Saturday 28 December 2013

calm after the storm

Black throated and 3 Great northern Divers went north past Whitburn Obs by 10.30 this morning It was a very calm start to the day following yesterdays storm and the light WSW wind gave little encouragement for birds to move. I was thinking about packing in when at 10.15 a very close Black throated Diver went north at the same time as 3 very distant Great northern Divers as our run of scarcer divers continued, it would have been slim pickings without them
Nobody else was in today to share the experience, the other highlight in the calm conditions were at least 10 Porpoise feeding offshore
This is what i saw in order of appearance

Saturday 28th December 07.55-10.30 WSW1-2 cloud cover flat calm sea

Black h Gull 3n 17s
Porpoise 10
Guillemot 2n 31s
Kittiwake 1n 3s
Red th Diver 5n 20s
Common Scoter 4n 22s
Fulmar 1n 4s
Eider 9n 2s
Cormorant 4s
Shag 14s
Gannet 6n
Great n Diver 3n
Black th Diver 1n