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 !!!!

March 2nd ..........to the woods

Tuesday the 2nd March and yet another bright sunny day has Spring arrived , I went up to Plessey Woods area for a walk through the woods Great Spotted drumming , and just an air of renewal Snowdrops still looking bright and fresh and took some time trying to get some real close ups of them but found they where all slightly out of focus on the monitor , just enjoyed the walk masses of Ramsons just poking through, I like this plant with its clean white flowers, this year I have been in the garden and noted the Lords & Ladies is also just coming through, 2 Mergansers on the river which was flowing very fast and looking very murky, 3 Treecreeper just keeping ahead of me the sun was very warm in the open areas given the shelter of the trees, a very nice walk , I will have to get out earlier if this keeps up.

As the sun had moved over leaving me in shade I decided to stop at St Marys Island , walked along to the Briardene carpark and the adult Med gull dropped in showing most of its black hood, I also found it later in the north bay with 100+ Black headed, much colder now on the coast and the tide was high I had just come down a little to late, Teal & Gadwall on the wetland along with 80+ Redshank roosting and 186 Curlew in the field just off the track..........a good day out for a change !!!

These are just fabulous little birds and quite feisty when they have to be !!!! I would love to see those northern ones

Marsh Tit which is always nice to see, getting harder than it used to be .
Trying one of those arty shots , you can see what I was after but its not quite working !
Coal Tit I usually get these in the garden
Nuthatch another favourite very common at times.
This is the same bird as below but looks to have much less black on its head a trick of the light
Why this adult should haunt this carpark is a mystery there used to be one at Blyth beach carpark but that has not been seen for some time perhaps its the same bird !!

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 !!

Where's your fatballs ....Please !! !!

Blyth Estuary

Doing a bit of shopping the other day (fatballs only 49p for 6) I left the car in the carpark and had a walk along to the estuary fist birds I saw three Mistle Thrush , Song Thrush, and a Fieldfare, but further on a large patch of those orange berry bushes (Pyracantha ?) had attracted a flock of about 50, not the most confiding birds and I could not get anywhere near them, save for one or two while chasing Blackbirds would land briefly on a fence post or bush.

Golden Plover on the grass banks, and a few loafing gulls but on the farthest pool which you can only see birds that sit near the top of the bank, several small flocks of Skylarks over , several Snipe flushed even one or two on the exposed mud, I got a brief view of Jack Snipe and took a photo but it was rubbish I have yet to get a decent photo of one .

Reed Bunting , and a couple of Water Rail calling ,also loads of Moorhens with several Redshank and a couple of Oystercatchers again on the grass banks with A couple of Gadwall and afew Teal on the pool, a single Meadow Pipit working the fence edges in the long grass, usually a few around, more Song Thrush along the track on the way back.

As I have already posted the area is fenced off and in the process of redevelopment, so not sure what benefit or detriment the housing etc will bring could be a good patch for some birder moving into the area !!!!

P.S. I always take the netting off .


I seem to have lost the plot just lately three shots of Fieldfare was all I came back with

Sabine session.......................................

Went up to North Shields fish quay late Sunday for the Juvenile Sabines Gull , not lingering someway off in the middle of the river but right along the edge of the quay , giving stunning views as it plied back and forth ,what a little star.
Monday and as the Sabines was still around I went back to try and get some shots in the better light , it was on show again along the edge of the quay , till it suddenly went up river and disappeared to turn up on the south side , from where it went over towards the haven , which is where I caught up with it again , bathing and then preening on the rocks till it again , left and returned to the quay, despite it showing well it had given some the runaround, but most caught up with it , disappearing again it still left one or two frustrated,also nearby 2 Grey Wagtails , a few Goldcrests in sycamores on the hillside along with a Willow Warbler, Purple Sandpipers on the rocks, huge number of gulls feeding on the discarded fish as they sorted the catch, they don't have to do anything other than drop down from the shed roofs and stuff themselves .Larus sabini