Thursday 1 September 2016

Last of the summer wine....

2 Roseate Terns and 14 Arctic Skua's passed Whitburn Obs by 10.15 this morning. It's my first day of retired life and i was joined later in the watch by the local retired birders, it felt a bit like last of the summer wine, and its the first day of autumn to boot. Stoney was in the house, just as well some young eyes were in and alert as you never know when a good Shearwater could pass....
Magic Mark reliably informs me we finished August with 986 hours of coverage so far this year, 44 hours ahead of he same time last year and hopefully lots of extra hours to come now I'm done with work
This is what we saw in order of appearance

Thursday 1st September 05.45-10.15 cloud 4/8 SW1-2

Curlew 12n
Common Tern 39n 142s
Arctic Tern 1n 3s
Ringed Plover 1s
Red th Diver 1n 11s
Common Gull 4n 1s
Wheatear 1 on rocks 1 on range
Turnstone 1n 1s
Common Scoter 10n 1s
Sandwich Tern 3n 23s
Black h Gull 22n 23s
Redshank 70s
Whimbrel 1n 1s
Grey Heron 2n
Cormorant 15n 300s
Shag 1n
Dunlin 2n 3s
Arctic Skua 11n 3s
Meadow Pipit 35s
Golden Plover 5n
Teal 1n
LBBGull 1s
Roseate Tern 2s 1 ad
Porpoise 1s
Bonxie 1n
Swift 1s
Scan H Gull 1s
Puffin 1s