28-1-09 Catcleugh

Wednesday morning the 28th January 9:30 and I was at Catcleugh Reservoir, not somewhere you here much of ,it's a fantastic setting ,there was a heavy mist on the way over, I stopped for a couple of Buzzards on the ground in a field , they just walked over the crest and watched me heads just visible but not that far off, till they took off and quickly went out of sight , anyway at the reservoir in the NE corner were some Whoopers at least 6 (2 A ,4J ) with about another 10 birds hidden in the reeds so could have been Mute in with them, a single goose at the extreme range of my scope and vision I took to be a Bean Goose, only got a couple of shots, but it looks to me like a "fabalis" Taiga , a single Teal, and a male Goosander the only other birds I could see, looked back later but a heavy mist sat over the area which took ages to clear, more Buzzards over one mobbed by a Raven, 2 Dippers on the river and about 100 Fieldfares over , came back via Elsdon Gibbet, in the hope of Crossbills which seem to often get right onto the edge of Harwood sometimes , but not today it was cold, dull and damp here, so heading back towards Morpeth taking it slow,I past a Barn Owl poking it's head out of a tree & another mixed flock of mostly Redwings , Starlings and a few Fieldfare, also in the same tree line to far off for me a flock of 60+ smaller birds.


One of the original workmans huts is still on site which is Private with no access but is open for one day in the year a great opportunity to have a look around, I recommend it , look out for details , also well worth a look is the small church just outside of Byrness, this has some great stained glass dedicated to the men women & children that lost there lives building the dam ,
Bremenium a roman fort near Rochester is also worth a visit

Fabalis ?

Swans in the distance gives you some idea of the size of this water

Mist set in it was mid afternoon before it started to clear

Some information here
http://www.northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk/catcleughreservoir

Glaucous ,Iceland Gull,Snipe, Jack Snipe, Willow, Blue, Great,Long Tailed Tit, Barn Owl, Scaup, Red Breasted Merganser,Goosander, Teal ,Wigeon, Tufted, Mallard, Shoveller,Gadwall,Shellduck Goldeneye, Eider,Pinkfeet , Greylag ,Canada, Stonechat, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Heron, Oystercatcher, Dunlin, Redshank, Sanderling,Bar Tailed Godwit, Grey Plover Mute Swan, Shellduck, Black- Headed , Common , Herring Gull ,Curlew, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Coot, Purple Sandpiper, Water Pipit, Mediterranean Gull, Sanderling, Dunlin, Turnstone, Brent , Redshank, Rock Pipit, Waxwing (s), Kittiwake, Tree Sparrow, Bullfinch , Raven, Dipper, Bean Goose,