Great Northern Diver and 40 Manxies passed Whitburn Obs in 5 hours this morning. Good light made for a memorable watch following a week of bright sun. We enjoyed a great selection of birds with Waders being a feature. A Plover sp went north with a ringed plover and may have been a Little-ringed Plover, a bird that would have been an Obs first for me but it wasn't nailed....just as well as i didn't get a lot on it. I was joined by Saint Mark back from his Antarctic adventure, Pink Floyd did the catering and Stoney was in the house. Chat turned to what birds we would like to see and Wood Sandpiper was well fancied with Lesser legs a rank outsider. Sandwich Terns gave the highest count of the season and it can't be long before we have a five Tern sp day. Throw in a few Dolphins and bingo a canny sea watch.
This is what we saw in order of appearance
Saturday 12th May 04.55-10.00 WNW 1-2 7/8
Gannet 216n 79s
Bar tailed Godwit 2n
Manxie 11n 29s
Fulmar 66n
Sandwich Tern 15n 525s
Common Gull 6n 8s
Puffin 6n 3s
Common Scoter 43n 4s
Common Tern 21n 17s
Arctic Tern 9n 13s
Purple Sandpiper 1n
Whimbrel 4n 1s
Red th Diver 1n 2s
Eider 4s
Red br Merganser 1n
Dunlin 28n 6s
Shag 3n 1s
Ringed Plover 9n 6s
Turnstone 2n
Shelduck 1s
Little Tern 1n 2s
Swallow 4s
Sanderling 2n
Black h Gull 1n 1s
Kestrel 1n
House Martin 1n
Tufted Duck 3s
Porpoise 1n
Curlew 1n
Great N Diver 1n
Bottlenose Dolphin 4n 09.10-09.15
