More Bonxie action

Monday decided to go back up and look for the Pectoral Sandpiper reported at Lynemouth  but apparently a Peregrine had put everything up  and nothing returned save a lone Ruff. At Cresswell  started at the North end first 3 Stonechats and 2 Wheatears by the car park, headed up to the hide the Bonxie still present on the spit , two tight flocks of Coot kept close to the reeds and as expected when the Bonxie did eventually take flight there was sheer panic it made several attempts to drop on to birds settling eventually on the water and drifting /swimming around it seemed to try and get nearer to birds . I was trying to follow it via the scope and camera at one stage it lay prone on the water swimming towards its target keeping very low till it lifted and tried to drop onto something . Again it dropped on the water then at one point attacked the Coot right in front of the hide disappearing for a few seconds but still no kill , eventually settling back on the water for a prolonged bathe before settling back on the spit .....panic over.

I decided to check the path up towards Warkworth lane , it was warm and sheltered in parts several Speckled wood and lots of Common Darters on the wing , there are a few small ponds either side of the track but no waders around, chanced on a Hawker which settled briefly , ended up at the lane nothing out the ordinary so headed back a Black Darter crossed the path and watching it till it settled I was able to get a couple of shots till it started to lash down so into the trees till it stopped then headed back to see if the darter was still perched and got some more shots rain drops included.

On to Druridge bay to look for a Whinchat which was located with 2 Stonechats , 17 Bar Tailed and 3 Black tailed on a small pond by the old coal road , Gannets looked as though they where very close inshore on the high tide so I went over again mostly juveniles dropping very close inshore. Last stop Lynemouth flash again  there was some waders around but the looking into the light it was impossible to check them out  3 Yellow Wagtails along the edge ended the day .

 Bonxie swimming prone just before an attack

 You always hope the bird is going to come close , but when they do it always catches you out ,here it has just lifted from behind the reeds

 100 Pinkfeet in the fields near Cresswell

 Black Darter after the rain

 Black Darter very settled but in an awkward location

 numerous Speckled Woods today noted at most locations

 Female Migrant hawker lands briefly

 Gannets feeding close inshore

 Sparrowhawk mobbed by Corvids

 Whinchat

Despite there being 3 Yellow Wagtails could only manage one snap

After several unsuccessful attacks the Bonxie settles for a prolonged bathe before heading back to the spit .
Apparantly this bird dropped into Holywell Pond Tuesdsay where it killed a Coot but strangely did not eat it ,heading off south after awhile.

Blog catch-up 21st -26th

On the 21st as we were at ASDA near Swallow pond I walked along for an hour to look for any Dragons ,the views from both screens obscured by rush and reeds ,nothing on the large dipping pool and the small pool on the edge of the wood has been enlarged also as a dipping pool but nothing here either on to the large pool Hadrian Pool I think it is called a pair of Mute Swans with a brood of 7 large young , no small feat on an urban pond also a brood of Tufted giving me the chance to get fairly close.

Tufted Duck with one of her brood behind
Young Tufted Duck
Just missed a Kestrel as it dropped in near the pool seemed to pick something up.

On the 22nd we cycled along to St Mary's to catch the rising tide a couple of hundred Kittiwakes on the rocks also a few Common and Sandwich terns

Oystercatcher having been flushed from the island crowd on the rocks before again heading for the causeway roost.

24th I stopped at the Blyth estuary on the way north , Whinchat and Wheatear on the far side .

Woodhprn Flash only had 2 Common darter not seing many of these at all.

Cresswell had 5 Ruff 2 Greenshank, 4 Ringed Plover,30 Dunlin, and c60 which circled twice but did not land, I did not take a single picture all day !!!!.

25th Started the day at East Cramlington again looking for Dragonflies , it was sunny so waited an hour but nothing showed .

Arcot not my favourite destination but has been good for Dragons in the past so an other hour or so, 3 Greenshank, Small Coppers,lots of Wall Brown, Peacock, Red Ad,Emerald and Common Darter and one Hawker distant and I thought Southern.

Big Waters found a Southern Hawker hanging on nettle , Emeralds & Blue Tailed, again a few Small copper and Wall.

Gosforth Park apart from a couple of Willow Warblers along the boardwalk I saw little else here and wasted an hour doing it.

Swallow Pond being a sunnier day than my last visit I headed back to check the ponds, only to find there was a Teddy Bears picnic in progress and still nothing on the ponds....... no wonder I use so much petrol !!!!!
Peacock Arcot Pond
Arcot Pond
Arcot Pond
I found this freshwater mussel shell on the shore that is a golf ball to show the size of it ,I never thought they got that big ???
Some nice Fungi on the dead trees.

Sothern Hawker Big Waters
Comma Big Waters.

26th Found my first Migrant Hawkers of the year 2 along a hedge near Woodhorn.

Cresswell 5 Greenshank,4 Ruff, 1Whimbrel,2 Buzzard, 1 Pintail, Goldeneye a hawker was flying over the east side of the hide but I could not get a good view and it remained unidentified a few Swallows over heading South. I took the bike and headed up the coast.

Druridge another Migrant Hawker near the entrance,Wheatear and Whinchat at the end of the road.

Hauxley at the Ponteland hide only the usual Greylag and a few Redshank, plenty of waders from the Tern hide but looking into the sun by now, I cycled around to the new Wader hide so called from the days when waders could actually be seen from the hide as the water was much lower................ the hide is brand spanking new 30' x 10' it's huge what was wrong with the old one for the amount of people that actually go around this side , anyway perhaps they hire it out for functions etc: at 300 square feet of floor space you would get a few in ...... I wonder,what bird could turn up here that would fill this hide with birders , it would have to something special,more than the 2 Mallard I had !!!!.

Headed back to Cresswell for the car stopping at Snab Point, I noticed the large Bungalow is for sale. a few bushes in the garden and your own sea watch hide you would get some garden list !!!

Migrant Hawker
Whimbrel over Cresswell again not landing
Wall near the carpark

Harthope Valley 16-5-2010

Sunday was a planned visit to Harthope valley the drive up in the rain did not bode well, it was overcast as we pulled up at Carey bridge ,but Cuckoo calling was the first bird heard another Garden Warbler singing but not showing, several Oystercatchers around a couple of pied wags on the stream, and a Buzzard low over the field ,lots of evidence of some very high levels of water with trees uprooted and areas swept away.

A walk along Harthope Burn to the small waterfall ,some serious erosion along here ,another two Cuckoos, and two Spotted Flycatchers at Langleeford , no sign of any Tree pipit for me counted 7 Whinchats singing , but all distant, Wheatears and Stonechats , WW, Chiffs, Meadow Pipits, Song and Mistle Thrush common & several Red Grouse on the hillsides Common Sandpiper on the stream ,it stayed overcast for most of the time but the sun came out late afternoon , but still no Adders yet. I went off on my own to look for Ring Ouzel leaving the camera behind as I seem to carry it everywhere and not use it, well I was just about to turn back after only seeing , Wheatear , Stonechat, and Willow Warbler, when a stunning Male Ring Ouzel landed about 30 feet away , facing away from me tail cocked showing every detail, it turned as if to look at me and say, "you should have brought your camera " which was just what was going through my mind ( lugged it for two weeks in Turkey over many ,many miles ) it took off and landed near a Female that was either carrying nesting material or food , both showed very well , got back to the car but as it was warm set off to look for an Adder....................but did not add it to the list. This area is a fantastic place to visit and if petrol was cheaper I would be there often !!!!!!!!!!!!!

First time ,Iv'e had Cuckoo call, seen and photographed in one day, always a cracking year tick, they always look out of proportion with those long wings and tail

again the long wings

Whinchats in numbers today but still keeping distant