Pom Pom Pom.......

3 Pom Skuas 16 Bonxies and 8 Little Gulls passed Whitburn Obs by 11.10 this morning. It was another fun filled watch with both Marks with me to enjoy it, we saw shed loads of birds but the star prize went to the cracking adult pale phase Pom Skua. This is what we saw in order of appearance

Sunday 11th October 07.00-11.10 SE2 cloud cover

Common Gull 190n 3s
Sparrowhawk 1s
Wigeon 240n 7s
Shelduck 5n
Curlew 7n 2s
Common Scoter 65n 25s
Black h Gull 195n 3s
Eider 14n 1s
Velvet Scoter 5n
Red br Merganser 5n 1s
Pom Skua 2n 1s int ad and imm north, adult south
Red th Diver 11n 18s
Arctic Skua 6n 1s
Tufted Duck 4n
Teal 4n 4s
Brent Goose 1n db
Bonxie 8n 8s
Porpoise 2
Fulmar 2n 1s
Scan Herring Gull 1s
Little Gull 8n
Turnstone 5s
Kingfisher 1 feeding on rocks below obs again
Goldcrest 3 in/off
Skylark 6 in/off
Great crested Grebe 1s
Redshank 1s

As we left a short shower dropped in loads of Crests, and Saint Mark found a Firecrest
Back tomorrow for more, i love this 3 day week lark

just when you thought it was safe.....

Sooty Shearwater and a Bonxie passed Whitburn Obs this morning but the star of the show was a Basking Shark. It went slowly north circa 800 yds offshore. Its triangular doral fin was not particularly impressive compared to the Dolphins we see locally and its tail fin wasnt always prominant. Its my first ever and i hope more people see it as it goes north as the sea is calm and flat.
Magic and Saint Mark joined me, sadly they left before the shark.
We had a decent variety of birds including a new Obs list year tick , Kingfisher, bringing my year list to circa 157
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Saturday 10th October 06.55-10.30 NW1-2 bright sun and light cloud

Grey Heron 1s
Eider 6n 5s
Red th Diver 4n 4s
Black h Gull 63n 69s
Common Gull 12n 2s
Curlew 3n
Common Scoter 24n 3s
Shag 2s
Porpoise 1
Med Gull 1n ad
Bonxie 1n
Kingfisher 1n
Red br Merganser 1s
Wigeon 5n
Redshank 1n
Sooty Shearwater 1n
Pink footed Goose 180s
Teal 2s
Basking Shark slowly north 09.20 until lost to view at 09.40 circa 800yds offshore

Just when you thought it was safe.......

Sooty Shearwater and a Bonxie passed Whitburn Obs this morning but the star of the show was a Basking Shark. It went slowly north circa 800yds offshore. Its triangular dorsal fin was not particularly impressive compared to the Dolphins we see locally and its tail fin wasn't always prominent. Its my first ever and i hope more people get to see it as it goes north as the sea is calm and flat
Magic and Saint Mark joined me sadly they had both left before the Shark. We had a decent variety of birds including a new Obs list year tick, Kingfisher, bringing my year list to circa 157
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Saturday 10th October 06.55-10.30 NW1-2 calm sea bright sun with light cloud
Grey Heron 1s
Eider 6n 5s
Red th Diver 4n 4s
Black h Gull 63n 69s
Common Gull 12n 2s
Curlew 3n
Common Scoter 34n 3s
Shag 2s
Porpoise 1
Med Gull 1n ad
Bonxie 1n
Kingfisher 1n
Red br Merganser 1s
Wigeon 5n
Redshank 1n
Sooty Shearwater 1n
Pink footed Goose 180sTeal 2s
09.20 Basking Shark slowly north when lost to view

Poppy does it again...

570 Pinkfeet went south past Whitburn Obs by 10.15 today. The Geese were the highlight on a very quiet watch. It was a dire start this morning but as last week when the Doc and Poppy arrived they brought a few birds with them. No sooner had they sat down when the Pinks started.This is what i saw in order of appearance

Friday 9th October 06.55-10.15 SW1-2 bright sun

Black h Gull 47n 83s
Common Gull 11n 9s
Eider 3s
Curlew 8n 1s
Common Scoter 3n
Sandwich Tern 3s
Red th Diver 3n 2s
Red br Merganser 1n
Peregrine 1n juv
Pink footed Goose 570s
Snipe 1s
Shag 1s
Arctic Skua 1n

Doc brings a Spoonful......

Black throated Diver and 4 Long tailed Ducks went south past Whitburn Obs by 10.30 this morning. It had started a mediocre watch and i was about to pack in with Arctic Skua my best bird when i saw the Doc and Poppy heading for the Obs. They brought a change of luck which was just the medicine i needed. In the end we had so much quality it was hard to choose the best birds but the Long tailed Ducks took the prize for passing under our noses not once but twice. This is what we saw in order of appearance

Monday 5th October 06.55-10.30 SE3 cloud mist rain

Kestrel 1s
Redwing a few were about an Obs year tick
Black h Gull 41n 69s
Wigeon 79n 4s
Eider 12n
Curlew 7n
Common Gull 67n 5s
Shag 2s
Red th Diver 7n 3s
Teal 16n 66s
Common Scoter 17n 30s
Fulmar 2n 4s
Arctic Skua 1n
Peregrine 1s
Golden Plover 130s
Doc and Poppy arrive
Red br Merganser 2n
Bonxie 2n
Brent Goose 4n pb
Black th Diver 1s
Long tailed Duck 4n 4s  2pr
Sooty Shearwater 1n
Barnacle Goose 89n
Grey Wagtail 1s

Doc and Poppy can call anytime they like if they bring luck like that

Bandits at 3 o'clock.......

Sooty Shearwater and a Great northern Diver passed Whitburn by 10am today. It was one of those days when the Ducks were coming at you from all directions due to the mist and low cloud. Add to that a few decent birds and you've got a canny sea watch
Saint Mark joined me as normal and this is what we saw in order of appearance

Sunday 4th October 06.55-10.05 W1-2 mist, low cloud

Eider 6n 11s
Common Gull 61n 17s
Sparrowhawk 1s
Curlew 23n
Goldcrest 1 flew into Obs
Black h Gull 105n 63s
Wigeon 229n 6s
Teal 100n
Common Scoter 44n
Mad Gull 1n ad
Great northern Diver 1n
Scan Herring Gull 1s
Shag 1n 5s
Lapwing 33s
Pied Wagtail 2s
Little Gull 1s ad
Red th Diver 4s
Fulmar 2n
Peregrine 1s juv
Turnstone 1s
Dunlin 2n
Sooty Shearwater 1s
Great crested Grebe 1n
Porpoise 1

Obs year list still on track...

Great northern Diver and 2 Little Gulls passed Whitburn Obs by 10 am this morning. Saint Mark joined me and we had to work hard for our birds with little wind and misty conditions. This is what we saw in order of appearance.

Saturday 3rd October 06.55-10.05 W1 fog/mist early on but clearing

Black h Gull 148n 90s
Common Gull 14n 8s
Lapwing 4n 13s
Curlew 7n
Common Scoter 14n
Goosander 4n
Eider 7s
Great n Diver 1n
Red th Diver 5n 11s
Teal 22n
Fulmar 3n
Wigeon 20n
Manxie 2n
Shag 9s
Sandwich Tern 6s
LBBGull 1s
Little Gull 2n ad and juv
Shoveler 5n
Pintail 1n

I put in 3 hours yesterday as well with similar results but a Mute Swan flew south then north again an Obs year tick. That brings my year list to 155 so far. I managed 161 species in 2013 and 167 in 2014 so I'm on track for a 160 plus total