Kibblesworth

Last week a visit to Kibblesworth Brick Pools apparently the site of a very large  Brickworks than used as a refuse tip now landscaped, the report of a Broad Bodied Chaser , a Dragonfly species that has evaded me so far  was all it took for me to head over , I arrived with expectations of getting some good photos of  my fist BBC but alas I circled the pond numerous times with no sign a couple of Large Red Damselflies  myriads of teneral Damsels floating off to the nearby tree cover  was all I  got , I even stupidly formatted my card losing the photos I had taken . Having not found any actual dragonflies I sat down for my sandwiches  when a  Cuckoo called and flew across just behind me as I watched it into the distance a red Kite came circling  overhead  and later three Buzzards in the air together. So with the target not around I looked for Butterflies plenty of Wall Brown and a few Small Heath but only one Dingy Skipper could be found , I find these a difficult species to locate more Moth like in flight it's hard to keep track of them watching till they land .

Kibblesworth Brick Pools there are actually several pools one is very overgrown one drys out and all suffer from severe disturbance , from Vehicles, rubbish, or people constantly throwing items in for dogs to retrieve 

 The main pool these two shots taken with my phone which actually takes a half decent photo, and the view across the reclaimed tip over to The Angel.

Red Kite pays a visit

 Two of three Buzzards overhead

 Small Heath

 Dingy Skipper

The White Fox

I forgot about this photo of a Fox ,found during the cold spell the frost  has turned it white only thawing slightly on the haunches as the sun comes through a gap in the hedge, a sad looking sight , I cycled on to Holywell Pond  which had the usual suspects.

 Buzzard on it's favoured perch

Not much coming to the feeders near the hide as now there is also a feeding station down the public footpath

Holywell Pond

Visits to Holywell Pond of late have not produced much even the gulls don't seem to be in the numbers that can visit the site ,presumed to come from Seghill Tip but not sure if it's working ? I went that way around the whole area with only a hundred or so gulls around. Two Buzzards are providing the main entertainment along the north edge of the pond one trying it's luck to catch one of the thousand plus Wood Pigeons that seem to sit around most of the day, three Roe Deer  2d 1b the first I've seen here for some time small numbers of wildfowl around and an assortment of geese seem to drop in now and then but not while I'm around it seems.

The Snow  Buntings are still near the Cemetery Blyth Links , I got a couple of digi shots , but I must confess they can be hard to pick out in the stubble.

Common Buzzard with a couple of mobbing Magpies  (one on the right)

Not sure if it's the Magpies or something else that has it's attention

Roe Deer only this one showing enough to digi

Holywell Pond

A couple of hours at Holywell Pond the other day ,very few duck around does not seem to get the numbers it used to, there was a Buzzard along the north hedge now that is something you did not see in the past, numbers of gulls low ,I presume the tip has not yet got back to full working and perhaps some of the gulls have spread out. Seven Eurasian White-fronts dropped in silently followed by an adult Med gull which as always did not stay long , I think it dropped into the east shore but as I had not long come from that end which is always the first port of call to check any gulls with colour rings , so I thought by the time I pack up and go down it will be gone. Three Tree Sparrows on the feeders none of them ringed there seems to be an influx in the County of late, I always thought they where fairly sedentary birds.  

 Silently they came and silently they left , but it did give us something to look at.

This must be a photo effect ,that Herring Gull looks huge  !!! 

1st Winter Common Gull

 Tree Sparrows at the feeders ,perhaps the nucleus of another colony

Linton Buzzard

Well here's wishing you all a  very Merry Christmas 

 This photo is actually  a christmas card and was taken at 6500 iso hand held under tungsten light using my 400 lens from across the room and I thought it looked OK , so now I am ready for my next encounter in the gloom !!.

The other day I visited my one time   favourite winter haunt of Linton Pools  alas the west pool held 2 Mallard, 3 Tufted  & 3 Teal.

The East Pool had 2 Mute Swans ,70 Teal  and 2 Tufted so it actually took longer to walk to each pool than bird them .Except I noticed a Buzzard sitting on the fence ,they are usually miles away but in the scope it was not to bad ,so I thought I would video it . Now they are only very short so don't start them and then  go and make a cup of tea, but heh  !!!! at least they are not the  repeats that the TV is offering .

I think it may have had some form of prey here but finished by the time I got set up.

Here it had flown over the grassland hovered momentarily then dropped down, flying to this post it seems puzzled that there is no meal available ,but it has taken a large chunk of grass showing the force of the drop.

This is just after the above but the image is slightly better till it flys off.

I think this an adult or perhaps sub/adult , most of the books I have cover flight ID

Located again  slightly closer but now I'm in the wind , I was just going to move the camera to put the bird on the left so I could get it as it flew ,but alas it flew off.

Mixed Bag of sightings

A few photos from some recent days out , a run through to Thornley for perhaps the last of the Dragons ,produced a female briefly and a male looking for the said female , with still a few Speckled Woods, a Buzzard and Red Kite over , on the way to Shibdon had a look over the old bridge on to the river with , Kingfisher, Dipper & Grey Wagtail noted , Shibdon Pond  had a couple of Migrant Hawkers  taking advantage of the sunny spell , a couple of cycle rides along the River Blyth of late to check out the waders nearing high tide has been interesting, heightened one day we I came across one of the smallest Curlew I have ever seen , I tried to stop behind a small bush to have a look at it but it was off  and immediately out of sight,  I did try and find it but it will remain a mystery ,was it as small as I thought or just because I caught a glance of it as I passed , interesting bird nevertheless and it was in my thoughts  for the rest of the day. While checking out the waders a Kingfisher past silently and headed further up river behind me a loose flock of Long Tailed ,Blue and Great Tits with  2 Chiffchaffs  tagging along , across the river 2 Wheatears dropped onto insects from fences and posts the Curlews gathered on the field edge up-to a 150  but no sign of my runt

 Migrant Hawker from the track at Prestwick Carr

 Migrant Hawker taken at Shibdon Pond

 Buzzard over Thornley Woodland

 Red Kite also over Thornley Woods just over a small clearing

 Red Kite again as it circled the small clearing briefly

 This Fungi forcing its way through the bark of a Birch Tree at Thornley Woodland

 Two Moorhens give the classic pose as they fight over ? , just that bit to far for a decent shot, Shibdon Pond

 Little Egret one of up to Four along the River Blyth

Still find it hard to believe that we now have Little Egret , becoming a fairly common sight in Northumberland and especially these four birds along the River amongst old tyres ,shopping trolleys ,traffic cones , and many other mystery objects.

Great Crested Grebe  taken along the River Blyth.

White Faced Darter & other Dragonflies

The end of  July visit to look for White Faced Darter in the good company of   blogger John from "Sedgedunum Warbler "  . The walk to the site was warm and I was full of expectation a pair of Guinea Fowl  on the track was an odd sight. A Hawker patrolled a sunny area but would not settle , Black Darters  sitting on Heather gave the first photographs , and it took only minutes to find the first W-F -D, not in the best position for photos but I took a few just in case , better opportunities came later , actually I took so many I could not download the card  till  I made room on the hard-drive . The sun went behind the clouds at times and most species went with it ,but as soon as the sun returned so did the Dragonflies ,  great day out  with a new species of Dragonfly to add to my photos. We  where both exhausted  on arrival back at the car the good weather had been kind to us but also took its toll !!!

Here are a few images from the day more to follow after processing .

 Numerous webs of these Spiders dotted through the Heather

 Black darter female

 No Idea what this is just caught my eye on the Moss

 Black Darter female

 Black Darter male

 Good numbers of Emerald Damselfly around ,they are so thin and wispy its hard to get a focus on them.

 Common Blue Damselfly using a feather to rest on (anyone tell what its from )

 White -Faced Darter

 Black darters coupled with the female ovipositing  along the pool edges

 A few Four Spot Chaser which actually chased off the Common Hawkers

 White -Faced Darter on cotton grass coming to the end of their flight period this one showing some wing damage

 Common Hawker constantly on the wing but came so close at times  as it searched for females. The Yellow Costa can be seen on the above .

Great Grey Shrike ...Harwood

14 February it started as a bright and sunny day so I decided to go up to Harwood Forest, taking the bike with me as it is a long walk in to the area favoured by the wintering Great Grey Shrike, just  turned along the track to Harwood village and the clouds started to move in parked out on the road in a small layby as there is no vehicle access either through or around the village , biking was a bit of a trek up hill especially with all my gear .

Stopped at the pull in area as you go down to Tutehill Moss, scanned the area for an hour or so then walked down to the bridge  a group of 8 Crossbills dropped in to the  Birch which was the only tree for 100yds so I got  a few shots off before they headed on their way, Crossbills by far the commonest bird of the day with loads going over  and singles sitting on tree tops, a couple of Buzzards over , single Sparrowhawk , Mistle Thrush , Song Thrush , GSW, Siskin.. It got greyer and greyer then the rain with a heavy shower so I had to head into the trees it did not bode well  2 1/5 hours with no sign of the Shrike, but shower over it got brighter  scope out again scanning around , after checking "things " that I thought could be it , eventually picked it out with the bins got the scope on it was only about a foot from the ground on the edge of the small trees , being someway off I decided to walk down the hill again packed the scope down but in the mean time the bird was gone , gave it another hour but no sign.

Crossbills Harwood forest Northumberland