Blyth to St Mary's

Another cycle ride last week I started off at Blyth Harbour (a Woodcock in off the sea ),a report of 3 Snow Buntings along the road in , no sign for me but when I got to the pier and looked along the beach a flock of birds lifted from the shore and headed to the dunes going back along I re- located them in the dunes before they headed back out onto the sands, not seen Snow Buntings this far down the shore usually they stay on the tideline I was sure there was a Shorelark in with them in the dunes but no sign when they where on the beach where I counted 19 , seems to have been a bit of an influx with numerous reports of un specified numbers . Stopped along the Links road the fields are attracting a large flock of Golden Plover , Starlings and Corvids with a small flock of Linnets and hopefully some Twite, single Dunlin and 4 Snipe in the mud. Continued on to St Mary's and down past the wetland a group of birders on site so nothing to see there again no sign of any Med  Gulls  so a peddle back along the coast  Golden Plover settled back in the field they will surely bring in a Peregrine over the Winter.

edit : in the early afternoon I had the bright idea to get my kayak and paddle along to see if I could get the Snow Buntings on my list alas too many dog walkers by now and no sign of them ,nor Sunday either

 Snow Buntings heading for the dunes

 And down on the shore

 I can only assume they are gritting

 Although here they look as if they are feeding

 They where not too approachable , I usually find the smaller the number the more settled they seem

 Stonrchat beside the farm and I notice its got a BTO ring I think it was 2011 I also had  a ringed bird here ,for that one I went back with the scope to try and get the ring number but it was not seen again , I will give this one a try

 Snipe soaking up the suns ray's

 Golden Plover,Lapwings, & Starlings take to the air

 Single Dunlin also present

 Looking over the harbour at Seaton Sluice for Kingfisher I noticed this on the pipe , what the hell is that I thought

 Zoomed in to reveal this, someone has gone to a bit of effort to make and hang this ?

 Looked over one of the screens at the wetland to see these a guy turns up with bins asking is it a rarity of some importance , no I said I think they are looking for the outflow , well I hope that's what's going on or I am party to suppression and I have no idea as to what !!!!!

Golden Plover settled back in the field which will no doubt also attract some Geese over the Winter

March just ticks over..................

This week I can't remember just where I have been I did go to St Mary's on the bike a couple of times and also back to Druridge Bay ,most of the duck on the fields south of the track, still plenty Teal and several Shoveller 30 odd Tufted and a very large Otter spooked everything it went onto the small island for a second or two ,back into the water and disappeared, it was good to see Teal so close to the Oddie hide unfortunately your looking into the light ,no sign of any Geese ,and no sign of any Twite only 3 Red Throated Divers on the sea and a few Wigeon ,with 1 Stonchat on the fence of the dunes, Cresswell had 8-10 Tree Sparrow down the track to the hide the water level having dropped exposing the sand bank, and attracting Curlew Redshank & Lapwing .

Thursday I came across some Newt fencing , not the most attractive stuff I have seen about 1 mtr high used to confine in this case Great Crested Newt or other creatures, also used to confine prior to moving snakes etc, from a site due to be developed, not something I have seen before , but obviously a search on the net shows it is very commonly used , I remember the days when Newts where very common and could be found in most ponds , or is my memory wrong and they were even then on the decline.

I had to go to Cramlington so I called in at West Hartford 40 plus Teal and a couple of Gadwall with a dozen Oystercatchers, I took a detour to get to the water without spooking eveything only to have a Heron fly low over the water lifting the lot and they all settled out of sight , no small birds of any sort here this day , but it does have the potential for anything to drop in , I wonder what its lifespan will be as development can not be far away !!!!

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.

St Mary's Island 29-8-09

Friday I had to go to the town and I called in for a quick look at the new library,it has some of the latest technology,check out your own books ,put your card in a machine and the books on a pad , up comes the titles on the screen and out comes a receipt, simples yes!............it's funny I love modern innovations but I hate modern life !!!!!!
Late Saturday afternoon I just had a cycle ride to St Mary's Island for some fresh air ,the wind even stronger there than at home several Roseates on the rocks but too far away, a family of Stonechats on the way home so I tried for a few shots.
You would think this was taken with a floodlight !!!

Harthope Valley 23-8-09

What you looking at !!!!

Sunday the 23rd saw me in the Harthope Valley in was a bit dull as we drove down into the valley ,Buzzard over followed by a second they both just hung in the wind over the crest of a hill hovering now and then before drifting off, Red Grouse just at the roadside ,I should have had the camera beside me ,I have often seen Red Squirrel along the wall just as you come over the hill, but not for the past few visits, several Stonchats, a mass of Swallows & House Martins which came down onto the path Beside Langleeford house , as did about 15 Goldfinch and a few Meadow Pipits , it was dull and grey for most of the morning ,till the rain came and then it was just miserable ,we waited in the car to see if it would brighten up , but no .
I was amazed at the amount of erosion from the July rain the run off must have been imense, the bridge pillar pushed over by large boulders and the shear force of the water, with large chunks of the bank gone and sand well up to the road at some points.
Just beyond Langleeford it looks fairly normal although the stream bed has been scoured

Looking back down the valley on a dull August day

Large area washed out by the force of water

Tree roots undermined

The bridge pillar pushed away by the force of boulders & water

Looking downstream, I presume the round boulders move easily with the force of water ,

23-6-09 Northumberland Coast

What a fabulous day weather wise spent the day up the coast started at Snab point a couple of Harbour Porpoise, Cresswell, then to Druridge and walked through to Ladyburn lake more Butterflies about ,Common Blue, a few Painted Lady, Meadow Brown, 14 Little Gulls at East Chevington and 6 1st Summer Arctic terns, its looking good here I like to just sit and scan through them. they lift and settle, so its scan again, there must be a marsh tern here soon,checked the sea from the dunes a few Manx north, and three groups of Scoter the nearest one had 60 and another looked to be over 100, Auks everywhere, back at Druridge and checked the bay looking for Porpoise in the calm sea, 2 Red throated Divers, a great Northern Diver, Puffins close in , a group of 11 Manx very close in, looking fantastic in the early evening light a few more all moving North and numerous Gannets feeding ,nothing unusual in the day just a good day out ,no coat no fleece, just a decent hat.



Stonechat Cresswell

Cinnabar Moth

I think this is Hemlock Water Dropwort

Common Centaury

I have seen these moths many times , forgot the name for now will have to look it up later.

Druridge Pecker's in the form of Starlings

For non locals the view north to Amble at high tide

Ladyburn Lake to the rear

and the view South


While on the dunes at Druridge this Spider caught my eye. when I touched the grass stem it lay along its length the colour blending perfectly legs held forward to completely hide its profile, which I could not get a photo of