Harthope Valley 16-5-2010

Sunday was a planned visit to Harthope valley the drive up in the rain did not bode well, it was overcast as we pulled up at Carey bridge ,but Cuckoo calling was the first bird heard another Garden Warbler singing but not showing, several Oystercatchers around a couple of pied wags on the stream, and a Buzzard low over the field ,lots of evidence of some very high levels of water with trees uprooted and areas swept away.

A walk along Harthope Burn to the small waterfall ,some serious erosion along here ,another two Cuckoos, and two Spotted Flycatchers at Langleeford , no sign of any Tree pipit for me counted 7 Whinchats singing , but all distant, Wheatears and Stonechats , WW, Chiffs, Meadow Pipits, Song and Mistle Thrush common & several Red Grouse on the hillsides Common Sandpiper on the stream ,it stayed overcast for most of the time but the sun came out late afternoon , but still no Adders yet. I went off on my own to look for Ring Ouzel leaving the camera behind as I seem to carry it everywhere and not use it, well I was just about to turn back after only seeing , Wheatear , Stonechat, and Willow Warbler, when a stunning Male Ring Ouzel landed about 30 feet away , facing away from me tail cocked showing every detail, it turned as if to look at me and say, "you should have brought your camera " which was just what was going through my mind ( lugged it for two weeks in Turkey over many ,many miles ) it took off and landed near a Female that was either carrying nesting material or food , both showed very well , got back to the car but as it was warm set off to look for an Adder....................but did not add it to the list. This area is a fantastic place to visit and if petrol was cheaper I would be there often !!!!!!!!!!!!!

First time ,Iv'e had Cuckoo call, seen and photographed in one day, always a cracking year tick, they always look out of proportion with those long wings and tail

again the long wings

Whinchats in numbers today but still keeping distant

Whaffling Blogger, Whiffling Geese

Another round up of my week Sunday we had a run along to the south end of Hauxley via the Carrs road ,the place was lifting with people so I only went as far as the Ponteland hide, a Great Spotted Woodpecker along the track, but just the usual geese on the pool with the water level very high, I noticed this survey ship very close inshore . Stopped at East Chevington on the way back it was good to get two Short Eared Owls over the south pool , with two Bean Geese in with the Pinks.

Another walk locally with Barn Owl, lots of Pinkfeet over, another large covey of Grey Partridge , noticeably more birds singing now , not perhaps full song but definatley they are feeling Spring is in the air and it's good to see the days getting longer, flock of Redpoll still around though impossible to pin down, a couple of Bullfinch keeping ahead of me , a couple of TiT flocks but getiing smaller and smaller, I was actually going to head to St Mary's but it went from nice sunny day to heavy rain within ten minutes so I headed off home.

Heading up to Big Waters I picked out two Roe Deer in a field and caught sight of a Buzzard sitting on a grass hummock near the Holiday Inn roundabout so I pulled over and waited for it to lift getting a few shots in as it sat , it lifted facing the right way got one shot and .....battery flat ,they always go at the wrong time. Big Waters partly frozen still loads of Teal but most tucked away so it was impossible to check them all for the hoped for Green Winged why this is something I always look for is hard to say , but its better to check yourself than see it reported just after youve left !!!, Goldeneye and the ever present Mallard, but there is always plenty to watch at the feeding station , Siskin showing very well , the area drying out after flooding so more ground feeders showing up , not seen Otter here for sometime now ?.

Another sunny day so I headed for East Chevington with the intention of spending the day there

I have never walked around the path that encircles the North Pond so I headed off with all my gear I could see the Pinkfeet on the West side and thought I would get a better view from the north Track but as from most areas of this pond your looking into the light, actually they showed better from the road in and had I stopped in the car would have been able to look through most of them, but being on foot the y spooked as soon as I stopped to check them out, and off they went . For once it stopped nice and sunny so I checked the sea, could only pick out about 10 Red Throated Divers , 8 Red Breasted Mergansers, and only 4 Scoter, with numerous Auks, walked along to the South Pool had two Short Eared Owls and A Barn Owl, one SEO trying to pursue the Barn Owl but they went out of sight , a birder came along a said the Barn Caught a Vole and the SEO tried to mob it, three Redhaed Smew on the pool, presumed some of the ones from Druridge, I stayed till the sun set which made nice change , having been a good day out !!!!!

I forgot about the three Bar Tailed Godwits roosting in with Lapwing on the ice.

This Survey ship seemed very close in , must have a very shallow draft.
SEO over the South Pool from the top gate
This Redpoll dropped in to drink but gone in a flash.
At Least this Stonechat was willing to pose for me
Siskin BigWaters
Stock Dove
Could only get the Bullfinch on the feeders so I cropped it out.
SEO looks like its hung up on the fence but its dropping on something

Just as I was leaving picked out this one sitting on the fence but the sun setting rapidly now ,they are always great to see !!!
The same bird but just a little warmer light
And finally the setting sun , although its setting over a spoil heap , but I cant change that around here !!

St Mary's ......Bright "n" Breezy

I was going to bin this but actually I think it just sums up Purple Sandpipers.

A much brighter day today but with it the cold ,cold wind, just finishing off what I had to do at home and about to get sorted for a couple hours out , it start to bleach down with snow and lying ,here we go again I thought. But it did not last long now even more determined to get out so I headed off ,started off at the head of the prom Water pipit briefly but heading along south, I walked along but it was always way ahead of me and with the tide coming in I went along the prom and up to the wetland which was full but had plenty Teal , a couple of Wigeon , Gadwall, numerous waders and Gulls , it was looking good . I had not brought the scope ,which was just as well the wind blasting across the water, going further along the prom towards the causeway large number of Black headed and in with them an Adult Med, and 12 or so Purple Sandpiper, but it was not till I got around fully to the causeway that the scale of the birds present could be fully appreciated ,easily a 1000 Black Headeds, with Herring Gulls and a few Common Gulls picking off the water and on the beach , more Purple Sandpipers, Knot ,Turnstones , Sanderling, Redshanks all massed tightly on the beach as the waves crashed ashore ,obviously providing a feast of some sort , what a fantastic sight , birding's not just about rare birds, to me its this sort of thing, just being at the right place at the right time ,without doubt the most birds I have ever seen at St Mary's Island , stacks of Lapwings & Golden Plover wheeling around and a few hundred waders over on the island .Blisteringly cold trying to get some shots my hands where numb and I could barely stand so I put the camera away and just watched ,eventually the cold got to me heading back along the prom to the south bay hundreds more Black Headeds picking off the surface and a single Barnacle Goose dropped onto the wetland . Fantastic few hours out for a change , I nearly let the snow put me off, but now I just can't wait to get back out.

My(not very exciting) Week Birding

My week Birding is summed up very briefly , a run to Holywell sat frozen in the hide nothing special around as was a run to Cresswell checking a few spots both on the run up and back , the level dropping slowly attracting small roost of waders and about 100 lapwings, still no information re: the colour ringed bird from last year actually one of two , great Crested Grebes still around and 1/2 dozen Goldeneye, a few Yellowhammers with Reed Buntings in the corner garden which has had most of the bushes etc ripped out for a new fence, sure there is plenty of Wigeon around ,also Teal & Tufted, Pinkfeet numbers still high ,but boy was it dull .

Thurday and I had to go up to Morpeth so later I had a walk along the river then up into Borough Woods towards Mitford just for the walk , as expected a couple of small flocks of Tits, numerous Nuthatch, 3 Great Spotted, Jays four and one in a horse field , not a bad little walk along here plenty of open areas and other paths to take to make the route more circular .

Goosanders on the river still but again light a bit dull , its still odd to see them coming for bread ,walked back into town and through the new Sanderson Arcade , reminded me of the arcade at Newcastle , I think that was called Sanderson as well ,they pulled that down to build Eldon something or other ,(Garden ) ???

Three small flocks of Long Tailed Tits

Common they may be !!! but try and get near them

Roseates & Semipalmated Sandpiper 24-8-09

Monday the 24th saw me check out the Roseates before heading back up to Cresswell ,not sure how many Roseates here, but there was a few Juveniles ,I think Roseate Juveniles are very smart birds in the early days of fledging as are Sandwich tern, with that striking pattern.
Moved on to Cresswell the Semi-P had been reported but was not on view so I decided to walk the beach hoping to come across it , which I did it was at the pond outflow and even flew over to the side I was on but kept it's back to me , it then moved to the waters edge , I had to walk around the large long pool to refind it , from here the tide pushed the birds over to the pool , Wood Sandpiper at the North end and in the field 6 Yellow Wagtails increasing to 10 later in the afternoon also 3 Wheatear, and a Whinchat, also a steady movement of Swallows south for most of the afternoon.
The Semipalmated Sandpiper again from the hide along with a Wood Sandpiper, 30 Black-tailed Godwits,4 Bar-tailed , 2 Greenshank, 2 Ruff, 1 Green Sandpiper,1 Adult Curlew Sandpiper, 70 odd Dunlin, Redshanks & Lapwings, of which I again picked out the same colour ringed bird seen awhile ago but again just the left leg...................so if you see the other leg please let me know
Roseates on the rocks this one with a juvenile

some very low tides of late keeping the birds well out

Semi-P back on the pond, when asked where is the bird after they all flushed, I said it feeds in a small area either side of the old tyre ..........................where's the tyre was the next question !!!

I'll just have a quick nap !!!!!!!!!!

Another out of focus flight shot of the Semi-P

and with Sanderling on the beach

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS LAPWINGS RIGHT LEG.....PLEASE LET ME KNOW !!

Colour Ringed Lapwing........Cresswell

I have had two Colour Ringed Lapwings at Cresswell of late one I could only get the rings from one leg as the other was tucked in ,( most of the birds had one leg tucked in ) and this bird which took ages to get the full count of rings which is five , sent off several emails but as yet no replies , it's this years bird so must be someone looking for returns , can't see them getting many ,the upper rings are very hard to see .

and these from the garden , the berries on the ground are from my Mountain Ash ,completely stripped of every single berry, every single year since it started to produce them

I usually miss these berries of Lords & ladies