Chevies Cetti

No sight or sound this afternoon during a pleasant sunny hour at East Chevington... will need to try again.

A single slavonian grebe was noted on the north pool, while 1 barn owl hunted the south pool at dusk

Northumberland is having a great November - birds on offer today have included the long-staying squacco heron, a dodgy ross's goose, waxwing a-plenty, the cetti's warbler at East Chevington, 2 common crane south over Newbiggin and (too far for me to get on a winter afternoon) a cracking male desert wheatear at Seahouses!

...I need more daylight after work!!!

Monday's Blue

A combination of blue sky and waxwings on Horton Drive, Cramlington gave me an excuse to get out of the house this afternoon. A minimum of 32 were present, but again, were rather unco-operative for the camera as they remained high up in the trees along the burn. Some waxwing were fly-catching while a few were feeding on a berry laden bush ~ the only problem was that it was within the depths of a clump of willows, so the birds remained largely obscured.

Dusk was spent at a cold West Hartford, where two barn owl hunted as darkness fell. Prior to their appearance common buzzard, kestrel and sparrowhawk were all noted.

News that the cetti's warbler was singing at East Chevington this afternoon is tempting, maybe I'll get there on the next sunny day and give it a go.

Dip, drip, drip

Headed north for the short journey to Morpeth this morning. Eight waxwing over the A192 as I approached Plessey were a good starter, and as I arrived in Morpeth another...

A few were amassed on the footbridge just east of the town centre ~ the squacco heron had last been seen not ten minutes earlier, albeit in flight being harassed by gulls.

The next hour - not a sniff, other than from me as another cold descends. It also started to rain and hail quite heavily, weather ideal for squacco heron.

One kingfisher was poor compensation and a quick check of other River Wansbeck vantage points throughout Morpeth were squacco-less. I'll try again during the week, a local stated that the heron had been present at least a week already...

No point heading to the coast for cetti's... the weather had closed in. I'll wait for a suitably sunny and still day.