Dolphins banish the blues

6 Bottlenose Dolphins went north past Whitburn obs early this morning. After a busy weekend birding i was feeling the Monday morning blues. Sea watching was difficult with bright sun through mist and i was just about to give up when the Dolphins surfaced in front of me. They were not very showy but brightened up my morning. This is what i saw on my watch today

Monday 19th May 05.30-07.00 S1-2 mist, bright sun

Puffin 3n 2s
Common Tern 11n 13s
Sandwich Tern 9n 329s
Gannet 14n 8s
Manx Shearwater 1n 3s
Arctic Tern 4n 1s
LBB Gull 1s
Common Gull 1n 6s
Common Scoter 6s
Red th Diver 1n 1s
Eider 2s
Bar t Godwit 2n
Bottlenose Dolphin 6n close inshore 06.50-07.00

dive, dive ,dive..........

3 species of Diver went past Whitburn Obs early morning on quiet calm day. I was joined by Magic Mark and New Mark on a shortened sea watch as we all headed off inland looking for scarce summer visitors. This is what we saw in order of appearance

Saturday 17th 05.00-06.45 WSW 1-2

Wheatear 2 by the obs
Sandwich Tern 12n 235s
Red th Diver 9n 1s
Gannet 45n 13s
Arctic Tern 1n
Black th Diver 1n 05.08
Common Tern 32n 13s
Whimbrel 2n
Blk h Gull 5n 10s
Great n Diver 1n 05.37
Ringed Plover 3n
Sand Martin 8n
Common Scoter5n 1s
Goosander 1n
Shelduck 2n 2s
Bar t Godwit 1s
Puffin 2n
Shag 1n 1s

quiet day at the office..

A Velvet Scoter went north past Whitburn obs this morning on a sedate sea watch. Even Magic Mark could not conjure up anything special but it was enjoyable with a calm sea and good light. This is what we saw in order.......

Thursday 15th May 05.00-07.30 W2 cloud cover calm sea

Common Gull 17n 6s
Puffin 28n 3s
Common Scoter 140n 13s
Common Tern 27n 6s
Black h Gull 12n 1s
Swallow 6s
Gannet 203n 7s
Arctic Tern 6n
Manx Shearwater 3n 2s
Red th Diver 4n 2s
LBBGull 1s
Sandwich Tern 8n 446s
Velvet Scoter 1n
Red br Merganser1n
Dunlin 4n
Whimbrel 1n
Eider 1s

its my tern..........

2 Roseate Terns went north past Whitburn Obs this morning the first recorded from the obs this year. Hartlepool had some, St Marys had some, Whitburn Steel had some, well at last so has the obs
It was a busy morning for Terns and this is what i saw in order of appearance

Wednesday 14th May 05.05-07.30 NW1-2 cloud cover till 7ish then bright sun

Black h Gull 2n
Common Gull 35n 19s
Whimbrel 2n
Curlew 3n
Common Tern 17n 57s
Gannet 288n 6s
Common Scoter 16n 20s
Puffin 14n 3s
Arctic Tern 7n 2s
Little Tern 1n
Shelduck 5n
Sanderling 35n
Swallow 3n
Sandwich Tern 10n 353s
Sparrowhawk 1n
Tufted Duck 2s
Roseate Tern 2n
Manx Shearwater 1n
Red th Diver 1n 1s
Eider 2n

Red necked grebe first for the year at Whitburn

A Red necked Grebe went north past Whitburn at 6.05 this morning our first for the year bringing my obs list to 125 for the year. I was joined by Magic Mark who called the bird in difficult light, well done Mark. I had to leave for work at 07.30 and left Mark watching. It was a busy couple of hours and this is what we saw in order of appearance

Tuesday 13th May 05.10-07.30 NNW2 cloud cover at first then bright sun

Eider 7n
Sandwich Tern 4n 221s
Gannet 288n 5s
Common Tern 60n 12s
Common Scoter 112n 5s
Puffin 33n
Red th Diver 3s
Turnstone 9n
Dunlin 34n
Arctic Tern 2n 1s
Swallow 2n
Whimbrel 6n
Manx Shearwater 3n
Goosander 1n
Red necked Grebe 1n 06.05
Tufty 5n
Shag 1n
Sanderling 11n

whats that coming past the hut....was it stevie thunder

Long tailed Duck, Marsh Harrier and a Peregrine passed Whitburn obs in 5 hours this morning. I was joined by Magic Mark and New Mark today on a great sea watch with loads of variety in good conditions. Waders, Raptors, Terns what more could a sea watcher want. Stevie Thunder was running today 'between the piers' and had predicted passing the obs at 10.30, so we left at 10!
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Sunday 11th May 05.05-10.05 W2 coming round to NW later broken cloud cover and excellent visibility

Arctic Tern 6n
Gannet 190n 181s
Red th Diver 4n 6s
Black h Gull 9n 3s
Puffin 5n 4s
Common Tern 35n 5s
Common Scoter 2n 6s
Tufted Duck 2s
Swallow 1n 5s
Curlew 2n
Sand Martin 3n 3s
Peregrine 1n
Sandwich Tern 9n 117s
Turnstone 25n
Long tailed Duck 1n
Diver sp 1s prob blk th
Swift 2s
Shelduck 3n 3s
Mallard 7n
Sanderling 11n
Dunlin 2n
Common Sandpiper 1n
Whimbrel 2n 1s
LBBGull 5n
Marsh Harrier 1s female 08.30
Red br Merganser 1n
Ringed Plover 6n
Lesser Whitethroat 1
Shag 1n 1s

Here comes the rain again......

Black Tern Arctic Skua and a Manxie went north past Whitburn Obs early morning. I was joined by New Mark and in between downpours we managed to see a few birds. This is what we saw in order of appearance

Saturday 10th May 05.10-09.05 SSE 2-3 then 3-4 intermittent rain

Eider 1n 1s
Tufted Duck 1n
Red th Diver 4n
Puffin 4n 1s
Turnstone 14n
Dunlin 2n
Common Tern 23n 8s
Sandwich Tern 9n 173s
Common Scoter 40n 24s
Whimbrel 2n
Sand Martin 1n 4s
Gannet 187n 33s
Common Gull 11n 7s
Black Tern 1n
Sanderling 9n
Arctic Tern 12n 1s
Swift 1s
Swallow 5s
Ringed Plover 24n
Curlew 1n
Mallard 2s
Black h Gull 1s
Manx Shearwater 1n
Arctic Skua 1n
Shelduck 1n