Round the doors.

Potter on the bike this morning was productive:

Great Grey Shrike still distant at West Hartford. Plus Stonechat and 60 Lapwing over.

On the Horton Burn an incredible 4 Little Egret together on the middle (park) section, plus one of the group (or another) near the old fire station.

Also on the burn, six Mallard, 1 Teal, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Moorhen and an obliging Kingfisher.

Mobile birding

A day out with Mark on a dull, cold and wet January Saturday.

Nothing in the way of decent light for photography, so the scope was brought out instead of the SLR camera. First stop was Tynemouth so Mark could catch up with the increasingly promising Lesser Whitethroat - trapped during the week, so hopefully conclusive DNA results will determine it's origin. Complemented visit with some delicious cake courtesy of Celia and a nice catch up with Colin. Some great views of the Lesser Whitethroat on the close feeding station too...

Onwards to the Tyne Tunnel and eventually, albeit in slow traffic, to Boldon. The two Glossy Ibis were still present and despite some attempts with the iPhone to photograph them, the video function prove to be better in the blustering conditions - 17 seconds of ibis action below!

Northwards after this to beloved Amble for "refreshments", via an unsuccessful stop at Woodhorn for the Greenland White-fronts. Not to worry, the chip shop was open at Amble, where from we headed back down the coast in a race against fading light.

East Chevington came up trumps with the Slavonian Grebe on the north pool, three Long-tailed Duck, hods of Goldeneye and an otter.

Druridge Pools continued to hold Green-winged Teal, my first for a few years so appreciated. In addition, Pintail, Shoveler, lots of Wigeon, and among the Redshank, a single Black-tailed Godwit.

Green-winged Teal, Druridge.

We casually checked the flooded fields to the south of Blakemoor Farm (Cresswell) just after 15:00 - no sign of the Friday single Glossy Ibis, just a Grey Heron. The fields in the general area look good for any Ibis that chooses to linger, and it wasn't with much surprise to find that it was reported again at 15:30 - Cresswell Hall Farm this time.

A cheeky check of the River Blyth didn't produce Great Northern Diver, but the final stop at Horton Burn (east end) did hold a Kingfisher (and Moorhen!).

And that was that - dusk twists into night and another day birding ceases...

Continuing Cramlington

After the hardship of a single nightshift, I was back out round the northern delights of Cramlington on Friday 3rd, and today, 4th, a more extensive pedal driven route throughout the hamlet that Northumberland's finest new town is.

Some decent birds, Cramlington-wise over the two days, with the little egret remaining on the first trip (though not yet seen today), jack snipe, 6 grey partridge, lesser redpoll, little owl, willow tit, more great back backed gulls, the resident lesser black backed gull, kingfisher.

So... 55 patch species so far with not too much effort - and some nice easy ones still to collect.

The BIG dipper

A very overcast morning saw Mark and I head to North Shields Fish Quay - both glaucous and iceland gull had been reported a day previous.

We parked up opposite the boat sheds and ended up walking round to the Black Middens - with no sign of either gull and very wet conditions we opted for a pit stop back at the quay for coffee and a panini (we're so sophisticated).

Meanwhile STH had arrived - so a quick text from the warmth of the cafe to Steve to inform of our presence was rewarded with a call back informing that the glaucous had re-appeared. Result.

The monster gull spent most of its time up on the shed roofs, but luckily it took a fish scrap and flew past, giving one ok photo from a flyby sequence...

High-fives all round, we then headed back to Cramlington - a journey that was intercepted by Gordon with news that he had re-located the dipper on the Horton Burn. Tensions rose as we promptly headed to the burn!

Thankfully the dipper was still present - and hopefully will remain available over then next few days for a 2013 tick. This dipper is the first to be really available within urban Cramlington - birds on the River Blyth are really at the periphery of Cramlington acceptability!

A single kingfisher patrolled the burn while we grilled the dipper, and to complete the set, a grey wagtail flew over the house while I de-booted on the driveway.

Not a bad morning - perhaps more exciting for me than anyone who cares to waste there time reading this drivel!

Round the doors

12 waxwing over the house justified the energy spent washing the car this morning.

Afternoon was spent on the bike - West Hartford providing 1 stonechat, 1 short-eared owl and a brute of a female sparrowhawk - first bringing 8 waxwing to my attention, then later lifting a snipe and mobbing the SEO! Raptor numbers were increased with 2+ kestrel and a distant buzzard.

At the Horton Burn 1grey wagtail and a single kingfisher ended the avian and cycling activities.

The wigs on

3 wigeon at West Hartford this afternoon were the first for a while. Otherwise not much avian excitement, with a couple of hundred bhg, 3 lbbg, cg, hg. 2 grey heron dropped in and a buzzard patrolled the river Blyth banks. Hundreds of wood pigeon in the area too.

Horton Burn produced the standard winter-fare ~ grey wagtail near the old fire station and the male kingfisher mid section.

Same old

Stuff as yesterday, pretty much. Reversed the cycle route, with kingfisher and grey wagtail early on. Later at West Hartford, two short-eared owl, five+ snipe, 1 lbbg and not a sniff of the hoped for water rail!

Local

Late afternoon on the bike was uneventful at West Hartford, with only a few gulls on the pool and a meadow pipit on the track. The action so to speak was as dusk descended, with a more productive stake out adjacent the old fire station - a mix of seasons, with three barn swallow south & the arrival of winter with approx 300 pink footed geese south (22 north) a single kingfisher and a grey wagtail on the burn.

Rain stops play

Headed out on the bike early afternoon - first stop at the old fire station along the Horton Burn. Lots of activity with blue, great, coal and long-tailed tit, many blackbird, chaffinch and a sole bullfinch. More of a surprise was a pair of stock dove - not seen them down this end before. Cycling back along the burn 1 kingfisher and 1 grey wagtail flushed, while at the west end a nice flock of bullfinch, 10, we're in the vicinity of the Crowhall Lane roundabout. My arrival at West Hartford was in conjunction with rain, so birding was cut short as my binoculars became waterlogged to the point of not being able to see anymore! Nevertheless a single short-eared owl, c40 teal, bhg, cg, hg and c50 lapwing were noted (though none of the 10 golden plover which had been seen from home a while earlier in the mobile lapwing flock). Time not on my side for any more birding this weekend, hopefully I'll be able to get out during the week after work - the bewick's swans are appealing up the coast and I wouldn't mind a crack at the tundra bean geese flock...

First Cycle

Thoughts of a trip to Hartlepool were squashed and with the bike tyres pumped up it was a potter along the Horton Burn and West Hartford surrounds this morning. And what good value it was, with 3 kingfisher, grey wagtail, 2 ad gbbg (uncommon at wh), a duck shoveler, 40 teal, 3 great spotted woodpecker, 2 redpoll, 20+ Siskin, bullfinch and another 30 species... Still not bumped into a fieldfare or song thrush ~ the joys of early January birding!

One

It was a later than anticipated start to the 2012 birding. Left the house at a little after 10:30 and headed north to East Chevington.

First up was the dapper drake green-winged teal on the South Pool, while on the North Pool I could not locate the reported smew ~ a female scaup was good, as was a single Eurasian white fronted goose and a fly thru short-eared owl.

Heading south to Cresswell I connected with the large pink-footed goose flock - a scope thru produced one tundra bean and one Eurasian white-front. No sign of any snow bunting at Bells Farm, and Cresswell itself was pretty quiet.

Onwards to Newbiggin - where med gull is a doddle these days, while a few hundred meters up the beach, the desert wheatear remains. Didn't carry the camera up with me today (given yesterday's session), yet I could not resist a couple of iPhone pictures ~

So with the wheatear in the bag I scuttled back to the car and headed south to Marden, where the wintering lesser scaup was eventually found roosting. So far so good!

A quick stop at Killingworth Lake did not produce anything of note, so a little later I arrived at Prestwick Carr. Superb showing of short-eared owl here, with a modest count of 12 ~ eight of which were in one field! Peter got me onto the great grey shrike just be it flew off into the distance - the quality just kept coming....

Back to the car for a nip up to West Hartford, not before a willow tit gave itself up. A mere 4 short-eared owl were on show by dusk (17 for the trip out!) - while the final, nearing dark, pitstop at Horton Burn was also rewarding - 1 kingfisher flew downstream, with 2 moorhen and 4 mallard. A day of quality!

Lighter

Ah, the onset of lighter nights.

Celebrated the last full shift at work with a potter round West Hartford and the Horton Burn.

West Hartford was busy with c200 lapwing - though little else. Two buzzard cavorted to the west, while a single kestrel patrolled the back field. Four teal on the pool...

Near the old fire station, the Horton Burn was more productive, with a pair of mallard, many blue/great and coal tit, several blackbird and my first kingfisher of the winter.

With the festive break approaching I look forward to a few potters round the doors ...

W'wing_King_B'ling

A single waxwing feeding on the hedge adjacent Burnside School on the way back from grocery shopping was enough to get me out of the car and back out onto the bike for a potter around the estate this afternoon. First port of call was back at Burnside, this time armed with the 500mm slung over my back while riding the bake. One waxwing turned into two, but neither would tolerate any hint of me stopping to take a picture... and off they went!

The Horton Burn was reasonably productive, given that the freezing conditions have eased. A single kingfisher patrolled the eastern stretch of the burn, while at the old fire station a mixed finch flock included at least six brambling. The finches (including chaffs, greens, bulls and golds) tend to follow the tree lined road from the old fire station round to the unfortunately named Boghouses, just north of the A192.

No waders were noted on the burn, nor any duck... they may return if the weather closes in again.

Last trek around the patch for 2010...

On a somewhat cold and wintry Boxing Day I ventured out to check the Horton Burn and West Hartford, and as if with recent tradition, took the bike out to propel me along the snowy paths.

In the three and a half hours that I was out, I amassed a reasonable selection of birds including a new one for the north of Cramlington (for me, anyway).

West Hartford was very quiet indeed - the highlight being a flyover cormorant...

It was the Horton Burn were the "action" was. At the west end, six siskin were my first of the year in the area, while bullfinch were reasonably represented with a minimum of three males.

Snipe were also well represented, tho I did fail to count them - many were observed on the stream, and at least one was feeding in a hawthorn lines ditch just to the north of the western footbridge.

Grey wagtail probably numbered 2+, but redshank stole the show - at least eight birds were feeding in the burn today - some close to the footbridges...

Only one kingfisher was noted and a single woodcock was complimented later by a second bird.

At the old fire station the chaffinch flock was complimented by a minimum of four brambling - a new bird for me in this area - great stuff!

To finish off, a great spotted woodpecker was noted, along with another burn-casual ~ reed bunting: one female next to the western road bridge. Happy Days!

***

Thanks to all who have read this dross during 2010, I hope to get another update squeezed in before year end...

Freezer Birding...

With the snow level maintained by continued freezing conditions I opted to stay local when birding today - 4 wheels were replaced by two as I headed off on my bike. By the first corner of the journey I had almost slid over on the churned up snow on the housing estate - luckily, the main roads were clear, so it was not much later that I arrived at West Hartford.

Hopes were high for some day flying owls, but there was no sign... nor of much else really - 1 buzzard high over the River Blyth, a solitary kestrel and a few blackbird. One advantage (if there is one) was that the snow was so deep that I didn't need a bike stand:

!



As WH was quiet I headed east along the A192 to explore the Horton Burn. At the old fire station there was much activity, with a  several "firsts for the burn" -  a good count of 10 grey partridge and a single woodcock (feeding beneath a hawthorn on the burns bank), a single redshank, followed quickly by a lapwing - purple patch!!

The redshank ended up being the first of four - the hard weather has pushed them right in. Two kingfisher zipped up and down the burn, and snipe lifted at every bridge that I stopped on. Moorhen numbered 3, and only 1 pair of mallard were present.

A pair of bullfinch were at the west end of the burn and goldfinch were abundant, blackbird numbers were very impressive too.

North Strole

Freezing conditions continue in the north-east of England, and after spending a day indoors yesterday I had to get out. The car is well and truly snowed in, so I set off on foot.

I can be at the Horton Burn is a couple of minutes from the house, so I elected to walk the western stretch on wards to West Hartford then east along the A192 back to the old Cramlington Fire Station and back home along the eastern leg of the Horton Burn.

My first steps along the Horton Burn lifted the first of several snipe - calling as they zig-zagged away over the houses. The only other birds of note on the western leg were a single grey wagtail and drake mallard.

West Hartford looks rather bleak with all the snow - there was no early owl activity, but a kestrel and buzzard featured. A few snipe were lifting occasionally off the marsh and a woodcock was flushed by a dog walker who had ventured across to the plantation adjacent the farm.

Three cormorant flew west up the River Blyth (it's always useful to keep an eye over the river) and an adult greater black backed gull flew east (don't get too man at West Hartford, typically winter only).  There was lots of thrush activity, with blackbird, redwing and song thrush abundant, and only a few fieldfare.

My venture east along the very snowy A192 continued to provide thrush sightings, along a splash of colour with a single jay and three waxwing raiding a hawthorn on the roadside. Over 200 common gull flew north and a few chaffinch were noted towards Bog Houses along with a very dapper male bullfinch (sadly a nominate bird...). 1 Grey Heron flew over and a sparrowhawk was hassled by the starlings.

Back at the Horton Burns' eastern leg the bird activity was more active - plenty of house sparrow in the hawthorns along with chaffinch, great, blue and coal tit, while the burn held a further 7 snipe, a staggering 3 kingfisher (highest count), 3 grey wagtail (making 4 for the burn today), a pair of mallard and a moorhen. Not bad for a grubby stream flowing through a housing estate!

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.

Not so great northern diver

Spent a few hours this afternoon sitting in the cold waiting for the Whittle Dene great northern diver to swim closer to the causeway ... which it didn't. Cracking bird but no good for the camera! Two kingfisher were kicking about and I almost got a photo as one landed on a fence rail, however my reaction was too slow and it swifty moved on. Other birds included 1 gooseander, great crested grebe, redwing, common buzzard and great spotted woodpecker.

Not much to report...

It was a relaxed day as the last of my 2009 "flexible" holiday was taken - a frightening thought as another year passes.

A potter up to Druridge Bay revealed very little - the north end of Cresswell Pond was busy with curlew, lapwing, wigeon and grey-lag geese, while East Chevington was rather desolate. Nearer home, West Hartford was also rather quiet, with two stonechat patrolling the field and a few common and black headed gull on the pool. No owls... yet. The Horton Burn held one kingfisher ~ a colourful end to a relatively quiet, dull day!

Hope to get out on Saturday morning...

Three dips and a BG

The plan was quite simple for Saturday morning - head up early morning to Holy Island, tick off the red-rumped swallow in the village and then have leisurely potter to the Lough for crippling views of the male bearded tit. We'd then head for Budle to take in the snow goose before heading to Stag Rocks for coffee and a sea watch.

That was the plan.

The reality was slightly different. Route was accomplished bar all the birds listed above!

No sign of the red-rump in the village from first light, and a walk to the Lough only provided a few mute swan and bathing herring gull. Tides were unfavourable so we had to bee off island by mid morning, and our stops along Budle Bay only provided barnacle and grey-lag geese. Maybe the snow goose is back with the others at Fenham-le-moor ;-)

Stag Rocks was a little better with the black guillemot detectable by binocular, and photographed (albeit very badly) with the 1.4 and 2.0 extenders stacked onto the 500mm. While we were watching the bg a kingfisher flew north, over the "stag" rock and round into Budle Bay. Half a dozen long-tailed duck were also present, along with red-throated diver, shag and eider. Could not see any slavonian grebe...