Frustrating!

Lateshift duties severely restricting birding opportunities this week...

Ridley Park in Blyth yesterday was devoid of any bluetail action - 50 or so redwing along with robins and blackbird were the only migrants on offer.

This morning, St Marys' - no sign of yesterdays dusky warbler, nor todays pallas's / long-eared owl. Hods of robin, redwing (dropping in out of the mist), brambling, goldcrest, blackbird.

Journey back produced a lone woodcock lifting out of a garden in Hartley.

It just could happen...

2010 - Review July - December

July 2010 was enlightened with a self-found Cramlington tick - a cracking hobby that ended up spending a week or so touring West Hartford, Arcot and probably Wallsend Swallow Pond. The image above was taken at Arcot, when the hobby spent and hour or so hawking insects over the pool. A cuckoo was also seen during the visit, my first in Cramlington since the early 1990s'!

The first part of August had been spent in Malaysia on a fantastic trip taking in Kuala Lumpur, the Cameron Highlands and Pangkor Laut. Many a good bird was seen, but it was upon my return when the star of August appeared - in the plain, unassuming form of syke's warbler at Hadston!

Another month, another tick - September provided what is probably destined to be my last UK newbie for 2010 ~  a distant sharp-tailed sandpiper in Cleveland. A bit of a quickie this one, with a quick visit prior to a late-shift at work. I managed to miss the good fall of September 2010, so I was lucky to be able to get the most significant bird of the month.

I visited Cleveland again in September to see the obliging woodchat shrike at Hartlepools' Croft Park...

October 2010 was great - with a steady stream of rare's brightening up the north east coast. I make no apology for another slice of the St Mary's red-flanked bluetail - a stunner!

So November came, dark nights descended on the north and birding became limited ~ Waxwing arrived in great numbers and a squacco heron spent it's last days on the unlikely setting of the River Wansbeck in Morpeth town centre. Bird of the month for me was the woodlark on Inner Farne. A tricky bird to catch up with in Northumberland, this was a county tick for most of the hardy souls who made the crossing at the end of November.

December arrived somewhat early this year ~ time flies and birding for me was very limited. The bittern at Cresswell is probably the highlight, tho I suspect there may be some more interesting species for me to see in the last few days...

Blue Sunshine

Life is somewhat complicated at the moment; my mobile phone has ceased to function and I'm on lateshift... and the rares' continue. So rather than progress a mobile phone repair or relax before another shift on the front line I opted to revisit St Mary's.

As anticipated the red-flanked bluetail continues, albeit to a somewhat larger and noisier crowd of observers than Sunday morning.

Why do people feel the urge to rush the bird? This beauty has an established feeding routine and with patience, will stop close by inbetween insect sorties. Rant over.

What a cracker this bird is...

No Parking! ...Shorelark at Tynemouth

Re-visited Tynemouth this morning for another attempt at the shorelark that eluded me yesterday. The bird had become faithful to a small lawn adjacent Oxford Street car park. Quite surreal...!

A quick walk down to the priory provided hearings but not sightings of the dusky warbler... then it was a mad dash back to upload a couple of the shorelark images before work.

Bluetail still being reported at St Mary's, but no time today.

Bird on a wire: Bluetail

I was thoroughly fed up on Saturday evening - having worked an early shift at work disrupted with rarity news at Newbiggin and dipping the dusky warbler at Tynemouth and topping it all - driving past St Mary's oblivious to the presence of a red-flanked bluetail.

So it was clear - set the alarm and get there early on Sunday. Which I did. Though not quite as planned! Alarm was quickly silenced, I got dressed, headed downstairs... only to find it was not yet 5am... doh! I'd left my alarm on for work! So back to bed, with a 7am alarm set.

Up at 7, out by 10 past, parked up at Hartley at half past and at the north of the wetland by quarter to eight. It was very murky, and there were already a few birders searching the area.

I bumped into EB who kindly informed of the birds behavior yesterday, so together we stood and waited... and out of nowhere (actually, the willow on to the left of us.)...

... 08:10 - BINGO! 

Much gesticulation ensued (oo-er), it was clearly a relief for us both!

It was still very dark, but record images were most certainly required - so with and ISO of 1250 (later bumped to 1600) and a measly 1/40th - 1/60th second exposure some satisfactory images were achieved. Image stabilisation saves the day me thinks...

The other birders on site were summoned and over the next hour were were privileged to visits from the bluetail onto the wire fence and fence posts. Have to comment that the behaviour of the gathered was good - everyone got a good view as the bluetail went about its business.

From the font the flanks can be seen really quite nicely!

Later on the bluetail expanded its feeding circuit - heading out into the "gut" - & that (with increasing birder numbers) was my cue to head on - conveniently news had recently arrived advising that there was a chance at finally cracking the Tynemouth dusky warbler.

A great start to the day - my second Northumberland bluetail after the individual on Holy Island in 2008



I'll probably weaken and put another couple of images on the blog later in the week - rarity/migrant/time permitting! Or I might even go back...

Blue tales...

Argh!!!!! 2 red-flanked bluetails - both 15 minutes away north / east from BSHQ... 1 PG Tips south of the river, dusky warbler at the mouth of the Tyne (and up at Beadnell too)...

Me? Work AM, Dipping PM.

Waited a while for the Tynemouth dusky warbler but no sight or sound, nor the great grey shrike - lots of robin and blackbird. A phone call to STH confirmed that the Newbiggin bluetail was against the odds, though there was a rumour of another at St Mary's (oh how we giggled... no one knew who was claiming it etc...)

Headed back and opted not to check St Mary's a the tide was in and the red-breasted fly was on the cut off island.

Grrrrrrrrr!!!!!!

Lesson learned?

Red-flank

Finally caught up with the red-flanked bluetail on Holy Island this afternoon - tides have been awkward the last couple of days so I had to wait until mid afternoon before the causeway to clear. While waiting for the tide I managed not to see the male desert wheatear at Newbiggin... maybe that will stick a bit longer. Bluetail was very active and kept low. These shots were taken on the roadside adjacent the Lindisfarne Hotel.