Frosty

Usual suspects "round the doors"...

Great grey shrike, 4 little egret, kingfisher, 2 moorhen, 7 mallard. 

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.

The egrets have landed

Well, 3 have.

Nice to have on our urban doorstep- three frequenting the Horton Burn, with occasional "from the house" and "from the car" views as we go about our turgid business.

Continues

Great Grey Day

A bonus upon return from a brief Dublin 24hrs trip, with a phone call from Phil: Great Grey Shrike at West Hartford.

Jolly good it was too, albeit very distant.

My 2nd in Cramlington.

Cold

Not a great deal at West Hartford at dusk - 3 grey heron, 2 buzzard and 1 (male) stonechat...

Isabelline Wheatear, Seaton Carew

A week of work and a late UK record of Isabelline Wheatear. Convenient as it was "just down the road".


Rather confiding, approaching the gathered...

The weekend

Little birding this weekend but a couple of highlights -

Saturday afternoon saw a last hour of sunlight trip to Briardene for the vocal Hume's Warbler - it had been a while since my last, but constituted my 5th in the county.

Sunday afternoon saw a house tick in the form of Little Egret, flying up and down the Horton Burn at dusk. Hopefully to become a regular sight along the burn as temperatures drop for winter. 

Pallas's Warbler, Whitley Bay

In the gloom of November on the track behind the Cemetery....

Tree Sparrow...

Only the second in the garden, following the first in October - perhaps the same bird. Simple pleasures...

It was only a couple of years ago that had my first in Cramlington!

Start

Black Red variety. In Cramlington of all places! Nice surprise on a sunny November morning at the Sporting Club.

30:21

A quick late afternoon trip to South Beach, Blyth - 30 mins.

21 Little Auk (bolstered by a party of 17)
2 Velvet Scoter
4 Red-breasted Merganser
3 Long-tailed Duck
1 Arctic Skua
Hods of Kittiwake
Several Red-throated Diver...

Canny!

Freezing mind.

The Conspiracy of Ravens...

No large corvids on two consecutive visits to Tynemouth...

Compensatory avian treats with a single woodcock at the priory, two Brent geese flying out of the Tyne on Friday, while Saturday's bonus birds were further north at St Mary's - a relatively showy yellow-browed warbler at the top of the wetland and a brief black redstart on the beach