2 Little Auks and 7 Long tailed Ducks passed Whitburn Obs by 11.30 this morning. Its often a good duck day after a northerly when it blows south west and that's what we got today. As soon as i sat down i could see Long tailed Duck and Goldeneye on the sea in front of the Obs and it wasn't long before i had my first Woodcock and Thrushes in off. It was going to be an exciting day. Stevie Makem and Chivs arrived Stoney was in the house as the ducks started to move high up, low down, close in , distant...a classic duck day. One of the many fishing boats on the horizon resembled a pirate ship, and it wasn't long before the cry of Long tailed Duck north under the pirate ship went up...shiver me timbers
Stevie called the small Auk which we soon id'd as Little Auk a fantastic close in fly by for the first of the season, we saw one more and probably missed a few as we patrolled the sky for ducks. It was upsetting to see Thrushes coming in off being caught and eaten by Greater black backs but we persisted as Waxwings were being recorded all up our coast and we were getting everything but. More observers arrived to make it a good crowd for the third day in a row. Eventually Stoney called two Waxwings as they came in off with a Blackbird phew...tho one observer who had called them as three Blackbirds said he would not tick them as 'ahh they could have been owt'
A great sea watch and this is what we saw in order of appearance
Thursday 3rd November 06.50-11.30 SW2 cloud 8/8
Common Scoter 188n 37s
Black h Gull 39n 75s
Common Gull 15n 18s
Woodcock 5 in off
Curlew 1n
Eider 5n 5s
Dunlin 23n
Brent Goose 11n pb 6s db (the 11 north includes the birds that were in the obs field)
Goldeneye 40n 11s
Long tailed Duck 7n
Cormorant 2n 4s
Red th Diver 28n 22s
Blackbird 10 in off
Wigeon 242n 2s
Little Auk 2n
Red br Merganser 6n
Teal 324n
Turnstone 2n
Redshank 1n
Peregrine 1s
Mallard 40n 8s
Starling 22 in off
Bottlenose Dolphin 2n 08.30
Shag 1n 4s
Porpoise 1n 1s
Fieldfare 30 in off
Redwing 13 in off
Snow Bunting 1 in off
Goosander 4s
Whooper Swan 19s including 3 juvs
Grey Heron 3n
Shelduck 1n
Waxwing 2 in off
Skylark 4 in off
