Little Auks!

Over the weekend I was hoping to do a bit of seawatching and today was my chance...

We started at Newbiggin and put in neraly three hours there (09:05-11:46). The highlight was undoubtedly the Little Auks. Here's the counts not including the more regular birds...

110 Little Auk
2 Shelduck
31 Goldeneye
3 Common Scoter
2 Shag
2 Mediterranean Gull (plus four in the car park area)
5 Gannet
4 Kittiwake
8 Red-throated Diver
1 Velvet Scoter

Next we moved to my Patchwork Challenge patch and put in a couple of hours there (12:25-14:25)...

87 Little Auk
2 Shelduck
1 Teal
1 Mediterranean Gull
1 Velvet Scoter
4 Pale-bellied Brent Goose
5 Red-throated Diver 

PWC 15
Species: 88
Points: 109 

Little Auks

Goldeneye

A Great seawatch!

We arrived at Newbiggin at 11:30, in the hopes of a good seawatch. It started off well with a steady passage of Manx Shearwaters. I was gradually scanning south and then out of nowhere a Great Shearwater flew into view. My Dad was soon onto the bird, which steadily moved north at really close range, closer than all the Manx Shearwaters!

We had fantastic views and it was surely one of my best birding moments! We put the news out soon and were pleased to hear that it was also seen from Snab Point, Beadnell and The Farne Islands as it made its way north.

Totals over the four and a half hours we were there:

1 Great Shearwater

2 Sooty Shearwater - one gave very nice views.

205 Manx Shearwater

2 Great Skua

5 Arctic Skua

7 Teal

9 Common Scoter

2 Red-throated Diver

1 Whimbrel

3 Golden Plover

A Wheatear was also on the cliffs and a Grey Seal and Harbour Porpoise was offshore.