28th August - 3rd September Update

28th August Cycled along to St Mary's for the incoming tide just a few Common and Sandwich Terns around , Juvenile Med gull in the south bay, on the 22nd some Juvenile gulls trying to get into this plastic ball , dropping it onto a rock where it just rolled into the water time and again this went on for nearly an hour and what was going on today the very same plastic ball with Juveniles trying to get into it convinced it was edible.

Juvenile Med seeing if this was in any way edible !!!!!
30th August Started the day with some seawatching at St Mary's a few Manx, 100+ teal ,Wigeon & Common Scoter, Arctic & a single Juvenile Long Tailed Skua + a couple of Bonxie later a single Juvenile Roseate on the rocks adult Med at Briardene Car park.


31st August Tuesday back up to St Mary's for the reported Greenish Warbler a good few birders there already and within a few minutes the bird was on show I opted to get a good look at it before trying to get some pics , but in the end did not get any photos at all it was reported off and on for a few more days and I tried a couple of times but did not see it again.

Headed up the coast stopping at Summerhill Lane pond a Teneral Migrant Hawker in the grass and an adult on the pond edge with a further three along the hedge near Woodhorn Flash.

Spend about 45mins at Snab Point the sea having dropped to near calm but no sign of any Cetaceans .

Cresswell 6 Black tailed Godwits , 10 Dunlin , 1Knot, & 4 Ruff with a Peregrine spooking everything but with no catch.
Common Darter
Migrant hawker
2nd September,.......... Went along to Newbiggin to try for the Barred Warbler not sure if we where in the right place but no sign and again reported as still there later on , 2 Migrant Hawkers on the track down from the Mound , stopped at Summerhill Lane on the way back Female Migrant Hawker ovipositing but too quick for me to get a photo, male patrolling the same area as the other day but being more obliging and resting now and again.

Migrant Hawker The Mound Newbiggin
Migrant hawker Summerhill Lane
Migrant Hawker in flight Summerhill lane
3rd September,.............. It was a sunny day so I tried some ponds for Dragonflies again only Migrant Hawker along the edge with a few Common Darter , not seen any Ruddy Darters for awhile , Emerald and a couple of Azure still around , picked up this Stoat coming towards me but the sound of the shutter saw him dash back the way it came.

Called back at St Mary's the Greenish reported again but no sign did get this Spotted Flycatcher along the stream with the Willows.

20th April Jack Snipe & more Wags

The message of a Jack snipe showing at Cresswell saw me arrive at the hide with all my gear including the flask ready for a long session, I have seen many jack Snipe but never had a really good look at one , to my surprise it was showing although at first very hard to pick out it did come more into the open very briefly, what a cracking little bird as it worked the ground bobbing along like a clockwork toy .

The Black headed Wagtail was reported as being at the north end again , long with the Blue-Headed /Yellow Wagtail hybrid, they both showed well although to distant for my lens, at least 8 Yellows along with White & Pied also 2 Common Sandpiper ,it was another windy day and very cold exposed on the causeway ,the strong wind caught my tripod and the lot tipped into the pond , I grabbed it quick the water gushing from the sun shade and open case, what a disaster !!! tried to get the case off but you have to take the eyepiece out so I dried it best I could hanging it on the fence to let the wind help,I used it again later and it seems OK .Thankfully Kowas are a well made scope.

Went on to Druridge to have a look at the 90 Black tailed Godwits quite a sight in the afternoon sun more dropped in and I got to 115 before some left again , later 20 dropped into Cresswell , where apparently the Black headed had again went out of sight, a bit frustrating for those that had yet to see it.

White Fronted Geese along with a few Pinkfeet still in the Woodhorn area as I drove up.

Cryptic with a capital "C" that's Jack Snipe for you
crop of the above
a few seconds in the open then back to feeding in cover , a bobbing dazzler !
I dont shoot in RAW but wonder if I could have improved these if I had
A tiny bird still some way off so another very heavy crop
Just another quick shot as it dropped on the path
part of the Black Tailed Godwit as they wheeled around 115 in total
Taken through my scope not long after being fully immersed in Cresswell Pond !!!!

That was the week that was !!!!!!!!!!!!

Just catching up on whats been happening or not in this case, spent last weekend camping at Wooler, but absolutely lousy weather Bank Holiday Monday at Glendale Show but not my cup of tea, an evening down at the bridge saw several Daubentons Bats but far fewer than I have seen in the past, there is a very large encased pipe that you could walk on across the river and the bats used to whip past you, but alas now its fenced off plenty of Tawny Owls calling for what seemed like most of the night........... one remark heard as a couple packed their gear away at the site which I thought was humorous (posh voice) " Darling where do we keep the Arxe !!!, your bag or mine ".
Called in at Blyth harbour on the way to St Mary's and the erection of more gates and fences, looks like it's turning into area 51, making Winter Gull watching very difficult if not impossible.
Several Roseates on the rocks but well out , a couple of Whimbrel over but rather quiet.
Had five Migrant Hawkers in a small group all hung up within about 10' of each other and 2 on the same branch but in thick cover so all distant shots also Peacocks a few Painted Ladies Red Admirals & Tortoiseshell and a very raggy Wall Brown, on to Cresswell the water level is up again as you probably already know and the strong wind didn't help either , 5 BlackTailed Godwits, 2 Bar tailed , Curlew Sandpiper, Greenshank & several Dunlin dropped onto the sandbank but all left very quickly, what looked like Little Stint up at the far end still on the main pond but right of that small mound with the channel behind, it stayed there even when everything else flushed .

Semipalmated Sandpiper 27-8-09

Well Thursday saw me drive back to Cresswell , it's where it's all happening at the moment, so many waders in one small area it's fantastic, A Water Rail showed saeveral timeson the far right even stopping to bathe at one point, terrific number of waders around I did not count everything but some counts where, 200+ Dunlin , 46 Black Tailed Godwits, 35Knot, 4 Greenshank, 4 Curlew Sandpiper,5 Bar-tailed, 6 Ruff & a Wood Sandpiper. A Merlin paid a couple of visits also 2 Yellow Wagtails at the north end of the main pool, the hide again rather busy so I went up to Druridge but alas nothing around so after a short visit headed back to Cresswell, and got sat down near the small pool , but wih the constant trek of people looking for the Semi-P I gave up.


Later back at the hide it was much quieter, around 6 as I was scanning the reed edges and picked out what I thought was a small Crake at least I was sure it was not a Water Rail, it was just about to come more in the open when a Moorhen spooked it I picked it out in the background as it moved through the reeds, so sure that it was perhaps a Spotted Crake that I gave it another hour scanning and re scanning the edge , the presecne of a Heron would not help , but it was not seen again. This was the area between the red fish box and the large square post . When I got home a message of possibleWhite Winged Black Tern at Woodhorn south flash I often stop there on the way home and have a scan but not tonight


2 of the 4 Greenshanks

Wood Sandpiper

Migrant Hawker

I had not niticed the line of hairs or bristles before , but actually the book does illustrate it.

Migrant Hawker ....according to the book the facial suture ( between frons & clypeus) is not marked with a distinct black line..........not quite worked that out yet

Cresswell Butterflies 25-8-09

Tuesday was a much warmer day and a lot more Butterflies around one small area I stopped at on the way Cresswell had 25 Painted Ladies, 8 Peacock, 10 Wall Brown & a few Tortoiseshell, but no Hawkers which was what I was hoping for, ST's blog had many more Butterflies on this day.
Cresswell still had the Semi-P now settled on the pond with a fantastic showing of waders including 30 Black tailed Godwits, Wood Sandpiper & 3 Curlew Sandpiper, the hide getting rather busy now .

Wader day 20-8-09

Unable to sleep last night I was up very early and at Bothal pond which held 6 Greenshank,1 Wood Sandpiper,2 Green Sandpiper,1 Spotted Redshank, and about 30+ Snipe, another day of strong winds which is not good for digiscoping, also had 3 Swift which hung around most of the morning, next stop Longhirst flash large number of duck which I admit I ignored, a F Marsh Harrier over , a quick stop at Linton but nothing of note so I headed for Cresswell and into the hide which only had a couple of people in most at the north end , level dropping and wader numbers increasing, 50+ Dunlin, 3 Black Tailed Godwits(30 on Monday) ,4 Ruff, 1 Curlew Sandpiper ,2 Greenshank, 1 Green Sandpiper,also a few Sanderling the Semipalmated Sandpiper dropped in a couple of times, and even stayed when all other waders took flight , another 2 Swift, probably keeping ahead of the rain,eventually those from the far end came to look for the Semi-P, only to find it had taken off as they came in the door (frustrating or what !!!), after having given cracking views on the sandbank, the hide filled and it was time to go.

SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER 19-08-09

Wdnesday 19th the only shot I got showing palmations as it walked on the beach

There is nothing like the report of a bird on the pager whose name is in capital letters, so I went up to Cresswell got to the north end not a sole in sight so I checked the pool and the first bird I saw looked like a good candidate, no expert by any means on waders although I do have a interest in them .

The more I looked at it the more I thought this is the bird I saw on Monday of which I tried to get some digi shots of , and these still in the camera as I have had computer problems again ,anyway there was a report of Little Stint on Monday that had been seen from the hide but this bird at the top pool thought by me and others to be it , all I can say is at the time I thought its not the smallest Little Stint Iv'e seen and rather long legged , very difficult to digiscope in the strong wind, and I did not give it much thought after that.

Here are photos of Monday & today, there must be some cracking images of this bird given the crowd of today.

Monday 17th the best digiscoped shot although the head would be behind something but you can still make out the bill.

Monday 17th

Wednesday 19th on the beach when it looked like a totally different bird

back on the pool

strong wind not helping in digiscoping

A couple of grabs in flight