Leach's Central

The forecast said SSW gusting to 40-odd mph from the early hours, plus loads of rain. A seawatch this morning was inevitable.

I arrived at 07:07 and, as per usual, the first things moving were ex-roost gulls, mostly Black-headed. Exactly eight minutes in I picked up a small, dark bird amongst the gulls, very close inshore but off to my right. It was a Leach's Petrel. I expected it to head east past me and provide some crippling views, but it failed to make any headway and ended up drifting slowly away west instead. I also expected it to be the first of a few, but it was the first of one. The rest of the seawatch was dire: 21 Med Gulls, four Dunlin together and singles of Red-throated Diver and Gannet. I am almost desperate enough to include the probable Common Scoter, but not quite. By 09:00 I'd had enough.

I really was not surprised to see another Leach's Petrel, but honestly...

What is it about West Bay?!

I've said it before, but will repeat here for context: in all my years of seawatching from Seaton I saw just two Leach's Petrels, both on the same stormy November morning in 2005. Up until Sunday, even Steve had only recorded the species once on a Seaton seawatch (see here). West Bay has been way more productive:

• 2nd November 2022: 10+ Leach's Petrels (probably 14 or 15).
• 8th November 2022: 3
• 24th November 2022: 1
• 3rd January 2023: 1
• 1st November 2023: 2+ (a third petrel sp was almost certainly Leach's too)
• 8th November 2023: 1

Based on my previous Lyme Bay seawatching experiences at Seaton, a total of 18+ Leach's Petrels across six dates in just over a year is nothing short of amazing. I'm not sure what West Bay's secret is, but look forward to seeing if it continues to be as generous. I hope so.

View from the West Bay shelter this morning. Rain and murk meant visibility was rarely more than about 400m, so it was bins only for most of the time. Although this photo suggests that only a thin sliver of sea is available for inspection, the yellow circle illustrates the field of view of my 10x32s. Today's Leach's was just over those rocks to the right.

 

Taken with 500mm zoom, which I think is roughly equivalent to 10x magnification. Sadly no birds to look at here, but then there rarely were.

Elsewhere in West Bay...

Looks good for sinensis Cormorant.

First Purple Sandpiper of the autumn clearly visible in this photo. Vainly it sought sanctuary on the West Pier rocks and the West Beach rocks, but eventually I lost it. Probably flew back to Lyme Regis in disgust.

Purple Sand heading for another soaking on the West Beach rocks. Amazingly the Axe patch has never recorded Purple Sandpiper, so this photo is a cut-out-and-keep search image for Seaton birders.

West Pier froth.

Rock Pipit, pipitting on a rock.