Druridge Pools

A little behind with my Blog posts of late this is a visit along the coast at the end of the month, again checked the now rather large pond at Lynemouth  but still nothing , something will drop in surely, Cresswell held 22 Little Gulls all 1st summers that I could see as they all spent the time on the spit , report of a Little Egret dropping in when I had left seen a few around but not as yet this year in the Blyth valley patch.  Druridge Pools the next stop juvenile Long Eared Owls just visible in the distance  later I went around to the Oddie hide to find a couple who had been at the Budge screen and shown the Owls through a scope it seems they where not content with this and where up on the banks trying to get a better look  Tossers !!! is all I can say to these sort of people and anyone else  that does the same thing they are not the first people that seem to think the banks are there so they can get a better  view  over the ponds .

It turned out to be a warm day and I found the first Common Darters of the year near the reserve entrance , so I took the opportunity and had a look around for some insect subjects, which also included Large Skipper and 3-4 Speckled Wood, ended up at  East Chevington 2 Cuckoos seen one alighted briefly on the fence only to be mobbed by a Meadow Pipit  , 2 Female and 1 Male Marsh Harrier giving good views over the reeds 

 Juvenile Long Eared Owl this was digiscoped from a long way off , so please don't try to "just get a little closer" ,link below to a short sound clip of the bird calling I have shortened the length between the calls

Juvenile Long Eared Owl Call

 This was on the step up to the Oddie hide

 Large Skipper

 This on Stinging Nettle , not an area to wear shorts in as I found out !

 I Have had these before  they have the largest antenna  you can imagine this one only visible on the right is at least 4-5 times its body length

 Common Darters near the reserve entrance

 I have increased the saturation in this shot just to enhance the veins in the wings , fascinating structure , the four darker sections are what they call the Pterostigma  which you may have seen mentioned

 Speckled Wood at the Budge Screen also

Marsh Harrier over the reeds at East Chevington its good to see they survived the torrential rain of the past weeks