28-02-09 Castle Island, Bothal, Longhirst, Linton ,Cresswell
Saturday and I was up and out early first stop Castle Island only a hadfull of gulls around ,plenty Canadas,Song Thrush , Dunnock singing, few Mallard &Teal, also a couple of Gadwall, Bothal pond to look for the Green Winged Teal , 100+ Wigeon , and about 40 Teal , 12 Pochard and a couple of Goldeneye, 16 Gadwall, also checked the small pond but no Green Winged for me, Tree Sparrows along the hedge and a flock of Greenfinch beside the farm.
Longhirst only had a few Mallard and Teal, Linton also not much around I must have been to early,my shortest visit to date, a couple of Tree Sparrows in the car park area.
Cresswell opened the shutter , a pair of Mergansers feeding along the edge,16 Whoopers dropped in, checked every Teal I could find , Water Rail along the dry edge Scaup also still around, spent a couple of hours here no sign of Merlin or Peregrine, Barn Owl as I went back to the car and more Tree Sparrows on the track.
Stopped along the dunes past Bell's Farm and walked over to look for the Snow Bunting (s) but no sign , the Twite had split into two flocks , and later they settled on the fence near the stream, I could find nothing else in with them, plenty Skylarks around here now.
Last stop Druridge Bay checked out the new screen , and was surprised to find the camera cover I lost there last year, but it was looking a bit tatty, the screen is steel so not much chance of getting burned down, but given the price of scrap , it could get stolen.
The small pools lifting with Teal & Wigeon and 10 + Heron, over on the sea a Velvet Scoter not too far off shore, a flock of 60 Scoter and 5-6 Red Throated Divers, and looking north I could see a further 38 Whoopers.
16 Whoopers dropping in at Cresswell , I did not see a pair of Mutes here.
7 Mergansers , this male just out from the hide.
The Barn Owl over
Barn Owl looking very intense
Twite along the fence near the stream
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Tried to digiscope the Twite but it was now rather dull.
And a blog shot of the Velvet Scoter
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2 comments:
hello i like your photos of the hawfinch a scarce bird for northumberland these days i am disapointed to here that there are few reports from hulne park these days if any is it possible they have left the site.
ps will keep checking your site as you often visit castle island{my patch)happy blogging
Hi and thanks, photos are not bad for digiscoping,Castle Island I do visit now and then it semms to be in the patch of a few birders, I only look from the south side down the hill.
Brian
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