25-03-07 Rothbury

Sunday the 25th a day on the hills overlooking Rothbury for an exercise in navigation sunny spells and grey skies but at least no rain singing Chifchaff on the walk up and two Red Squirrels took this one with my compact camera, not a birding day but I am always on the lookout this is a good walk and can be made circular and has lots of variation . Well marked footpaths leading up from the village and good views looking back down.

24-03-07

Started the day at Amble to check out the harbour for any white winged gulls,

22-03-07

My Internet ISP has been taken over by another company which has now gone bust,I had been with them for a few years without any problem,they get taken over and suddenly when I tried to connect a message from BT this number is now disconnected leaving me with nothing,so I am now trying to catch up with a couple of posts.

19-03-07

18-03-07

13-03-07 Breamish Valley

Views from Brough Law

Today it's an Archaeology walk but I still took the camera just in case, as a Raven flew low over our heads on my last walk up here,near Ingram Grey Wagtail, on the river with a large mixed flock of Black -headed & Common gulls ,10 Oystercatcher and same Lapwings ,a small flock of Fieldfare near the village hall but not there when I took the camera around three Pied Wagtail, two Mistle & 8 song thrush with a Nuthatch feeding along a low moss covered wall just a few feet from me but I got onto it to late and it flew into a tree above my head and gave a scolding call,two Buzzards over the nearby hill ,nothing on the way up to Brough Law ( boy that camera gets heavy on a long climb up)with only a Curlew over our heads wind again very strong and cold,but great scenery ,could be a good viewpoint for raptors but you would have to strap your scope & tripod down ,another look along the river came upon a Hare sunning itself among the gorse, ( like summer in sheltered spots)but I just made the slightest sound and he was off like a rabbit,or should that be he hared off.
Called in at the gravel pits east of Powburn hundreds of Black-headed gulls paired, what a noise the odd Oystercatcher amongst them on the Island,plenty of Greylag and a few Canada took this shot of a Hybrid,there used to one like this at Druridge pools,Tufted ,Mallard,Teal,Wigeon on the water, a bird was calling from the small wood behind me so I went off to have a look no idea what it was,walked further along the road to try and pinpoint the call when a Kestrel flew from the treetops followed by a Buzzard in the same view alas I had left the camera in the car,will I ever learn.

Called at West Hartford one Short Eared Owl over the far field.

11-03-07 Hexham on the Tyne

Had a run inland today just up to the Hexham area with a walk along the Tyne, the river was quite high with evidence of heavy bank erosion west of the town, a pair of Gooosanders,20+ Teal, and 20+ Mallard along the far bank was hoping for Sand Martin perhaps, although it was a nice day the West wind was very cold Two Buzzards displayed over one of the woods, Kestrel, and two GSW,heard Green Woodpecker but not seen ,a pair of Oystercatchers along the shingle bank and another Buzzard further along.

8-03-07 Northumberland

This Dunnock is keepimg it's eye out for raptors while also posing for the camera

I have been laid low with the flu this past week so have not been out, so today I thought I would have a run out and look for Goshawks as the conditions looked good first bird a hovering Buzzard it looked huge till I realised it was closer than I first thought seemed to hover over the same spot and eventually landed and picked something up it seemed to feed in the air as it drifted off after about 15mins my first Goshawk then followed by a second they drifted up and circled but with no actual display, awhile later three Buzzards in the air together as a Kestrel flew over me and nearby two Mistle Thrush and two Stonechats the sky started to cloud and the wind picked up 30mins later as I had no further sightings headed back home not the most productive bird outing so I thought I would stop at West Hartford on the way home but alas nothing this was just before six so I thought it would be ok.