Thursday 3 July 2014

more Dolphin hide and seek antics off Whitburn....

5 White beaked Dolphins went slowly south past Whitburn Obs today. I was joined by Magic Mark and we were enjoying the lovely calm conditions with good light when we picked up on some fins, 3 at first or was it 4? we eventually saw 5 and they did show so we could identify them as White beaked. We watched them for fifteen minutes then they became more distant but we did pick them up again further south just as ii was leaving
I left Mark in the Obs which is always dangerous but sadly work awaited. This is what we saw in order of appearance

Thursday 3rd July 05.00-07.15 NW1 rain at first then good conditions with a flat calm sea

Sandwich Tern 32n 207s
Common Tern 29n 22s
Black h Gull 16n 3s
Black tailed Godwit 2n
Puffin 8n 5s
Gropper 1 reeling
Common Gull 2n 4s
Manxie 5n 2s
Common Scoter 53n 21s
LBBGull 1n
Arctic Tern 2s
06.10 White beaked Dolphin 3 at first but soon 5 off going slowly south till 07.20 at least
Turnstone 2n
Eider 1s
Whimbrel 1s
Porpoise 1 feeding
Curlew 2s