Caspian Tern............. Big Waters

27th July I have just returned from an intensive trip to Bulgaria in search of Butterflies , so I just wanted to get out for a quiet walk around ,not having been to Big Waters for some time I headed there to check for Dragonflies . Typical of out British Summers by the time I got there it had mostly clouded over  all I got was Common Blue, Large Red , and Blue Tail Damsels so I just headed to the hides for a quick look . only newly fledged Blue and Great Tits on the feeders , looked out from the hide perhaps I would be lucky and see an otter problem was though I only had my compact 7 x 21 bins ,great for Butterflies and Dragonflies no good for distance there where several terns hawking the far end then one started mobbing a larger bird what the hell its another tern it flew low back and forth then high and came towards me still a long way off surely a Caspian Tern I thought , tried to pick it out in the camera but could not find it this was frustrating I thought it was going to fly off as an unconfirmed till it rose higher and headed off SW between the hides and I managed to pick it up in the camera and get a few shots to confirm using my SX50.
I put the word out but neglected to add a tag but I'm sure the word was spread although I stayed another hour and no one turned up on the off chance the bird returned so I guess everyone saw the last bird but me as I missed the last Caspian Tern not once but twice got to Big Waters to find it had just left and raced down to Blyth to find it had just been pushed off by the tide ,never to be seen again .

Big Waters

A visit to Big Waters to see if I could catch up with the Water Rails which had been showing well in front of the hide I did see a Juvenile but it was way off  to the side as the water levels had risen . Southern Hawker at the small dipping pool ,and several Wall Browns on the wing also a Small Copper the first for the year two Buzzards over the A1 section and several Speckled Woods on the wing .

 Southern Hawker

 Small Copper on Tansy

 Wall Brown a very active Butterfly always on the move

 Numerous Common Darters but away from the pools

 Two Buzzards soaring over the A1

Numerous Speckled Woods  at least they like sitting in sunny spots ,now I just give them a passing glance how fickle we are !!!

Broad-Bodied Chaser

Since I started to develop a passion for Dragonflies the weather for the past couple of years has not been on my side or more importantly in the favour of  Dragonflies, I have made a few outings this year  but not much activity so far the common species of damselfly are still in low numbers and I glimpsed my first Emperor of the year at East Cramlington . So the news of a Broad Bodied Chaser at Big Waters photographed by Alan J  had me up there the next day , a day of sunshine and cloud ,warm in the sun but cool in the shade John also keen to catch up with this  uncommon species at least to Northumberland ,was also present no sign of it at the small pools so we wandered around looking at the flowers till the sun reappeared and we headed back to the ponds and within a few minutes first a Four Spot then the male Broad Bodied Chaser which constantly chased the FSC if it came anywhere near its patch ,it gave cracking views as it posed on the overhanging vegetation but also disappeared rapidly if the sun went in . Alan J also arrived telling us how he first found and photographed it and getting the I.D. when he got home , also around my first few Meadow Browns of the year and a glimpse of a Small Skipper but some heavy cloud put and end to this and we wandered off for a walk. It was good to finally catch up with this species after about four years of trying .

Male Broad-Bodied Chaser

 Ragged Robin

 Broad Bodied Chaser ,I don't have a macro lens so can't capture all the detail I would like

 Again the sort depth of field leaves the tail slightly out of focus

 I find Dragonflies ever more fascinating and just love to preserve a moment frozen in digital pixels ,I'm sure they will become more common in the next few years.

 This had us puzzled at first , it was well over in the pond and I thought  fairly recently emerged and perhaps with a malformed wing or had it come into contact with the FSC as it definitely had pond water drops on it's wing . A Female Common Darter which just remained there

 The Four Spot Chaser one of up to three with a female ovipositing  briefly this is the only time it settled and in the grass and not on a Rush stem as is usual.

Big Waters

A visit to Big Waters where there was a good number of Wigeon I didn't  count them the pond is very well watched every day so the counts are always up to date, no sign of any Otters for me, now in my second year since I have seen one will have to get out more ,or at least to where they are seen  , a few Siskin near the feeding station on Alder  with the usual birds present on the feeders still one of the best places to see Tree Sparrows , also Great Spotted dropped in ,the hide can be a cold place to sit so I enjoyed the walk around more having come in from the village under the A1 but returning to the North over the A1 .

 Always plenty Tree Sparrows around

 Magpie with evil eye added !!!

Kestrel on a small tree above me but looking into the light raw file meant at least I got something

Black-necked Grebe....Big Waters

Tuesday the 18th decided to check out the Black-necked Grebe still present at Big Waters another fine sunny day bit cool unless your in a sheltered spot which is the first thing I checked out looking for any dragonflies , only Speckled wood at the western dipping pool and an obliging Southern Hawker , got in the hide  plenty of Duck on the water including 2 Great Crested  and numerous BHeaded  and some Lesser Black Backs , I located the BN Grebe but it was way off  even for the scope , then I was distracted by a Kingfisher which came into the western scrape bit  to far away so I digiscoped it , ALWAYS  fantastic to see there are numerous perches for it to use luckily it sat around for several minutes , I videoed it till it flew off so stopped the vid only to have it pop back on so I missed the flight and dive , eventually off it went so back to checking the pond . The BNG by now was over near the Island so as the hide there was now empty I legged it around it did come fairly close but never managed any decent shots a GCG swan past it the size difference was  ridiculous got them both in only to find the BNG had put it's head down  and spoilt the shot .  So back around to the main hide carefully checking for the hoped for dragonfly taking a rest in the sun but nothing , a Migrant Hawker in front of the hide  would not settle so I tried some flight shots good job it's digital  , checking the pond again was deciding to go somewhere else , a guy said there is supposed to be a BNG here but I can't see it , I located it way over the pond by it's action of swimming with it's head under water before diving , this guy was expecting something on the lines of GCG size  so through his bins it would just look like a lump in the water . If he had seen it close up which it eventually did come , I'm sure he would have been impressed ,who wouldn't as it swam off again I headed home with the intention of  an evening at Holywell Pond  to record Bats ................... I got a few other surprises too !!!

Not the best flight shot but not bad for a Digiscoped shot

You have to take off the red eye reduction in your camera to get the eye colour :)

Southern Hawker taking in the Sun

Very confiding individual but the wind blowing it around

Tried some flight shots of this Migrant Hawker

Always seemed to be facing away but at least holding station

Speckled Wood just a couple around the reserve

Big Waters

A recent trip ending at Big Waters looking for dragonflies I only had a brief glimpse of two large hawkers despite the day being sunny spells it just was not  warm enough to encourage them out even checking sites I have seen them before turned up nothing . Big Waters from the top hide I saw a Banded  Demoiselle male flitting across the water by the scrape , a Willow Tit came into the feeders but only on two occasions , a Kingfisher observed on the far side of the pond , I had disturbed a Kingfisher from in front of the hide  when opening the shutters not the easiest things to open quietly  a check at the small pond nearby and also the dipping pond then the pond on the outfall , finally along the return path  which has had many Dragonflies resting in the sun but alas not today . 

Reed warbler sporting bling it seemed to be feeding young nearby

 Meadow Brown on Knapweed

Common Darters linked in mating this female looks rather blue on the underside ?

Just trying to get closer I thought the pattern looked good with them linked and on some nice stone 

Lone Whooper

There seems to be a few lone Whoopers around this one at Big Waters and I had one on the River Blyth that swan out to sea , you always assume they would stick together perhaps one or two get misplaced in fog,or perhaps as  they are not paired up, they get pushed out the flock , there must be some reason for birds to be on there own especially a species like Whooper Swan this one looking rather forlorn as it drifted around on the pond ,but that's all just guess work on my part they do all seem to head of North in the end !.

I also headed to Holywell Pond  a flock of 60 Curlew on the shore, 125 greylag with 12 Pinks and a single White Fronted Goose, two Red Legged Partridge  in the west field.

Whoopers at Big Waters ,1 ringed

Went over to big Waters via the bus last week  pleasant enough day  and there where numerous birds around started at the first hide /bunker which looks out  onto the island there are numerous bolts to undo to open the shutters this is a necessity as the area is prone to vandalism actually a plague of the nation. Three Whoopers nearby and AJ who probably spends as much time here as at home  pointed out one was sporting a darvic ring , so the challange was on although he had read it through his  scope I tried to get some digi of it , the other two seemed paired up as they  where never far apart. the Island had an assortment of Gulls and drying Cormorants, still no sign of Otter for me again so far , the Male Pintail still around but as before constantly upending Great Crested Grebes in nest building fewer birds at the feeding station  Long Tailed Tits 3-4 pairs around , a Red Admiral along the boardwalk in a sunny spot not a bad day overall. 

 Y696 Alan will send in the sighting and inform me .

All seems harmony as both Mute and Whooper preen on the pool edge

It needs some smart comment added here but I'm at a lost.