Budle Bay/ Stag Rocks

Last week we had a run further up the coast to first Budle Bay  where there was a 100+ Teal several hundred Wigeon , masses  of  Redshank  a few Godwits , Dunlin & Knot with also a Greenshank , I think there has been a winter Greenshank here for the last few years , in the distance a very large flock of geese with Greylag , up to 100 White-fronted Geese, and about 30 or so Barnacles . The tide pushes across the flats fairly fast , I had spotted two Gulls with colour rings on , a Herring Gull with an orange ring from the scheme connected with the refuse tips , this flew off before I could read it , another a black headed Gull with a red ring not had many BHG so I tried to photo its colour ring  but the tide rose over it's leg before I could get a decent shot , pity as it looked interesting.

Pulled up at Stag Rocks and had a look for the Black Guillemot, MH & AC turned up and eventually Alan got on to it I got the briefest of views but it was not relocated , a few Slavonian Grebes  I noted up to 5, and 3 Red Necked grebe sightings from the area, up to 15 Long tailed Ducks , about 30 + Common Scoter but I only noted one Red throated Diver with a large movement of Gannets heading north up to 5 sightings of Harbour Porpoise of perhaps 3 individuals. Later as the tide began to recede 40+ Purple Sandpipers  dropped on the rocks . stopped at Monks House Pool only a couple of Pochard and a few Black headed Gulls , Seahouses  harbour only held 3 Goldeneye and 30 odd Gulls a few more Purple Sandpipers,but no Glaucous/Iceland.

 Black headed Gull with Colour ring but could not get the number

 A low flying helicopter but all the geese on alert before they all left with the incoming tide

 Slavonian Grebe moulting from Winter to Summer plumage

 Here with Common Scoter female

 With Common Scoter females and a Male on the right

31st January .......the month ends

31st January this month ends ,spent today as most days of the month at Blyth Harbour still no sign of any Glauc/Iceland coming in the only bird I have heard of is an Iceland at Newbiggin area, Red-Necked Grebe still on the river and some Mergansers  Snow Buntings still flitting around but no photo opportunities. 

 I was trying to get a shot of one after the other but is was impossible.

 Red -necked Grebe coming into the river

F Merganser with 1st year Eider

Blyth Harbour............ 29-01-2011

Just a couple of hours down at the harbour 5 Mergansers which flew back up river the Red Necked was feeding near the east pier , was hoping the boats would bring in a Glauc/Iceland plenty of birds following the boats in .Snow Buntings just over the wall on the dunes as I headed back home.

You have to swallow very fast when feeding in the harbour

the late afternoon as the sun starts to set

The river held loafing gulls that had come in with the boats

Blyth Harbour................24-01-2011

24th January   Another walk down to the harbour  Snow Buntings and the Red- Necked Grebe still around  as where the 2 Coots which have taken up winter residence in  amongst the yachts, I discovered I had again broken one of the leg locking brackets of my Manfrotto tripod  it grips but slowly slips ,cost me £15 for the last one , probably £20 now and there are a potential 6 to break  ,  will have to protect them in future.

 Snow Buntings 5 still around , but have not seen them on the dunes only on the fence.

 Red -Necked grebe beginning to get a red tinge to the neck ,hope it stays around for awhile yet.

 Winter Wonders in the form of Snow Buntings  nice to have them hang around.

Diver ,Grebe & Mergansers

21-01-2011  A bright afternoon so just headed down to the harbour 5 Snow Buntings , sitting in amongst the security wire atop the fence seems to be there favourite site , RN Grebe still around but to far for photos it was off the end of the stone jetty , only one colour ringed Shag to have a go at and a colour ringed Sanderling on the beach  , called in at the Harbour masters for permission to go on the middle jetty favoured by gulls including every Iceland I have seen here , but permits only issued to boat owners so it was  a no !!. Five Mergansers on the river, walking back along I stopped again to look at the Buntings  a  lady asked "anything around " yes some Snow Buntings  just on top of the fence there (20-30 ' away) no raising of the bins to have a look , not even a glance over  " got some photos when they first arrived " was the reply  " is the Grebe still around " , Yes I said just off the end of the stone jetty ( the one with dead birds,bits of bone (mostly Chicken ),  fish heads and  all sorts of  slime & gunk, with  more crap than  you can imagine and the smell wow !!!)  

A Red Throated Diver caught my eye not far from shore I only see one or two in this end of the bay , it seemed to be having a good wash but through the scope I could see fishing line it was trying to get off , you can see it on the video . 

Colour ringed Sanderling (10) first one I hve noted here

Red Throated Diver just offshore  caught up in fishing line.

Waxwings ...19th January

19th January  went along to Holywell Pond via Cramlington  to have a look for the Waxwings only four birds present ,also a male Blackcap, the light was rather dull as is usually the case when birds are showing well , on to the pond a couple of Mistle thrush on the track but the pond held very little so I called at the harbour ,RN Grebe still round got some video but it was too shaky and noisy ,more shots of colour ringed Shags and that was another day over.

Included this as the bird has just fluffed up its feathers making it look rather bulky

 Digiscoped images

"Whats that noise ?"

"Probably just one of those tossers with a camera "

Four Barn Owls, Red Necked Grebe, and Shags 9-11th

Sunday the 9th a run to Amble to have a look in the harbour but no Long Tailed Duck nor could I find a Med Gull , a quick look at Hauxley on the way back with little to see, but leaving the site a Barn Owl over the car stopping and checking the field was pleased to find it and another hunting over the area till they went out of sight. On to Cresswell the light fading fast  another Barn Owl near the car park and yet another further along 4 Barn Owls in the space of 20 minutes ,it's good to see they have survived the hash winter so far 

 2 Barn Owls Hauxley 9th January

The sun sets at Cresswell with another 2 Barn Owls , but too late for photos.

11th January back down to the harbour I could see the Red Necked Grebe just offshore near the pier so I walked along the pier it popped up right on the edge of the beach on the west side of the pier and incredibly as I was beside the Harbour Masters office I could see the RNG  come around the pier into the river and it swam all the way back into the harbour where I got a few more shots, also got some more colour ringed Shags and c50 Pinkfeet over. a pleasant couple of hours given there was not much around.

 Red Necked Grebe feeding in the surf by the pier
                                                                           and again as it swam back into the harbour (took it sometime)

TXD digiscoped  had no word back as yet  I will await some response before I get anymore  !!!

Slow start to the year .......8th

Slow start to the year for me decided to go back to basics of birding , trying to find my own stuff  the birding year did not start till about the 4th I was heading for the estuary but the report of Slavonian and Red Necked Grebe on the river by the quay was too tempting so much for finding my own stuff, anyway no sign of Slav a Great Crested Grebe present and what looked  to me like a RNG well up river , but stopping a couple of places further along no sign.   

4th January Great Crested Grebe (self found  :) )

5th January fully tooled up with scope ,camera, digi camera ,flask ,sarnie and a clean hanky headed for Holywell gull numbers here usually increase at this time of year so it is as good a place as any for white wingers  legged it down to the hide to find the door jammed again you have to grab at the base and work it open , opened the shutter to find the pond frozen solid and not a thing around and with little of interest coming to the feeders I headed off, passing the Beehive road stopped to scope two flocks of geese totalling some c350 Pinkfeet no collared birds or colour rings I could see,  c150 Greylag  so I decided to got  down to the harbour ,you have park near the caravan storage area and  walk in as no public car access.

Passing the yacht club area 7 Snow Buntings dropped onto the old yacht club jetty but did not hang around and where not seen again, not many gulls around , looking over to the pier I could see a couple of colour ringed Shag . Then I got my eye on a Red Necked Grebe coming up river .

5th Jan 6 of 7 Snow Buntings 

5th Jan RNG swims past

5th Jan

Took me a good couple of hours to get some shots of the Grebe

8th January headed back down to the harbour to digiscope the colour ringed Shags just cant read the letters with the scope alone, Red Necked Grebe still around took a few more snaps even tried digiscoping it but got nothing useful , no sign of Snow Buntings  a single Kittiwake and 2 Coot in the harbour.

8th Jan

One of the colour ringed Shags  (3 Blue 1 Red )