Wet Pockets

Headed north with Phil on another quest for a county tick or two - yesterdays news of a Siberian Stonechat just south of Howick came just too late to make use of accumulated brownie points, so a post work trip it was.

We arrived just as the heavens opened - and consequently continued for the whole two and a half hours in the field.

The sibe stonechat performed well, until it opted to retreat from the rain - so with a county tick under the belt we headed to Beadnell Bay, picking up a cracking and obliging Lapland Bunting on the track, but no hoped for Richard's Pipit - a species that seems destined not to make my county list!

Rump shot

Bleak

Cor!

Corvids to be precise - hooded crow was a handy year tick today, having not yet ventured out of the county for 2012 birding. Not the easiest species to catch up with, so a bonus during a visit to Druridge Bay.

First stop had been at Woodhorn where a great grey shrike had been showing in the hedge near the church. I arrived ten minutes after it had lifted and flown over the road to the north.

Dipping continued at Druridge pools - I failed to locate the drake garganey, but a female marsh harrier gave decent views.

The hooded crow was next to Hemscott Hill and took an age to come into photographable range - it was nice light,  not that the heat haze helped at all... A single sand martin flew through while I waited and flooded fields to the north held black-tailed godwit.

Meanwhile at Cresswell, 4 avocet fed in the northern part of the pool, and a male wheatear fed next to the path.

An alert of a male siberian stonechat on Holy Island was tempting (I still need this for Northumberland), but the timing wasn't quite right for a trip today...

The 3 "IANS" - Siber_, Casp_, Euras_

Headed south to Teesside this morning after encouraging reports from the Zinc Works Road area of Seaton Carew on Saturday.

First up, a stop at the first lay by on the road for IAN number 1- on show was the confiding male siberian stonechat - my second encounter of this newly promoted species in the UK. A dapper chap at that, and thoughts of prolonged viewing and photography were quashed as the bird flitted off into the scrub upon the onset of a heavy, cold winter shower.

Hoppy... plain rump just about on show.

Taking shelter from the rain we headed to lay by number two for IAN number 2 ~ and a few minutes later (refreshed with coffee) we set about scanning the gull flock. The 1st winter caspian gull (one of perhaps 3 that have been here this week) was picked up by another fellow, and decent scope view were had. Rather embarrassed to admit this, but the caspian gull was a UK tick for me and Mark. Northern sightings of this species are few and far between, and it's certainly not a bird I'd have travelled far for! In hindsight some record shots should have been taken, but a scope was essential to get a good view. Not long after the bird was picked out one of the two local peregrines lifted the flock and the gull dispersed.

The third port of call was, conveniently, at the third lay by down Zinc Works Road for IAN number 3 of the jaunt - a small group of Eurasian white-fronted geese were on show along with a single pink-foot. With the geese in the bag, and another less successful short wait for IAN number 1 we headed back north.

News of desert wheatear at Newbiggin might provide an incentive to get out on Monday, as time is not on my side today. Nice to see that the birding pace has not yet settled down for winter!

Armchair Sometimes

Even with the pressures of overtime and home improvement, the rares keep dropping in and today I added another species to my BOU UK list. Sounds great, but boringly it was a bird from 2005 that makes an uneventful addition to the list - siberian stonechat...

This bird was seen and photographed in the south-west at Porthgwarra, Cornwall on 7th October 2005, en route to Scilly. We'd had a second look at the long staying long-billed dowitcher residing nearby at Drift Reservoir (keeping company with a dapper spotted redshank) prior to our visit, and by mid afternoon had connected with a blackpoll warbler on the Garrison, St Marys IOS. Great days!!!