March 13th ............a day of numbers

Well its Saturday , where to go, where to go , I was later getting out again the cars can probably find its own way up the coast just lately ,but for a change I thought I would go via Linton Pond not been for awhile , passing Woodhorn I got my eye on some Geese so pulled over a bit of away off so I scope them, Greylag, Canada, and about 25 Pinkfeet, with a single Barnacle and the 4 Whitefronts still with them , I sometimes call in to QE11 lake I have had Glaucous & Iceland here before , but today I just passed by, going over to the Linton road a flock of 40 Whooper in a small pool by the road , so I got a couple of shots just from the car so as not to spook them.

The track down to the hide at Linton is a sun trap and it was very warm here the pond held c80 Wigeon, c40 Teal, 35 Tufted, a couple of Shoveller & Gadwall and a male Goosander, only about 40 Black-headed Gulls ,with Bullfinch in the small wood.

Cresswell just behind what used to be the cafe about 350-400 Pinkfeet not to far off so I scoped them again in the hope of Taiga Bean but no !, I passed the carpark of Cresswell as it was to nice a day to sit in the hide and decided to check the sea ,just taking the scope 2 Reed Buntings landed not 6 feet away on the fence then dropped onto the ground and back onto the fence , its the curse of having a camera ,lug it around all day and get nothing leave it in the car and you miss something, as it was there was nothing on the sea , but just to tease me a little more, now just feet away 2 Stonechat, a Meadow Pipit and a Reed Bunting in a little group on the gate posts beside the car.

West Chevington called along here before going to the pools at East Chevington , pulled over and scanned picked up a couple of Buzzards in the distance so got the scope out, to find a total of 8 birds , the most I have seen in one group , 2 Fieldfare & the first Stonecrop in flower along the ditch an unusual plant in that the flower comes before the leaves

East Chevington just hung around the obs platforms and was rewarded with a total of 4 Short Eared Owls & a Sparrowhawk to end the day .

40 Whoopers along the Linton road

Stonecrop, Sorry that should be Coltsfoot (which is what I meant)
This bird sat just along the road from the platform , but the light fading fast now.

I seem to have put the wrong image here !!!