang the curtains tomorrow.

Meanwhile in the late afternoon there was a nice Rainbow framing some late Gannets so I tried my luck but failed. To get the contrast for the bow I blew the sea colours.

But a shot is a shot.

It's October now. These birds should be heading to Africa (and so should I.)

[Galana]

Taking my constitutional along the river this morning I spied the 'local' Little Egret was back in his winter quarters again. I have no idea where he goes in summer unless to breed somewhere we have not found but I feel he is worth a photo or two.

 

[PeterHG]

A very handsome egret!

[Galana]

A nice fine and calm morning tempted me to ditch the domestics and head out for a few miles. It was high time to move my IOM score along and adding two to the main total was a bonus although one of them I had just kept waiting for a half decent picture.

 

I knew I was on to a good thing when a small lump on the shore flotsam morphed into this.

Good to see her back again.

(265 as already seen in Scotland) but 082 for Isle of Man.

Merlin. Smeale Beach.

 

 

Then down by the Sulby River I got a half decent photo to take the full total forward.

280/83. Canada Goose. Ramsey (Rhumsaa, Garlic River)Seen but not counted in Scotland. Now is the time.

 

Then a complete surprise...

281/84. Stock Dove (juv) Smeale track.

 

And finally one I nearly passed up on as I thought it already counted on both lists. 

256/IOM 85. Red-throated Diver. Rue Point. IOM. You can see two different birds here. there were about ten or more in view.

Counted in Hebrides but now on IOM  score too.