Spring Trickles On

Although we have some cloud we need more!  My god you must all think I am just always moaning about the weather on this blog.... well I suppose I am. But a good spring on patch is completely dependent on the weather. A bit of rain would be ideal but I can't see that coming, so just some thick cloud would be nice...

Yesterday there was a bit of action, mostly Wheatear-action, and this was probably more to do with the cold NW wind than the bit of cloud. When there's a strong head wind migrants are far more likely to need to drop in for a refuel before heading on, than if there's little/no wind. I guess flying into the wind uses more energy?  It was really nice to see a load of Wheatears again because they've been scarce since my Wheatear binge on 24th March. There were at least 14 in the valley yesterday, with most (eight at least) at Colyford Common, one at Seaton Marshes and five in the ploughed field opposite Colyford WTW.  

I did also manage to add Sedge Warbler to mine (and the Patch's) year list yesterday, not before time, with one singing on the Borrow Pit. Plus there was a Common Sand flying around here which would have been another new-in migrant.  The final spike of interest for me yesterday were two Goosanders on Black Hole Marsh at dusk, but not the two from the previous night as one of these was a fine adult drake.  This makes me think that the run of Goosander sightings over the last couple of days stem from the same four birds I had drift down the river late on the 27th March (a drake and three females).

This morning I was up and out early again, despite the lack of cloud, and again overall it was quiet but there were a few snippets of interest. Even if I see nothing though being out and about here is ALWAYS a pleasure, especially early in the day when there are few other people to ruin it about...

The Borrow Pit (pictured above) produced the singing Sedge Warbler again and the six Cattle Egrets having another lie in. A Willow Warbler singing here was one of five that I've seen/heard this morning, which is five more than I noted yesterday!

Black Hole Marsh gave a couple of surprises, with our first Green Sandpiper of the year dropping in calling at about 06:45...

And from the Tower Hide my 11th patch Pintail of the year, which is tons by Axe standards! Ten of them have been drakes which is nice...

I ended my last post with Venus, so I will end this one with Jupiter which was showing just below the moon last night...

And here's basically the same pic just with a different shutter speed, as I wanted to try and capture some of the cloud...

I struggled to get a good photo of Jupiter on its own, this is my best effort as you can see three of its largest moons...

And roll on tomorrow. Spring is great as with each day comes a whole lot more potential...

Cattle Egrets Up Close

As I type this cloud is arriving! Cloud!! Fingers crossed for some passerine action tomorrow...

I had a quick scoot around this morning, it was overall still pretty quiet but there were a few nice highlights.

I was really surprised to see four Med Gulls on Black Hole Marsh at dawn this morning, three first-winters and a second-summer. They were a surprise as I've not seen a Med here for about three weeks, and there's only about thirty Black-headed Gulls!  If you can pick out all four in this photo I will be impressed...

Maybe this will help... The second-summer is on the left with two first-winters on the right...

And this really cute and gorgeous subtle first-winter on the post...

There was no sign of the Cattle Egrets on Black Hole Marsh, but a walk around Seaton Marshes afterwards showed why. It was 07:30 and they were still in the roost!  It was so nice to finally get some good views of them...

And one final surprise for the morning was a pair of Pintail east past the sea front during a brief sea watch, along with a drake Common Scoter. 

I had ten minutes out again this evening, which I spent at Bridge Marsh. Two Goosanders were flying around landing on both the Coly and the Axe, just after Tim White reported two from Black Hole Marsh (so I guess they were the same birds?). And that was about it for me today, so all in all a good day even though I've spent most of it at work.

Patch bird of the day though goes to a male Black Redstart. I was sent a photo of one - which looked an absolute corker - present in a private garden near Boshill mid morning today. I know it's not really a rare bird, but a spring male is a good as they get. This was made even more gripping because I haven't even seen a single Willow Warbler today!    

And to complete this post, a few random photos from today around the Patch...

Pair of Yellowhammer at Axe Cliff

Comma at Axe Cliff

Male and female Kestrels at Seaton Marshes this morning

Venus pre-dawn

Osprey, Waders and Sunshine!

Well I just have to start this post with what has just happened. Basically every single day for the last three weeks I have been expecting an Osprey, especially during this current spell of amazing sunny weather. They've made land fall east and west of us, and finally just before 18:25 this afternoon all the sky scanning paid off. 

I was actually incredibly fluky to be honest.  I'd just arrived home with Jess, stepped out of the car, heard the gulls alarming, looked up and there was an Osprey cruising east!  Awesome.  By the time I had got Jess on it and reached for my camera it had become distant so I thought this was going to be my only photo of it...

Yes I know that is a Wood Pigeon - look above it!

Thankfully though it dropped down into the river valley, so I legged it inside and upstairs to watch it from the bedroom window.  It was at this point that I really wished I was sat in the Tower Hide, as it caught a fish right in front of there! Gripping. Holding its fish it circled up and up, and then dipped behind the big hill above Axmouth. I wouldn't be surprised if it landed behind there somewhere as it had to eat its catch...

Sorry for the quality but it was distant!

With fish. The adults are so much better at fishing that the autumn immatures!

From appearing to disappearing the Osprey was in view for about eight minutes. This is so typical of a spring Osprey, they are almost always untwitchable, you just have to be in the right place at the right time. If you're not then you've probably missed it.

And now to the waders. The only obvious passage that has been taking place during this clear and sunny weather has been wading bird passage. Every day something new has appeared, and three of these have been year ticks for me.  Today I saw the two Bar-tailed Godwits (one a lovely summer plumaged bird) and a Whimbrel, and since Tuesday a Greenshank has been feeding on Black Hole Marsh (which is still looking amazing and teaming with birds!)...

I love spring Greenshank they are so smart

The other recent regular sighting on Black Hole Marsh during the mornings has been the six Cattle Egrets.  They seem quite happy just sitting around on the islands of the marsh for the first few hours of the day. Most of them have been showing orangey heads for a couple of weeks now, but in recent days they're developing orange on their neck sides and fronts, and their bills are turning increasingly redder. Nice. I do hope they stay a bit longer as full breeding plumage Cattle Egrets are amazing looking things.

Three species of Heron!

Passerine migration has been so dire that I really can't believe it is the 8th of April!  There's basically nothing about but a few Swallows and Willow Warblers.  Still it was nice to visit Axe Cliff for the first time this spring this morning...

Looking towards Beer Head

Surely this qualifies as art?

Seeing as they've been so scarce this spring, two male Wheatears in a ploughed field were a real highlight. Otherwise as with recent days there was just a few Willow Warblers and four Swallows.

Butterflies have really benefited from this warm weather. In the last week I have seen so many Orange-tips, Peacocks, Holly Blues, Specked Woods, Small Tortoiseshells, plus a few Painted Ladies and Green-veined Whites. Still waiting for my first Odonata of the year though, I really hope it is a Vagrant Emperor...

Spring Hiatus

It's all gone a bit quiet over the last few days. I'm sure the spring migrants are arriving but with these mostly clear skies they will be flying right over our heads.  A few scattered Willow Warblers and a couple more Blackcaps as good as it's got for me in the bushes this week. I have noticed the odd Swallow and a few Sand Martins around too, but not as many as I would expect by now.

The Cattle Egrets have begun to behave a little differently. No doubt they are getting 'itchy feet' with the breeding season approaching, but also there are far more cattle out in the fields around here now so will be less reliant on the Colcombe Farm area.  Three were on Colyford Marsh and alongside the Estuary late afternoon Monday...

And on Tuesday morning all six were on Bridge Marsh. The third one in from the right is actually two birds...

Glancing at the forecast it looks like cloud will be building over the next few days, so I hope this is enough to drop us some migrants. I'm always excited for the first male Redstart of the year and it should only be a few days away!

No Redstarts yet though so have a Redshank for now. Nice to have good views of one in (mostly) summer plumage...

A Troubling Tern

I've blogged before about the UK Bird ID thread on Facebook, but let me tell you of a tale that unfolded a couple of weeks ago.

It all started when Marc Millman posted "ID on this Tern please.. Today.. Devon" with this photo...

(c) Marc Millman

I had a look at it and promptly posted my reply, which basically said that it looked like a Sandwich Tern to me, and exactly how I came to that conclusion. I always think it's helpful to give reasons behind ID'ing a bird, this can be very valuable for the person who has asked for the ID.

By the time I had posted, one comment had already appeared which was a vote for Common Tern. But following my post there were a flurry of pro-Sandwich Tern comments. All of a sudden though the tide changed, dramatically, with numerous Common Tern votes flooding in. Further blows came when most of the previous Sandwich Tern voters changed their opinion and went to the Common Tern camp - leaving just me and one other flying the Sandwich Tern flag.

When there is such a strong shift in opinion, it's normally for the right reason. And to be honest without looking at the photo any more I presumed I'd got it wrong. ID'ing a bird from a photo should be easy, but so often it really isn't. There are so many factors that can make a single photo of a lone bird look a bit weird, for example the light, the angle of the bird, the camera settings, etc. I think us birders don't always realise just how much the general 'jizz' of a bird that we see in the field enables us to identify it to a species, without even really thinking about it or looking at the finer details.

Anyway, back to the thread, and then came a post that changed it for me. Having accepted that I had wrongly ID'd it, this comment then appeared from someone who I don't know, but do know is an excellent and well respected birder. It simply read...

"Quite worrying that people can identify this as a Sandwich Tern"

I won't lie. This got my back up. Big time.  Everyone who helps on this Bird ID thread regularly will make a mistake, that's part and parcel of always chipping in and offering your thoughts. As I said, even the simplest of species aren't always as simple as they should be to ID from a single photo. But this guy clearly doesn't ever make a mistake, or accept that others can. He was obviously also genuinely worried that people are misidentifying Sandwich Terns all over the country.

I decided I had to reply, so first things first I had another look at the photo. This did not change my opinion though, for me it was STILL a Sandwich Tern. So I decided to send a few emails and do a bit of digging.  Mike Langman emailed me back about half a day later with some absolute gold dust, a link to another photo on Facebook. It was a photo of the very same Tern, taken by a man stood right next to Marc Millman, and taken at exactly the same time. All these points were soon confirmed by both Marc and the other photographer, Nigel Street. And here is Nigel's photo of that very same Tern...

(c) Nigel Street Photography

Oh look at that, it's a Sandwich Tern.  

Do I care that so many people thought it was a Common Tern? No not one bit, couldn't give a flying fluff.

Do I care that I got it right? No not really, makes no odds to me. I will always continue to try and help out others asking for a bird ID.

What I do care is that "Quite worrying that people can identify this as a Sandwich Tern" was wrong. Well and truly wrong. Me and the other original Sandwich Tern voter had some fun with this comment I can tell you. Funnily enough he didn't post again...

I also found it really amusing how after I shared Nigel's photo the 'fence-sitters' then appeared and posted in their droves, saying things like "clearly a Sandwich Tern", "always thought this was a Sandwich Tern", "could never have been anything other than a Sandwich Tern", etc etc...

All good fun! Well it should be anyway...
 

Early Tree Pipit

Today started promising, Black Hole Marsh first thing suggested there had been an arrival of warblers, with three Willow Warblers and two Blackcaps.  This didn't seem to be the case though with other sites showing very little.  In fact after this warbler flurry all I saw of note in the valley today were a House Martin, ten Sand Martins and the lingering Knot and Pintails.

There was surprise for me whilst walking the dog at Bovey Down though mid morning (sadly outside my PWC patch).  Last March I published a post about what I felt were the top five misidentified early spring migrants, you can read it again HERE. But in brief, Ospreys that are white Buzzards, calling Cuckoos that are actually Collared Doves, Willow Warblers that are bright Chiffchaffs, etc. Third on my list was Tree Pipit.... and guess what I saw today - a Tree Pipit!!

I picked it up on call, so never any doubt to the ID.  I heard it call three times before I even saw it, and then I watched it fly low west over the common before it seemed to drop down at the far west end of Bovey Down.  They have bred here in recent years so it may be a returning breeding bird, or possibly just a passing migrant. Wherever it's heading it's my earliest ever in the UK that's for sure.

It's gone lovely and mild out there today, with a nice southerly wind blowing, so the next few days could be interesting... or just frustratingly quiet with nice birds turning up elsewhere. Hopefully it's the former!

Little Gull Interrupts Sea Watch

With a passage of Velvet Scoters through Portland over the last few days (but nowhere else - not seen anything off here at all lately!) the increased southerly wind meant I was back at the seafront this morning. Well as soon as I could be anyway as we had a new washing machine delivered this morning, which amazingly arrived prior to 07:30 - impressive!

The sea watch was briefly interrupted when Ian Mc rang at about 08:45 with news of a first-winter Little Gull on Colyford Scrape.  The last year I did a year list I missed out on this species, so I hot footed it straight to the Farm Gate at Axmouth where the Little Gull was viewable distantly on the scrape - exactly where I saw my last one last year...

Distant phone-scoped pic

Also saw my first two Swallows of the year here, which I picked up whilst scanning for the Little Gull that briefly went missing when I first arrived.  There's got to be a slight chance the Little Gull is the same one that's been on Bowling Green Marsh (Exe Estuary) for a few weeks, as there's no sign of it there today. If it is hopefully that gorgeous Bonaparte's Gull will follow it east...

I was keen to get back to the sea as quickly as possible, although the first half hour of the sea watch was completely dead, the wind turned from south to south west, and after that a few more bits and pieces began passing.  Full totals for 08:00 - 08:45, 09:00 - 09:45 were; 

31 Common Scoter 

1 Red-throated Diver

1 Diver sp.

1 Razorbill

1 Curlew

11 Sandwich Tern

So although it wasn't a big haul, the regular small groups of passing Common Scoters were more than enough to keep me there. Sadly no white secondaries in with them though. It was nice to see my first Sandwich Terns of the year too, with a further four west at 13:45 this afternoon.

Yesterday Knot was added to my Patchwork Challenge year list, with one keeping the Grey Plover company on Black Hole Marsh in the morning. Good to get that one on the list nice and early in the year.

Slow Day, Busy Evening

I have basically spent today waiting for an Osprey. The weather conditions have been absolutely perfect and so many have arrived into the UK today, but I drew a blank. Not even a token Marsh Harrier.  

Over all today has felt quiet.  A few Sand Martins and Chiffchaffs dotted about, my first Willow Warbler of the year singing in Axmouth which was nice, and amazingly a patch first!  Ok, I can't actually tick it, but it was novel seeing a Swan Goose with the Canada Goose flock for most of the day...

Massive bill!

Bizarrely there seems to have been an influx/breakout of Swan Geese in the last week, with replies on twitter informing me of singles at Lodmoor and Langford (Wiltshire/Hampshire border) in the last few days. Odd. Even odder was that people were replying to my tweet with the word "gripping!". Really!??

I am really glad I kept plugging away today despite the apparent lack of birds, because I had an excellent hour out tonight. Although still no Osprey!

Three Little Ringed Plovers had been on Colyford Marsh all day, and tonight they were joined by a fourth bird and a Water Pipit.  It's hardly surprising to come across an Axe Water Pipit in late March, but in summer plumage (although this one was only half way there) they are always a delight to see.  The total Axe Little Ringed Plover count this evening was six, as just after seeing the four on Colyford Marsh I nipped around to Black Hole Marsh where two were showing well (and had been seen earlier in the day).

There was one further surprise to the day, when at 19:45 (oh how I love BST!) four Goosanders came floating down river. A drake and three females, which you can just about make out here...

A three year tick day. Excellent!

Lastly a bit of late news from yesterday, with the six Cattle Egrets south over Black Hole Marsh at 19:20. Nice to know they are still around, but how much longer will they stay?

Little Ringed Plovers

Seemed to be much less happening out there today, not surprising considering the lovely clear skies. I didn't mind this though as we had a garden to sort out!

Little Ringed Plovers have a habit of dropping in when not much else is moving, and Phils one from early this morning had become three by the time I saw them late this afternoon...

As you can see they remained distant!

I have to say Black Hole Marsh is looking far busier than usual for the time of year. This site is often a late summer - mid autumn hot spot but quieter in other months. Not this year though, there's waders, wildfowl and gulls all over it. Fab.  Some of the wading birds are starting to look rather nice too...

Black-tailed Godwit

Good to be Back!

Since the early hours of last Saturday I have been knocked out by the worst sickness bug I've ever experienced. It really has not been nice. This meant no birding for me at all between Saturday and Thursday - six days is probably a record for me! Not good when there is so much passage going on, the mind boggles at what I've missed by not being out there.

Anyway, I finally began feeling better yesterday, so this morning got myself up and out...

I soon got the vibe that birds were moving, with several flocks of Meadow Pipits flying north up the valley, and during a dog walk along the beach, several more flocks arriving in/off the sea. Exciting times - this meant there was active passage. So to Seaton Marshes...

Along the entrance track and around the Borrow Pit there were about ten Chiffchaffs (still no Willow Warbler for me) and a lone House Martin was flying around overhead. Amazingly this being my fourth of the year and I'm yet to see a Swallow!  I then turned the corner to walk to the hide...

It was so great to see eight Wheatears (one female) on the fence lines and path, allowing me to get a really good Wheatear-fix (much needed by any birder in early spring). And all the time several small flocks of Meadow Pipits continued to fly north overhead, proper spring migration, so cool...

Colyford Common and Colyford Marsh after this showed another Wheatear and a further 40+ Meadow Pipits, but not the desired LRP or Water Pipit. Maybe tomorrow?

Black Hole Marsh early this afternoon showed the four drake Pintail still and four Dunlin, and at Bridge Marsh ten Sand Martins and the Greylag Goose still.

It is so so SO good to be back!

Wheatear

Delighted to finally see my first Wheatear of the year today, a lovely male in the fields south of Seaton Marshes just after midday.  A pretty average date for my first, but it feels late as they have been turning up along the south coast for a good week or so.  Sadly no pics as it remained distant, but this didn't limit the joy watching it gave me. Always such a turning point in the birding year.

This was my second PWC year tick of the day, thanks to a Greylag Goose that has spent the day in the valley.  March is by far our peak month for Greylags here, so it's another semi-expected but much appreciated early spring year tick...

Spot the odd one out!

Other bits and bobs from me today include 15 Sand Martins over Colyford Marsh, a second-summer Mediterranean Gull with 65+ Common Gulls on the Estuary at dusk and at least six Cattle Egrets again in the egret roost at Seaton Marshes. 

I did say I would post details here about the colour-ringed Avocet on Black Hole Marsh when I heard back from the BTO, and I have heard back. Sadly since its initial ringing as a chick on 23/6/16 at Greenabella Marsh, Graythorpe, Hartlepool, it's not been re-sighted. Well until it dropped in at Black Hole Marsh on Saturday morning!

Whilst on the subject of colour-rings, a Crane that was seen briefly on Colyford Marsh on 7/3/17 by good friend of mine Jean, looks like it was probably the same Crane that was at Titchfield Haven in Hampshire five days earlier.  Named 'Excalibird' I believe. Interesting name...

Dusk Delights

I have been away since Sunday so was eager to get out today to enjoy some more spring action. Sadly though I woke up to fog, which completely smashed my enthusiasm to pieces and I went back to bed.  When I did finally get up I noticed on twitter that Portland was experiencing something of a fall, so I headed down to Seaton Marshes.

It was foggy.

I did eventually stumble upon some migrants, they were (amazingly!) another two House Martins with eight Sand Martins.  I really don't know what is going on with House Martins this year but several have already been seen in the UK, which by mid March is so unusual. I wonder if something has happened where they winter? Maybe some got mixed in with wintering Sand Martins and they've headed north with them?  All I do know is pretty much every year I don't see my first House Martins until the first week of April, weeks after my first Sand Martins and Swallows - but I'm yet to see one of the latter!

I was tied up for the rest of today, but headed out again at about 16:30.  All seemed quiet, including nothing with the gulls on the Estuary, but a distant scan of the gulls roosting on the sand by Tesco revealed something darker mantled.  At first I was really excited as I thought it may be a sub-adult Caspian, but when I got closer I could see it looked more like a particularly cute headed fourth calendar-year (third summer) Yellow-legged Gull...

The bird right of centre

Presumably a female - you can see why I was thinking Casp at first with that lovely little eye

This is my third, and the Axe's fourth Yellow-legged Gull so far this year, which is three or four more than you would usually expect to see by mid March. They are a rare bird in winter here (and in Devon) despite their ever increasing occurrence in late summer/autumn.

Last thing tonight I went back to Seaton Marshes, where the egret roost has recently relocated too.  And in with the Little were SIX Cattle Egrets - yeah we've gained at least one more!  I say at least one because I could only properly go through about a quarter of the Axe egret roost, I could see at least 30 egrets in the distance with the Heronry behind Axmouth Church and I didn't have my scope!  I will try and get down there again tomorrow night and see how many Cattle Egrets we really have...

Egyptian Surprise

Only a quick blog today,  but two Egyptian Geese flew west over Colyford Marsh,  and then off west over Colyford at about 08:20 this morning. A mega PWC tick,  don't think I've seen one here for a good three or four years.  It was lovely to see at least 45 Sand Martins hawking over Colyford and Bridge Marsh as well,  it's amazing how quickly they've flooded in this year,  often we just see dribs and drabs through the Axe before bigger numbers arrive late in March.

Another migrant that appeared to arrive in numbers this morning were Chiffchaffs. Several more at Seaton Marshes,  including at least one with a pollen forehead. Still no Wheatear for me though.  The Avocet was still present on Black Hole Marsh at 9am.

March Wakes Up

I've never been a fan of March when it comes to birding, so much promise and hope, but in reality you see a few Wheatears and Sand Martins mid month and often very little else.  

The first ten days of this March were just as disappointing as I was expecting. The sea has been absolutely dire with watches most mornings showing nothing on it and nothing over it, and there's been no summer migrants for me despite a few Sand Martins and Wheatears turning up elsewhere. There's not even been any early March wader passage on the Estuary which often occurs (Greenshank, Ruff, Knot, etc). It's the gulls that have kept me going, with a couple of days of triple figure Common Gulls and the odd Mediterranean Gull still coming through.  There's been nice numbers of big gulls too, but even these have disappointed with no more white-wingers or anything better.

There was one thirty minutes of slight delight on the 9th, when the warmth of the sun in Axmouth encouraged my first Blackcap of the year to sing, along with - at last - my first PWC2017 Nuthatch. It was nice to see a Brimstone too, this helped make it feel really spring-like...

Today though spring really did step up a gear. The low cloud/fog dropped some migrants in the Axe valley, and it all started with a text from Ian Mc mid morning reading "Short-eared Owl Seaton Marshes". Twenty minutes later this was my view...

Can you see it?

Dreadful pic I know!

Yes it was day roosting in a tree - quite unusual for a Short-eared. And it stayed here for the whole of the day too!  I saw two Short-eareds last year on patch, but they are only just about annual in the valley and often don't stay for long, so it's nice to get this one on the year list early.

About half an hour after seeing this beaut, news filtered in from Lesley Clarke of an Avocet on Black Hole Marsh.  Perfect. And bang on cue, March is by far and away our peak month for Avocet on the Axe, you would be unlucky to go the month without seeing one - but then again I have gone a year without seeing one here, so it's another handy year tick...

It was showing really well from the Tower Hide, although I didn't have time to venture up there.  It's bound to have woken the local wader photographers from their winter hibernation though, and hopefully they will have many more subjects to aim their lenses at this year. Another good Black Hole Marsh wader year would be greatly appreciated by me that's for sure!  Interestingly this bird was colour-ringed, and I will post the details here when I find out about its life history. Be great to know where it wintered last winter that's for sure.

Later on today I had another hour out, and was delighted to see Sand Martins had suddenly arrived.  There were ten over Colyford Marsh and 18+ over Lower Bruckland Ponds between 16:00-17:00. I wouldn't have been that surprised if I'd seen a Swallow amongst them, I didn't, but I was really surprised to pick up a House Martin with the flock at Lower Brucklands.  My earliest ever in the UK by just under three weeks (31st March being my previous earliest). Amazing.  I knew I had to get a snap of it to save face, but sadly couldn't do any better than this...

March Mega!

It may be dreadful, but it is identifiable. Mind you the same could be said for any of my above pics!

Humpback!

Having missed the first showing from the Humpback Whale off Slapton last weekend, I thought it was worth a gamble this weekend.  I say gamble because it has become far more sporadic in its appearances, although I had noticed late afternoon seems to be the time. Presumably this is because shoals of fish often come closer to shore in the evening?

We got down to Slapton at about 15:00. No sign of the whale but there was clearly still lots of food about as there were numerous Habour Porpoise offshore, and plenty of Gannets close in too.

Looking east from Strete Gate

Porpoises (not baby whales!)

At about 16:20 from the Memorial car park I saw a distant blow followed by a brief dark shape. And that was the start of it. This absolutely stunning animal swam in (at quite a speed) before seeming to settle just south of Strete Gate where it happily fed not that far out at all. Far far closer than you'd ever imagine seeing a whale from land that's for sure! What an incredible experience. The shear size of the beast really is breathtaking, as is the height the blows reach.  Wow.

I could have got far better photos, and many would have done, but I just wanted to watch it to be honest. Such a treat...

One of the best things about this unprecedented event, apart from the animal itself, is the atmosphere it is bringing to the place. Cheers and claps when it surfaced, numerous audible 'wows!' and kids running up the beach ahead of their parents hoping to get closer views.  Fantastic.