Northumbrian Birding: Along the Coast 8-6-09

Thursday, 11 June 2009

Along the Coast 8-6-09

Monday I loaded the bike on the car to go along the coast looking for whatever, but the massage of a Marsh Warbler still singing at St Mary's island so I went along , it was singing quite often a rich song to me although I could not pick out the mimicry perhaps if I heard it over and over, MH was recording its song in the willows, from here it went to the triangle down one of the dead ends and sang and flitted around.
I called into the hide at Cresswell for only a brief visit, then cycled along to Druridge , Little Egret being the highlight , the wader pool nearly dry now , but there was several butterflies here, my first Common Blue of the year, as was Small and Large Skipper, also Small Heath but still only a couple of Painted Ladies, I am just not seeing the numbers that others are,East Chevington the north Pool had a good number of Terns and 8 little Gulls , looking for Orchids I found at least 30 spikes of Lesser Butterfly Orchid, and I think I have I.D.'d the photos as Northern Marsh & Common Spotted, I also had a quick look for Bee Orchid but with no luck perhaps it's still early, I had intended to go as far as Hauxley but the wind seemed to have moved around more northerly so I thought an hour or so at Snab Point would end the day, I was also going to call in at the budge screen again, you never known a Great White Egret may have dropped in , but some guy was making a right racket with a Strimmer so I just carried on .
Pulled up at Snab I think its called that, the car park after the caravan site going south through Cresswell, anyway first look through the scope had a couple of Manx followed by a couple more , not many Gannets on the move though, then a flock of easy 30 Manx, and I thought I was going to be in for a good hour , but no a few more past and I gave up after 40 minutes, it was time for some tea!!!