Maiden Hall Lake and the Coast (again)

Had a run up the coast to Cresswell  but only checked the pool to the north because I wanted to get to Maiden Hall Lake area parked along the West Chevington road and had a short walk no signs of any raptors only 2 red Legged Partridge , further along the 2 Bewick's Swan (adult & Juvenile) in a field near the roadside I pulled over and there was such a crunch, getting out to investigate a manhole cover was missing and I had gone over the corner lucky I didn't go over the middle or that would have been the end of the day and my car . The Geese where as far over as it was possible to be along the east shore and beyond, I scanned through them still many White-fronts mostly keeping to themselves , Greylag and Pinkfeet but I could see no bean Geese , Two Pinkfeet  with neck collars oddly right next to each other way to far to read , a passing RAF jet put them on edge and every one dropped onto the lake for a bathe so I took some awful video just to give an idea of numbers . East Chevington was the next stop got there slowly as I checked every likely tree in the hope of Little Owl, rather blowy at Chevington picked out the Slavonian Grebe plenty of wildfowl but I wasn't in the mood to count them looking over the south Pool a Merlin came over and sat atop a small hawthorn before disappearing, another flock of Pinkfeet about a thousand just west of the south pool but no sign of any  SEO today nor any sign of the Whoopers at Ellington as I stopped there on the way home.

 A couple of very distant digi shots with the two Pinkfeet sporting neck collars

 These Bewick's  have been here for a week or so it seems an odd location hope they are both OK

A bit of dodgy video just to show the number of Geese around

Kicking off the New Year with 60

Well I made it out fairly early for a New Years day ,the first bird seen a Blackbird as I walked home in the early morning as it was still dark, got sorted and was out ,first stop the stubble field Snow Buntings flying around within seconds also a large flock of  Yellowhammers,Tree Sparrows Greefinch & Reed Bunting ,(Yellowhammers)some years I have found these hard to get in the early days of the year ,next stop Marden Quarry took about twenty minutes to get the Lesser Scaup with Goosander as a bonus . Desert Wheatear the next port of call ,parked at the power station I was the  only car but when I got to the beach I could see about a dozen birders tracking the bird along the beach much nearer Newbiggin, great I thought going to have to leg it right along the beach , a guy coming towards me asked is there something around ,yes a Desert Wheatear I said but its right along there ,but as luck would have it just as I said it the bird dropped in about 30' away  so there I was standing looking right down on it as it sat on the cliff side ,luckily I had brought the camera not thinking I would get to use it ,what a little star.

Headed further up the coast checked the Geese at Woodhorn most over a small rise no sign of the Bean Goose but White-fronts just over the hill , next stop Cresswell  checking fields for geese as I drove along, most of the Pinks where a field over from the road checked the few I could see, a helicopter over put the lot up but instead of them heading off they circled and most landed in the field near the road , I picked out some Bean and White-fronts as they first landed all with heads up but as the fed it was hard to find them , a Pinkfoot with a neck collar noted as IVD waiting for info on it, swing your scope round 180  and you could scan the finch flock which had mostly Linnets with Greenfinch ,Goldfinch, Chaffinch and some Twite . Stopped at Cresswell on the way back three Short -eared Owls near the car park two settled along the hedge before they all disappeared, also a pair of Stonechats nearby. Second last stop of the day back at the windmill to look over the ash lagoon but no sign of any SEO's , so the last stop of the day checking the geese out as they where now more in the open, picked out the Tundra  Bean Goose, and the four White -fronts of the Greenland race, so even though it was still light I was frozen stiff and unable to think where I could get anything new for the day I headed home , great start to the New Year 364 days left to go birding this year  !! 

 Lesser Scaup always gives itself up eventually ,but why is it always dull here

I digiscoped this one as it was some way off , so I thought  better get something before it disappears

 There must be several thousand Gigs of photos of  this bird around , so obliging for the patient  !!!

 That Alula is still dropped somewhat

Neck Collared Pinkfoot IVD

 Short Eared Owl hunting the dunes at Cresswell

 Not the best of shots this but I do like the look of concentration !!

 Another shot which looks a little odd as you can hardly see the left wing

These shots are actually the wrong way around as the bottom photo is with the camera ,I then set up my scope and took this , but trying to get the twigs out of the frame I moved just to far and it was off.

Stonechats  working the wall as I went back to the car

Tundra Bean Goose Woodhorn the White -fronts just too far.

8th April Holywell Pond

Thursday I cycled via the tracks to Holywell pond three Barnacle and 12 Pinkfeet in with the local Greylags also about 30 Curlew the flash in the field with plenty of water in should last through the summer, my first Cowslips of the year ,female Goosander at the east end Swallows over , 3 Reed Buntings at the feeders ,I had missed the best part of the day it was now overcast with a very cool feel.

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 !!

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

Holywell Pond ...............98% frozen

A session at Holywell pond which has or had a small area of free water packed with gulls , and the sight of two Fox one crossing the frozen pond and then skirting around the edge, the feeders not as busy as I have seen in milder times ,good to see a Brambling drop in , large skeins of Geese over heading south a single Pinkfoot over the pond calling , a Woodcock came over from the far side and past the hide, but it was the gulls packed in the small open area so tight it was hard to sort through them, a recent report of an adult Iceland but nothing out of the ordinary for me ,the colour ringed bird 1162 the only ringed bird out the whole flock, by late afternoon the cold had the best of me time to head back

St Mary's, Beehive, & Holywell

Mid morning message of two Lapland Buntings St Mary's ,so thats where I ended up , but no sign of them and little else there 10 Pinkfeet in a field to the west, no waders on the shore in the rising tide nothing in the willows etc: which was to be expected I suppose, Greenshank over ,flock of about 20 Goldfinch and a flock of about 15+ Linnets, only about 40 Golden Plover on the rocks.
Went to Holywell via the Beehive flash it used to pull in so much a couple of years ago, Greenshank here , and several Golden Plover dropped in briefly before they all took off, harried by Crows.
Holywell ,by now the clouds had gathered and the forecast rain fell, a huge number of Wood Pigeons her today, I estimated 2500-3000, birds ,one main flock over towards the obelisk and a large amount in the woods to the north of the pond , quite a few down at the shore of the far end mostly juveniles, Greenshank here also I suspect the same bird as before making only one and not three about, 200+ Black-headed''s easily the most numerous gull with only a few Common in with them and no Meds, a roost of gulls building up in the field to the west of the hide as in previous years