Ducks in the mist...

2 Arctic Terns and a good selection of ducks were the best i could do in the fog and mist at Whitburn Obs this morning. The ducks were often high up and mixed flocks but visability was poor and impossible at times.The Doc called in and i left Hoggie in charge, i may go back later to fight off the Yellow browed's

Monday 28th September 07.10-09.20 SW2 fog/mist/ bright sun

Red th Diver 2n 2s
Common Gull 9n 3s
Black h Gull 226n 26s
Teal 36n 24s
Common Scoter 39n 5s
Wigeon 63n
Pintail 5n
Curlew 1n 1s
Eider 2n 2s
Shag 1s
Common Tern 2n
Coal Tit calling obs tick at last
Golden Plover 45s
Arctic Tern 2n
Sandwich Tern 1s
Grey Heron 1n
Shoveler 2n
Tufted Duck 1n
Great crested Grebe 1s

Mipets and a Skylark went south as i left so may return for some vis mig later

Whitburn Obs Mix Up.......

13 Brent Geese and 50 Pink feet passed the Obs by 10.10 today. On a westerly wind with poor visibility and bright sun we had little hope, add to that Magic Mark was missing...no hope
Saint Mark beat me in and we had a right melee of birds. Not much headline stuff but this is what we saw in order of appearance

Sunday 27th September 06.35-10.10 W1-2 poor visibility with mist early on then bright sun

Eider 17n
Heron 1n
Common Scoter 221n
Curlew 19n
Teal 70n
Red th Diver 12n 17s
Shag 2n 2s
Black h Gull 425n 127s
Shoveler 1n
Wigeon 142n 2s
Arctic Tern 2n
Merlin 1n
Common Gull 16n 20s
Fulmar 16s
Peregrine 1n it was up and down a lot
Goldcrest 1
Sanderling 1n 1s
Goosander 2s
Meadow Pipits 26s
Common Tern 3n 2s
Shelduck 4n
Redpoll 3n
Velvet Scoter 2n
Siskin 1s
Sandwich Tern 2s
Kestrel 1s
Red br Merganser 1n

Pink footed Goose 50s
Arctic Skua 2n
Manx Shearwater 1n
Mallard 1n
Dunlin 1s
Brent Goose 13n pb

Beat that Seaham Birder, tho i could do with your Coal Tits for my Obs list

In the Pink...

390 Pink feet went south past Whitburn Obs by 11.15 today along with a canny supporting cast. Yes Pinks are on the move just a trickle so far but great to have them back. The old team were back together with Saint and Magic Mark in, Pink Floyd and Hoggie arrived late. Keeping tabs on all the sightings wasn't easy, September is such a busy month we will miss it come December when things are quiet
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Saturday 26th September 06.45-10.45 SW1 cloud cover calm sea

Black h Gull 386n 65s
Common Gull 8n 16s
Eider 9n 2s
Curlew 3n 17s
Porpoise 2n
Shag 3n 21s
Red th Diver 23n 38s
Redpoll 22
Common Scoter 119n 23s
Wigeon 34n 2s
Balearic Shearwater 1n 07.05 1s 07.25
Pink footed Goose 390s
Siskin 2
Goosander 2n
Bonxie 4n
Little Gull 1n ad
Teal 31n 6s
Common Tern 10n
Arctic Skua 7n 3s
LBBGull 1n
Knot 2s
Sandwich Tern 5s
Puffin 1n
Fulmar 6n 6s
Pintail 6n
Red br Merganser 4n
Turnstone 6s
Shelduck 3s
Great n Diver 1s
Grey Heron 2n
Manxie 1n

Tara Tarifa Hello Whitburn.....

Roseate Tern, Little Gulls and a Red necked Grebe passed Whitburn Obs by 10.15 today. Back from watching migration and cetaceans in Terrific Tarifa to watching migration and cetaceans in wonderful Whitburn, this is the life.
Looking at the forecast yesterday westerly and no cloud i would have been forgiven for not starting my day with a seawatch but id missed my patch so i headed to the Obs. The Red throated Divers were singing as i arrived. With little wind early on gulls and terns were feeding close in giving me a bit of quality, they moved on later as the wind picked up
Our White beaked Dolphins came along to welcome me back, i will miss them when they move on
Raptors were a feature just like in Spain and i could have done with raptor girl from our trip to help me. Of three species that passed i only id'd one the regular juv Peregrine, the small dark Falcon and large Sparrowhawk type that shot through so fast i couldn't nail
Finally unlucky Dave showed up and asked if id had any Pink feet yet and 30 seconds later a skein went south, lucky or what
And yes the Buff breast did hang around for my return
This is what i saw in order of appearance

Friday 25th September 07.05-10.15 WNW1-2 then 3 bright sun

Black h Gull 54n 28s circa 50 feeding off obs
Wigeon 1s
Red th Diver 6n 11s
Sandwich Tern 8n 2s
Curlew 1n 1s
Red necked Grebe 1n
Little Gull 1n 2s ads
Redshank 1s
Common Scoter 9n 5s
07.30 White beaked Dolphin 3n
Teal 7s
Turnstone 3s
Common Gull 9n 1s
Arctic Tern 2n juvs
Roseate Tern 1n juv
08.15-08.30 ish White beaked Dolphin 10 plus moving south
Tufted Duck 1n
Shag 3s
Sanderling 1s
Common Tern 1n
Eider 2s
Pergrine 1n juv
Pink footed Goose 35s

Cant think of anywhere else id rather be except maybe St Agnes, its been a while since i visited my old haunt should have done it this year....

Like Buses..............

2 Marsh Harriers and a Pom Skua went south past Whitburn Obs this morning. Saint Mark joined me for a wonderful sunrise that i tweeted @pablohugelist. You wait all year for a Marsh Harrier on your Obs list then 2 come in an hour, just like buses. Both cream crown birds and both circa 1 mile out. One of the Harriers was mobbed by a Pom.....
A few more migrants were showing than yesterday and Redstart outside the Obs was nice
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Sunday 13th September 06.05-10.00

Golden Plover 10n 25s
Black h Gull 14n 35s
Common Gull 1n 18s
Red th Diver 6n 40s
Eider 2n 1s
Porpoise 2
Curlew 29n 2s
Common Scoter 14n 8s
Teal 14s
Sandwich Tern 18s
Arctic Skua 1n 7s
Little Gull 1s
Common Tern 13s
Manxie 1n
Puffin 1n
Marsh Harrier 2s 07.30 and 08.15
Pom Skua 1s
LBBGull 1s
Grey Wagtail 2s
Shag 4n
Heron 1n
Meadow Pipit 23s
Swallow 6s
Redstart 1 by obs
Wheatear 4 in field
Whitethroat 1

Everythings coming up Rosies.....

3 Roseate Terns went south past Whitburn Obs in 4 hours this morning. The weather is wild with a strong south easterly and rain and hopefully later it will be dripping with migrants. 4 Wheatear dropping out of the sky were a taster.  But the place to be first thing was the Obs, cosy and dry and loads of birds passing.Common Sandpiper was a new obs tick, but the stars of the show were a family of 3 Roseate Terns flying south into the wind close inshore..........
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Saturday 12th September 06.10-10.10 SE3-4 rain

Common Scoter 87n 5s
Bonxie 4n 1s
Pintail 2s
Shoveler 1s
Curlew 15n 2s
Black h Gull 4n 22s
Common Gull 4n 5s
Wigeon 15n 3s
Tufted Duck 1n 1s
Teal 44n 45s
Puffin 2n
Common Tern 4s
Arctic Skua 9n 4s
Red th Diver 3n 2s
Sooty Shearwater 1s
Common Sandpiper 4s
Grey Heron 2n
Velvet Scoter 1n 1s
Manxie 1n
Sandwich Tern 2n
Eider 1n 1s
Little Gull 1s
Wheatear 4
Arctic Tern 2s
Roseate Tern 3s 1 juv
Swallow 2n

No Fea's...............

2 Little Gulls and 7 Arctic Skuas passed Whitburn Obs by 07.45 this morning. Stony beat me in today hoping for the Fea's. Its one of my work days and with darker mornings i dont get long before i have to go to work. We saw nothing of the Fea's but in excellent conditions lots of birds were passing. I left Stoney and Hoggie to enjoy them.

Wednesday 9th September 06.10-07.45

Common Gull 1n 5s
Wigeon 36n
Black h Gull 6n 18s
Teal 157n
Curlew 2n
Little Gull 2n
Common Scoter 469n
Arctic Skua 7s
Whimbrel 1s
Shag 1n
07.00 White beaked Dilphin 4n
Sandwich Tern 2n 5s
Common Tern 31s
Knot 1n
Dunlin 25n
Brent Goose pb 6n