Unphotographed lifers

Sometimes it is nice to have a problem. As the weather was a little ordinary on 22 July (an improvement on the very average climate of the previous 2 days) I took myself off to Geology Point hoping that the Brown Skua seen by Jeff and Gary on the 9th of July was still there. The sea wasn't too lumpy as shown by Mummy Rock.

Sure enough the Skua was there: first seen sitting on the water and then in the air. It was still harassing the Gannets (of which there were at least 40 in the area. At one point the Skua whacked a Gannet, knocking it into the ocean.

So what is the problem?

That arrived a little later with an all dark bird, somewhat larger than the Skua, skimming the ocean between swells at least 500m away. I couldn't see the colour of the bill. but the tail looked rather short. Taking into account comments in ABG about the distribution of Sooty Albatross, I have concluded it was a juvenile Northern Giant Petrel.

Both Lifers!!!! Which to choose? Both are unusual in the area but as I am more certain of the Skua, that gets the tick.

Unfortunately both of the lifers were well out of camera range so I didn't have a photograph of them. Here are some snaps - at just about the edge of my range - of Gannets. The first two were straight out from my position - possibly 500m away.

I had seen a flock of about 25 birds sitting on the water to the East, bobbing up and down in the swell. From taking a guess at their position - I couldn't pick them up without the telescope, nor get a view of their position relative to the shore with the 'scope - they were at least 1km away. Something stirred them up so some of them are dimly visible in this image.

Later, sunset was quite attractive.