Trip reports

Broadsands

Razorbill at Broadsands - Andrew Swinbank

Sunday, 15 January 2012

Pretty cold with strong breeze blowing the wrong way for seawatching at Torbay but 20 hardy souls gathered on a beautifully sunny day for January at Broadsands car park. A walk around the car park bushes showed Chiffchaff and a female Bullfinch amongst others and at the 'feeding spot' several Cirl Buntings and a pair of Reed Buntings amongst the Chaffinches and Greenfinches.
A very choppy sea made sea bird spotting difficult but we finally made out 12+ Great Crested Grebes, 2 Red breasted Mergansers, 2 Black necked Grebes and 2 or 3 Razorbills, one ofwhich came very obligingly close. In the air we spotted a Fulmar and a Gannet amongst the more common gulls and in the hedges at the back of Elbury Cove a resplendent male Bullfinch showed beautifully. About 30 species seen by very cold but happy birders!