Sunday 10 December 2017

Surfs Up..........

 21 Little Auks and a Sooty Shearwater went north at Whitburn Obs this morning. Saint Mark joined me and we enjoyed a canny sea watch, it started with a Great Northern Diver dropping onto the sea in front of us and finished with a Med Gull. Yesterdays watch was memorable for the big sea and surf and that continued today with a heavy swell but good light. The Little Auks were not expected nor were two species of Shearwater...
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Sunday 10th December 07.40-10.00 NW2 7/8

Common Gull 55n 10s
Black h Gull 72n 25s
Eider 3n
Red th Diver 11n 2s
Fulmar 104n 1s
Common Scoter 5n 2s
Great Northern Diver 1n 2s
Gannet 10n
Guillemot 155n 5s
Kittiwake 1s
Little Auk 20n 1s
Razorbill 2n
Porpoise 3
Cormorant 3n 3s
Manx Shearwater 1n
Shag 1n 9s
Puffin 1n
Goldeneye 1n 1s
Sooty Shearwater 1n
Long tailed Duck 1n
Med Gull 1s ad

Saturday 2 December 2017

The boys are back in town.......

Red-necked and Slavonian Grebes went north at Whitburn Obs on a high quality sea watch this morning. Both Saint and Magic Mark were back from holiday, Stoney was in the house.. add in Fos and Pink Floyd and you've got some quality sea watchers. It was after the Lord Mayors show with the northerly gone for now but that didn't stop us seeing plenty of quality birds between birding holiday chat.
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Saturday 2nd December 07.30-10.45 WNW2 7/8

Wigeon 70n 1s
Guillemot 364n
Razorbill 1n
Black h Gull 35n 50s
Common Gull 3n 11s
Cormorant 6n 7s
Eider 49n
Teal 58n 2s
Red th Diver 60n 20s
Long tailed Duck 5n 2s
Lapwing 29n
Common Scoter 127n 15s
Porpoise 4
Goldeneye 3n
Great Northern Diver 2n
Pink footed Goose 196n
Dunlin 6n 2s
Kittiwake 1s
Mallard 3n
Scan Herring Gull 5n
Puffin 1n
Shelduck 18n
Gannet 2n
Curlew 3n
Red necked Grebe 1n
Shag 4n 18s
Starling 2 in off
Velvet Scoter 5n
Slavonian Grebe 1n