Over the next twenty minutes or so reports filtered in of a bird passing a number of sites in Tyneside. It was at around 10:57 that my dad picked up a diver coming north.
The bird was more distant than we were expecting, although the sun caught it and revealed the ivory yellow bill of my first ever White-billed Diver, and with its head and neck appearing all black, this bird was still in its summer plumage. We were really pleased to see it despite it being a lot further out than we had hoped for.
However, twenty minutes later I got onto two more divers going north and realised that alongside a Great Northern Diver was another White-billed Diver. This WBD was in winter plumage and was incredibly close in providing some awesome scope views and a great comparison to the Great Northern next to it.
It quietened down again after this although at 12:45 I picked up a European Storm Petrel about half way out, which was my first on a seawatch. The sea was relatively calm so some more good scope views were had.
Here's our full totals for 08:30-13:30...
2 White-billed Diver
1 European Storm Petrel
17 Goldeneye
7 Long-tailed Duck
6 Red-throated Diver
34 Common Scoter
2 Manx Shearwater
3 Great Northern Diver
11 Whooper Swan
3 Great Skua
3 Red-breasted Merganser
1 Arctic Tern
1 Goosander
5 Mallard
1 Velvet Scoter
9 Teal
 |
| The second White-billed Diver - © Chris Barlow |
 |
| The best I could manage (White-billed on the left, Great Northern on the right) |
 |
| Arctic Tern |
 |
| Two of three Velvet Scoter off Chevington. |
 |
| Shore Lark and Snow Buntings at Chevington |
Yellow-browed Warbler calling near Snab Point
No comments:
Post a Comment