St Mary's Island

A Cycle along to St Mary's last week more for the fresh air than any expectation of anything exciting a sunny day again several hundred  Golden Plover along the Links road they seem to be regular now along with a couple of hundred Lapwings and Starlings they must attract a raptor at sometime .An amazing number of Black Headed Gulls feeding in the backwash from  Colywell Bay  to the causeway I scanned the lot but no Meds for me, huge piles of seaweed  in the north bay had at least 12 Purple Sandpipers amongst the waders feeding on the weed and the gulls picking from the water surface.  I walked as far as the Golf course where the track leads down to the fishing boats , again several hundred Black headed Gulls feeding in the surf with more Purple Sandpipers on the shore. At the wetland the presence of  a Scaup had attracted a crowd of twitchers well 4 including me apparently  a rarity on the patch , I had a couple on a Seawatch earlier in the year for the Blyth patch and Holywell Pond gets one now and again years ago they used to be regular off Druridge Bay.

You would have thought there would be at least one Med  in with them or even better a Bonaparte's 

Just what they feed on I don't know but it must be plentiful and worth the effort

Days like this draw lots of photographers and with a Rainbow right over the Lighthouse there must have been some good photos but you need a very wide angle lens to get it all in

I took some shots on the Panoramic setting  but no idea how to stitch them together

Blyth Harbour Beach

Here are a few shots from the recent visit of Little Gulls to Blyth Beach and Harbour area, I took rather a lot of photos you just have to take them while you can  just lately ,I enjoy the taking of them anyway it's more when you look back over the years a photo brings back instant memories of the day (well most of the time), a couple of Kittiwakes also dropped in to feed numerous Turnstones, Sanderlings, a Rock Pipit and  three Purple Sandpipers gave good views as they dropped down onto the beach from the 4-5 ' bank that was formed as the surging waters washed away the shore ,what they where picking up must have minute as I could see nothing save for the small shrimp taken by a Purple Sandpiper.

 Purple Sandpiper with a sort of shrimp

The following taken with mi phone, there are Little Gulls in there somewhere

 Thats a lot of sand removed , Turnstones on the top waiting to drop down on any morsels of food

 In the corner a large amount of seaweed ,small branches ,and all sorts of other rubbish , including the odd Puffin and Lapwing .

 It's actually calming down in this shot and again Little Gulls in there somewhere

That's Christmas over

Well that's Christmas over for another year now is the time to get out and try that new pair of bins ,scope  or camera lens that Santa sent you via your credit cardcompany, unless your getting dragged to a furniture store wearing your "Christmas Jumper " for the now traditional Boxing Day (for years I thought Boxing Day was when they put a lot of sport on the telly?)sofa sale ,with a year before you start to pay and 4 years interest free credit the thing will be well knackered long before it's paid for . With only a few days to go before the end of another year I have no hope in catching up with the local parish bird count but at least I will come second which is not too bad !. I am as yet making no plans for 2013 as it seems weather or some other factor gets in the way with this being the wettest year in my lifetime , not been very active in the run up to Christmas and when I did get out not much to show in the way of photos so to look on the bright side 2013 can't be any worse ....................or can it !

Good Birding for 2013 

A few snaps from the past week or so!!!

Fish Quay Foray !!

Last week a run up to the Tyne to look for any white-winged gulls started off at the Black Middens just a few gulls around up to 10 Purple Sandpipers along the breakwater, after a good search no sign of any white -winger's , a Grey Seal pup on the small beach it seemed Ok  as I watched it alert and mobile but I found out it was taken into care later into care the week , I presume that's a mark from The Farnes on it's back . On the off chance there could be something on the boating lake I stopped there for awhile , mostly frozen with just a 12-15' circle which meant the gulls if they wanted a wash had to use this ,plenty sitting around on the ice but nothing unusual not even any ringed birds 

 Purple Sandpiper Tynemouth

 Grey Seal pup near the fish quay

Taken into to care later in the week

 Herring Gull adult boating lake

 1st year Herring Gull

Adult winter Common Gull

Newbiggin - Desert Wheatear

Last Friday I headed up to Newbiggin to have  another look at the Desert Wheatear walked along the beach to its usual haunt but no sign of it anywhere even further along on the beach south of Alcan Power Station , back to Beacon point in the hope it had returned  gave it another hour ,there had been huge amounts of sand blown across the beach onto the cliff edge this could have been what eventually persuaded it to move on . Across the Golf course a couple of Short  Eared Owls  sparring with each other so I headed over and got into the Gorse in the hope they would come nearer ,they just always seem to veer off before you get that great shot , the amount of blurred shots or shots with just half a bird in all end up deleted .  I counted up to 5 birds around ranged some distance apart , always great to see even the golfers seem to appreciate them. Last call before heading home a look on the beach several Mediterranean Gulls  around but rather wary as a digger was dumping sand that had blown into the car park etc: . a very pleasant day,I was expecting the Desert Wheatear to be relocated further up the coast , perhaps it is still around  just waiting to be re-found on someone else's patch !!!

 I counted up to 10 Purple Sandpipers from Church to Beacon point

 Short eared Owls hunting near the Golf Course

Med Gulls Newbiggin bay

Desert Wheatear

A Very Pleasant but very cold afternoon along the beach at Beacon Point Newbiggin  for the Desert Wheatear which performed remarkably well giving views done to a few feet, what a little star , it seemed to have a bias to pose to the left with most of the shots facing that way , you would think you couldn't fail to get some decent photos at this range , mine seem a little soft I think it's time to get my lens serviced .  Purple Sandpipers on the shore and a single Snow Bunting on the Golf course and 4 Short Eared Owls on the ash lagoons area, it took me till near home to get warmed up in the car with the blower full blast , I'm getting soft.

I also added a couple of different poses to Birdguides might as well add mine to the many others.

 Alula seems  displaced on this side

Blyth Harbour 2-12-10

                 Just  a walk along to the harbour today with the small lens encountered the Snow Buntings along the road , a nice bright sunny day  fairly heavy sea, a single Common Scoter on the river as where some Eider  also a Golden Plover on the beach 3 Purple Sandpipers flew over and seemed to go under the fish quay  15 or so Redshank again very few Gulls can't see the numbers increasing till the boats get back out , on the way down I passed an apple tree  still laden with fruit with Starlings, Blackbirds and Bluetits   feeding it looked ideal for a few Waxwings should have checked it before they all moved on .

                                       

 It looks deceptive but there is a large swell out there

 Snow |Buntings along the rail they just dropped in

 Not a gull to be seen

View along the pier still some hardy fisherman out even though there is a very strong Easterly wind.

I said it was a very strong wind this guy just took off, should'nt have worn a Poncho !!!