wot no long tails.....

4 adult Little Gulls and 29 Arctic Skuas passed Whitburn Obs on our early morning watch today. I was joined by Saint Mark, the Sheriff of Nottingham and Stevie Mackem. The light was good and it was an enjoyable first watch for me since my holiday in Ibiza. Looks like i missed some good sea watches in my week away but no obs year ticks, phew!
Not many star birds today but a nice variety. We couldn't turn any of the Arctics into Long tails or Poms. This is what we saw in order of appearance

Sunday 31st August 06.15-10.35 NW2 full cloud cover, calm sea

Black headed Gull 321n 8s (yes 321)
Red th Diver 4n 7s
Arctic Skua 11n 18s
Common Gull 3n 4s
Common Tern 14n 5s
Redshank 14n 8s
Eider 6s
Teal 10n 4s
Sandwich Tern 42n 11s
Turnstone 3n
Peregrine 1n juv
Arctic Tern 1n
Common Scoter 4n 5s
Bar t Godwit 2n
Porpoise 3
Bonxie 2n
Shelduck 6s
Shag 3n 2s
Little Gull 4n adults

Whimbrel 1s
Curlew 1s
Ringed Plover 5n
Widgeon 5n

 Meadow Pipits circa 30s

Whats that coming over the hut....is it a Grey Squirrel?

A Roseate Tern and 5 Arctic Skuas passed Whitburn Obs early morning. A northerly is blowing and it looks interesting not many birds yet but watch this space. Stoney was in the house and we were joined by Pink Floyd. This is what we saw by 07.30 when i had to go to work

Monday 18th August 05.30-07.30 N2-3 cloud cover
Curlew 1n 3s
Arctic Tern 12n
Common Tern 11n 5s
Mallard 4n
Manxie 24n 6s
Redshank 6n
Turnstone 1n
Arctic Skua 1n 4s
Sandwich Tern 28n
Common Scoter 1n 1s
Roseate Tern 1n
Porpoise 1
Fulmar 63n
Ringed Plover 6n
Grey Squirrel 1n
Teal 10n
Oystercatcher 10n 5s
Black h Gull 1n
Knot 2n
Whimbrel 1n 1s
Common Gull 1n 1s
Puffin 2n
Dunlin 2s

whats that coming over the hut...is it an Egret

The Little Egret gave us a fly past the Obs this morning, on a quiet westerly sea watch. Stevie Thunder joined me and we had a right old mixed bag of birds. News of a Bullfinch in the country park got me excited but its not on the obs list yet. Willow Warblers and Blackcap were nearby and a Whinchat was on Jackie's Beach (John Chapman). Adult Med Gull was on the Obs field. This is what we saw in order of appearance

Saturday 16th August 05.15-09.15 W2 calm sea with cloud cover

Black h Gull 11n 6s
Common Gull 7n 3s
Common Tern 80n 32s
Curlew 4n
Common Scoter 58n 9s
Velvet Scoter 1n
Turnstone 4s
Sandwich Tern 30n 12s
Arctic Skua 4n 3s
Manxie 55n 20s
Knot 1n 1s
Arctic Tern 5n 2s
Little Egret 1n
Grey Heron 1n
Puffin 2s
Red th Diver 1s
Bonxie 1n
Dunlin 13s
Grey Plover 1n
Tufted Duck 1n
Whimbrel 2s
Teal 1n
Redshank 3n
Eider 1n
Willow Warbler 2
Blackcap 1
Med Gull adult in obs field

Cure for the blues...

3 Roseate and 2 Black Terns went south past Whitburn Obs on my early morning watch today . And the White beaked Dolphin's were showing on a flat calm sea. Yes it was a cure for my blues. It was a slow start and i wondered had the Terns moved on already but they did get going and the juvenile Black Terns were a real bonus, this is what i saw in order of appearance

Wednesday 13th August 05.25-07.25 WNW 2 calm flat sea full cloud cover

Sandwich Tern 26n 117s
Curlew 6n
Common Tern 26n 31s
Arctic Tern 2n 2s
Common Gull 13s
Redshank 10n 17s
Dunlin 2s
Black h Gull 35n 4s
Common Scoter 8n 3s
06.25 White beaked Dolphins 3 distant adults full breaching
Porpoise 1
06.35 White beaked Dolphin 1 smaller animal fully breaching
Manx Shearwater 7n
06.45 Black Tern juv south
Roseate Tern 3s adults
07.00 White beaked Dolphin 6 plus much closer in south through the flags
07.15 Black Tern 1 south juv

Sunday Rosy Sunday....

A Roseate Tern 3 Bonxies and 4 Arctic Skuas passed Whitburn Obs on a short sea watch this afternoon. It never stopped raining bur the birds kept coming....
14.45-17.35 
Sandwich Tern 35n 42s
Common Tern 11n 13s
Common Scoter 5s
Manx Shearwater 39n
Bonxie 3n
Sparrowhawk 1 landed on the wall in front of obs
Swallow 19n
Redshank 2n 17s
Whimbrel 1s
Arctic Skua 4s
Arctic Tern 2n 1s
Roseate Tern 1n ad
Common Gull 1n 1s

Whats that coming over the hut is it a Sooty...no its a Cory's

Cory's Shearwater a Pom Skua and 3 Little Gulls were the headline birds past Whitburn Obs this morning on a busy sea watch. Saint Mark, Stevie Thunder and better late than never Magic Mark joined me today, Ratty was a late addition. Saint Mark called a distant probable Sooty which on closer inspection was nailed by Magic Mark as a Cory's, it was never easy but did shear up occasionally and showed its bowed wings and hooded head, The Pom was the first for the obs this year but wont be the last. This is what we saw in no particular order as my note book was a mess!

Sunday 10th August 05.15-11.00 SE2 then 3 cloud cover

Arctic Tern 3n 8s
Little Gull 3s (juv, 2nd sum and ad)
Sandwich Tern 19n 128s
Black h Gull 2n 18s
Common Scoter 13n 7s
Common Tern  106n 58s
Common Gull 13s
Dunlin 37s
Oystercatcher 3n 25s
Redshank 78s
Arctic Skus 1n 1s
Manxie 90n 9s
Teal 8n 3s
Curlew 2n 4s
Pom Skua 1n 07.40
Bar t Godwit 3n 1s
Porpoise 1
Bonxie 3n
Knot 1n 4s
Common Sandpiper 2s
Puffin 2n
Whimbrel 3s
Ringed Plover 1n
Turnstone 3s
Little Tern 6s
Med Gull 1n juv
Red th Diver 1n

Think i got everything, as you can see it was a canny sea watch, back later weather permitting

Some like it hot...

A Roseate Tern went north past Whitburn Obs early morning and i heard another later in my watch but couldn't pick it up in my bins. As the early cloud moved off it was a bright hot sun, its going to be a scorcher.
It was a mixed bag today and this is what i saw in order of appearance

Thursday 7th August 05.05-07.15 NW1-2 cloud then bright sun

Redshank 6n 5s
Common Tern 7n 26s
05.20 2 White beaked Dolphins north, only saw them briefly today
Sandwich Tern 10n 49s
Manxie 1n
Black h Gull 2s
Turnstone 1n 1s
Arctic Tern 1s
05.45 2  Dolphins north more distant may have been the same ones but they didn't give much away
Common Scoter 1n
Gadwall 3n
Bar t Godwit 1n
Common Sandpiper 1n
Yellow Wagtail 1s
06.30 Porpoise 1n
Roseate Tern 1n ad
Golden Plover 12n
Teal 9n

Bog standard sea watch no 57

A Bonxie and an Arctic Skua passed Whitburn obs on a quiet early morning sea watch. I was joined by Saint Mark and an obs rarity Stevie Thunder, which is probably why we didnt see many birds
This is what we did see in order of appearance

Sunday 3rd August 05-10-09.00 SSW 2-3 later 3-4

Common Tern 20n 22s
Curlew 2s
Black h Gull 3s
Common Scoter 148n 125s
Oystercatcher 4n 19s
Arctic Tern 9n 11s
Sandwich Tern 86n 57s
Swift 1n 2s
Arctic Skua1n
Common Gull 1n 1s
Bonxie 1n
Bar t Godwit 5s
Knot 10s
Teal 19n 17s
Eider 1n
Whimbrel 10s
Mallard 1s
Turnstone 1n
Manxie 1n

The Little and Large show...

A Little Gull,  22 Little Terns and 3 Bonxies passed Whitburn Obs in 5 hours on a busy sea watch this morning. I was joined by Magic Mark and Saint Mark on a misty morning and as the rain cleared the birds started moving. I had a new obs year tick when a Grey Plover went north bringing my list to 141 just 20 short of last years total. None of yesterdays Dolphins were seen so far today but the obs is manned most of the day and i expect more to be seen
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Saturday 2nd August 05.00-11.00 S2 rain at first clearing cloud cover
Oystercatcher 4n 16s
Redshank 25n 27s
Common Scoter 634n 16s
Common Tern 252n 70s
Black h Gull 5n 5s
Teal 46n 21s
Shag 1s
Manxie 58n
Knot 2n 348s
Grey Plover 1n
Turnstone 5n 11s
Little Tern 3n 19s
Sandwich Tern 34n 129s
Arctic Tern 35n
07.25 Porpoise 1 south
Common Gull 2n 3s
Bonxie 3n
Eider 2n
Dunlin 15s
Bar t Godwit 1s
LBBGull 1s
Common Sandpiper 3s
Whimbrel 2s
Ringed Plover 1s
Puffin 2n
Shelduck 1n 10s
Shoveler 1n
Little Gull 1n

Dolphins at last!

13 White beaked Dolphins passed the Obs this afternoon our first on National Whale and Dolphin watch week, at last...
6 Arctic Skuas a Bonxie and loads of waders made for an exciting afternoon watch. I left Magic Mark in the obs so anything can happen. This is what we saw in order of appearance
Friday 1st August 11.45-15.45
Manx Shearwater 8n 4s
Arctic Tern 3n 1s
Oystercatcher 13s
Curlew 5n 8s
Sanderling 9s
Redshank 11s
Dunlin 5s
Knot 15s
Whimbrel 17s
Turnstone 10s
Common Scoter 5n 3s
Black h Gull 2s
Arctic Skua 5n 1s
Bonxie 1n
Swift 12s
LBBGull 1s
13.50 White beaked Dolphins 3 north (1 ad) till 13.57
13.50 White beaked Dolphins 8 south till 13.55
15.10  White beaked Dolphin's 2 north adult males till 15.15

Ramble on.....

2 Arctic Skuas and a Bonxie went north past Whitburn Obs this morning. Autumn has arrived the obs field has been harvested and Lapwing and Golden Plover will start to build up in numbers, wont be long now till the big shearwaters come past
This is what i saw today in order of appearance

Friday 1st August 05.00-07.15 SSW2 cloud cover calm sea

Sandwich Terrn 53n 117s
Puffin 12n
Common Tern 11n 72s
Common Scoter 21n
Oystercatcher 70n 33s
Redshank 14n 24s
Common Gull 1s
Manxie 45n
Curlew 1n
Black h Gull 3s
Arctic Tern 38n 5s
Turnstone 3n
Dunlin 1n 12s
Arctic Skua 2n
Ringed Plover 1s
Whimbrel 1s
Golden Plover 2n
Bonxie 1n