Long-tail

Started again at Whitburn and again little other than wet feet. Large numbers of Speckled Wood and a Common Darter on the sunny side of the mound, but little in the way of birds.

Marsden Quarry was similar with just a handful of Chiffchaff.

The Hall was much better with 2 Yellow-browed Warbler and 2 Goldcrest flitting about in the sun. 50+ Speckled Wood were also here.

 

Now back to Gateshead with a quick look at Lamesley produced a Dunlin on the flash pool and a Kingfisher on the river.

Shibdon held 2 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Ruff, 2 Dunlin and 6 Shoveler, with a Red Kite drifting over.

 

 

 

News of good sea watching this morning sent me back to Whitburn hoping that stuff would still be passing. Over the next two and a half hours I scored with 14 Red-throated Diver, 110 Common Scoter, 17 Arctic Skua, 3 Bonxie, 1 Manx Shearwater, 4 Sandwich Tern and good numbers of Teal, Wigeon and 12 Brent Geese. The star of the show was a juvenile Long-tailed Skua that headed north early on.

 

I then spent an hour in fading light dipping Blyth's Reed Warbler.