Sabine's Gull

The superb run of seawatching from Whitburn continues. A red hot day with the temperature already at 18 degrees C when I left the house at 05.45.

Looking north I picked up a small, lightly-built gull flying south about 300m out. The tern-like flight  and dark-looking head as the bird headed towards us immediately had me thinking Sabine's Gull. It came further south to reveal the striking upper-wing pattern and mouse-grey triangle extending up the neck and onto the head. I just managed to get Paul onto it before it disappeared into the glare of the sun-affected sea in front of us. It emerged to give cracking views as it continued south and lost to view. A real bogey bird of mine, so I'm well pleased with a self-found tick.

The rest of the watch was all ducks and waders. Full results here.

A trip up to Derwent Reservoir gave an Osprey sitting in a tree opposite the hide and 2 Greenshank feeding on the huge expanse of mud.

Burdon Moor held 5 Whinchat, certainly the most I've seen here.

Good numbers of Black-tailed Godwit at Shibdon along with a juvenile Dunlin.