The perfect storm

Not really. I was expecting it though, after our trip out to hoover up the good seabirds of the North Sea was called off on account of weather. Shame. I went down to the sea for an hour in the morning to be hit with a ferocious SW force 1 and a sea virtually empty of birds. 07:00 - 08:00 yielded 2 Black-throated Divers (Arctic Loons) going south (well, one definite, one maybe), and only 3 Red-throated Divers, with another one north. One wonderful Manx Shearwater going north (thats 'Vun Vunderful' Manx Shearwater to fans of ze Count) , 1 Common Scoter and 4 Eurasian Wigeon south. 164 Northern Gannets north, (6 south), a measly 10 Black-legged Kittiwakes, all north, 139 auks north and 72 south, 13 Sandwich Terns north, and 3 south.
So, sea has been boring in this week's winds, but the morning was not without its compensation. A Redpoll sp. was flying over the house, calling, as I stepped out the door, and, continuing my current run of good form, I found this Pygmy Shrew on the clifftops.


Because I was in that sort of mood, I fixed it to the bonnet of my car, and drove home with the windows open, a-hollering and a-whooping, firing my rifle and crushing cans of Budweiser before throwing them out onto the road.