Sunday Sun

Took bikes out for a spin today, venturing out of our village and into the foothills. It's been very hot with a blustery southerly breeze, so it was more of a potter than a fitness testing ride.

Birding was limited but we did bump into the odd thing or two - familiar chat, white necked raven, cape white eye , African dusky flycatcher and cape turtle dove etc. I'm not to concerned about the birding pace over the first few days as its our visit back to Cape Town where the avian aspects will accelerate.

Have barn swallow and house martin on the year list...

Weekend starts

... Here!

Back in sunny South Africa, overnight flight tiredness being overridden by excitement of blue skies and warmth. 1 new bird on road transfer, blue crane, plenty more to come.

Late

Dusk at West Hartford produced 2 sparring short-eared owl, 2 early shelduck, 20 or so teal...

Six goosander nearby at Arcot.

Short stories

In the shadows... ISO 1000, 1/160 exposure

A bit of fresh air was required after a poor nights sleep and an early shift at work. A look out of the window saw nice blue sky, but by the time I arrived at Prestwick Carr the sun had started to dip towards the western horizon, and the white balance was looking decidedly orange.

Short-eared owl were a doddle to see, up to seven in a sweep across the northern fields... yet none were really that close. To the south the owls flew closer, but that was into the light. So casual observation and chat with RD and PCF was about it. Didn't see the shrike (although it was still kicking about).

Walking back to the car in the fading light I noticed an owl hunting a paddock north of the road and close to the eastern road - and a few steps towards it saw a brief land on the fence - and a few quick fired shots. None of which were as I'd hoped, but a step in the right direction.

It didn't half get cold as the light faded. Need to do something about that methinks...

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!

Sunshine and snow

Ventured to Blyth this morning to catch up with the snow bunting south of the cemetery. A small stubble field with amazing ability to conceal the hords of feeding finches and buntings ... Really good to see high numbers of yellowhammer, along with tree sparrow, chaffinch and a mere 5 snow bunting (which took a while to pick up). In addition a pair of grey partridge were useful. The journey back via the river added turnstone and red breasted merganser, while the Horton burn was decidedly quiet.

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!

No more

So thats it. 2011 birding over. No yearlist. 3 UK ticks.

Finished up at West Hartford at dusk. Two short-eared owl were good, while lapwing numbers had increased to 200. Nine mallards dropped in, 2 grey heron stalked the reedbed and a single meadow pipit remains.

West Hartford has had a good 2011, with some decent birds - wryneck, snow bunting, hobby, merlin, 2 great white egret, hen harrier, osprey, wood sandpiper, wheatear, whinchat, yellowhammer (!) ...Wonder what 2012 will bring?

So 2011 ends... Here's what Cramlington's premier birding spot looked like at close of play today...

Dull Desert.

Met up with cousin Rob at Newbiggin on this final dull morning of 2011. With no reports of the desert wheater for a couple of days we were still mildly confident that it would still be there. And it was... easy as pie at the north end of the beach.

Only took the 100-400 today and it was ample as the wheatear maintained it's confident self, feeding within a few meters of us on the shore.

At Church Point we could only pick up three mediterrean gull - an adult and 2 1w.

Down the road, and still in winter gloom, West Hartford was quiet - 120+ lapwing and a few bhg, hg loafed on the pool. A single gbbg flew up the Blyth valley.

That could be it for 2011...

Great Ears

With West Hartford remaining very quiet, I opted for a trip out this morning to Prestwick Carr. Only a few miles from the patch, but much more to see.

The main quarry was the great grey shrike - always nice to see, but very good at keeping out of the camera range... (and murky light)

With the shrike distant and light not too much kop, attention was turned to the short-eared owls. I'd hoped for some nice perched shots - but apart from the first image (above), I'll have to settle for more "atmospheric" images...

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 ...

Shadows

A late morning roadside look at West Hartford was pleasant despite the cold temperature.

The flash was 90% frozen, yet it still held >149 lapwing and 45 teal. Two grey heron stalked the fields, with fifteen meadow pipit and a single skylark. Thrush-wise, blackbird, redwing and fieldfare were in the hawthorns along with 7 long-tailed tit.

Grim!

A cold, sleety day in the north-east. Saved by a couple of good birds though, with the desert wheatear still present just north of Beacon Point, and the drake green- winged teal at East Chevington. Didn't bump into the 'legs or connect with any geese, but can't complain.