Rifle Range - closed.....Nature Reserve - open

Looking on the bright side, the fencing that now protects us from falling into the sea along the rifle range should provide a new safe habitat for birds and other wildlife , since walkers, dogs and birders (above) can no longer get onto it. It is possible to look through the mesh, but its not pleasant.
That's a serious (MOD) gate, and the mesh is not for climbing. It remains to be seen if it will be electrified. It seems that all we will be able to do next week when it is finished is walk the quarter-mile along the undercliff, and then turn back - we can't even get onto the baech and risk being cut off by the tide - just no fun.

The resident tame Stonechats have taken to the fence already, as it gives them another way to show off.
The final seawatch from the end of the range was pleasingly active, with the stream of Auks (OK, Guillemots) still flying south, with plenty of them on the sea. Only two divers were seen, one of which (a Red-Throat) obligingly splashed down just offshore to do some fishing. Gannets were wheeling offshore, and the number of Black-Headed Gulls on the sea seemed larger than usual.
We checked out an alternative viewpoint for the future and tried to work out how to do the BTO counts from now on.