Show us your bellies.....

Long-tailed and 7 Pom Skuas passed Whitburn Obs by 11.20 today on an action packed sea watch with more birds than i could keep up with. Both Marks joined me along with Pink Floyd and Stoney was in the house on a busier than usual morning, AWOL were Prof and Boy Wonder. A call from Stevie Makem watching at Seaham with the Chairman warned us of a larger diver heading our way and we enjoyed nice views of a Black-throated Diver thanks boys. Brents were moving north and it's always a task to check the bellies, the vast majority today were pale. Both videos below. We left a well manned Obs so the coverage today should be excellent
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Saturday 16th September 2017 06.05-11.20 NW4 7/8

Velvet Scoter 12n
Common Scoter 64n 3s
Gannet 1905n 74s
GBBGull 265n
Fulmar 33n
Common Gull 28n 4s
Brent Goose pb 108n

Sooty Shearwater 66n 2s
Bonxie 28n 2s
Teal 190n 12s
Eider 3n
Black h Gull 93n 11s
Wigeon 316n
Goldeneye 1n
Grey Heron 3n 1s
Red br Merganser 2s
Arctic Skua 15n 12s
Manx Shearwater 80n
Common Tern 17n 1s
Pintail 5n
Curlew 2n 3s
Red th Diver 30n 45s
Canada Goose 2n
Dunlin 67n
Brent Goose db 4n
Peregrine 1n ad
Sandwich Tern 54n 6s
Pink-footed Goose 127n 28s
Porpoise 1n
Black th Diver 1n ad sum plum 07.45 (it passed Seaham at 07.30)

Shag 8n 8s
Long-tailed Skua 1s juv
Turnstone 1n
Swallow 1n
Pom Skua 7n 3ad, 4juvs
Sanderling 28n
Ringed Plover 21n
Redshank 1n 2s
Gadwall 1n
Puffin 5n
Ruff 1n
Tufted Duck 1n
Grey Plover 1n
Goosander 1n
Blue Fulmar 1n