GND-Blyth River

Not having much time on Tuesday I just headed along to the River Blyth but I had timed the rising tide wrong and it was already quiet high but the first bird I saw was the Great Northern Diver that's been around for a few days it was just offshore from the path taking advantage of the incoming tide bringing fish in to feed so that was as far as I got for the next 45 mins it had no trouble catching fish I saw it catch at least three but getting them down seemed more of a problem where as Cormorants flip there catch and its down in one this bird played around with it losing them on more than one occasion and I never did see it actually swallow any ,although it could have used the water to help it get them down?. Divers are common enough off our shores but not often you get a view like this so I made the most of it till it moved off to the far side . By this time  the tide was well up  most of the waders where on the far side including 84 Curlew with 8 Bar Tailed Godwits in with them no sign of the Black Tail's from the previous visit ,good numbers of Teal with 36 Shellduck a few Gadwall and Mallard . Thought I would call along the harbour before going home still some light left and perhaps the Iceland or Snow Buntings still around , 2 Med Gulls at the links car park gave me the opportunity to try some flight shots but this Canon camera is not much good for fast moving birds, plenty of gulls in the harbour the majority GBB with the light fading fast time for home and see what I had captured. 

 I took lots of video as it tried to wrestle with the fish but could still not work out what was going on

 Now time for a preen taking no notice of me

 GND has a great profile with that steep forehead and flat top

 3-4 Red Breasted Mergansers around also, I did not get to far up river

 2nd Winter Med Gull where else but the chip shop !!!

 I thought this was an fell adult ,but you can just see a trace of black on the primary

 me looking up as it sat on the lamp post

St Mary's Island

A report the other day of an adult Sabines Gull off St Mary's  Island so I thought I would have another look along,stopped at Seaton Sluice to look for Kittiwakes in the hope of a Sabine's but the feeding flock way too far out ,4 Sandwich Terns , 20 Teal and a few Redshanks and Knot with 90 Pinkfeet South and 2 Swallows West with a flock of about 40 Goldfinch on the wires, at St Mary's went onto the Island and had a look at the sea , actually plenty birds around mostly in the form of Gannets and the majority of these where Juveniles , surprised to see a Great Northern Diver heading south , picked out a  couple of feeding flocks of Kittiwakes which  I grilled in the hope of a Sabs but just a bit to far away for my scope and I started to wonder how good is the new Swarovski  modular scope going to be in seawatching with it's 95mm  lens and up to 70mm zoom eyepiece  for checking distant flocks etc , I'm interested in having a look at one  at just under £3000 it should be not just good  ,but very very good !.

As the tide started to rise a few Sanderling and Ringed Plover dropped on the rocks  so I checked them out one Sanderling had a colour ring but I could only see a Green and then a Yellow but could not get the combo, several hundred Golden Plover just off the causeway then dropping onto the rocks from the prom, 10 Pied Wagtails on the Golf Course and and 3 Swallows over 

 Ringed Plover we just take them for granted but what a smart bird

 I'm fond of Sanderling such an energetic bird , especially when they feed on the beach,

 I took a few of the tight flock in the hope of getting the colour ringed bird, heads are tucked in but the eyes are open

Two Sea Kayaker' s fishing around the Island I talked to them on the beach but they had not caught anything