Tystie, very Tystie

37 Little Gulls and 30 Red th Divers passed Whitburn Obs this morning but the star bird was a Black Guillemot. Magic Mark was in and he was at his best calling the bird as it went south close in then 6 minutes later calling it as it went back north giving good prolonged views. Very Tystie indeed
On a quieter day for birds than yesterday this is what we saw in order of appearance

Sunday 26th October 06.30-10.00 SW3 cloud cover

Common Gull 1n 59s
Golden Plover 258s
LBBGull 1s
Common Scoter 27n 11s
Red th Diver 22n 6s
Black h Gull 6n 38s
Turnstone 9s
Meadow Pipit 4s
Black Guillemot 1s 07.03 then north at 07.09
Eider 1n 2s
Little Gull 17n 20s
Porpoise 2n
Manxie 2n 5s
Rock Pipit 1s
Common Gull 1n 59s
Redshank 1n 6s
Grey Wagtail 1s
Curlew 2s
Grey Heron 1n

Ravens set new Obs year list record.................

2 Great northern Divers, 11 Whooper Swans and 8 Brent Geese passed Whitburn Obs by 10am. News of Ravens yesterday flying from Tynemouth into South Tyneside gave a glimmer of hope that they might be seen from the Obs. In truth it was a long shot and i was on a short leash with grandad duties from 10, so it was exciting news that they had been seen heading south again. We managed to see all three of them and bingo they are on the Obs list and species 162 of the year, a new record. Thanks for all the Raven news guys
I was joined by Magic and Saint Mark for another remarkable Whitburn Obs sea watch, this is what we saw in order of appearance

Saturday 25th October 07.25-10.00 SW2-3 mainly bright sun after early cloud


Eider 6n 1s
Turnstone 5s
Black h Gull 13n 38s
Common Gull 13n 12s
Common Scoter 11n 4s
Red th Diver 20n 6s
Curlew 2n
Grey Heron 1n
Golden Plover circa 320s
Little Gull 49n 4s
Red br Merganser 2s
Pied Wagtail 1s
Common Tern 1n
Whooper Swan 11s
Wigeon 1s
Great northern Diver 2s
Brent Goose 8n db
Pink footed Goose 194s
Raven 3 over Souter
Canada Goose 3s

Magic Mark continued the watch as i headed off on grandad duties...back tomorrow

Sawbill Sunday....

55 Little Gulls, 2 Whooper Swans and 6 Bonxies passed Whitburn Obs by 11am along with a good selection of other species on a windy westerly day. I was joined by Magic and Saint Mark and Hoggie late on
We saw a movement of Sawbills with 19 going south, but missing the one we really wanted...Smew
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Sunday 19th October 07.15-11.05 SW6 broken cloud

Black h Gull 8n 91s
Common Gull 11n 46s
Chaffinch 1s
Teal 2n 2s
Wigeon 29n 2s
Eider 5n 1s
Pied Wagtail 1s
Curlew 2n 2s
Dunlin 1s
Little Gull 55n
Common Scoter 16n 14s
Meadow Pipit 10s
Golden Plover 106s
Turnstone 1n 1s
Red br Merganser 8s
Red th Diver 4n
Starling 8 in off
Song Thrush 1 in off
Goldeneye 1n
Grey Heron 2s
Fulmar 1s
Goosander11s
Scan Herring Gull 1s
Manxie 1n
Redshank 6s
Bonxie 6n
Merlin 1s
Whooper Swan 2s

Duckin n Divin ...the return

7 Great northern Divers, a Pom Skua and 26 Whoopers passed Whitburn Obs by 12.30. A flock of Great northerns and 13 species of Wildfowl were just some of the highlights on this duck and diver day. A Curlew Sandpiper was a new Obs year tick and brings my Obs list to 161 equalling last years total!
I was joined by Saint Mark, DL,Pink Floyd and a guest birder Brummie Gary. Magic Mark brought up the rear.
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Saturday 18th October 07.15-12.30 S3 cloud cover

Common Gull 27n 38s
Black h Gull 14n 60s
Red th Diver 7n 8s
Common Scoter 35n 33s
Eider 8n 5s
Mallard 3s
Wigeon 104n 28s
Shoveler 1n
Pom Skua 1n
Teal 34n 7s
Velvet Scoter 5n
Curlew Sandpiper 1s
Curlew 2n
Little Gull 2n 3s
Bonxie 2n
Golden Plover 32s
Pintail 3n
Redwing 124 in off
Brent Goose 1n db
Lapwing 25s
Whooper Swan 26s inc flock of 24
Goldeneye 2n 2s
Red br Merganser 1n 3s
Turnstone 1n
Great northern Diver 7n inc 1 flock of 6 a new obs record
Dunlin 2s
Long tailed Duck 1s
Goosander 1n
Med Gull 1n ad

wot no phal-fest

2 Poms and a load more Little Gulls were the highlights of a short sea watch today. I headed for Whitburn in the hope of seeing the Pallas's Warbler found by Dave Foster and it wasn't showing, seems like a good excuse for a sea watch. Grey Phals were being reported up the east coast and we haven't had one from the obs yet, Magic Mark suggested i might have a phal-fest...........
This is what i did see in order of appearance

Thursday16th October 13.35-16.00 ESE 2 cloud cover

Great crested Grebe 1 on the sea
Med Gull 1n ad
Little Gull 97n
Black h Gull 38n
Common Scoter 25n
Teal 2n
Red th Diver 3n 1s
Common Gull 43n 1s
Goldeneye 2n
Arctic Skua 3n
Pom Skua 2n
Tufted Duck 1n

Skua surprise........

2 Long tailed and 20 Pom Skuas passed Whitburn Obs today. I didn't get to the obs till 10 this morning and was just going to have a look see....I left at 05.30. I was joined by Sir Ian and Fos and later Mr WWWT. This is what we saw today in order of appearance

Monday 13th October 10.00-17.30 NE3-4 cloud cover

Shag 1n
Red th Diver 3n 13s
Manxie 20n 1s
Med Gull 1n 2s all ads
Eider 7n 5s
Common Scoter 25n
Black h Gull 12n 4s
Common Gull 38n 5s
Arctic Skua 26n 1s
Pom Skua 19n 1s
Teal 10n
Fulmar 1n
Tufted Duck 1n
Grey Heron 1s
Bonxie 33n 2s including one flock of 15
Velvet Scoter 2n
Sooty Shearwater 3n
Great crested Grebe 1n
Long t Duck 4n
Long tailed Skua 3n juvs
Little Auk 1n
Wigeon 4n
Common Tern 3n
Arctic Tern 2n

Goose fest at Whitburn Obs...

2255 Pink footed Geese went south past Whitburn Obs by 11.30 today. Other highlights included Whooper Swans, Garganey, and Med Gull, not a bad mornings sea watch. I was joined by Magic and Saint Mark we were discussing what the day might bring and we all thought Swans and Geese would be nice...we couldn't have predicted a County record day passage of Pink feet. There are not many more uplifting sights in birding than a skein of Pinks going overhead calling
Yesterday afternoon i met up with Saint Mark to try and boost my Obs year list. We saw Buzzard Short eared Owl and Jack Snipe. Today the Garganey south put my Obs year list on 158, only three short of last years total. It was down to magic Mark he called the Duck going south and when it landed on the sea was able to nail its id. I might pop back later.....
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Sunday 12th October 06.50-11.30 W1-2 bright sun calm sea

Black h Gull 74n 87s
Meadow Pipit 27s
Common Tern 14n 4s
Common Scoter 23n 7s
Red th Diver 18n 20s
Little Gull 7s
Wigeon 1n 3s
Lapwing 85s
Eider 9n
Curlew 1n 1s
Common Gull 5n 44s
Greylag Goose 11s
Canada Goose 23s
Velvet Scoter 1s
Pied Wagtail 2s
Turnstone 1n 3s
Redshank 3s
Grey Heron 4n 1s
Redpoll 1 in off
Teal 3n 1s
Whooper Swan 13s
Arctic Skua 1n
Reed Bunting 2s
Manxie 4n
Pink footed Goose 2255s (a new obs day record)
Shag 14s
Garganey 1s
Arctic Tern 1n 1s
Med Gull 1s ad
porpoise 2
Jay 1n
Red br Merganser 1n1s
Brent Goose 1s pb
Puffin 1 on the sea
Grey Wagtail 1s
Coal and Long tailed Tits were in the bust next to the Obs

All quiet on the Whitburn front....

Adult Med Gull and 4 Little Gulls were the best past the Obs this morning on a very quiet day. Lots of Gulls were moving south with a good count of Black headed but sadly the Farnes have nicked our Little Gulls. Only Saint Mark made it in and this is what we saw in order of appearance

Saturday 11th October 06.55-10.30 W1-2

Black h Gull 15n 429s
Whimbrel 1n
Common Scoter 4n 5s
Curlew 34n
Red th Diver 12n 12s
Teal 3n
Meadow Pipit 38s
Turnstone 15n
Redshank 1n
Red br Merganser 1s
Common Gull 2n 59s
Eider 3n 1s
Common Tern 4n 4s
Dunlin 5s
Little Gull 4s
Arctic Skua 1n
Shag 1n 2s
Sandwich Tern 2n 2s
Fulmar 1s
Golden Plover 57s
Tree Sparrow 23s
Med Gull 1s ad
Grey Heron 2n
Wigeon 5s
Kittiwake circa 2000s

Little Gulls swarm south...

540 Little Gulls went south past Whitburn Obs in 3 hours this afternoon. Derek Charlton started the watch at 2.30 and i finished it at 5.30. This is what we saw

Manx Shearwater 9s
Brent Goose db 56n 22s pb 9s
Wigeon 116n 150s
Teal 121s
Common Scoter 21n 42s
Eider 5s
Ringed Plover 6s
Dunlin 2s
Curlew 8s
Common Gull 2s
Black h Gull 6n 26s
Little Gull 540s
Arctic Tern 2s
Arctic Skua 10n

Duckin n Divin

2 Red necked Grebes a Great northern Diver and a Scaup passed Whitburn Obs this morning. It was a day for the ducks with 12 species of wildfowl passing and another good day for divers. Saint Mark joined me with Hoggie later. This is what we saw on a cracking sea watch

Sunday 5th October W2 broken cloud

Black h Gull 18n 104s
Turnstone 1s
Common Scoter 21n 11s
Whimbrel 1n
Eider 2n 9s
Wigeon 501n 3s
Teal 171n 10s
Curlew 4n 2s
Red th Diver 9n 17s
Great n Diver 1n
Greylag Goose 23n
Little Gull 353n and 100 plus feeding offshore
Common Tern 4nGrey Heron 2n
Arctic Tern 1s
Gadwall 2n
Common Gull 5n
Manxie 3n 1s
Pink footed Goose 12s
Pintail 1n
Porpoise 1
Redshank 2n 7s
Goosander 1n
Golden Plover 32s
Puffin 1n
Shag 2s
Red necked Grebe 2n
Tufted Duck 4n
Scaup 1n drake
Mallard 1n
Stonechat 1 by the obs

Big Divers on the move...

2 Great northern Divers and a Slav Grebe were the highlights past Whitburn Obs this afternoon. I had to leave the watch early this morning due to grandad duties,  but it felt like unfinished business so i went back for a second look. While i was away a further 3 Great northern had passed including a bird that was found preening on the sea. That's at least 6 past today!, My afternoon started with a Slav Grebe north only the second past the obs this year. They always look like they want to land, and this one did for a while. This prompted St Mark to join me. We had a bit of a shock when a large diver coming south appeared to have a pale face and ivory bill, but as it went past and the light changed it was only a white face...almost but
this is what we saw in order of appearance

12.55-16.10
Common Scoter 4n 5s
Teal 35s
Black h Gull 17n 71s
Arctic Skua 1n 2s
Slav Grebe 1n 1pm
Common Gull 15n 8s
Little Gull 13n 18s
Red th Diver 4n 5s
Bonxie 2n 4s
Manxie 2n 3s
Porpoise 3s at speed
Puffin 1 on the sea
Grey Heron 1s
Arctic Tern 1n 1s
Wigeon 20s
Great n Diver 2s
Fulmar 1n

Big feet big.....

Great northern Diver, Long tailed Skua and a Med Gull passed Whitburn Obs by 10am this morning. Normally big feet = big diver but this big diver had little feet, we enjoyed superb views of this still sum plumish bird fairly close in. It was an exciting watch with lots of close birds and loads of Gulls but we failed to get the hoped for Sabs Gull amongst the Little's and Kitts. I was joined by Saint Mark and Stoney was in the house (and not on his was to Scilly)
Early on Mark called a Petrel going south but failed to get me on it, he couldn't nail the i.d. so nothing lost
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Saturday 4th October 06.45-10.00 S3-4 then variable winds and some rain

Black h Gull 27n 67s
Common Gull 9n 43s
Eider 2n 2s
Shelduck 4s
Common Scoter 16n 13s
Little Gull 18n 60s and 100 plus feeding offshore all watch
Petrel sp 1s 07.25
Red th Diver 3n 5s
Curlew 6n 4s
Manxie 1n 14s
Arctic Skua 14n 7s
Dunlin 1s
Sandwich Tern 1n 2s
Wigeon 30n 37s
Fulmar 5s
Teal 38n 48s
Golden Plover 1n 4s
Shag 3s
Dolphin sp 1 south at 8.15
Long tailed Skua 1n juv
Pintail 1s
Great northern Diver 1n
Meadow Pipits circa 30n
Starling 1 in off
Med Gull 1n ad