DUCKS R US........

King Eider, Cory's Shearwater and a Shorelark went north past Whitburn Obs by 1pm today. Can you adam and eve it and not an Obs year tick amongst them. Stoney was already in the Obs when i arrived after a late night at the Sage watching Ian Hunter. It soon filled up with the Tuesday crab sandwich brigade and Distant Dave came in as well instead of kicking bushes and doing his vismig.

Things started quietly as they do this time of year when Rob called a Cory's Shearwater going distantly north. Pink Floyd managed to get on it for his first lifer of the day it took me awhile was it the rough sea or Robs instructions...its the latest ever recorded from the Obs September being the previous latest recorded. Long Nab Birder had seen a possible the day before and had given us the heads up but who could have imagined...

It some became obvious that it was a 'duck day' as a good variety and good numbers started going north on not a very strong wind. Eider began to move and Keith Mc called a distant line of 8 going north, just as they were coming up to straight out Distant Dave called the king of ducks. We could not believe our luck and for me it was the second in weeks, 'it was just beyond belief '. The birds were distant but it looked very similar to our bird of the 23rd October and it is the third record for County Durham and Pink Floyds second lifer of the day

We didn't want to leave and ducks were moving till the end but all things must come to an end and i will be back tomorrow.
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Tuesday 8th November 07.00-13.00 NW2 cloud 6/8

Snipe 5n
Red th Diver 22n 23s
Common Eider 191n 5s
Common Gull 60n 4s
Black h Gull 52n 44s
Common Scoter 124n 2s
Goldeneye 20n 4s
Sanderling 25n
Teal 141n
Turnstone 6n 6s
Wigeon 335n
Curlew 1n
Mallard 36n 2s
Redshank 6n
Long tailed Duck 9n
Cormorant 2n 31s
Whooper Swan 4n 16s
Dunlin 11n
Goosander 1n 4s
Scan Herring Gull 1n
Fulmar 5n
Cory's Shearwater 1n 08.28
Great northern Diver 1n
Shelduck 4n
Brent Goose pb 7 in obs field
Bar tailed Godwit 1n
Snow Bunting 3 in off
Shag 10n 39s
Goose sp 8s
Pintail 3n
Red br Merganser 4n
King Eider 1n dr 11.03
Starling 7 in off
Tufted Duck 9n
Shorelark 1n in off

Shag fest......

Black throated Diver and Iceland Gull went north past Whitburn Obs by midday along with another huge supporting cast. Its never easy keeping a log with the obs full and loads of birds passing, it was the same today with 14 species of wildfowl, waders and gulls and the odd diver and skua.
I called the first Iceland Gull of the season when a juv went north close inshore, great to have this quality bird back in the pack. We see Shag regularly but what a lot of Shags we got today a true fest...
Long tailed Ducks deserve a mention today's birds broke the previous best years total of 110 seen in 1990, and still a few week's to go this year
This is what we saw today in order of appearance

Monday 7th November 06.50-12.00 NW3 cloud 7/8

Common Gull 56n 12s
Black h Gull 46n 27s
Gannet 65n
Guillemot 1594n
Wigeon 79n 1s
Red th Diver 22n 10s
Fulmar 19n 1s
Common Scoter 113n 5s
Grey Plover 2n
Eider 22n 1s
Dunlin 54n
Long tailed Duck 13n 2s
Cormorant 6n 13s
Scan Herring Gull 3n
Goldeneye 14n 8s
Pom Skua 1n
Bonxie 5n
Mallard 27n 1s
Sanderling 7n 20s
Pink footed Goose 148n
Red br Merganser 1n
Velvet Scoter 1n 1s
Fieldfare 2 in off
Teal 29n 5s
Turnstone 5n 9s
Shag 5n 67s
Black th Diver 1n 08.20
Brent Goose 7pb south and in obs field again
Peregrine 1s male
Short eared Owl 2 in off 08.40 and 09.05
Snipe 1n
Woodcock 1 in off
Iceland Gull 1n juv
Bar tailed Godwit 3n
Great northern Diver 6n
Med Gull 1s ad
Redshank 1n
Sooty Shearwater 2n
Grey Wagtail 1n
Tufted Duck 3n
Little Auk 4n
Pochard 2n
Sanderling 7n 20s
Curlew 2n
Goosander 1s

Shear Surprise.......

5 Little Auks and 37 Bonxies passed Whitburn Obs by midday, but it was the Shearwaters that surprised with new November day records and the Sooty's in particular with the previous best of 8 destroyed by this mornings 67
The Obs was nearly full everyone hoping for Little Auks galore but they haven't got going yet, the supporting cast was impressive with the Great Northern Divers and Bonxies being particularly memorable
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Sunday 6th November 06.25-12.00 NNE6 cloud 8/8 rain at times

Common Gull 52n 1s
Scan Herring Gull 23n
Black h Gull 47n 12s
Eider b12n
Red th Diver 15n 15s
Common Scoter 96n 91s
Goldeneye 24n 3s
Fulmar 11n
Long tailed Duck 20n 2s
Teal 10n 30s
Turnstone 2n
Red br Merganser 1n
Wigeon 62n 14s
Mallard 14n 1s
Black th Diver 1n
Redshank 2n 4s
Sooty Shearwater 67n
Shoveler 2n
Porpoise 1
Little Auk 5n
Brent Goose 7 pb in obs field
Great n Diver 6n
Bonxie 37n
Manxie 11n
Cormorant 1n
Shag 1s
Arctic Skua 8n
Black Guillemot 1n 09.34
Little Gull 9n
Med Gull 2s ads
Grey Plover 1n
Sanderling 2n
Pom Skua 4n
Golden Plover 1s
Tufted Duck 3s
Barnacle Goose 1s
GBBGull 480n

Better late than never....

Little Auk and 12 Pom Skuas passed Whitburn Obs by 11.30 this morning. Magic and Saint Mark joined me to witness the welcome return of Boy Wonder and even Hoggie was in early. For the first year in many i didn't see Glaucous Gull in January so it was a case better late than never and we got one each way. Video of the Glauc will follow but i will have to brush up on my editing skills to beat the slow mo video from Seaton Sluice. The Obs year list ticked over onto 184...
Fantastic stormy seas on a canny northerly what more could a sea watcher want, this is what we saw in order of appearance

Saturday 5th November 06.35-11.00 N5-6 cloud 6/8 some rain

Common Gull 65n 4s
Common Scoter 72n 138s
Fulmar 3n 1s
Eider 7n 2s
Sooty Shearwater 7n
Red th Diver 7n 11s
Mallard 2n
Turnstone 15n
Scan Herring Gull 3n
Black h Gull 78n 3s
Shag 1n 1s
Long tailed Duck 5n 4s
Brent Goose pb 1s 7 in obs field
Bonxie 10s
Wigeon 68n 3s
Glaucous Gull juv 1n 08.00 1s 09.20
Velvet Scoter 2n 1s
Teal 14n 2s
Pom Skua 12s flocks of 5 and 7
Redshank 2n 2s
Purple Sandpiper 1n
Goldeneye 11n
Med Gull ad 1n 2s
Cormorant 3n
Red br Merganser 1n
Little Auk 1n
Curlew 2n

Yo ho ho.........

2 Little Auks and 7 Long tailed Ducks passed Whitburn Obs by 11.30 this morning. Its often a good duck day after a northerly when it blows south west and that's what we got today. As soon as i sat down i could see Long tailed Duck and Goldeneye on the sea in front of the Obs and it wasn't long before i had my first Woodcock and Thrushes in off. It was going to be an exciting day. Stevie Makem and Chivs arrived Stoney was in the house as the ducks started to move high up, low down, close in , distant...a classic duck day. One of the many fishing boats on the horizon resembled a pirate ship, and it wasn't long before the cry of Long tailed Duck north under the pirate ship went up...shiver me timbers

Stevie called the small Auk which we soon id'd as Little Auk a fantastic close in fly by for the first of the season, we saw one more and probably missed a few as we patrolled the sky for ducks. It was upsetting to see Thrushes coming in off being caught and eaten by Greater black backs but we persisted as Waxwings were being recorded all up our coast and we were getting everything but. More observers arrived to make it a good crowd for the third day in a row. Eventually Stoney called two Waxwings as they came in off with a Blackbird phew...tho one observer who had called them as three Blackbirds said he would not tick them as 'ahh they could have been owt'

A great sea watch and this is what we saw in order of appearance

Thursday 3rd November 06.50-11.30 SW2 cloud 8/8

Common Scoter 188n 37s
Black h Gull 39n 75s
Common Gull 15n 18s
Woodcock 5 in off
Curlew 1n
Eider 5n 5s
Dunlin 23n
Brent Goose 11n pb 6s db (the 11 north includes the birds that were in the obs field)
Goldeneye 40n 11s
Long tailed Duck 7n
Cormorant 2n 4s
Red th Diver 28n 22s
Blackbird 10 in off
Wigeon 242n 2s
Little Auk 2n
Red br Merganser 6n
Teal 324n
Turnstone 2n
Redshank 1n
Peregrine 1s
Mallard 40n 8s
Starling 22 in off
Bottlenose Dolphin 2n 08.30
Shag 1n 4s
Porpoise 1n 1s
Fieldfare 30 in off
Redwing 13 in off
Snow Bunting 1 in off
Goosander 4s
Whooper Swan 19s including 3 juvs
Grey Heron 3n
Shelduck 1n
Waxwing 2 in off
Skylark 4 in off

Whitburn Menagerie.....

2 Black throated, 2 Great northern and 89 Red throated Divers passed Whitburn Obs by 11 o'clock this morning. Magic Mark joined me from first light and we had another full house minus the actual crab sandwiches and Stoney was in the house. Over the last two days we have seen a menagerie of birds, and what a collection with nearly 50 species being seen. This included 3 species of each of both Divers and Skua's, 18 species of wildfowl and 5 of raptors. Add in the winter speciality birds like Shorelark Snow Bunting and Waxwing and why would you want to go anywhere else.
We had word from our friends at Long Nab of a probable GW Egret coming north but i had to head at eleven today so i hope the guys still watching get it. I dipped the Waxwing but maybe tomorrow...
This is what we saw today in order of appearance

Wednesday 2nd November 06.40-11.00 NW2 cloud 4/8

Eider 3n 7s
Common Gull 31n 59s
Black h Gull 82n 101s
Goldeneye 81n 5s
Red th Diver 13n 76s
Woodcock 1s
Red br Merganser 1n
Cormorant 5n 26s
Common Scoter 35n 11s
Shag 1n 6s
Merlin 1n female
Curlew 3n 1s
Tufted Duck 4n 4s
Goosander 1n 10s
Sandwich Tern 1s
Brent Goose 1s pb
Scan Herring Gull 2s
Pochard 1n
Med Gull 1s
Black th Diver 2s winter plumage birds
Mallard 7n
Great n Diver 1n 1s
Bonxie 20s
Long tailed Duck 8n (5dr)
Pink footed Goose 1n
Pom Skua 1s
Sooty Shearwater 1n
Kestrel 1n
Peregrine 1n male
Velvet Scoter 3n 1s
Goldeneye 81n 5s
Manxie 1n
Wigeon 22n
Redshank 1s
Mute Swan 1s
Snow Bunting 1n
Waxwing 1s

Full house......

6 Great northern and 60 Red throated Divers passed Whitburn Obs by mid day. It was a full house with the number of species we saw and it was a full house. Magic Mark and myself were in from first light joined by the crab sandwich brigade a couple of stragglers and Stoney was in the house, almost standing room only. We saw a vast array of birds, Shore Larks and Buzzards included and all the winter ducks a birder could want...almost.

This is what we saw in order of appearance

Tuesday 1st November 06.40-12.00 N2 cloud 8/8 then 3/8 at the end

Common Gull 37n 17s
Common Scoter 113n 47s
Black h Gull 30n 39s
Gannet 346n
Grey Heron 4n 1s
Eider 1n 3s
Scan Herring Gull 6n
Shag 1n 2s
Goldeneye 10n 2s
Whooper Swan 2n 65s
Red th Diver 12n 48s
Bonxie 6n 1s
Cormorant 4n 2s
Snow Bunting 5n
Curlew 1n 1s
Shelduck 1n
Wigeon 14n 5s
Scaup 9n (4dr)
Fulmar  1n
Great northern Diver 2n 4s
Mallard 1n 1s
Tufted Duck 3n 1s
Shorelark 2n
Arctic Skua 1s
Skylark 1n
Velvet Scoter 3n 4s
Teal 1n
Pom Skua 2s
Common Buzzard 2n
Long tailed Duck 1n
Brent Goose1n pb
Pintail 1n