Shorelark

 I decided to put  a post on the Shorelark found at Blyth harbour yesterday by Peter Fletcher these used to be annual in small numbers but this is the first one I've seen for a few years , so it was worth spending lots of time with it ,letting it settle into a routine ,it gave best views when it landed in the compound giving us the opportunity to watch it slowly feed among the very small plants. The only thing that spooked it was any noisy vehicle that past ,when it would fly sometimes onto the beach , at one point posing on a log for a couple of minutes thus allowing me to use the SX5O  as we stood behind the wall , it also sang from here a short sweet trilling sub song

 Showing the small horns

Little Gull

Just sorted a few more images from the recent influx of Little Gulls and thought you might like to see this one

Blyth Harbour Beach

Here are a few shots from the recent visit of Little Gulls to Blyth Beach and Harbour area, I took rather a lot of photos you just have to take them while you can  just lately ,I enjoy the taking of them anyway it's more when you look back over the years a photo brings back instant memories of the day (well most of the time), a couple of Kittiwakes also dropped in to feed numerous Turnstones, Sanderlings, a Rock Pipit and  three Purple Sandpipers gave good views as they dropped down onto the beach from the 4-5 ' bank that was formed as the surging waters washed away the shore ,what they where picking up must have minute as I could see nothing save for the small shrimp taken by a Purple Sandpiper.

 Purple Sandpiper with a sort of shrimp

The following taken with mi phone, there are Little Gulls in there somewhere

 Thats a lot of sand removed , Turnstones on the top waiting to drop down on any morsels of food

 In the corner a large amount of seaweed ,small branches ,and all sorts of other rubbish , including the odd Puffin and Lapwing .

 It's actually calming down in this shot and again Little Gulls in there somewhere

Little Gulls

With up to at least ten Little Gulls in Blyth Bay I tried my hand at getting some photos ,well getting the photos is easy as I must have taken a couple of hundred over three days but sorting out any decent ones is harder ,these birds are ariel masters and seem to float across the water barely touching it with their  feet you just get on to one focus and press ..........to late it's half out of shot or came nearer and thus out of focus, so I have grabbed this one as it shows the pink flush coming onto the breast sadly none had the full black head but they are a stunning Little bird also a Snow Bunting present off and on I managed to get a couple of shots. .

Blyth Harbour and Beach

Monday 22nd Started the  day at Blyth Harbour  in the hope the hard weather had pushed something into its sheltered waters walking along the entrance road 2 Meadow Pipits lifted from the verge and further along a Reed Bunting , a pair of Red breasted Mergansers a Guillemot and about a dozen Eiders in the South harbour , with several Turnstones ,  Redshank and Sanderling along with a single Purple Sandpiper on the beach either side of the pier. (plenty fishermen on the pier end).
Went further along the beach small parties of Sanderling   all the way along to Meggies Burn outflow where there was about 80+ Gulls mostly BHeaded but also about 15 Common Gulls and a few Herring Gulls no sign of any Meds despite the constant effort to check them all, a single juv Kittiwake dip fed with the Black Headed Gulls . Two Skylarks passed overhead new for the year also another Reed Bunting, with further birds across the road along with a pair of Stonechats also new for the year , going further along the beach road  a field opposite with a flooded section near the road held the following : (to view pull in at the toilet block  and north for about 200yds plenty of room to park side on )
225 Pinkfeet
30+ Greylag
60+ Curlew
30+ Redshank
40+ Oystercatchers
50+ Black headed Gulls
20 Common Gulls
10+ Herring Gulls
5 Great Black Backs
c100 Fieldfare
8 Grey Partridge
80+ Golden Plover
c15 Dunlin
4 Lapwings
a f  Mallard
Numerous Starlings
and  flock of small birds to far to I.D.
Heading back towards Blyth 12+ Redwings near the Church and a further 10 Fieldfare up towards Newsham where I walked the fields a Jack Snipe lifted from  the path edge but only another 3 Meadow Pipits added to the list  and despite being about only 1/4 mile away from the coast the snow here was deep and very wet with streams crossing and at one point along the path the fields are simply saturated making walking rather a trudge .
No photos of anything today it rained /hailed /snowed from the time I left home to virtually the time I got back and given that I never even took my camera other than my digi scoping one .
(Edit the Bean Goose was still present on sat the 26th although I could not see it on the 22nd)

Seghill tip / Holywell Pond/ Blyth Harbour

Today I tried another session at Seghill tip area at least that was the plan but actually very few Gulls around , the field that held the huge gull roost now had 70 Greylag , checked the area for gulls and counted 19 Moorhen on a pool then headed down to Holywell Pond . Walked down to the east end first nothing at all on the shore an ice shelf held about 60 or so gulls and I was surprised to see two Whooper Swans at the west end and I could also see two juv Mute. So at the west end the two Whoopers where not far from the hide , I can only assume they are the same two from the weekend ?, the two juv Mute Swans where the only two around so the adults and other young had left. The Whoopers took off and headed east neither had any problem flying but they soon returned and dropped in near the hide again, a huge amount of gulls most at the east end due to ice but again nothing unusual that I could find, the cold overcome me so time to head down to Blyth Harbour to find an assortment of rare gulls !!!! . First I had a good look for the Black Redstart but no sign for me two RTD and numerous Cormorants and Shags in the bay Guillemot on the river,probably a couple of hundred gulls around but well spread out , the light already poor even at 3'oclock time for home  !!!.  

As I said I presume these are the same two from the  weekend one of which was unable to fly , but they seemed fine now

 Wigeon just outside the hide

with empty feeders birds looking on the ground for fallen seed (the nut lady arrived as I left)

Juv  RTD Blyth Bay never see more than a couple of Red throats in the bay

Blyth River

Holywell Pond Saturday 17th

Saturday afternoon spent a couple of  hours at Holywell Pond started off at the east end Mute swan Chasing a Whooper off which flew around calling before re landing over and over again, turns out its mate was injured not sure if by the Mute bit it did have a go at it a couple of times it obviously could not fly , I did phone it in to  a rescue centre not sure what happened in the end. Huge number of Gulls around probably as the tip was not working  Saturday ?, only had the bins with me but I could pick out nothing unusual  out of the  2,000 or so .A single Buzzard and numerous Pinkfeet passing over but no geese on the pond a Bittern was seen briefly but only by one person so the rest of the afternoon we spent hoping it would reappear ,I have never seen Bittern at Holywell before, the feeders quiet but a female Bullfinch came to feed on Meadow sweet  seeds then have  a drink from the pool edge. A pleasant afternoon more talking than birding .

Sunday feeling lazy despite the rather pleasant but cold day ,had a walk down to the South Harbour but nothing of note fishing boats bringing in there catch and gulls with them but no sign of any white wingers, but I see an Iceland reported  at Amble so may get one yet , also MH tells me of Black Redstart at South Harbour this am  was intending to call on the way home but it never really brightened up any .

 Whoopers seem to be very faithful to their partner this bird  just would not go

and again it returns to the pond, as I say to date not sure of the outcome with the injured bird, Whooper Swan is not the sort of bird you can just pick up   !!!

Seghill Tip

Had a couple of hours in the area of Seghill Tip trying to find a good vantage point to scan through the thousands of gulls , a large group of  mainly Great Black backed /and Herring gulls had settled on the north edge of a field with winter wheat  , its not only being able to scan them but also getting the light especially this low winter light which can be very strong behind you , so scope set up, first scan to look for obvious "white wingers", many of the gulls tightly packed and at lot lying on the ground  but no sign of any, so next checking them very slowly for anything that stood out from the rest hoping for Caspian which I confess I have not seen yet . Have been thinking about going to an area that has frequent sightings of  YL/Caspian which looks like Seaton Common is the nearest, one juvenile bird caught my eye nice clean white head with a beady eye, no sooner had I got onto it when it lifted and settled in the back of the flock only showing its head . I also check for leg rings but could only find one Orange ringed bird  in a flock of Herring Gulls /BH and 3 Common Gulls . So it was rather disappointing ,a freezing wind and distant birds, but I still enjoyed it. Ended the day at Blyth South Harbour hoping the fishing fleet ? had perhaps brought some gulls in with them but very few around no Snow Buntings and only one colour ringed Shag as most where on the river.

 Even failed to get the ring clear enough to read !!!!!!

Colour ringed Shag Blyth Harbour looks like TUZ ?

Swallow,Holywell, Blyth Harbour.

!6th February had a run to Swallow Pond  for a change of venue with reports of Mealies in with the Redpolls  it was a nice sunny day  which had brought out people in  numbers , the only sighting I had of  Redpolls was a flock that circled over the track then headed back west, so I headed off for the quieter  site of Hollywell Pond which was very quiet , so to take advantage of the light I thought I would head for the harbour again , not many gulls around , but the Snow Buntings still present sitting on the security fence their favourite perch, they where obliging enough to sit around so I took a few shots, thats my header  for next month sorted..

 The only two photos I got at Swallow Pond this one has a twig in front, and the frenetic Long Tailed , but I do like that face , cute or what !!!!!

 That does not look like a comfortable perch  does it !!!

 Trying to sport the Waxwing look .

Its been great to have these around for the Winter ,they brighter up any slow day .

31st January .......the month ends

31st January this month ends ,spent today as most days of the month at Blyth Harbour still no sign of any Glauc/Iceland coming in the only bird I have heard of is an Iceland at Newbiggin area, Red-Necked Grebe still on the river and some Mergansers  Snow Buntings still flitting around but no photo opportunities. 

 I was trying to get a shot of one after the other but is was impossible.

 Red -necked Grebe coming into the river

F Merganser with 1st year Eider