September ends October begins !!!!!!!!!

What has gone wrong with Blogger   !!!

Just a few images from the past few days trying to get some self found birds with not much luck still the pleasure is in the looking, its great fun staring at bushes looking for movement and how long to give it ,visited Blyth Harbour 2 Kittiwakes with colour rings but as yet can't get any info.

St Mary's Island Pied Fly on the track and a few Goldcrests in the triangle 

Went over to Cambois its a great area but you have to know it ,had a Brambling near the ash docks ,but only Goldcrest, Great Spotted Woodpecker, and a Peregrine along the old rail tracks ,went to the area behind the  Power Station , Common Redstart & Whinchat .Called at St Marys later in the day as it was still  good light a few birders where looking for a Barred Warbler coming to feed on Elder Berries in the late afternoon it gave reasonable views but would not stay still..

Still a few Speckled Wood around I found the one below just as it had become trapped in a web it was some way off in bramble so not the best of shots but interesting !!

Saturday I was up early and at St Mary's just after first light tramped over the whole area very disappointing . for some reason I was aching all over and decided to give up and head back home passing the butts I noticed the Barred sitting out in the open getting some sun , but there after it became elusive  , a nice male Blackcap also feeding on Elder......  What a contrasting day freezing cold in the early morn then warm sun , but as soon as it went in it was cold I thought this bird will only show again if the sun does .

Barred Warbler at the butts

Speckled Wood becomes trapped in a web and instantly the Spider is down and  finishes it off

It then starts to wrap it in the web not sure if it is also adding  to it !!

Fascinating to watch as it turns it around and around

Bringing the wings in

A neat  and tidy  parcel

Now retreated to its lair

28th August - 3rd September Update

28th August Cycled along to St Mary's for the incoming tide just a few Common and Sandwich Terns around , Juvenile Med gull in the south bay, on the 22nd some Juvenile gulls trying to get into this plastic ball , dropping it onto a rock where it just rolled into the water time and again this went on for nearly an hour and what was going on today the very same plastic ball with Juveniles trying to get into it convinced it was edible.

Juvenile Med seeing if this was in any way edible !!!!!
30th August Started the day with some seawatching at St Mary's a few Manx, 100+ teal ,Wigeon & Common Scoter, Arctic & a single Juvenile Long Tailed Skua + a couple of Bonxie later a single Juvenile Roseate on the rocks adult Med at Briardene Car park.


31st August Tuesday back up to St Mary's for the reported Greenish Warbler a good few birders there already and within a few minutes the bird was on show I opted to get a good look at it before trying to get some pics , but in the end did not get any photos at all it was reported off and on for a few more days and I tried a couple of times but did not see it again.

Headed up the coast stopping at Summerhill Lane pond a Teneral Migrant Hawker in the grass and an adult on the pond edge with a further three along the hedge near Woodhorn Flash.

Spend about 45mins at Snab Point the sea having dropped to near calm but no sign of any Cetaceans .

Cresswell 6 Black tailed Godwits , 10 Dunlin , 1Knot, & 4 Ruff with a Peregrine spooking everything but with no catch.
Common Darter
Migrant hawker
2nd September,.......... Went along to Newbiggin to try for the Barred Warbler not sure if we where in the right place but no sign and again reported as still there later on , 2 Migrant Hawkers on the track down from the Mound , stopped at Summerhill Lane on the way back Female Migrant Hawker ovipositing but too quick for me to get a photo, male patrolling the same area as the other day but being more obliging and resting now and again.

Migrant Hawker The Mound Newbiggin
Migrant hawker Summerhill Lane
Migrant Hawker in flight Summerhill lane
3rd September,.............. It was a sunny day so I tried some ponds for Dragonflies again only Migrant Hawker along the edge with a few Common Darter , not seen any Ruddy Darters for awhile , Emerald and a couple of Azure still around , picked up this Stoat coming towards me but the sound of the shutter saw him dash back the way it came.

Called back at St Mary's the Greenish reported again but no sign did get this Spotted Flycatcher along the stream with the Willows.

Blog catch-up 21st -26th

On the 21st as we were at ASDA near Swallow pond I walked along for an hour to look for any Dragons ,the views from both screens obscured by rush and reeds ,nothing on the large dipping pool and the small pool on the edge of the wood has been enlarged also as a dipping pool but nothing here either on to the large pool Hadrian Pool I think it is called a pair of Mute Swans with a brood of 7 large young , no small feat on an urban pond also a brood of Tufted giving me the chance to get fairly close.

Tufted Duck with one of her brood behind
Young Tufted Duck
Just missed a Kestrel as it dropped in near the pool seemed to pick something up.

On the 22nd we cycled along to St Mary's to catch the rising tide a couple of hundred Kittiwakes on the rocks also a few Common and Sandwich terns

Oystercatcher having been flushed from the island crowd on the rocks before again heading for the causeway roost.

24th I stopped at the Blyth estuary on the way north , Whinchat and Wheatear on the far side .

Woodhprn Flash only had 2 Common darter not seing many of these at all.

Cresswell had 5 Ruff 2 Greenshank, 4 Ringed Plover,30 Dunlin, and c60 which circled twice but did not land, I did not take a single picture all day !!!!.

25th Started the day at East Cramlington again looking for Dragonflies , it was sunny so waited an hour but nothing showed .

Arcot not my favourite destination but has been good for Dragons in the past so an other hour or so, 3 Greenshank, Small Coppers,lots of Wall Brown, Peacock, Red Ad,Emerald and Common Darter and one Hawker distant and I thought Southern.

Big Waters found a Southern Hawker hanging on nettle , Emeralds & Blue Tailed, again a few Small copper and Wall.

Gosforth Park apart from a couple of Willow Warblers along the boardwalk I saw little else here and wasted an hour doing it.

Swallow Pond being a sunnier day than my last visit I headed back to check the ponds, only to find there was a Teddy Bears picnic in progress and still nothing on the ponds....... no wonder I use so much petrol !!!!!
Peacock Arcot Pond
Arcot Pond
Arcot Pond
I found this freshwater mussel shell on the shore that is a golf ball to show the size of it ,I never thought they got that big ???
Some nice Fungi on the dead trees.

Sothern Hawker Big Waters
Comma Big Waters.

26th Found my first Migrant Hawkers of the year 2 along a hedge near Woodhorn.

Cresswell 5 Greenshank,4 Ruff, 1Whimbrel,2 Buzzard, 1 Pintail, Goldeneye a hawker was flying over the east side of the hide but I could not get a good view and it remained unidentified a few Swallows over heading South. I took the bike and headed up the coast.

Druridge another Migrant Hawker near the entrance,Wheatear and Whinchat at the end of the road.

Hauxley at the Ponteland hide only the usual Greylag and a few Redshank, plenty of waders from the Tern hide but looking into the sun by now, I cycled around to the new Wader hide so called from the days when waders could actually be seen from the hide as the water was much lower................ the hide is brand spanking new 30' x 10' it's huge what was wrong with the old one for the amount of people that actually go around this side , anyway perhaps they hire it out for functions etc: at 300 square feet of floor space you would get a few in ...... I wonder,what bird could turn up here that would fill this hide with birders , it would have to something special,more than the 2 Mallard I had !!!!.

Headed back to Cresswell for the car stopping at Snab Point, I noticed the large Bungalow is for sale. a few bushes in the garden and your own sea watch hide you would get some garden list !!!

Migrant Hawker
Whimbrel over Cresswell again not landing
Wall near the carpark

Blyth Estuary/Cresswell/Shibdon Crake

17th August had a look at the Blyth estuary a Redshank every few yards along both shores , with Curlew spaced further apart all keeping to their patch,25 or 26 Heron sitting in the centre of a field showing the area does not much disturbance, beside the boat yard Ringed Plover on the mud Water Rail calling from the reeds but no sign of anything else, Kestrel and Magpie sat about 2' feet apart on the fence eyeing each other and a young Fox playing along the field edge.At least 25 Heron in this group
Looking across to the north west a footpath runs along the south but nothing on the other side

Most buuterflies looking a little worse for wear probably from a bird strike.

The 18th headed up the coast stopping at Woodhorn flash ,but only a couple of Common Darter around, also looked at QE11 pond for gulls especially looking for juvenile Common as you can get close here (with the right bread)but only a few Black headed around carried on to Linton pond not been much since the tip closed ,really miss my Gull watching sessions.

Snab point the next stop for a bit of Cetacean watching ,well thats the theory after an hour later still nothing so on to Cresswell.

The water level still high so no sandbar ,5 Greenshank Common Sandpiper & and a Ruff along the west shore, also 2 Goldeneye and a Pintail with a Buzzard high up. Stopped at the point for another 45mins but still nothing.
The 19th I headed over to Shibdon to see the Sptted Crake not seen one for awhile , it was a suuny day so I stopped at Big Waters to look for Dragonflies ,found a Southern Hawker hanging up so took my fill of shots , but only the one ,also Azure, Blue Tailed and a few Common Darter, Small Copper 3 , and a Wall Brown.

Shibdon ,went to the hide after having a scan from the edge, the Crake showed after about 10 mins coming into the open but someway off, you definitely needed a scope took some digi shots ,but the bird was not out the same time as the sun ,which makes a huge difference to digiscoping

One Greenshank (expected more waders) 5 Little Egrets, 2 Water Rail, Common Terns

Fungi always catch my eye ,so I have to take a couple of photos, not the usual look underneath !

Could only get three together.
The Egrets favouring this huge Willow as does the Cormorants
In company with a Juvenile Water Rail
Looking over from the hide , the bird being in the far corner !!! , the water level has been dropped.
It spent some time in the open , but the distance is really to far and the light not good