Blyth Valley

Blyth valley firstly I'm not really sure why it's called a valley as it is not quite like say the Hartehope  Valley , but as a birding area it is a fairly large patch incorporating such as the Beehive Flash , Holywell Pond and the Dene and also Seaton Sluice watch tower which I think is actually just out of the area must check my map on that,  Seghill area but not quiet Backworth ,then on the other side  the  River Blyth  including West Hartford  up to about the A1. So it is a fair size to cover now I'm not really a patch watcher but I do like to see what is on the doorstep so this year I'm trying to cover it just a little more thoroughly. 

Avocet on the Beehive Flash apparently the flash in in Blyth valley but the road is in  North Tyneside thus providing sightings to two areas   !!!!

Now Canada Geese  are popular with the general public a pair with 6 Goslings providing many OOO's and RRRRR's at Holywell pond, they are very good parents this brood still intact after more than a week , and there lies a problem the numbers seem to be increasing  yearly they can be encountered breeding at most wetland sites.

Distant view of a Little owl, in the Blyth Valley area a few years ago they seemed much commoner and could be seen regularly but not now .

Tree Sparrows however seem to be on the increase I always thought them rather sedentary but small groups are seen much more widely now.

This is a Blackcap singing his heart out I think it's a pleasant song ,I marvel at just how loud they can be at times

Blyth valley is not a butterfly hotspot apart from the dramatic increase in Speckled Woods in the past year or two.

Barn Owl looking rather pensive and it settles before an evenings hunting