Xmas came early......

 White-billed Diver, Leach's, Grey Phal.....just another day at the office. The Northerly was forecast and for once they got it right, Stoney was in the house and we cleaned up. As usual nobody else bothered until Sir Ian late on and what a spectacle they missed. Big seas, lots of birds....Santa came early
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Wednesday 29th November 07.25-11.05 N5-6 7/8

Common Gull 19n 1s
Black h Gull 3n
Cormorant 5n 3s
Common Scoter 88n 12s
GBBGull 506n
Fulmar 133n 1s
Dunlin 58n
Kittiwake 67n
Little Auk 14n
Gannet 95n
Teal 19n
Eider 1n
Turnstone 5n
Great Northern Diver 3n
Wigeon 24n
Mallard 6n
Red th Diver 5n 1s
Leach's Petrel 1n
Long tailed Duck 1n
Grey Phalarope 1n
Razorbill 3n
Velvet Scoter 2n
Shag 1s
Sanderling 15n
Goldeneye 5n 1s
White-billed Diver 1n 09.10 close inshore
Porpoise 2n
Knot 18n
Great crested Grebe 1n
Kestrel 1n
Med Gull 2n ads
Brent Goose 4n pb
Red br Merganser 1n
Bonxie 2n
Peregrine 1n juv
Bar t Godwit 3n
Guillemot 343n 3s

no video from todays bird but here's one i prepared earlier

Diver dawn.....

 45 Divers passed Whitburn Obs on today's sea watch. It's winter and not much passes this time of year so it was nice to get Divers moving from the off. Pink Floyd joined me and both Marks are still on holiday. I did not manage video of today's birds, too busy nailing the i.d's  so i have included another video from my Ecuador 2017 playlist on YouTube. How many Grey Phals can a man see in a year, it's crazy that another went by today.
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Saturday 25th November 07.30-10.00 W1-2  2/8

Black h Gull 57n 29s
Red th Diver 28n 14s
Common Gull 10n 10s
Common Scoter 3n 3s
Cormorant 1n 10s
Guillemot 13n 1s
Great Northern Diver 2n 1s
Goldeneye 2n
Teal 8n
Eider 2s
Kestrel 4n
Gannet 4n
Fulmar 1n
Grey Phalarope 1n 09.15
Porpoise 2n

Murder at Whitburn Obs...

3 species of Diver passed Whitburn Obs on this mornings watch, still a rare event as Black throated is still a very scarce bird off our coast. Stoney was in the house and the enjoyment of watching migrants coming in off soon turned to horror as our second Woodcock of the morning was knocked to the sea and eaten by Gulls, not good to watch...a few Blackbirds perished in similar fashion
I didn't manage to video the murder so i have included another video from my recent trip to Ecuador
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Thursday 23rd November 07.25-10.00 SW2 3/8

Redwing 6 in off
Fieldfare 33 in off
Blackbird 9 in off
Black h Gull 9n 18s
Curlew 8n
Guillemot 48n 1s
Common Gull 10n 6s
Kittiwake 1n
Red th Diver 14n 7s
Common Scoter 12n 1s
Teal 1n
Fulmar 6n 2s
Woodcock 4 in off
Scan Herring Gull 1s
Eider 1n
Golden Plover 25s
Song Thrush 4 in off
Thrush sp 18 in off
Great Northern Diver 1n
Cormorant 2n 2s
Shag 6s
Black th Diver 1n
Gannets 300ish n

White wing central...

Glaucous Gull and 2 Long-tailed Ducks went south at Whitburn Obs on our short watch this morning. Stoney was in the house and we had a canny couple of hours but when the rain got heavier we abandoned ship. The Glaucous Gull went south very low down and nearly evaded my bins but we nailed it, many more whitw wingers will follow this winter. I didn't manage to video the the Glauc but i did video this Vermilion Flycatcher in Ecuador last week, hope you enjoy it
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Wednesday 22nd November 07.25-09.40 S2-3 8/8

Common Gull 3n 39s
Scan Herring Gull 3s
Black h Gull 1n 15s
Red th Diver 11n 10s
Sparrowhawk 1s
Common Scoter 69n
Gannet 181n 1s
Teal 1n 5s
Fulmar 1n 3s
Kittiwake 1n 1s
Guillemot 3n 3s
Long-tailed Duck 2s
Curlew1n
Cormorant 2n
Glaucous Gull 1s1st winter
GBBGull 154s
Turnstone 1s
Golden Plover 50s
Redshank 3n 1s

No clickers required...

2 Great Northern Divers and a Little Gull were seen on my early morning watch today. Pink Floyd joined me on a dreek day,  mist and rain and no wind. Our expectations were not high but we saw a good number of species if not any real numbers, so my three clickers remained in my bag.
A large Diver going north had an upturned bill but i could not make out a pale or ivory bill in the poor conditions so i logged it as Great Northern
I did not manage to video the rain but did film an Umbrellabird in Ecuador last week, see below
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Tuesday 21st November 07.25-10.25 8/8 early mist and rain

Goldeneye 2n 1s
Black h Gull 18n 34s
Red th Diver 13n 1s
Common Gull 4n 13s
Common Scoter 135n 1s
Turnstone 1n 6s
Curlew 1n 1s
Cormorant 2s
Fulmar 11n 2s
Gannet 24n 1s
Velvet Scoter 1n
Great Northern Diver 2n
Brent Goose 2n db
Little Gull 1s
Wigeon 4s
Goosander 1s
Med Gull 1s ad
Eider 2s
Teal 4n 8s
Red br Merganser 1s
Sparrowhawk 1n
Grey Heron 1s

That Condor Moment........

2 Little Auks and a Great Northern Diver went North at Whitburn Obs in 3 hours this morning. Just back from a birding trip to Ecuador it was pleasing to see from the log book that i had missed nothing of note. There had been some Little Auk passage so i was happy to get a brace myself my Condor moment. I didn't get video of them but did video the Condor see below
This is what i saw on a quiet watch in order of appearance

Monday 20th November 07.15-10.15 SW2 8/8

Cormorant 5n 1s
Common Gull 11n 54s
Black h Gull 5n 29s
Eider 1n
Fulmar 1n 2s
Red th Diver 1n 1s
Little Auk 2n
Great Northern Diver 1n
Guillemot 14n 2s
Gannet 9n 2s
Common Scoter 24n
Kittiwake 1s
Teal 9n
Scan Herring Gull 1s
Woodcock 1 in off

Beanz meanz...year tick

 2 Little Auks, and 6 Tundra Bean Geese passed Whitburn Obs today by 10.30 continuing the recent little and large theme. Saint and Magic mark joined me for the last time for a few weeks as we all have holidays in November. Something was always going to happen when Stevie Makem and Chivs walked in and they didn't disappoint as talismans when i called the Lapland Bunting fly past. Two year ticks were out of the blue and kick started my Obs list for a final push, currently on 182, but last years 187 still seems a mountain to climb. Oh and Captain Chaos was in the house...
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Sunday 5th November 06.45-10.30 WNW1-2 4/8

Black h Gull 143n 43s
Cormorant 4n 20s
Common Gull 20n 33s
Common Scoter 9n 11s
Red th Diver 3n 16s
Guillemot 28n 12s
Wigeon 78n 3s
Med Gull 2n 4s (probably 3 diff birds )
Eider 13n 3s
Scan Herring Gull 1n 1s
Golden Plover 18n 32s
Curlew 29s
Gannet 40n 62s
Velvet Scoter 2s
Goosander 7s
Whooper Swan 23s
Great Northern Diver 1n
Shag 2s
Porpoise 1n
Redshank 13n 1s
Skylark 1s
Turnstone 2s
Bullfinch 1s
Little Gull 1s ad honest
Siskin 2s
Sanderling 3s
Grey Heron 2n
Little Auk 1n 1s
Lapland Bunting 1n
Tundra Bean Goose 6n
Teal 5n 3s

One hundred and eighty........

Grey Phalarope and 3 Great Northern Divers went north at Whitburn Obs this morning. Fos joined me and later the Pie and pea brigade...Stoney was in the house,  and following yesterdays year tick today got a County tick in Grey Phal. The wind was still a little northerly as it had been overnight and hopes were high after the top birds we saw following the last north wind. Sadly our hopes faded as the watch progressed but had a late sting in the tail when i called the Phalarope. It was a late call as i did not see the bird until it was north of straight out but thankfully some got on it and Rob found it on the sea for his County tick. My Obs year list hit 180....One hundred and eighty...
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Thursday 2nd November 06.50-10.35 NW2 8/8 then 4/8

Common Scoter 43n 9s
Guillemot 1199n (but no little ones today)
Eider 4s
Red th Diver 14n 10s
Black h Gull 141n 31s
Common Gull 35n 6s
Cormorant 10s
Redshank 1n 1s
Dunlin 18n
Puffin 1n
Great Northern Diver 3n (one still in sum plum)
Grey Heron 2n 1s
Porpoise 1n 1s
Velvet Scoter 2n 2s
Little Gull 5n(4ads)
Shag 10s
Curlew 2n
Turnstone 2s
Golden Plover 6n
Wigeon 24n
Skylark 5
Grey Phalarope 1n 09.30

Nip and a punch...

Little Auk and 23 Little Gulls were seen from Whitburn Obs on the mornings watch. It's the 1st of November already and nobody died. Fos called the first Glaucous Gull of the winter, newbie Toddy called the Little Auk and Stoney was in the house and got a year tick at last
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Wednesday 1st November 06.50-10.00 SW2 8/8

Common Gull 7n 40s
Black h Gull 20n 33s
Eider 5n 5s
Red th Diver 32n 7s
Porpoise 6 feeding
Little Gull 4n 18s 2 were first winter rest adult
Common Scoter 26n 3s
Teal 3n
Long tailed Duck 3n
Shelduck 1n 1s
Red br Merganser 1n
Cormorant 2n
Golden Plover 40s
Velvet Scoter 3n
Little Auk 1s
Glaucous Gull 1s juv

Woodcock 1 in off
Grey Heron 1s
Redshank 1s