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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

North Sea Thread (1 Viewer)

I suspect Sooty Shearwater might be your bird then if there was no white at all seen. Lighting conditions/weather, and distance would make a difference to how black the dark brown plumage would appear to an observer.
 
I guess almost anything new may be a point of interest for conversation on a North Sea platform, but it does sound as if your known interest is motivating some of your colleagues to keep their eyes open, and perhaps that may grow in some of them... good show!

John

Yes, I have now developed a small network of guys who will keep an eye open for me. The guy who I referenced on nights is a regular. Although not a birder, when not on the platform he is a crofter/fisherman on Lewis, so he tends to be a bit more tuned in to wildlife than many i.e. he knows the difference between a clay pigeon and a Rock Dove!.

We also have a daily safety publication on the platform called the Tattler. When I get photos of anything interesting, I submit it to what has become a fairly regular "Twitcher's Corner" feature. I take a fair bit of good humoured stick in the articles, but everyone knows who to call if they spot anything.

I have even stooped to bribery, by offering a Coke and a Mars bar (or equivalent) for bird spot of the month. :t:
 
Two Bonxies and a whale.

There had been very little about yesterday until just after 3pm. I was heading along the lower lever east walkway, when there was a commotion amongst the gulls below. They were wheeling and squeeling above a patch of water in the same way they do when a seal brings a fish to the surface. As I peered down at the water below the gulls, the huge, broad back of a whale broke the surface of the water, then disappeared again back into the depths.

I hung around for a couple of minutes hoping for a another showing, but there was no more seen of the whale. I did however manage to pick out a Great Skua at distance, and then another one much closer in.

Today, things have been very quiet. The Common Gulls departed a couple of days ago, but I did pick one up today. Other than that it has been GBBG, Fulmar and Gannet as normal.
 
Last Day Skua Rush

I was a little bit gutted yesterday evening. Heading up the external stairs after my shift, I spotted a dark bird on the wing. It was a fair distance out, but the general impression I got was that it was a Shearwater. I fumbled for my monocular, but before I could get it to my eye, the bird crossed over into a wide strip of surface glare caused by the bright, but sinking sun. I saw no more of it, so another one got away.

Today started well though. Heading down the stairs, I almost immediately picked up on a passing Bonxie. There was not much else around early morning, however, mid morning there was a flurry of activity. In every direction around the platform, close and afar, there seemed to be Gannets everywhere. I did a quick circle of the platform, and came up with a conservative figure of thirty plus. Then in amongst the Gannets, I picked out a distant Great Skua. I moved to the other side of the platform, and found another GS at close quarters. Then moving back to to where I'd seen the first bird, I spotted two on the wing. I am going to assume that one of the two last birds was the bird I first saw from the same spot, but that still makes four birds for the day.

GBBG and Fulmar present as before. More Kittiwake starting to come through in ones and twos, and a flock of two dozen Common Gulls turned up late morning.

So that is me done and away for three weeks. Looking forward to catching up with the birds on my home patch, but I have to admit that I am also looking forward to returning here for the first three weeks of September. If the east winds cooperate, I should be knee deep in migrants.
 
Skua Rush Footnote

The Skua rush continued after my last post. Another three sightings recorded. I don’t know how the NSBC process these types of sightings, as there is no guarantee that I didn’t see the same bird three times, although I feel that they were different birds. Each sighting of GS during the last few weeks, have typically been of birds heading past the platform and over the horizon. We don’t appear to have a resident bird or population. It was also notable yesterday that the increase in GS numbers came with an increase of Gannet numbers.
Also after I posted yesterday, we had another influx of Common Gull. I counted eighty plus in the late afternoon, and a brief visit by a Guillemot was also recorded.
I only have a couple of hours to go before I catch a chopper out of here. This morning I carried out my usual check of the helideck area, looking for early migrants. As with the previous three weeks, my check proved fruitless for birds, however, I did get the bonus of again seeing a Minke Whale close in to the platform. Nightshift also report seeing one off and on this week, and I would suggest that the unidentified whale sightings recorded recently, were probably Minke, and possibly the same animal.
A final count made this morning. GBBG present in numbers over one hundred. They got pretty excited when a Grey Seal surfaced with a catch. Half a dozen Gannets recorded and five Fulmar. Common Gulls have disappeared again.
Ohh! And a passing Great Skua spotted.
 
While I was gone.

Arrived back today to a report of three Grey Heron circling the platform last Sunday. Also, a report of a dead bird that had been put to one side for me. I have checked the sadly deceased, and found it to be our first recorded Meadow Pipit of the year.

I am sure things will liven up over the next three weeks, especially if we get a good easterly. Fifty species for the year looking very do-able right now.

Birds present today are GBBG, Common Gull, Gannet & Fulmar.

The 2017 List Updated
1. Herring Gull
2. Great Black-Backed Gull
3. Glaucous Gull
4. Iceland Gull
5. Fulmar
6. Kittiwake
7. Long-Tailed Duck
8. Common Scoter
9. Gannet
10. Guillemot
11. Greylag Goose
12. Collared Dove
13. Goldcrest
14. Woodpigeon.
15. Peregrine
16. Sparrowhawk
17. Blackbird
18. Common Gull
19. Pied Wagtail*
20. Yellowhammer*
21. Goldfinch
22. Siskin
23. Robin
24. Rock Pipit
25. Ruff (d)*
26. Golden Plover
27. Swallow
28. House Martin
29. Chiffchaff
30. Blackcap
31. Willow Warbler
32. Kestrel
33. Carrion Crow
34. Hooded Crow
35. Balearic Shearwater
36. Lesser Black-Backed Gull
37. Shag
38. Razorbill
39. Black-Headed Gull
40. Great Skua
41. Arctic Skua
42. Meadow Pipit
43. Grey Heron*
 
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Quiet today so far. Juvenile Pied Wagtail spotted yesterday evening was a platform year tick for me. A few reports in this morning of very small birds being seen. I suspect them to be the first of the Goldcrest migrants, but have not come across one myself yet.

No White-Tailed Eagle yet, either.
 
It's early for the goldcrest rush - more likely to be willow/chiffs or other small warblers. It could get interesting out there next week. The forecast keeps changing, but more and more it's showing a decent spell of easterlies...
 
It's early for the goldcrest rush - more likely to be willow/chiffs or other small warblers. It could get interesting out there next week. The forecast keeps changing, but more and more it's showing a decent spell of easterlies...

Yes, I've not come across any Goldcrests yet. Desciptions I have been given are very vague. Usually just a "tiny bird". One worker claimed to have seen a Firecrest, but didn't know the difference between a Firecrest and Goldcrest, so I discounted it. I have a few trusted spotters, but I don't record any reports I don't have confidence in, so no Goldcrests recorded yet.

As for the east winds - Bring it on! :t:
 
A couple more Pipits yesterday lunchtime, along with a glimpse of a bird that went unidentified. If I was to guess, I'd go for a juvenile Starling, but I never caught up with the bird again.

Late afternoon, we had a small influx of seabirds. Two Guillemot (Adult with Juv) and a Shag. Shag is still with us today, hanging out with the GBBB flock that is now approaching 250 strong.

Cooler and quieter today. Wind has moved round to being out of the NW, and that seems to have stemmed the migrant trickle for now.
 
Heron

A few pictures of a young bird that has spent the night with us.
 

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Goldcrests and others

It is now confirmed that we have Goldcrests passing through. I had one definite sighting this morning, when a Goldcrest landed on a handrail a few feet from me. In the same area there were a couple of others flitting about, that looked good for Gc. Also, I received a report for about the same time as my spot, from our crane driver, of a small bird with a yellow mohican.

As you can see from the photos in my last post (#275), we have also had a Grey Heron onboard. It was first spotted yesterday afternoon, circling the platform. At daybreak, I found it roosting down on the Spider Deck.

Also, our Shag population has doubled. We now have two.

GBBG population is still increasing. This mornings count was 420+ birds. This gives us a bit of a problem, as yesterday, a couple of them were seen predating a Pied Wagtail, although I am told that the PW looked exhausted anyway. I have found in the past, that migrants seem less likely to stop off on the platform when we have large numbers of gulls in residence.
 
Wind has strengthened today, and has a touch of east in it, although predominantly from the south. It has however brought our first raptor of the autumn season, in the shape of a Kestrel. Also new in to the platform are a couple of Eider, who are also new, at forty four, on the year species list.

The 2017 List Updated
1. Herring Gull
2. Great Black-Backed Gull
3. Glaucous Gull
4. Iceland Gull
5. Fulmar
6. Kittiwake
7. Long-Tailed Duck
8. Common Scoter
9. Gannet
10. Guillemot
11. Greylag Goose
12. Collared Dove
13. Goldcrest
14. Woodpigeon.
15. Peregrine
16. Sparrowhawk
17. Blackbird
18. Common Gull
19. Pied Wagtail
20. Yellowhammer*
21. Goldfinch
22. Siskin
23. Robin
24. Rock Pipit
25. Ruff (d)*
26. Golden Plover
27. Swallow
28. House Martin
29. Chiffchaff
30. Blackcap
31. Willow Warbler
32. Kestrel
33. Carrion Crow
34. Hooded Crow
35. Balearic Shearwater
36. Lesser Black-Backed Gull
37. Shag
38. Razorbill
39. Black-Headed Gull
40. Great Skua
41. Arctic Skua
42. Meadow Pipit
43. Grey Heron
44. Common Eider
 

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The Kestrel and the Eiders of yesterday, seem to have moved on, however, we now have a Sparrowhawk onboard. Wind is 40 knots plus from the south east, but no sign of any small migrants. Usually, when we get Sparrowhawks, they come in behind flocks of small birds, but the flow of Pipits, Wagtails and Goldcrests seen a few days ago seems to have stopped, despite the favourable migration conditions.

GBBG numbers have reduced, with the stronger wind pushing them away, but we still have one Shag in residence and this morning I spotted a Great Skua passing by. Gannets still present, and the odd Herring Gull and Common Gull turning up from time to time.
 
Sprawk

Managed to catch up with the Sparrowhawk that was present yesterday.
 

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The Sparrowhawk has been again sighted by others today. Most of the sightings have been in the same sheltered area of the platform. This has given me a recording problem because it was in this very same area that I thought I saw a Kestrel on the day before yesterday. There were two of us who saw this bird sweep past through the air, and we were both instantly of the impression that it was a Kestrel, however, self doubt is now niggling away. The Sparrowhawk, as you can see from the photo in my last post, is quite small, and thin looking. We have seen no more of the "Kestrel", so I'm thinking we might have made a mistake, especially as the original sighting was very quick and through a heat haze coming off a turbine exhaust. It wouldn't be the first time a Kestrel and Sparrowhawk have been on the platform at the same time, but it is not sitting well with me. As such I am going to change the Kestrel record to one of "unidentified hawk, initially thought to be Kestrel, but possible Sparrowhawk that was confirmed present on next two days"

Heavy rain yesterday at about 17:00 hrs brough a few visitors with it. Reports of Pied Wagtails came in from two separate locations, and I also found one.

Shag still present on the Spider Deck, and two Great Skua seen today. GBBG and Gannets as normal.
 

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