7-12-08 Amble & Warkworth

Sunday was a lazy day, a run to Amble harbour late morning and then a walk around the back of Warkworth Castle along the river before dark.

Amble had the usual large number of Gulls the larger ones feeding on chips etc in the harbour, most must have at least high cholesterol, the Black Headed abound near the carparks, they flew straight over as I pulled in and later even the sound of the car window opening was enough to get them over, no meds or Long Tailed in the harbour, so we drove to Warkworth there is a carpark down by the river and a short walk along the river, just out the car and I noted a Fox go behind a Hawthorn so camera in hand I waited but no sign I thought it must have gone into the Gorse but just as I walked away,out it came looking over at me and away but they always look back just to see where you are or what your doing, the path had suffered from the floods you had to look up to see where the level of the water had reached , this path goes past the ferry to the Hermitage (ferry a small rowing boat in the Summer) well worth a look , the river is usually good for Goosanders but not today ,not even a Great Spotted Woodpecker , only a single Goldeneye, the light faded very fast and it was back to the car, well anyway we got some fresh air , and a couple of bargains from the quayside market.

A fleeting glimpse of a Fox as it walked along the river bank

You can just see it's eyes looking back at me.

The splenour of Warkworth Castle, that is the path up at an angle

Outline of the Castle walls in the fading light

6-12-08 Shields Fish Quay/Holywell Pond

Saturday the 7th , I had to go to North Shields so I thought I would call at the fish quay to check the gulls ,plenty of Black-headed along the shore beside the car park but no Meds in with them a walk to the sheds and there was only about 50-60 birds mostly Great Black Backs, and the rest Herring Gulls and that was it ,had hoped for an Iceland or Glaucous as this used to be the place to see them once, so off to North Shields early, now having time on my hands and not sure where to go , left the pager at home, I called in near Briardene the adult Med still around, taking some photos in the middle of the carpark it's amazing how many people drove right past me ,like moths drawn to a flame , this is a huge carpark so I don't get it ,but the up side was the bird kept flying around .

Next stop was Holywell Pond I had not been for awhile but was dismayed to find the hide had been vandalised but now repaired , the pond partly frozen held several hundred gulls but scan after scan revealed only the expected, Great Spotted in the willows and some Pinkfeet to the east was the only other things of note so all in all a rather quiet day.
To some just a boring Gull...........................

The mostly frozen pond at Holywell,those are all gulls along the edge

Another to the side again those are all gulls

Magpie enjoying what looks like Chicken , coughed up by the gulls another bone in the foreground

Great Spotted , it likes the Willows

4-12-08 Hard Weather, Harder Concrete

Well this week I succumbed to the hard weather in the form of falling flat on back on ice just outside my house, cracking my head and elbow on the ground and knocking the wind out of me, so I have not been far .
For some reason I cannot upload video tried a few times to upload a video of the Fox on the ice at Linton, but it's just not having it computers eh!! or is it just me, seems to be more Waxwings around so I will have to catch up with them for some photos, these are just some shots of the local Barn Owl late afternoon.
I just settled into the hedge and hoped it would come past me

I have taken a one just like this before although that one looked a bit like Tin Tin

It still amazes me how quiet these birds are not a sound as they quarter the field

It was not in the least disturbed by me although it would not come close

It settled a few times, then flew off to try its luck elsewhere

2-12-08 December day @ Linton

December already not long to Christmas again but plenty time for Christmas shopping yet, so I went for a spell at Linton Ponds, opened the hide to find the pond about 2/3 frozen and plenty of gulls loafing on the ice, checked through for anything unusual but all I got was a very pale Herring Gull looked a little on the small size with shortish legs. The 5 White- Fronts dropped in with some Greylag, there was also a very large flock of Canada which eventually left leaving the pond peaceful again a Fox came onto the ice and began eating whatever it could find. either Goose crap or whatever the gulls had coughed up, nice !!!!, it gave me good views anyway and eyed the Canadas . Huge numbers of Gulls dropped in from time to time but no Iceland/Glaucous
The open water and the ice in the background

Pochard with it's head out

Pale Herring Gull it's wings where also much paler than usual

White- Fronts dropping in , check those gulls in case I missed one !!

The Fox & Geese , good name for a pub.

30-11-08 Blyth Iceland

Sunday early afternoon I went to Blyth harbour on the bike ,with the hard frost I had hoped the harbour would attract perhaps some divers, the 1st year Iceland was still on show and there was a good number of gulls in the harbour and the shed roof, later a couple of fishing boats came in both with huge numbers of gulls in tow so I checked them as they came in but could not pick out anything unusual , went up to the old tip area but only a mixed flock of Linnets and Goldfinch
Looks bulky in this shot

Iceland Gull in flight keeps away from the mob !!!!

Fading light warms the plumage


This is a large bird for Iceland, but the head shot looks more classic

You have to swallow very fast anything that is caught , or it's gone in a flash

Seemed to be plenty to catch with about a dozen birds fishing

Robbed from a Cormorant, I 'm not sure if these are dead fish picked off the bottom as they do not look very lively, sizable meal by any standards

This is just a few of the birds that follow the boats in as half dropped back and where feeding in a huddle just out of shot