Pomtastic

Proper easterlies this morning made for an excellent seawatch at Whitburn. 33 Pomarine Skua , including two flocks of 8, were the highlights.

0800-1000

Little Auk    279n
Red-throated Diver    11n  5s
Long-tailed Duck    1n
Long-tailed Skua    1 probable distant south
Little Gull    1s
Arctic Skua    1n
Eider    1n  3s
Common Scoter    21n  4s
Pomarine Skua    33n
Woodcock    1n
Bonxie    1n


The Water Pipit failed to show at Whitburn Steel, with just Rock Pipits below the cliffs. A Little Auk briefly joined a flock of Starling before peeling off and heading high inland.

Little Auk heading inland

Another go for the Siberian Stonechat at Cleadon was eventually successful. Unlike the two previous, very showy, Sibe Chats that I've seen, this bird spent an hour and a half skulking  in deep cover. Good, but brief, views were had, although no chance of a photo. A Stonechat and a flyover Short-eared Owl were also here.

Another unsuccessful try for the Water Pipit (where a Pomarine Skua flew over head) was curtailed by heavy rain and I headed for home.

Pallas's

Spent the morning dipping. First up was the Grey Phalarope at South Shields, which failed to show. Birds seen here were 4 Purple Sandpiper on the pier and a mixed flock of Sanderling, Dunlin and Ringed Plover on the beach. The next no show was the Siberian Stonechat at Cleadon, where little else was seen.

Almost home when news of a Pallas's Warbler at Whitley Bay cemetery had me heading over the river. By the time I arrived the bird had disappeared and the carrier flock of tits was long gone. Two hours of extensive searching revealed nothing, but a Chiffchaff and a Grey Wagtail before a Barn Owl put on a show.

Barn Owl

Trudging back to the car, sure I had dipped, and the news came through that the Pallas's was showing again. A dash back along the lane and the bird was in the bag, giving excellent  close range views as it flitted about some back gardens. Light was a bit poor for photos, but you can see what it is!

Pallas's Warbler

Pallas's Warbler

A bit of rump

More Little Auks

Whitburn again this morning in brisk south easterlies. Not the big numbers of last week, but still a pretty good seawatch.

0750-1000

Great Northern Diver    1n
Red-throated Diver    5n
Little Gull    8s
Golden Plover    2000+ s
Little Auk    23n
Red-breasted Merganser    2n
Common Scoter    4n  1s
Red-necked Grebe    1n
Eider    1n
Goldeneye    3s
Snow Bunting    1s
Bonxie    1n

Little Auk

I hadn't seen a Little Auk since about 1985. This morning I saw 932 of them, all heading north past Whitburn. Travelling in small flocks and singles, some passed close inshore where they unfortunately fell to hungry Great Black-backed Gulls. Also heading north at 08.17 was a Black Guillemot, accompanying 4 Common Scoter, which was also my first since the early eighties. Also this morning was a trickle of Thrushes, limping in just above the waves. A Woodcock flushed from the path down to the Obs.

0730-1015

Little Auk    932n
Common Scoter    75n  1s
Goldeneye    2n  2s
Red-throated Diver    10n  1s
Great Crested Grebe    1n  1s
Wigeon    37n
Teal    53n  25s
Fieldfare    79 in off sea
Curlew    2s
Golden Plover    80n
Black Guillemot    1n
Little Gull    4s
Common Tern    1n
Red-breasted Merganser    1n
Black-throated Diver     1s
Great Northern Diver    1s
Eider    7n
Shelduck    3n
Blackbird   3 in off sea
Redwing    10 in off sea
Mallard    4s

In the bag!

An emergency holiday was put in and I was back down at Brotton before first light. A crowd of 50 or so were waiting for the best part of an hour before someone got fleeting views of the Eastern Crowned Warbler. A couple of frantic dashes about the woods followed until everyone got onto the bird, which eventually showed very well in an ash by the road. Like an Arctic Warbler in build, it had a striking head pattern with the very dark eye stripe and cap framing the bright supercilium. Sadly, although I had great views, I couldn't get a photo through the foliage in the crap light. Judging by the cracking photos around the web, it must have shown very well this afternoon.

While waiting for the star of the show to reappear a very vocal Yellow-browed Warbler zipped around the wood and a constant stream of thrushes moved overhead.

No photos today, but I went home happy.

So close

Spent this afternoon dipping the Eastern Crowned Warbler at Brotton. I did see the bird, but just fleeting views in silhouette and I can't bring myself to tick it. I came so close again, missing by seconds after being led down the wrong track and then stalled by a bloke unable to climb the fence across the path. "It's just dropped" were the words in my ear as I lifted my bins and that was it as the light faded. Good to get the heart pumping again after a lacklustre Scillies, but I would have preferred a better outcome.

Started the day seawatching at Whitburn. Highlights were 4 Pomarine Skua and a Fieldfare that flew in off just inches from the sea.

0735-0930

Goldeneye    4n  1s
Shag    1n
Wigeon    127n
Common Scoter    33n  1s
Mallard    16s
Little Gull    31s
Teal    6n
Eider   5n
Dunlin    9s
Red-breasted Merganser    1n
Shelduck    1n
Long-tailed Duck    1n
Turnstone    4s
Redwing    22 in off
Pomarine Skua    4n
Red-throated Diver    1 on sea
Great Northern Diver    1s
Fieldfare    1 in off

Huge numbers of thrushes were arriving all morning, but a good thrash around Marsden failed to turn up anything more exciting.

Dipper Dipper

Got a text from George this morning saying there was a Dipper at Shibdon- only the 2nd ever at the site. Unfortunately I was seawatching at Whitburn where it was very quiet with 4 Little Gull and 4 Red-throated Diver the highlights.

At Burdon Moor I had a Merlin hunting over the stubble field, my first in Gateshead for years. Also here were 150+ Canada and Greylag Geese, 30 Skylark, 3 Reed Bunting, 6 Yellowhammer, 50 Linnet, 1 Buzzard, 1 Red Kite and 2 Kestrel.

The usual fare at Far Pasture and Shibdon, but the Dipper was long gone.