Black Scoter ~ display posture

No apologies for the poor quality image, the scoter flock was a considerable distance and it was approaching 20:00... however, several others have commented on the display posture and apparent calling from the drake black scoter - here's an image of the former from it's first night off Stag Rocks... Thick neck is illustrated rather well here.

Black Scoter, Stag Rocks: Record Shots...

Struggled to get anything decent on the drake black scoter - a combination of dull evening light and a not so close subject. Great thru' the scope, but tricky even with the 2.0 extender on the 500mm...

Still, my first UK tick of 2011 and a new county bird!

The journey up with Phil was just about to become tedious as we left the speedy A1 dual carraigeway and progressed north on the single lane north of Morpeth... but the casual westward drift over of the presumed just-left-east-chevington immature white-tailed eagle gave us a conversation point for the rest of the drive! The eagle was getting a lot of gip from some jackdaw, but our "right place, right time" gave us a fly over no more that 20 meters infront of the car and a height of only thirty feet!!

The thin line of the scoter flock can just be made out on the image below...

Black Scoter, Stag Rocks...

Just back from a late afternoon to dusk visit to Stag Rocks for the drake Black Scoter... Record shots online Friday...

Western Sub-alpine Warbler II

Feeding under the willow... always on the move

Western Sub-alpine Warbler, Holy Island

Gave in to the pressure to leave Cramlington and bird elsewhere this afternoon... a report of sub-alpine warbler niggled from 10:30, and by 13:15 I crumbled - packed up the car and headed north. As I reached Fenham-le-moor confirmation came through, and it was with a little added foot pressure that the tick-mobile advanced to Chare Ends.

The warbler, a dapper male, visited the willow a few times during my three and a quarter hour vigil, and was by all accounts tricky to photograph out in the "open". I managed a few shots, of which more may appear tomorrow.  It was 22 years since my last Northumberland sub-alp (which also happened to be on Holy Island)...

Canon 1DIII / 500mm IS / 2.0 extender

West Hartford Continues...

West Hartford has enjoyed a decent birding-run over the last two weeks or so, with great white egret being added to the patch list just over a week ago and then a steady trickle of good West Hartford birds / signs of Spring... chiffchaff have arrived, a couple of sand martin have passed through, grey partridge are calling, short-eared owl are semi-regular (though not tonight!), peregrine (Monday), 5 goosander through, and tonight... another summer migrant.

It was rather cold tonight, but the clear conditions were enough to get me out for a couple of visits. Late afternoon was quiet and is hardly worth a mention.

Late evening - dusk was much cooler but more satisfactory, as the first scan west to east over the fields, River Blyth and pond produced the aforementioned migrant - a mighty osprey!

Actually, this was almost predictable... the north-east has seen a good passage of these fish-hawks through the region today - indeed, a quick scan of RBA reveals three in Durham and one in Northumberland...

It looked a bit like this -


Osprey - Florida, January 2006


... but it was really quite far away! The bird was a couple of hundred feet up, loafing in a NW direction , roughly above the River Blyth. It's funny how things turn out - Phil and I had been talking earlier this week about new birds for West Hartford (I fancy a Spoonbill by the way!) - and we never really discussed osprey...

This was my second osprey in Cramlington - the last being a two day bird at Arcot Pond in May 2003. This bird also turned up on a Sunday evening and was even fishing the pond! I arrived early the next morning armed with a trsty 3 mega pixel compact camera and scope, and to great suprise, found the osprey perched in the dead trees at the west of the pool (where in 2010 the 1s hobby rested - Cramlington is such a mecca!!)



Osprey - Arcot Pond, May 2003


So, with osprey added to the West Hartford list (I must count my tally up...), here are my anticipated species for the future -

1. Spoonbill - why not? If Castle Island can draw them in no reason why WH can't either
2. Little Egret - long overdue, beaten by its' larger relative last week!
3. Tawny Owl - already seen and heard by others, I've been too lazy to venture out at the right time.
4. Pectoral Sandpiper - Arcot has had them in the autumn, other waders have found WH to their liking...
5. Bittern - There is a nice reed bed forming south of the pool, may be one hard winter will bring one in?
6. Red Kite - only a matter of time.
7. Reed Warbler - habitat getting better.
8. Great Grey Shrike - outside chance on passage - Arcot has had one
9. Common Redstart - infrequent through Cramlington on passage (though I did have one in my parents garden many moons ago!)
10. Cuckoo - a tricky bird in Cramlington, but possible.

American Wigeon, Cresswell

A late morning report of a drake american wigeon was sufficient enough to lure me up the coast for an hour or so today. Distant but easily picked out, the drake spent time feeding in the field adjacent to the NWT hide alongside european counterparts, pink-footed geese and a lone brent goose.

The pace is quickening, hopefully the photographic subjects will become more accommodating.


Canon 1DIII/500mm/2.0 extender ~ resting on beanbag from Cresswell NWT hide.



Double Vision...

After reading Phils' tales of short-eared owl at West Hartford last night I thought I'd try my luck this evening. Sure enough the SEO made an appearance, so after nipping back to the car for the camera gear I returned to my roadside vantage point and found that the bird had gone to ground. Nothing unusual here, as SEO can disappear for periods inbetween feeding - so I waited.

Annoyingly, at about 17:55 my owl attention was diverted as a suspicious white head popped up out of the ponds reedy edge... and after a moment of uncertainty, there it was - my second Cramlington great-white egret. No longer treated to capital letters on the pager, this is still a rare egret 'oop north, so I quickly got the news out via phone call and text. Given the birds position (south-east corner of pool), I advised all to join me at the roadside so not to disturb.

Phil was the first to arrive - he'd dipped the last two records, and as he headed back to his folks car to let them know I'd give him a lift back, out popped egret number 2 - amazing!!!

Gordon arrived soon after, all suited up I might add, along with a few speedy others. Good move, as with all two other Cramlington records, the pair soon headed off north west as dusk set in.

As with the Arcot bird that I found 2 years ago - I had the camera, but the birds were way too distant - so it's record shots only... here goes...

One...

...Two

And they're off...

You might be able to make out that one bird (the first seen) had an almost completely yellow bill, while the second almost completely black - different rates of breeding condition?

Previous Cramlington records were both, weirdly at Arcot Pond on April 25th - 1 for a few minutes in 2009, and the other, a flyover in 2010...

Whoopee do...

Took what seems to be an ever decreasingly frequent trip up the coast this morning... and there was very little to see! No sign of the waxwing at Ashington, or any smew at Druridge Bay Country Park. Two set of 4 whooper swan were noted though - on Cresswell and just up the road from Druridge. Chips at Amble and a couple of brambling saved the day, again!

Smew & little else...



A late afternoon trip up the coast resulted in little of note for Druridge Bay: no sign of the smew pair at QEII, but success at Druridge Bay Country Park ~ the pair were picked up quite easily from the water sport car park. Photographically too distant, so it's a record shot of the smart drake...

West Hartford was showing signs of sprint - 11 oystercatcher, 3 curlew and two pairs of shelduck.

There could be sand martin by the month end!

Quick Potter...

Managed an hour birding this afternoon, with the five white-fronted geese collected south-east of Ashington hospital - only one of which was not sat tight to the ground roosting - a greenland race bird.

QEII eventually provided distant views of the smew pair - it's been a while since I last copped eyes on a "white nun" - distant but appreciated.

West Hartford was bleak - a windswept, cold afternoon mean't a short stay and very little bird-wise.

March is round the corner, so things are looking up!

Brambling

I headed up the coast this afternoon, taking advantage of some nice sunshine and a late start to the working week. Stopping off at Woodhorn there was no sign of any white-fronted geese on the pools or surrounding fields, tho a bathing peregrine near the power station was a bonus.

Cresswell was extremely quiet, with only shelduck and lapwing being noted from the roadside!

The action, so to speak, was further north at Druridge Bay Country Park. From the water-sport end of the pool there were many mallard, some coot and moorhen, a few tufted duck, golden-eye and red-breasted merganser. At the visitor centre the feeding station was very busy - primarily with siskin, coal tit, blue tit, great tit and greenfinch. Foraging below, chaffinch and some brambling. While this was all well and good, the birds were a tad distant for the camera - so after a brief wander and eventual re-position in the car, I set up next to the secondary feeding station - some feeders next to the turning circle beyond the main car park.

This prove to be a good location - the afternoon sun was perfectly positioned to light the feeders and there were plenty of brambling feeding in the area (and I was able to sit in the warmth of the car!). While it would have been tempting and easier to photograph them on the feeders, I opted to try and get some images as the birds worked their way to the food.

By late afternoon it was time to head back - via West Hartford. Recent reports have suggested that short-eared owl are back - not today, just a couple of shelduck on the pool and plumiting temperatures!

Sideshow...

http://onnightslikethis.blogspot.com/

My new blog for all the concert and music related stuff that's not really applicable to this blog...

I've lots of concerts planned for 2011, and lots of old "stuff" to post.

I must get out birding sometime(s)...