Wind of change....

 Shore Lark, Great Northern Diver and a Blue Fulmar passed Whitburn Obs by 11am this morning. The wind of change was blowing as i arrived, a warmer southerly wind i enjoyed Gropper reeling and Whitethroat singing as i made my way down. It was busy and i sent a few tweets trying to muster some support as both Marks were not in today and Stoney was not going to be in the house, maybe Boy Wonder would come to my rescue. I hadn't expected to be working this hard lots of birds and lots of species to keep a note of. Eventually Pink Floyd arrived and made a big difference you cant be looking through your scope at distant Terns and still see Divers going past close in. The Shore Lark was a bonus bird only the second year I've seen one from a sea watch
The sea was flat and calm so it was no surprise we had a pod of Bottlenose Dolphins heading north as well as a good selection of birds
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Saturday 29th April 05.40-11.00 SSE2 7/8

Common Gull 107n 14s
Gannet 259n 27s
Red br Merganser 1n
Common Tern 17n 18s
Wigeon 2n
Common Scoter 227n 52s
Eider 7n 11s
Grey Wagtail 1s
Sandwich Tern 32n 113s
Arctic Tern 23n 1s
Puffin 3n 4s
Redshank 3n
Black h Gull 2n
Red th Diver 13n 3s
Curlew 1n
Teal 2n
Grasshopper Warbler 1 reeling by the Obs

Shoveler 1s
Yellowhammer 1 singing
Porpoise 3s
Whimbrel 12n
Oyster Catcher 11n
Turnstone 5n 5s
Swallow 6n
Sand Martin 1n 2s
Great n Diver 1n
Shore Lark 1s 08.55
LBBGull 1n 3s
Goosander 3n
Mallard 2s
Shag 1n
Blue Fulmar 1n L
Sanderling 2n
Bottlenose Dolphin circa 12n fairly close inshore 07.48-07.55

Barnacle spring migration gets underway...

84 Barnacle Geese went north at Whitburn Obs this morning as the spring migration started. They warmed my cockles on another cold and damp spring morning. Conditions were calmer and the light was good but early rain kept passage down with hardly any Terns seen today
Our Yellowhammer was singing again for the first time in weeks from exactly the same spot, and i managed to get my first Whitethroat of the year. My Obs year list is on 132 which is two ahead of my end of April total in 2016....still on track
This is what i saw in order of appearance

Thursday 27th April 05.30-09.30 W2 8/8

Auk sp 1850n the majority of these were by 7am
Fulmar 137n
Goldeneye 1n with auks 
Dunlin 8n
Gannet 212n 5s
Common Gull 105n 8s
Barnacle Goose 84n my first at 05.58 and last at 07.35the video is a bit rough sorry

Ringed Plover 4n
Eider 3n 3s
Common Tern 2s
Red th Diver 8n
Sandwich Tern 6n 3s
Whimbrel 3n
Turnstone 6n 2s
Goosander 9n
Shelduck 5n
Yellowhammer singing
Black h Gull 2n
Common Scoter 1n 2s
Redshank 32n
Greylag Goose 2n
Sand Martin 1n
Whitethroat 1 singing
Red br Merganser 1n

Blue all over...

Manx Shearwater Hooded Crow and a Blue Fulmar passed Whitburn Obs on this mornings watch. Magic Mark joined me and Stoney was in the house and yes we were all feeling blue, with the cold that is. And of course the star bird was a close Blue Fulmar
Rob rang me as he walked to the Obs to say a Blue Fulmar had just flown north behind the Obs, we dashed out but missed it but you can't be greedy Ive had a couple already. It was a County tick for Rob, still a difficult bird to catch up with not many are twitchable
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Wednesday 26th April 05.35-09.35 N3 6/8

Gannet 784n 13s
Fulmar 721n
Common Gull 45n 16s
Black h Gull 1n
Common Scoter 9n
Red th Diver 4n 1s
Sandwich Tern 23n 1s
Manxie n
Eider 2n 1s
Turnstone 1n
Common Tern 2s
Hooded Crow 1n
Redshank 15n
Arctic Tern 5n
Goosander 1n
Red br Merganser 1n
LBBGull 1n
Kittiwake 3,200 by 9am
Auk sp 2,900 by 9am
Blue Fulmar 1n

Migrants in the rain...

6 Whimbrel and 7 Wheatears dropped in during this mornings storm. The sea watch was quiet with rain keeping birds down and when it cleared through and the wind dropped and the birds stopped. The Wheatear were on the wall, fence, horse jump, and hut. Some birders (Hoggie) would like to see the hut demolished i like it for tired migrants to land on and to call out its coming over the now...
Sadly i missed an Obs mega today Pink Floyd called to say a Raven was flying over Shearwater Estate but i had already left
This is what i saw in order of appearance

Monday 24th April 05.25-09.25 NW3 then 2 rain 7/8

Common Gull 65n 41s
Gannet 102n 13s well down on yesterday

Whimbrel 6n
Sandwich Tern 5n 78s
Puffin 1n
Black h Gull 2n
Eider 6n 4s
Shelduck 3n 2s
Fulmar 144n
House Martin 2n
Common Scoter 84n 2s
Red th Diver 5n 2s
Curlew 1n
Turnstone 22s
Red br Merganser 2n
Common Tern 2n
Grey Heron 1n
Wheatear 7

24........

Sooty Shearwater and an Arctic Skua passed Whitburn Obs by 10.30 this morning. Magic Mark was late but he didn't miss much what a difference a day makes...
The shear volume of birds yesterday was a sight to see, but today didn't disappoint it was a slow burner. A very early Sooty Shearwater was our reward, no one is better int Obs than Mark on the distant stuff, thanks marra
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Sunday 23rd April 05.25-10.30 NW1-2 7/8 calm sea with moderate swell

Fulmar 358n
Common Gull 106n 11s
Sandwich Tern 69n 52s
Puffin 13n
Gannet 675n 3s
Red th Diver 5n
Common Scoter 74n 29s
Redshank 3n
Black h Gull 8n 4s
Eider 8n 6s
Turnstone 12n
Knot 17n
Swallow 2n
Arctic Tern 6n
Whimbrel 3n 5s
LBBGull 1n
Sand Martin 7n
Greylag Goose 2n
Shag 9n
Common Tern 5n 1s
Arctic Skua 1n
Manxie 4n
Sooty Shearwater 1n

The tide has Tern'd.......

2 Long tailed Ducks and 7 Manxies passed Whitburn Obs in 5 hours this morning. Sandwich Tern numbers have been increasing with a credible 80 odd yesterday but today we had an incredible 300 plus when i left the Obs and Magic Mark was staying......
Stevie Thunder was in for a rare visit and tried to wind me up with double calling but i was having none of it. It was canny conditions with difficult light at times. Pink Floyd picked up the Dolphins heading south and again later when they came north well done mate. Hoggie was happy to catch up with a few new year birds so all in all a cracking watch.
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Saturday 22nd April 05.35-10.35 NNW2 6/8

Sandwich Tern 30n 281s
Fulmar 264n
Gannet 338n 22s
Razorbill 541n
Common Gull 372n 13s
Common Scoter 14n 4s
Dunlin 1n
Common Tern 3n
Arctic Skua1n
Black h Gull 4n 1s
Puffin 14n
Blackcap singing
Mallard 3n
Shelduck 2n 2s
Manxie 7n
Eider 5n 3s
Arctic Tern 7n 3s
Red th Diver 10n 2s
Long tailed Duck 2s
Red br Merganser 1s
Shag 5n
Whimbrel 2n
Bottlenose Dolphin 20 plus south 07.05-07.50 then same north 09.45-10.00

Wonderful Westerlies......

Black necked Grebe and a Marsh Harrier went north past Whitburn Obs by 10.30 this morning. I was out it the toon with a few birders (i use that term loosely) last night and Stoney was in the curry house....We discussed how westerlies were good for seeing Marsh Harriers off our coast and blow me.....
The day started well with another Hooded Crow, this time flying in off. This is my 4th in about 12 month, 2 last year and so far 2 this. It didn't hang around as usual. The Black-necked Grebe was my first whilst doing an obs list but not my first from the obs. It wasn't a great sea watch as such with bright sun and a blasting westerly but birds were moving i went full flaps and held on tight for the ride.

Friday 21st April 06.50-10.30 W3 2/8

Sandwich Tern 5n 5s
Common Gull 79n 16s
Curlew 1n
Hooded Crow 1 in off 06.03 then high north over the sea 07.55 not seen between those times by me

Greylag Goose 15n
Swallow 5n
Redshank 1s
Shelduck 2n
Alba Wagtail 2s
Sand Martin 16n 2s
Iceland Gull juv on rocks north of obs 06.45 then flew south 06.55

Black h Gull 2s
Goosander 5n
Shag 1n
Meadow Pipit 21 in off
Eider 10n
Grey Wagtail 1n
Wheatear 7 on range mounds
Stonechat 2 on range mound
Whimbrel 6n
Great Northern Diver 1n 08.23 (i was talking to John Chapman when this flew by but only saw it going away looked interesting)
Black necked Grebe 1n 08.28 fairly close inshore
Marsh Harrier 1n 08.46 fighting its way north being mobbed by gulls
Kestrel 1 in off
Red th Diver 1n