Little Bittern -1

 

 

Monday the news filtered out of a Little Bittern  seen and heard at Gosforth Park Nature Reserve, I was along the coast and rather than dash off straight there I decided to go home first and dress more appropriate to an evening at the lakeside  complete with insect repellent. It had been decided as with the recent Feruginous Duck to allow day passes to what is normally a private reserve of The Norrthumbria Nartural History Society so I suppose I should not have been surprised when arriving at the hide to find it filled to overflowing and being a nice warm sunny day  it was rather comical to see everyone sweating profusely , well at least I got in the hide with a few standing outside where you can see nothing, I was bent over trying to get a look out of the low shutters temperature rising by the minute so I decided to head around to the South hide which overlooks a lot of the reeds and has a small pool in front. Arrived at the hide to find it empty what a strange contrast , no sooner had  I sat down when a Kingfisher drops in sitting on a nicely placed branch  it has a couple of attempts at fishing but without success, numerous Reed Warblers feeding along the reed edges also a Reed Bunting, with Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, and Blackcap  singing beside the hide. Well I gave it my best shot spending about an hour and a half gazing over the extensive reed bed with no sign of the bird I could hear it calling but only faintly, (it resembles a small dark barking but in slow motion) with the surrounding area providing lots of traffic and aircraft noise pollution , the seemed to over towards the west edge where a screen overlooks another pool which are all collected with narrow passages . I decided to walk around on arrival only a family of Mute Swans to be seen with the occasional Common Tern trying it s hand at fishing , a Green Woodpecker called and sounded fairly close so I headed off to have  a look , surprised  myself at picking it out fairly quickly as it rested in a tree calling briefly giving me the rare opportunity of getting a few shots  , I did not go back to the main hide but the bird was reported as having been seen/heard at least it was still here , no chance to get back Tuesday but Wednesday was free so the plan to get there early. Round one Little Bittern 1 me 0 

 

 Kingfisher for company in a nice cool empty hide

 Preparing to make a dive

 Not sure how long  it sat around probably not more than a few minutes in reality but enough for me to get loads of shots

 Obligingly it change pose several times

 A Reed Warbler takes a moment to preen the  constant effort of feeding young takes it's toll

 Water Rail puts in a brief appearance but would just not come far enough out in the open

 View from the screen what a fantastic evening

 Green Woodpecker sits for me with the odd short call

 Unlike the Kingfisher it just sits there looking around ,not complaining though at last an opportunity to get some shots of this elusive bird.

So that's how my evening ended I'm not complaining no sight of the Little Bittern but nor did I have to spend hours in a packed out hide !!! Being a member  I can return as often as it takes . So why not think about joining from as little as £30 per year it's well worth it without membership this site would have just overgrown and slowly went over to woodland it takes money and  management  to preserve wildlife habitat

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 

Iceland........ by Plumb Centre

Tuesday and I had to go to the Plumb Centre so I took my bins and camera to have a look along the estuary that runs behind the industrial estate, in the compound an Iceland gull preening with a few other gulls, it eventually took off a relocated on the staithes along the river these have no access and as such attract drying Cormorants, loafing gulls and numerous Pigeons, a Seal popped up to see what was going on and a Kingfisher landed on the edge , I had seen it fishing from rocks further along, checking the bushes only revealed a couple of Robins & Blackbirds, with Reed Buntings near the pools, the falling tide attracting good numbers of waders to the flats of Monkeys Island !!

Seal checking me out.

It still has the dark eye , 1st winter

A grey ,dull overcast day, does nothing for the fantastic colours of Kingfisher, this bird silent as it flew from perch to perch.

Big Waters

A brief visit to big Waters
And a brief visit from a Kingfisher

Who's a pretty boy then !!!

A pair of Bullfinch making short trips in to the feeders