A Tale of Two Storms

Well Storm Eowyn didn't really do much down here in East Devon, with the west coast and Ireland taking the brunt of it.  Storm Herminia however has been brutal, with some periods of exceptionally heavy rain coupled with strong southerly winds.  Not been pleasant at all - and I usually enjoy a good storm!

Looking towards Beer Head

Clearly been some even bigger waves before I took this photo

Nice light when I took this

Bird-wise, every time I have looked at the sea, except for feeding gulls close in, it has been really quiet.  So either too windy for anything out there or just that there isn't anything out there (I suspect it is the latter!).  My highlight on Sunday was the flock of six Dark-bellied Brent Geese that dropped in on the lower Estuary mid morning, remaining for an hour or so before flying over onto Sheeps Marsh...

Nice to see this little flock, smart birds

During the heaviest of rain showers

 

I also had this dark-mantled Herring Gull, which on first glance I was sure was going to be an argentatus Scandinavian Herring Gull.  Not only was it dark mantled but it was a big ugly brute.  Although not the size of a Great Black-backed, it had the same powerful and dominating feel to it, nothing like our usual southern softie argenteus...

Top right, nicely stood alongside a Great Black-backed, a Lesser Black-backed and two regular argenteus Herring Gulls

 

However closer inspection revealed a non-typical argentatus primary pattern.  Although I didn't see it open its wing, I would have hoped to have seen a lot more visible white in the primaries on the closed wing and far less black on P5. 

Such a brute!

I don't think this means it isn't one, as I know there is much variation depending on where exactly it may have come from, but for me it's just not typical enough to submit as one.  Argentatus is still a rare bird here, in fact getting rarer if anything. 

And that has been about it for me during my limited time out. I'll end this post with a photo from one of the rare mornings so far this year (Saturday) without any cloud...

Looking up the road from us

Thanks for reading, and Wheatears soon...