Here comes the rain again....

A Bonxie and 20 Manxies passed Whitburn Obs by 10 o'clock this morning. The rain lasted most of the sea watch but Magic Mark and myself stuck it out. That was May.......
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Sunday 31st May 04.45-10.05 SSE2-3 rain

Sandwich Tern 3n 410s
Gannet 730n 61s
Puffin 231n 12s
Turnstone 7n
Common Scoter 52n 23s
Manxie 15n 5s
Sanderling 19n
Red br Merganser 1n
Tufted Duck 1n
Arctic Tern 47n 1s
Common Tern 15n 2s
Red th Diver 3n 2s
Common Gull 3n
Gadwall 7n
Shag 1n
Eider 1n
Bonxie 1n
Little Tern 2n

And then came the last days of May........

A Bonxie and 3 Little Terns passed Whitburn Obs by 10 o'clock this morning. And with a movement of Canada Geese we had a watch with plenty of variety. Magic and Saint Mark joined me and later Pink Floyd this is what we saw in order of appearance

Saturday 30th May 04.40-10.00 WNW2 bright sun

Black h Gull 41s
Sandwich Tern 15n 315s
Gannet 255n 40s
Common Gull 23s
Puffin 7n 14s
Common Tern 6n 3s
Common Scoter 5n 3s
Red th Diver 9n 5s
Swift 6s
Arctic Tern 2n 1s
Bonxie 1n
Canada Goose 54n
Sanderling 10n
LBBGull 1s
Turnstone 3n
Ringed Plover 1n 2s
Shag 2s
Shelduck 7s
Greylag Goose 3n
Eider 2s
Little Tern 3n

Coming up roses.....

2 Roseate Terns went south past Whitburn Obs early morning. At last my first Rosy's of the year on an otherwise difficult morning for sea watching. A blasting westerly and bright sun does not make for ideal conditions and bird numbers were well down
This is what i did manage to see in order of appearance

Thursday 28th May 05.10-07.00 W3-4 bright sun

Gannet 159n 31s
Curlew 1n
Sandwich Tern 3n 79s
Common Gull 4n 2s
Red th Diver 1n
Arctic Tern 1s
Barnacle Goose 1s
Common Scoter 1n 1s
Roseate Tern 2s
Common Tern 1s
Black h Gull 3s
Puffin 1s

Is that a Swan i see before me.....

a Whooper Swan went north past Whitburn Obs this morning. When i saw a single Swan coming north close in i was expecting it to be an Obs year tick Mute Swan, but when i lifted my bins i was surprised to see it was a Whooper. Yesterdays watch had no Swans, Geese or Ducks but no two days are alike in the obs..............
This is what i saw today in order of appearance 

Wednesday 27th May 04.50-07.00 WNW2 bright sun

Gannet 191n 24s
Sandwich Tern 4n 110s
Common Gull 2n
Common Scoter 5n
Eider 5s
Red th Diver 4n
Dunlin 1n
Puffin 2n
Whimbrel 2n
Black h Gull 9s
Canada Goose 36n
Whooper Swan 1n 05.53
Shag 1n 1s
Curlew 1s
Common Tern 1n 1s
Greylag Goose 1n
Arctic Tern 2s

Herald in a Rosy.....

3 species of Diver and a Blue Fulmar passed Whitburn Obs by 10 o'clock this morning. Saint and Magic Mark were back , and Stevie Thunder made his monthly appearance. I had put my moth trap on last night and the only catch was a Herald, i was hoping it would herald in a new obs year tick we all still need Roseate Tern but not today. This is what we did see in order of appearance
 
Saturday 23rd May 04.55-10.00 ESE 1-2 mainly cloud cover and calm sea

Sandwich Tern 27n 394s
Common Tern 12n 44s
Arctic Tern 8n 2s
Puffin 14n 4s
Shelduck 6n 4s
Common Gull 20n 29s
Porpoise 3s
Black h Gull 2n 2s
Manxie 35n 3s
Dunlin 14n
Blue Fulmar 1s L
Red th Diver 12n 6s
Common Scoter 10n 3s
Gannet 203n 22s
Kestrel 2s
Ringed Plover 4n
Turnstone 2n 3s
Shag 6n
Eider 1s
Black th Diver 1n 08.50
Great n Diver 1n 09.05

Peaceful easy feeling..........

A Great northern Diver went south past Whitburn Obs early morning. It was a very sedate watch in calm conditions, like the Eagles said, i got a ..............
This is what i saw in order of appearance

Tuesday 16th May 05.00-07.00 W1-2 broken cloud calm sea

Gannet 93n 4s
Sandwich Tern 1n 255s
Black h Gull 15s
Common Scoter 3n 4s
Common Gull 21s
Arctic Tern 2s
Common Tern 2n
Shelduck 2n 4s
Red th Diver 1n 2s
Great n Diver 1s
Shag 4s
Eider 1s

Dolphin surprise....

a Black Tern and 26 Bottlenose Dolphins passed Whitburn Obs by 10am. The first thing i saw when i opened the Obs shutters was a Bottlenose Dolphin moving south close inshore with the youngster breaching occasionally, what a nice surprise. Soon Magic Mark joined me and thankfully more Dolphins went north, again close inshore giving great views so he didn't miss out. Mark called the adult Black Tern going south, just as well as i hadn't picked it up, i don't call him Magic for nothing.
What an amazing place  Whitburn Obs is..must try and go more often
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Sunday 17th May 04.55-10.00 SW2 broken cloud some drizzle/rain at times

Bottlenose Dolphin 3s 04.55-05.05
Sandwich Tern 26n 338s
Common Scoter 12n 13s
Gannet 316n 10s
Common Gull 17n 205s
Manx Shearwater 11n
Common Tern 24n 28s
Eider 4s
Swallow 9s
Whimbrel n1n 1s
Black h Gull 3n 36s
Red th Diver 1n 1s
Puffin 2s
Black Tern 1s ad 06.16
LBBGull 1s
Arctic Tern 3n 1s
Shelduck 1n 2s
Turnstone 6s
Curlew 3n
Shag 1s
Bottlenose Dolphin 9n 08.15-08.20
Bottlenose Dolphin 14n 08.25-08.40
Sanderling 1n
Stock Dove 1s (an obs mega)