late seawatch

Birding yesterday was rained, or more like, winded off! A strong NW for much of the day meant ringing was not an option.

Today was better, the wind moving to the NE and I managed to get two visits in to Druridge. This morning for an hour or so, I bashed through the bushes, lots of willowchiffs about and a few blackcaps, nothing startling.

This evening, after a chores, I wend seatwatching from 4.15 til nearly 8pm, when the light finally went. It stated slowly, for the first hour or so everything was distant, I even contemplated packing it in until a nice close bonxie flew through, shortly after that a message from RBA to say that two adult long-tailed skuas had gone past Newbiggin.....I never saw them, but had some good birds after that. Another close-ish bonxie followed by three arctic skuas (which may have been the same three that are currently loafing around the bay - but they did go north) then, star bird at 18:30 - an adult pomarine skua which flew N then lingered for a bit, having a go at kittiwake before continuing north.

After this, a distant sooty shearwater went north and the manx shearwater count began to creep up, there had been hardly any, mostly singles until 18:30. Another nice find was a drake and a female/juvenile type velvet scoter together just offshore. As the evening drew in, birds got a lot closer, especially good numbers of kitti's. The light beat me by 8pm, off home for tea!

Totals 16:15 - 1955

cormorant 6
shag 2
common scoter 35
bonxie 4
red-throated diver 17 (12 lingering in bay)
oystercathcer 26
arctic skua 8
manx shearwater 94
fulmar 35
red-breasted merganser  9
pomarine skua 1
sooty shearwater 1
velvet scoter 2 (idrk, 1 fem/juv)
bar-tailed godwit 1

Hopefully ringing tomorrow before work, also, RBA reported a red-necked grebe on the big pool at 3.30 today - hope it's still there!

138 pomarine skua
139 velvet scoter