Amazing calm, warm weather has brought shoaling sandeels and mackerel into the Bay, followed by incredible numbers of Manx Shearwaters, Guillemots, Razorbills, and Gannets (though noticeable fewer than before bird flu), not to mention the resident Gulls, Cormorants and Common Dolphins. Feeding frenzies across the bay, and after gorging themselves the birds just float around in rafts – can’t be many times of the year when you can count 340 manx shearwaters floating alongside a group of 18 Common Scoters as there was for a while yesterday evening. Also the constant calls of Sandwich terns feeding – max count on the rocks here some 26 with one Common Tern hidden in there two evenings ago. A peregrine has also been calling regularly across the bay and was chasing one of the pigeons along the cliffs by the MOD, and 6 buzzards also over the MOD headland enjoying the thermals.
Dave Tudor