North Sea Thread (1 Viewer)

No change with the winds. No change with the birds. Only GBBGs, Herring Gulls, Gannets and Fulmars about.

Yesterday evening though, there was a large school of White-beaked Dolphins that went past the platform. Fun to watch as they crashed through the waves. Some leaping clear of the water four abreast.

Just had 2 weeks offshore between Norway and Shetland. 6 species, just 1 Mipit. In all the years offshore I have never seen so few birds in the Autumn.

Massive

Massive movement of birds this morning. Many thousands of Redwings with a liberal mix of Blackbird.

I've never seen so many Redwings here. Walking across the Cellar Deck, I am surrounded by a blizzard of them.

Could be a good day to be on the East coast. :t:

Great reports as ever ....thanks

Interesting to hear about this Paul. I've not noticed anything obvious movement of thrushes in Aberdeen this morning - certainly nothing like we had last Tuesday when there were thousands. I wonder if they left southern Scandinavia last night (clear skies there) and have then been disrupted by the NW winds over the North Sea. If that's the case they might be heading in the other direction to the east coast of Britain.

Andrew Whitehouse said:

Interesting to hear about this Paul. I've not noticed anything obvious movement of thrushes in Aberdeen this morning - certainly nothing like we had last Tuesday when there were thousands. I wonder if they left southern Scandinavia last night (clear skies there) and have then been disrupted by the NW winds over the North Sea. If that's the case they might be heading in the other direction to the east coast of Britain.

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The vast majority of yesterday's flock disappeared at first light. For the first hour or so of the morning, after sun up, there was a constant stream of Blackbird coming out of the east and passing the platform by, heading west.

We have had a dozen or so Redwing down on the Cellar Deck all day, with a couple of Blackbirds. I think they came in last night, but it is possible that they are remainers from the previous night. It is unusual for Redwing to stay during the day, but the wind speeds have been higher today, so it may be out of necessity; having been caught out by the winds.

The remaining dozen or so Redwing departed late morning. I fed them an apple last night and another early this morning. I don't usually do this, but they seemed a bit stranded, so I made an exception. Hopefully, my apples have powered them to dry land.

Wind has changed to a northerly today, and we have seen our first icy rain squalls of the season. Wind direction is forecast to swing to being a north-easterly, then round to being a south-easterly over the weekend, so I'm hoping for a late rush of migrants. :t:

Gander said:

The remaining dozen or so Redwing departed late morning. I fed them an apple last night and another early this morning. I don't usually do this, but they seemed a bit stranded, so I made an exception. Hopefully, my apples have powered them to dry land.

Wind has changed to a northerly today, and we have seen our first icy rain squalls of the season. Wind direction is forecast to swing to being a north-easterly, then round to being a south-easterly over the weekend, so I'm hoping for a late rush of migrants. :t:

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Pleased to say they made it, just seen them flying over Coventry this morning..well done..ha ha

markspirito said:

Pleased to say they made it, just seen them flying over Coventry this morning..well done..ha ha

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Excellent. :t:

Flying Fish

Today brought a fish (see photo). that was found in the middle of our Pipe Deck.

OK, I know it did not actually fly there itself, but will have been flown in by a gull. Not the first time I've found a rejected Lumpsucker on the platform. Maybe inedible to the gulls.

On the bird front, the easterlies have brought a few new arrivals, but a very few. Yesterday, I got a glimpse of a Hirundine. I suspect it was a Swallow, but can't rule out Sand Martin from the little that I saw.

Today, a walk across the Cellar Deck produced our first Fieldfare of the year. Minutes later I caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of my eye as a bird whizzed past. I thought it would probably be the Fieldfare again, as it came from the general direction of where I'd seen it, but turning a corner to get a view of the area that the bird had disappeared into, I found a Sparrowhawk looking at me from about twelve feet away.

2018 List
1) Cormorant
2) Great Black-Backed Gull
3) Herring Gull
4) Kittiwake
5) Fulmar
6) Glaucous Gull
7) Gannet
8) Short-Eared Owl*
9) Iceland Gull
10) Red-Breasted Merganser
11) Black-Headed Gull
12) Starling
13) Guillemot
14) Robin
15) Grey Wagtail
16) Common Gull
17) Blackbird
18) Lesser Black-Backed Gull
19) Song Thrush
20) Woodcock
21) Curlew*
22) Woodpigeon
23) Redpoll*
24) Pied Wagtail
25) Long-Eared Owl
26) Carrion Crow
27) Meadow Pipit
28) Common Snipe
29) Great Skua
30) Sparrowhawk
31) Wryneck (d)
32) Swallow
33) Chiffchaff
34) Lesser Whitethroat
35) Spotted Flycatcher (d)
36) Kestrel*
37) Pied Flycatcher
38) Puffin
39) Water Rail (d)
40) Shag
41) Grey Heron
42) Northern Wheatear
43) Redwing
44) Fieldfare

Ringed Redwing

Nothing but gulls and the odd Fulmar since monday, apart from a Robin yesterday that I think I saw again today.

Also found yesterday was a dead Redwing that had a metal ring on its leg. The inscription on the ring was, "NH Museum, London SW7, RZ4 7798". I have entered the details on the Euring website, and will post any info on the bird when/if I get it.

P.S - While typing this, I have had a definite Robin sighting reported to me.

A few migrants passing through today, probably encouraged by a light south easterly. First bird seen was probably a Robin. I just got a glimpse of it as it flew away down below me. I followed the bird into the area it had disappeared into, and although I did not find it, I did find a Starling.

A little later in the afternoon, I was on the Skid Deck when a light greyish warbler type whizzed past me. It started to make its way up the external stairway of the accommodation block, so I followed, but only got brief and obscured views from below. I was halfway up the side of the accommodation, when the bird was seen heading off at speed across the skid deck, then down the north side of the platform. I descended again, crossed the Skid Deck and peered down the north side from over the hand rail. I wasn't hopeful, but the bird suddenly reappeared, flew up to my level again and landed on the handrail only half a dozen metres or so away. With a horizontal view, I was now able to clearly see my first offshore Blackcap (m) of the year.

I'll need to check my records, but I don't think I've ever had a Blackcap this late.

Wind is up a bit now, but it is still coming in from the south east. It is a bit wet and murky also, so I am hopeful of finding a few more migratory stragglers come the morning.:t:

Also seen today was a female Blackbird.

2018 List
1) Cormorant
2) Great Black-Backed Gull
3) Herring Gull
4) Kittiwake
5) Fulmar
6) Glaucous Gull
7) Gannet
8) Short-Eared Owl*
9) Iceland Gull
10) Red-Breasted Merganser
11) Black-Headed Gull
12) Starling
13) Guillemot
14) Robin
15) Grey Wagtail
16) Common Gull
17) Blackbird
18) Lesser Black-Backed Gull
19) Song Thrush
20) Woodcock
21) Curlew*
22) Woodpigeon
23) Redpoll*
24) Pied Wagtail
25) Long-Eared Owl
26) Carrion Crow
27) Meadow Pipit
28) Common Snipe
29) Great Skua
30) Sparrowhawk
31) Wryneck (d)
32) Swallow
33) Chiffchaff
34) Lesser Whitethroat
35) Spotted Flycatcher (d)
36) Kestrel*
37) Pied Flycatcher
38) Puffin
39) Water Rail (d)
40) Shag
41) Grey Heron
42) Northern Wheatear
43) Redwing
44) Fieldfare
45) Blackcap

Ringed Redwing Info

Gander said:

Also found yesterday was a dead Redwing that had a metal ring on its leg. The inscription on the ring was, "NH Museum, London SW7, RZ4 7798". I have entered the details on the Euring website, and will post any info on the bird when/if I get it.

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Details received from the BTO Ringing Group.

Ringing Scheme: London Ring Number: RZ47798 Species of bird: Redwing (Turdus iliacus)

This bird was ringed by S C Brown as age definitely hatched during current year, sex unknown on 13-Dec-2016 08:19:00 at Leigh Sinton, Worcestershire, UK

OS Map reference SO7851 accuracy 0, co-ordinates 52deg 9min N -2deg -19min W accuracy 0.

It was found 688 days after it was ringed, 706 km from the ringing site, direction NNE.


I think that means the bird was on its fifth crossing of the North Sea.

Non-migratory Migrants

I am now at the point of the year when any new species spotted could be my last 2018 year tick. The poor autumn migration has now all but dried up, and the most likely new additions to the year list would be sea ducks, of which we can get a few throughout the winter.

So it was a surprise to have a couple of examples of a new platform tick reported to me on thursday afternoon, especially as they are what I would term non-migratory migrants. Reported by a reliable witness, who got a good look at one of the birds, before it took to the air with a second, the platform has had its first recorded visit from the offshore rarity known as the Blue Tit.

With only eleven NSBC records in just under forty years, the Blue Tit, common as it may be onshore, is an offshore rarity approaching offshore mega status. That said, there was a group seen at one platform in 2016, when at about the same time, a flock of over twenty arrived at Fair Isle, where they are also rarities.

Thursday saw strong (40kn+) winds from the SE all day, so I suspect that had some bearing on their arrival. I'm a bit gutted that I didn't see them myself, but very pleased to add them to this years list.

Now, where are those sea ducks?????

2018 List
1) Cormorant
2) Great Black-Backed Gull
3) Herring Gull
4) Kittiwake
5) Fulmar
6) Glaucous Gull
7) Gannet
8) Short-Eared Owl*
9) Iceland Gull
10) Red-Breasted Merganser
11) Black-Headed Gull
12) Starling
13) Guillemot
14) Robin
15) Grey Wagtail
16) Common Gull
17) Blackbird
18) Lesser Black-Backed Gull
19) Song Thrush
20) Woodcock
21) Curlew*
22) Woodpigeon
23) Redpoll*
24) Pied Wagtail
25) Long-Eared Owl
26) Carrion Crow
27) Meadow Pipit
28) Common Snipe
29) Great Skua
30) Sparrowhawk
31) Wryneck (d)
32) Swallow
33) Chiffchaff
34) Lesser Whitethroat
35) Spotted Flycatcher (d)
36) Kestrel*
37) Pied Flycatcher
38) Puffin
39) Water Rail (d)
40) Shag
41) Grey Heron
42) Northern Wheatear
43) Redwing
44) Fieldfare
45) Blackcap
46) Blue Tit*

I have been back onboard since Tuesday, but have little to report. Herring Gulls are the predominent species (a count of 80 today), with GBBGs in second place (35). The only other residents at the moment are half a dozen Kittiwakes. Outside of that, I spotted a Guillemot on Tuesday, and today we had a Grey Seal.

I'm looking forward to seeing a few White-Winged Gulls soon I hope. :t:

The weekend was more of the same. Herring Gulls, GBBGs and Kittiwakes. Herring Gull numbers have increased to 200+.

Outside of that, one Guillemot seen on Saturday, and a Fulmar yesterday.

Still no W-W Gulls.

Always enjoy reading these posts, thanks.

Disappointed

I am feeling a little disappointed today. The NSBC annual report for 2017 has arrived at home, but my Balearic Shearwater (see post #205 on pg9) never got past the rarities committee. Instead they have listed it as "Shearwater sp", with the reasoning that it could have been a different Shearwater species.

I understand why, especially as in my description I highlighted my total lack of experience of any Shearwater species. I appreciate their need to maintain the integrity of reporting, but I'm still a bit disappointed, especially as I'm still 100% convinced that it was a Balearic. I suspect that if I had not been able to take a clear photo of last years Grey Phalarope, it too would have just been a "Phalarope sp", so the fault lies in my descriptive abilities.

I am pretty conservative in my reporting because I know that I my lack of experience can lead to mistakes. I have talked myself out of many an ID due to slight niggles in my mind, but I still have none with this Balearic.

Below is the description I sent in. I would be interested in opinion as to whether it could have been a different Shearwater species. My being 100% convinced does not mean I am not 100% wrong.

At 17:15 hours on the 13/05/17, I exited the accommodation block on the Tartan Alpha. The wind was over thirty knots and blowing from the south east. There was some mist on the horizon, however, the sun was shining and visibility was good for several miles around. Reaching the north west corner of the platform at Skid Deck level, I became aware of a dark bird out over the sea. It was noticeably darker than any of the few Fulmars that were around, and it was that, plus its un-gull like flight and light underparts, that drew my attention to it as being something different.

The bird dropped to low over the sea, but then started to rise again in a kind of zig-zagging, wheeling, stiff winged kind of way. By the time it rose above the background horizon line, I had my 8X Monocular on it. One of the first things I noticed when I had the bird in view was the long, thin beak of the bird. It was at this point that I became sure that this was a Shearwater of some kind, so I started making mental notes to aid identification later.

For the minute or two that I had the bird in good view, it continued to drop down then zig-zag by wheeling back and forth to gain height again. All the while moving with the wind away from the platform. As it wheeled back and forth I was able to get good views of both its upper and undersides. The uppersides were a darkish brown, but it was not uniform. It looked a bit patchy, and there were even a few small irregular patches that looked almost faded in a yellowish sort of way. It also become evident at one point that the birds feet were sticking out slightly beyond its tail. On the undersides the belly of the bird was white. Not a bright white, but more of a matt off white. The tail was dark brown, but as you moved from tail to belly the brown colouration diffused into the white. The head of the bird gave the appearance of having a brownish hood, behind which and joined to it was a visible collar. There were no clean lines on the bird between dark and light areas, but the back of the collar came the nearest to that.

Now the underside of the wings. I am not really up on the correct terminology, but in my own words, there was on each wing a central core pale area. A very off white. Around these areas there was a brownish colouration, again inconsistent in shade. The pale areas were separated from all the wing edges and the body by this light brownish colouration that became a little darker towards the wing tips and wing edges, but again, in a diffuse way. The brown colouration certainly extended as far as the body, and may have overlapped onto the body sides.

That is all I can remember. Of one thing I am absolutely, and totally sure of, is the bird was a Shearwater. I have no experience of Shearwaters, but have spent over 24 hours stewing over this bird. I was expecting Manx, however, of the dozens and dozens of photos that I have looked at since seeing the bird, including the Collins Guide, I can’t see past this bird being anything but a Balearic, with the key feature for me being the messy, diffuse colouration especially on the underside of the wings.


I am not sure what to do with my own lists. Probably, I'll annotate the platform list to show the bird only accepted as Shearwater sp, but what do I do with my life list???

:-C

Gander

I'm not qualified to comment on your description of the shearwater, but what you do with your lifelist is surely entirely up to you. Personally I chicken out by having two columns on my list: they are almost identical, but one includes only records accepted by the 'relevant authority'. So, for example, that column doesn't include Ruddy Shelduck in Britain, though there's no doubt about the ID.

That probably doesn't help !

Gander

I have had Balearic and Great shear sightings not proven so understand your disappointment, i am 100% sure of what i saw otherwise would not have written the description, so if you are convinced it was a BS after researching through books and pics then stick with it. I have two questions tho - 1- the collar i have not seen a BS with a collar (this does not mean that they don't ) did the bird have a dark cap? and you mention that the upper-parts were patchy even yellowish in parts, all those i have seen appeared to be a uniform dark brown . I appreciate that getting detail on seabirds in flight can be difficult to say the least but just trying to help Dean