Black Magic

A Black throated Diver went north past Whitburn Obs at 06.50. It was in summer plumage and was close in shore. It was my first this year and an Obs year tick bringing the list to 122.
This is what i saw in order of appearance

Friday8th May 05.05-07.15 SW2 cloud calm sea rain on and off from 06.30

Eider 3n 1s
Sandwich Tern 2n 522s
Sand Martin 1n 5s
Gannet 30n 11s
Common Tern 13n 4s
Red th Diver 2n 1s
Common Gull 5n 8s
Arctic Tern 2n
Black h Gull 8s
Common Tern 2n 18s
Swallow 1n 18s
Little Tern 1s
Shelduck 8s
Ringed Plover 1s
Barnacle Goose 1s
Black th Diver 1s 06.50
Wigeon

Breakfast with the Dolphin's

7 Bottlenose Dolphins went south past Whitburn obs this morning .They were close in, circa 400-500 yds out so the views were short lived as thew went south. A youngster fully beached a couple of times. It was an enjoyable couple of hours and this is what i saw in order of appearance

Wednesday 7th May 05.10-07.10 SW2 light cloud

Common Gull 1n 47s
Dunlin 18n
05.15 05.20 7 Bottlenose Dolphins south
Eider 2n 3s
Black h Gull 62s
Common Scoter 9n 2s
Red th Diver 1n 2s
Common Tern 12s
Canada Goose 3n 9s
Swallow 16s
Sand Martin 9s
Shelduck 3s
Arctic Tern 4n 4s
Curlew 2s
Whimbrel 1n 5s
Sandwich Tern 3n 75s
Mallard 1s
Shag 1s
Gannet 3n

Common as muck

60 Arctic Terns 2 Little Terns and 3 Whimbrel were the highlights passed Whitburn Obs this morning. The first three species i saw were Common Scoter, Common Gull and Common Tern........ it was that sort of day the conditions were fine but lacked some wind. I was joined by Magic Mark, New Mark and Stevie Thunder and this is what we managed to see until i left a little early to go hunting Wood Warblers

Monday 5th May 05.05-08.05 SW 1-2 cloud cover early on then broken cloud

Common Scoter 19n 4s
Common Gull 48n 38s
Common Tern 20n 59s
Canada Goose 7s
Cormorant 5n 20s
Sandwich Tern 35s 138n
Little Tern 2s
Eider 1n 6s
Black h Gull 17s
Arctic Tern 51n 9s
Whimbrel 3n
Curlew 2n 4s
Gannet 49n 10s
Sand Martin 1n 5s
Puffin 34n 2s
Tufted Duck 1n
Ringed Plover 1n
Swallow 1n 3s
Shelduck 7n 2s
Turnstone 8n
Red th Diver 4n
Porpoise 2
Goosander 1n
Oyster Catcher 70n

Everything but the Gull..........

2 Arctic Skuas a Manxie and 41 Arctic Terns passed Whitburn obs early morning. I was joined by Magic Mark and New Mark and we had a mega sea watch loads of variety and some real quality birds. We had all we could expect but didn't see the reported Iceland Gull that was supposed to be on the sea in front of us. I suspect the bird we saw yesterday wasn't about hence everything except the gull
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Sunday 4th May 05.30-10.10 SSW2 rain and full cloud cover

Cormorant 27n 31s
Common Scoter 25n 23s
Whimbrel 87n 1s
Sandwich Tern 12n 420s
Common Gull 49n 19s
Red th Diver 4n 3s
Arctic Tern 39n 2s
Arctic Skua 2s
Black h Gull  3n 12s
Gannet 39n 18s
Common Tern 18n 68s
Tufted Duck 13n 8s
Bar tailed Godwit 3n
Golden Plover 30n
Swallow 29n 27s
Turnstone 139n 2s
Sanderling 19n 6s
Curlew 4n
Puffin 13n
Eider 3n 5s
Dunlin 4n
Wheatear 1 on fence
Little Tern 1n
Sandmartin 7s
Shelduck 3n
Pink footed Goose 11n landed on sea for a while
Goosander 1s
Teal 2n 1s
Red br Merganser 3n
LBB Gull 3s
Manx Shearwater 1n
Gadwall 3n
House Martin 1s
Cheryl the Crow popped in to feed

phew, it was fun

Dont send me no Rosy's

Arctic Terns and Whimbrel passed Whitburn Obs on our early morning sea watch. It was a full house with Magic and New Mark back in the obs. No star birds and no Rosy's, Geoff Iceton had a brace of  Roseate Terns at Hartlepool and we had hoped they would head north but we didn't connect. However Magic Mark and myself did have a 2nd Winter Iceland Gull this afternoon
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Saturday 3rd May 05.15-09.30 W1-2 bright sun

Cormorant 16n 20s
Bar tailed Godwit 2n
Curlew 4n
Sandwich Tern 17n 116s
Common Tern 38n 37s
Yellow Wagtail 1s
Whimbrel 1n 2s
Common Gull 10n 38s
Greylag Goose 1s
Eider 3n 2s
Gannet 78n 2s
Black headed Gull 1n 32s
Common Scoter 8n 5s
Arctic Tern 1n 8s
Red th Diver 2n
Swallow 4n 6s
Sand Martin 6n
Shelduck 4n
Shag 3n
Porpoise

big feet big...........

Great northern Diver and a Manx Shearwater went north past Whitburn this morning, otherwise it was a little quiet which is a shame as the conditions were excellent. NE wind excellent visibility and good light deserved more. The Great northern had massive feet so .............
This is what i saw in order of appearance

Friday 2nd May 05.10-07.25 NE2-3 broken cloud

Fulmar 42n
Shag 1n
Gannet 77n 3s
Eider 3n 5s
Common Tern 2s
Whimbrel 1n
Sandwich Tern 10n 23s
Cormorant 2n
Arctic Tern 5n 5s
Barnacle Goose 2n
Manx Shearwater 1n
Goosander 5n
Great n Diver 1n 06.25
Common Scoter 2s
Red th Diver 1n
Common Gull 2n

Thanks to Pink Floyd for fixing the south door it is now sorted

Goosey Goosey Gander where shall................

520 Barnacle Geese went south past Whitburn Obs by 07.30 this morning. It was a bit of a shock when the first skein of 65 went south they were close in and moving south, my brain wasn't in gear and it was 05.45. It didn't take long for the next 90. Sadly my early morning watch is limited by having to get to work before 8am
More Geese would have gone south behind the obs in the strong south easterly. Otherwise it was quiet in the rain with few birds moving
This is what i saw in order of appearance

Thursday 1st May 05.25-07.30 SE3-4 rain

Fulmar 9n 22s
Common Gull 19n
Gannet 37n 31s
Cormorant 2n 3s
Sandwich Tern 14s
Barnacle Goose 510s (skeins of 65,90,220,85 and 60
Puffin 3n
Red th Diver 2n 1s
Common Scoter 3n 13s
Common Tern 2s
Eider 2s
Tufted Duck 2n