Wave of Waders......

 389 Dunlin went south at Whitburn Obs by 09.30 this morning. Setting a new day passage record beating the previous best of 376 on the 9th August 2015. I was joined by the Prof and Stoney was in the house. After abandoning yesterday's watch after two hours due to poor light and lack of birds we didn't expect a lot today. Just shows that old saying is right no two days are alike. Dunlin were noted from the start and just kept coming add to that the sight and sound of Whimbrel migrating and you know its a good watch
Hopefully more Dunlin will be seen today but i had to call it a day due to the eye strain I've been suffering from this week.... I wonder what could be causing it.
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Friday 11th August 05.10-09.30 SW2-3 6/8

Gannet 337n 44s
Dunlin 389n
Knot 1s
Sandwich Tern 116n 29s
Common Scoter 306n 13s
Curlew 5n 1s
Common Gull 1n 3s
Black h Gull 6n 3s
Redshank 16n 26s
Common Tern 25n 37s
Ringed Plover 5s
Whimbrel 44s

Bar tailed Godwit 21s
Peregrine 1n after taking a Redshank in flight, awesome!
Arctic Tern 15n 1s
Sand Martin 3s
Teal 24n 3s
Sparrowhawk 1n 1s
Golden Plover 1s
Bonxie 1s
Red th Diver 1s
Shoveler 2n
Little Gull 1n 1s ads
Manxie 8n
Grey Heron 3s flying together a long way out
Dolphin sp 1s 08.25
Turnstone 3s

Second half....

Little Gull and 5 Bonxies passed Whitburn Obs this afternoon. Yes we returned for a second bite and along the way a few local birders contributed including Sir Ian, Marsden John, Chip Shop Steve and of course Stoney was in the house. It was quieter but the light was superb, best bird for me was a close Grey Plover in sum plum. I didn't do any  video this aft so i have included the full Pom Skua video from this mornings watch. Saint Mark arrived for the late shift and we don't know his totals yet
This is what was seen

Wednesday 9th August cont..11.00-18.00

Fulmar 105n
Manx Shearwater 33n
Gannet 697n
Teal 21n
Wigeon 7n
Tufted Duck 3n
Eider 3n
Common Scoter 152n
Goosander 10n
Oystercatcher 8s
Grey Plover 2n
Dunlin 3n
Bar tailed Godwit 2n
Redshank 15n
Turnstone 2s
Arctic Skua 3s
Bonxie 4n 1s
Little Gull 1n
Black h Gull 11n
Common Gull 1n 4s
GBBGull 52n
Sandwich Tern 80n
Arctic Tern 8n
Common Tern 26n

First half.......

1 Pom, 10 Arctic and 10 Great Skuas passed Whitburn Obs by 11am this morning. It's a game of two halves today some of us are back for the second half later. It started well and busy, I was joined by both Marks, Foss, and Stoney was in the house. We had a good selection of birds with Little Gull, Grey Plover and Pom taking the podium, but it went very quiet after 9 o'clock and the light deteriorated.
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Wednesday 9th August 2017 04.50-11.00 N4 8/8 then 4/8

Gannet 1678n 106s
Oystercatcher 105n
Fulmar 223n 1s
Common Scoter 243n 27s
Dunlin 6n
Sandwich Tern 256n 104s
Common Tern 106n 26s
Bonxie 9n 1s

GBBGull 90n 11s
Manx Shearwater 86n 4s
Redshank 10n
Arctic Skua 4n 6s
Teal 19n
Arctic Tern 8n
Kestrel 1n
Common Gull 8n 5s
Ringed Plover 1n 1s
Golden Plover 3n 1s
Turnstone 3n
Little Gull 2n ads
Sanderling 2n
Grey Plover 1n
Ruff 1n
Eider 6n
Pom Skua 1n ad dp

Porpoise 1n
Puffin 2n
Shag 1n
Black h Gull 1s
Velvet Scoter 6n

Michahellis or not that is the question........

 Black Guillemot and a Little Stint went south at Whitburn Obs by 09.10 on today's early watch. Typically i had popped out for a comfort break when Saint Mark shouted Black Guillemot, but i managed to get back and see my third of the year from the Obs. Stoney was in the house as well and they were both happy to get a year tick. It was my turn later when i called a small wader or Petrel going south, Saint Mark called Little Stint, an Obs lifer for me happy days.
It was that sort of day with a steady flow of birds without being crazy busy and you always felt the next bird could be the one
A Gull on the rocks looked good for Yellow legged but was a bit dark......video included below for opinions
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Wednesday 2nd August 05.00-09.10 SSE2 6/8

Swift 5s
Gannet 318n 205s
Common Tern 66n 158s
Arctic Tern  28s
Oystercatcher 3s
Redshank 2n 9s
Fulmar 3n 13s
Red th Diver 2n 1s
Common Scoter 411n 40s
Common Gull 1s
Manxie 22n 54s
Sandwich Tern 25n 133s
Dunlin 1n 21s
Teal 15n 7s
Ringed Plover 1n
Sanderling 2n 19s
Mallard 2s
Curlew 1n 1s
Sand Martin 28s
Knot 1s
Black Guillemot 1s 06.35
Little Stint 1s
Turnstone 1s
Shelduck 1s
Gull sp

Thats entertainment......

 Sabs Gull and 2 Roseate Terns flew south at Whitburn Obs by 10.35 this morning. It was a slow start this morning so when an Arctic Skua took up residence in front of the Obs for a while i thought that's entertaining....
It soon picked up and being on my own it's difficult to see all the birds at this time of year with so many migrating. I always feel I'm missing more than I'm seeing, so when i looked through my bins for a change i just managed to get a piece of a Sabs Gull going south very close inshore. Had i been looking through my scope i would have missed the bird.
Pink Floyd was the much needed cavalry as Ducks were going through at all different heights and distances and we managed to steady the ship. The crab sandwich boys arrived and were shocked to find me still in the Obs, it just felt that anything could happen at any time....
This is what i saw in order of appearance

Tuesday 1st August 05.10-10.35 SSW2-3 6/8

Common Tern 8n 62s
Fulmar 2n 16s
Manxie 3n 2s
Sandwich Tern 52n 165s
Gannet 126n 27s
Arctic Skua 1n 2s
Common Scoter 709n 205s
Arctic Tern 10n 2s
Red th Diver 4n 1s
Redshank 40s
Whimbrel 33s
Oyster Catcher 54s
Eider 3n 9s
Turnstone 2n 2s
Dunlin 6s
Sabs Gull 1s 06.38
Knot 7s
Roseate Tern 2s 1ad 07.30
Goosander 6n
Curlew 5s
Teal 37n 5s
Puffin 2n
Purple Sandpiper 1s
Sanderling 7s
Ringed Plover 6n 2s
Swift 1s
Porpoise 1s
Dunlin 10s

Whale meet again, and again, and again...

 3 Minke Whale, 9+ White beaked Dolphins and 8 Harbour Porpoise were seen from Whitburn Obs by 10.20 this morning. It is National Whale and Dolphin Watch week and we got off to a great start at Whitburn Obs. Magic Mark picked up the first Minke heading north at 06.52 and by this time we had already had good views of White-beaked Dolphins on a calm flat sea. A further two went north at 07.54 and we continued to see Minke till one south at 10am, we saw at least three different animals maybe more. Add to that 8 Harbour Porpoise including two juveniles and continuous mainly distant views of White beaked Dolphins, it was a Cetacean feast. The birds were not bad either with a nice selection of waders moving, and what about that white rump...
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Sunday 30th July 04.50-10.20 SW1-2 6/8

Redshank 85s
Common Gull 6s
Common Scoter 46n 6s
Gannet 141n
Turnstone 2s
Black h Gull 3s
Sandwich Tern 28n 199s
Common Tern 25n 334s
Arctic Tern 22n 21s
White-beaked Dolphin 3n 05.40-05.50 then further pods of 5 and 2/3, with at least 9 Dolphins seen till 10am
Manx Shearwater 21n 32s
Porpoise 8 inc 2 juvs
Sand Martin 4s
Puffin 6n 2s
Dunlin 31s
Knot 3s
White rumped wader flying south with 4 slightly larger Dunlin
Whimbrel 1s
Minke Whale 1n 06.52, 2 north at 07.54, 1s 10.00
Shoveler 3s
Sanderling 8s
Eider 2n
Red br Merganser 2n
Arctic Skua 1n
Great crested Grebe 1n
Black tailed Godwit 6s

Welcome to the house of fun....

Long tailed Duck and 29 Whimbrel passed Whitburn Obs on today's watch. Stoney was in the house and it was a big welcome to a new member of the Obs team who has been christened Prof. This scientist might bring a bit of slide rule precision to the team but he needs to learn how to count Ducks accurately.....
As usual Dolphins stole the show with 5 White-beaked going south close inshore including two juvs breaching. The video is a poor representation of the event but was all i could get.
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Wednesday 19th July 04.55-09.30 ESE2 8/8

Gannet 426n 81s
Black h Gull 19n 4s
Common Scoter 1077n 60s
Sandwich Tern 50n 320s
Manx Shearwater 50n 99s
Common Tern 23n 30s (1 1st sum n)
Fulmar 11n
Curlew 4n 1s
Arctic Skua 1n 4s
Shag 1n 1s
Puffin 2n 1s
Tufted Duck 2n 4s
Whimbrel 1n 28s
Arctic Tern 19n 1s
Common Gull 1n 3s
Teal 18n 21s
Turnstone 3s
Redshank 2s
Red th Diver 3n 2s
Long tailed Duck 1n
Wigeon 1n
Oystercatcher 10s
Eider 1n
Sanderling 2n
Bonxie 2s
Bar t Godwit 1n
White-beaked Dolphin 5 south close inshore 08.55-09.02 3ad and 2 juvs breaching