Weekend Round up...

After some success seawatching before work on Thursday, Friday morning began in much the same way.

50 minutes worth of the sea from Craster found another 3 patch ticks and some good 'padders' too.

Bonxie 23
Pintail 1
Wigeon 52
Goldeneye 1
Red throated Diver 5
Velvet Scoter 1
Common Scoter 6N 8S
Teal 6
Fulmar 5
Pale bellied Brent Goose 1
Sooty Shearwater 4
Red breasted Merganser 3
Manx Shearwater 1
Slavonian Grebe 1 this one is a full patch tick. Nice to get a new addition.

Being fired on by regular twitter posts from the work-shy telling how much they're seeing, I headed up to Snab Point for half an hour at lunchtime.The highlight here was a Great Northern Diver along with a nice selection similar to those above, including another 15 Bonxies and 8 Sooties.

Back home in the evening, a quick dog walk out while it was still light added a fourth patch year tick - a nice Snow Bunting running along the coast path ahead of us. More frustrating was the small passerine that lifted off the path and dropped into short grass ahead of us. It looked like a locustella or acro, but despite me zig-zagging around the field, it steadfastly refused to be flushed again.... must have been a lancy ( not a gropper or Reed or Chiffchaff or....)

After this, Saturday was a bit of an anti-climax. Seawatching had tailed off a bit, with an adult Mediterranean Gull N at Craster being the best. Another ( or the same?) Snow Bunting at Cullernose Point and a few more Redwings and Goldcrests upped the anticipation but that's where it ended.

Today was almost bird free other than 5 tardy young Swallows, west, over our garden.

I had planned a day off tomorrow but have decided I'll keep it for better conditions...