That's Magic......

3 Pom Skuas and 20 plus Little Gulls passed Whitburn Obs by 10.15 today. Magic Mark is back from California and it didn't take him long to conjure up some birds, Rob who...
Strange morning really who nicked all of our ducks was going through my mind when 4 yes 4 Pochard went south, the rarest of Ducks these days. Mark called the Poms and distant Little Gulls and Hoggie joined the party. I left early but happy
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Saturday 24th September 06.20-10.15 S3 cloud 6/8 rough sea

Common Gull 5n 19s
Black h Gull 39n 147s
Scan Herring Gull 2s
Teal 5n 8s
Curlew 2n 2s
Manxie 5n 12s
Eider 5n
Cormorant 12n 192s
Red th Diver 6n 6s
Common Scoter 8s
Shag 1n 2s
Arctic Tern 1n
Arctic Skua 1n 2s
Little Gull 12n 9s and at least 10 different birds feeding offshore
Pochard 4s
Common Tern 2n 3s
Pom Skua 3n (1 juv)
Sooty Shearwater 1n
Puffin 6n
Redshank 2n
Turnstone 1n
Greylag Goose 67s
09.05 2 Dolphin sp went south
Bonxie 1n
Peregrine 1s
Wigeon 10n

Autumn equinox starts here....

Pom Skua and 18 Little Gulls passed Whitburn Obs by 09.30 today. Stoney was in the house for the last time before heading to the Scilly's for a month! he will be missed, the Birtley Bshop showed well for the first time this year and got a few year ticks
It was a good start to autumn migration with a bit of everyhing, not bad on a southerly

This is what we saw in order of appearance

Thursday 22nd September 06.20-09.30 S2-3 cloud 8/8 then 3/8 at the end

Common Gull 54n 19s
Teal 280n 4s
Wigeon 263n 7s
Shoveler 5n
Black h Gull 45n 88s
Scan Herring Gull 1s
Curlew 2s
Snipe 2n
Shag 6s
Common Scoter 128n 18s
Dunlin 21n
Brent Goose 3n db
Red th Diver 2n 15s
Eider 2n
Manxie 7n 10s
Redshank 3n 3s
Turnstone 5n
Pintail 1n 2s
Grey Heron 1n 2s
Sandwich Tern 8s
Little Gull 18n 2 ads
Puffin 2n
Arctic Skua 1n
Pom Skua 1n juv
Med Gull 1n juv
Bar t Godwit 3n
Ringed Plover 2n
Common Tern 1s
Porpoise 1

I see no ships........

Long tailed Skua 2 Sooty Shearwaters and a Velvet Scoter passed Whitburn Obs by 10.15 this morning. A large ship has been anchored on the horizon in front of the Obs for a couple of weeks now, it has been a valuable aid in getting birders onto birds. The Cory's and Great Shearwaters come to mind, i looked up this morning and said to Stoney 'i see no ships' alas is was gone,  i now know how Nelson felt.

The day started with a Red legged Partridge, a new Obs tick for me. It flew calling from the newly scoured stubble field into the nature reserve as i opened the obs door. It was my 170th Obs tick of the year setting a new record. This was later over taken when a Yellow browed Warbler was in the hedge by the obs before flying up the path towards Shearwater Estate, a canny day all told

This was what we saw in order of appearance

Wednesday 21st September 06.15-10.15 S2-3 cloud 8/8
Cormorant 14n 273s
Teal 72n 30s
Shag 7n 2s
Black h Gull 128n 59s
Common Gull 11n 11s
Wigeon 161n
Puffin 2n
Common Scoter 50n 10s
Red th Diver 7n 25s
Arctic Tern 17s
Dunlin 30n
Ringed Plover 2n
Long tailed Skua 1n ad 06.55
Turnstone 12n 5s
Sandwich Tern 9n 19s
Eider 9n
Velvet Scoter 1n
Shoveler 10n
Manxie 4n
Bar t Godwit 1n 3s
Redshank 23n 3s
Swallow 19s
Pintail 4n
Common Tern 2n
Sooty Shearwater 2n
Yellow browed Warbler 1w
Curlew 3n
Sanderling 7n
Arctic Skua 2n

A Lora Larus Gulls.......

7 Little, 609 Black headed and 59 Common Gulls passed Whitburn Obs by 11.00 this morning. We had a fantastic movement of small gulls at Whitburn this morning in great light, a lora lora gulls. but i was disappointed  we couldn't find a Med amongst them. The ducks are still moving but less in a northerly

This is what we saw in order of appearance

Monday 19th September NW 1-2 cloud 8/8

Common Gull 51n 8s
Black h Gull 544n 65s
Fulmar 15n
Common Scoter 79n 7s
Teal 357n 41s
Red th Diver 9n 31s
Arctic Skua 2s
Eider 1n 5s
Turnstone 14n 8s
Curlew 3n 3s
Redshank 6n 11s
Cormorant 24n 232s
Porpoise 4
Common Tern 5n
Manxie 20n 25s
Gannet 183n 73s
Rock Pipit 1n 1s
Sanderling 2n
Wigeon 180n 6s
Knot 10n
LBBGull 4n
Goosander 1n
Sandwich Tern 9s
Little Gull 7n (1 ad)
Pintail 1n
Red br Merganser 2n
Ringed Plover 1n 2s
Swallow 11n 4s
Grey Wagtail 5n
Wheatear 1n
Shag 4s
Shoveler 2n
Grey Heron 2n 1s
Bonxie 1s
Tufted Duck 1n
Sand Martin 2n
Dunlin 6n
House Martin 1n

It's all about the Ducks no Sooty's......

944 Teal, 461 Wigeon and 279 Scoter passed Whitburn Obs by 10.15 this morning. Shearwaters were thin on the ground with only 2 Manxies until the last few minutes and no Sooty's or Great's.  It was all about the Ducks and we have had a fantastic passage n the last few days with a decent supporting cast of waders
This is what we saw n order of appearance

Sunday 18th September 06.10-10.15 SE1-2 cloud 0/8

Wigeon 461n
Teal 933n 11s
Common Scoter 279n
Black h Gull 135n 83s
Porpoise 3n 1s
Curlew 20n
Whimbrel 3n
Bar t Godwit 2n
Common Gull 9n 1s
Dunlin 51n
Knot 25n
Red th Diver 6n 30s
Sandwich Tern 3n 43s
Redshank 26n 3s
Shag 27s
Turnstone 3n 6s
Pintail 13n
Shoveler 6n
Manxie 22n 2s
Common Tern 19n 1s
Eider 3n 3s
Grey Wagtail 2s
Ringed Plover 1n
Mallard 1n
Sanderling 5n
Velvet Scoter 1n
Shelduck 3s
Arctic Tern 3n
Golden Plover 18n
Arctic Skua 1n 1s
Swallow 9n 2s
Sand Martin 18s
Ruff 1n
Tufted Duck 1n
LBBGull 2n
Puffin 6s

Great Great sea watch...

2 Great, 283 Sooty and 648 Manx passed Whitburn Obs this afternoon. Yes it was a Great great sea watch as we managed to see both Great Shears sent to us by Flamborough (thanks guys) and thanks to Fos for calling them both. It has been a wonderful days sea watching and here are the results of this afternoons watch from the Whitburn jury in order of appearance

Saturday 17th September -19.00 NW2 then NE2
Bar tailed Godwit 1s
Grey Heron 2n
Common Scoter 48n
Common Tern 17n 5s
Sandwich Tern 3n 17s
Cormorant 32n 14s
Brent Goose 31n pb
Red th Diver 1n 30s
Sooty Shearwater 280n 3s
Black h Gull 52n 23s
Manx Shearwater 647n 1s
Pintail 13n
Wigeon 375n
Arctic Skua 7n 3s
Shoveler 2n
Teal 233n
Redshank 1n 1s
Arctic Tern 19n
Common Gull 2n 2s
Shag 1n
Dunlin 8n
Ringed Plover 10n
Sanderling 35n
Tufted Duck 1n 2s
Bonxie 1n 5s
Gadwall 3n
Great Shearwater 1n 14.05
Velvet Scoter 2n
Little Gull 3n 1st w
Goosander 2n
Great Shrearwater 1n 17.05 get in

Speechless.......

2 Sooty Shearwaters and 26 Manxies passed Whitburn Obs by 10.15 today. An almost full obs was yet again treated to a fantastic sea watch with loads of birds seen. The light was great till 9ish when the sun broke through and changed things. A few year Lister's were in and they were disappointed as no headline birds so far today.....Great and Balearic may be on the way tho

For me the star birds were 9 Mute Swans that left me speechless. That equals the best ever day maximum past the obs, i guess you need to be a regular to realise just how scarce they are these days. I was writing the species list into the log book when i looked up and they were right in front of us close in at eye level....just how the front row managed to miss them i cant imagine

Just after i left a new record day passage of Pintail was logged, 20 beating the previous record of 19 set in 2011, not a bad day so far
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Saturday 17th September NW2 06.15-10.15 cloud 8/8 till 9ish then 3/8

Common Gull 26n 14s
Black h Gull 134n 116s
Shag 8n 29s
Cormorant 37n 411s
Gannet 254n 95s
Fulmar 27n
Common Scoter 30n 11s
Teal 353n 59s
Red th Diver 4n 28s
Goosander 5n
Curlew 12n
Grey Plover 3n
Manxie 26n
Wigeon 468n
Arctic Skua 3n 1s
Dunlin 26n
Sanderling 1n
Lapwing 1s
LBBGull 3n
Pintail 11n
Ruff 2n
Rock Pipit 1s
Siskin 1s
Grey Wagtail 4s
Tufted Duck 2n
Scan Herring Gull 1n
Meadow Pipit 17n
Turnstone 11n 1s
Grey Heron 2n 2s
Bonxie 8s
Golden Plover circa 1000n
Common Tern 21n 9s
Redshank 13n
Sandwich Tern 2n 9s
Arctic Tern 5n
Sooty Shearwater 2n
Wheatear 1
Puffin 1s
Alba Wagtail 2s
Knot 2n
Brent Goose 3n pb
Sand Martin 3n
Swallow 3n
Eider 2s
Mute Swan 9n