A few days up the coast 8/10-7-09

8/10/-7-09 Spent a few days up the coast near Beadnel tried a couple of seawatches from Dunstanburgh Castle,the first evening I just took the scope its a bit of a trek but certainly a dramatic setting ,350 Kittiwakes & 165 Gannets + 4 Little Gulls North in 1 1/2 hours a lot of birds came past fairly close only 11 Manx but giving good views , as did the single Velvet Scoter & single Bonxie followed by another then 3 one coming right overhead, the usual phrase went through my mind "wish I had brought the camera", I did on the second night but not much moving then.
9-7-09 A walk along through Embleton to Newton Pool those steps up to the hide always give the sense of the un -expected you just never know what your going to open the shutters onto, alas today not much on show , so after awhile it was back along the coast via the beach, later I walked back to Dunstanburgh (30 min walk) with scope tripod and camera for an evening watch but only a single Bonxie, Gannets 200 hr, 4 manx, 3 Bar Tailed Godwits, but I still enjoyed it , by early evening not a sole around, I went around to the Rumbling Churn the cove at the base of the castle and just took in the scene the waves crashing on the rocks and the constant noise of Seabirds ,with mostly Razorbills coming at time overhead I slept well that night especially after a bottle of wine , I set the bat detector up outside but it missed a Pip as it came overhead, battery dead was the answer !!!
10-7-09 A day at the Long Nanny was fantastic it was glorious weather I spent a couple of hours at the watch point , the warden was busy so I could not get any info as to numbers of Little Tern & Arctic Tern I could only pick out half a dozen or so Littles although the heat haze did not help, Pyramidal orchids out in mass, as where Common Blue, Meadow Brown, Small Heath & Wall Brown, hundreds of Burnett Moths, a small colony of Sand Martins it was along walk back to Beadnell after the heat of the day, which I ended with a short spell seawatching from a point on the edge of the village again birds coming close to shore at times with Auks in the hundreds more Manx this evening with 100 in 30 mins.
It just goes to show you do not have to go far for something different, the walk from Beadnell to the Long Nanny there along the beach and back via the dunes was the first time I have done this, get out there and enjoy it for yourself.............. The Rumbling Churn

Razorbill and Guillemot

Vole on the path

Common Blues out in very good numbers

and as Usual loads of Burnett's

I took this not just for the sign but the plant at the base

Just coming into flower I presume

The view from the Wardens hut

The Posing Perch !!!!!!

They fight constantly but only very briefly climbing all the time till they just drift off